Always on
This project successfully funded on 13th November 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Calling You
Plymouth, United Kingdom
Aim
South West Indie Short Film needing funding for shooting, post-production finishing, music licensing and exhibition.
After a middle-aged father falls mysteriously into a coma that transports him to an idealised version of his past, his daughter must do everything necessary to rescue him from an eternal trap.
Calling You is a psychological drama with surreal and sci-fi elements, exploring the dangers of nostalgia, memory, and the generational divide between a father and daughter.
The story is told non-linearly through two perspectives. One is from Mike, a middle-aged father, inebriated in his quest to live in his past, and his daughter Layla, in her mid-twenties, visiting her childhood home, navigating her own reconciliation of her past.
The film will be a meditation on memory, especially how music and spaces influence it, and a cautionary tale for living in the past. It will also be an exploration into a generational divide between two subjects of different childhoods, Layla and Mike (Millennials/Gen Z and Gen X), respectively. The initial desire for us to devise the story came from wanting to make a film in a school or community hall at night. There is something incredibly liminal about the concept, and in developing it, many eerie questions arise — What else would be there? Is it your ‘home’ anymore? Liminal spaces, or more the modern term ‘backrooms’, having a recent cult resurgence in internet and gaming culture, are physically described as spaces of a familiar setting, such as a school, train station, or offices, that are now reduced to stillness and lifelessness. But metaphysically, it represents a state of mind, a transitionary period between one stage of life and the next.
Our theory is that it is rooted in nostalgia and in one’s subconscious desire to return to it. This is the desire that Mike has. Furthermore, one of the arcs of a child’s maturity is recognising the flaws in their parents and perhaps the desire to not manifest those flaws themselves, which is what Layla represents.
The tone and pacing will be different in the dream sequence (Mike’s POV) and the real-world scenes (Layla’s POV). Mike’s visions, especially the dance sequence, will be shot not unlike a music video, lit as practically as possible through the disco lights and Mike’s torch. We would present the vast widths of the school Mike inhabits with uncomfortable 18mm lens close-ups on Mike’s emotional arc from hesitant to utterly hypnotised and absorbed in the dance. For cinematography and editing, inspirations and references include Climax (2018), At Eternity’s Gate (2019), and Insidious (2010), to name a few. The real-world scenes, Layla’s POV, will contrast this with a simpler, stripped-back style of filmmaking and coverage, akin to a kitchen sink drama or a piece of theatre with long, wide takes. Films of Mike Leigh, such as Secrets and Lies (1996), Life is Sweet (1990), and Hard Truths (2024), come to mind as good references to what we want the style to achieve—a quaint family drama to contrast with the wonders and horrors of Mike’s visions. Inspired by Leigh, we would like to explore improvisation between the actors of Layla and Mike, using the script as a starting point to create more emotionally raw scenes.
Broadly, the film will connect with audiences and festivals that appreciate psychological drama. With Layla and Mike representing two generations, along with songs and artefacts of their upbringing, it will also target people that were children of the 70s/80s and 90s/00s, respectively. The clash of the generations and their gadgets is certainly intentional with this story and can offer a conversation starter on what place nostalgia has in our society as an individual and collective force.
Once completed the film will go onto film festivals across the UK as well as selected screenings in independent cinemas, film societies and community-led cinemas – particularly those in the South West. We would be open to further distribution beyond that, perhaps being paired with a feature for screenings or online / streaming at the end of its cinema run.
Climax (2018, dir. Gaspar Noé) - Watch Trailer
Drugs, strobes, dance and disaster. Climax tells the story of a group of dancers rehearsing in a school hall when, during an afterparty, they all slowly realise that their drinks have been spiked with LSD. What unfolds is over an hour of chaos and calamity as the drug takes hold of them all – all in one long take.
It's hard not to spot the similarities between Climax and Calling You. Both involve the use of questionable drugs, psychosis, and dance numbers in the backdrop of a school at night. I was drawn to Climax for its implicit use of liminality with the space. The long takes add to the audience's feeling of eavesdropping on the disaster with the constant urge to look away but never do. Like Calling You, with its fictional drug, it is a cautionary tale about the use of psychologically altering drugs, where it reveals a part of you that you wish you hadn't known.
Life on Mars (2006 - 2007, Created by Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan & Ashley Pharoah) - Watch Trailer
My name is Sam Tyler. I had an accident, and I woke up in 1973. Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time? Whatever’s happened, it’s like I’ve landed on a different planet. Now, maybe if I can work out the reason, I can get home. *Cue Music*
Life on Mars is a double-season TV series about a detective inspector who is zapped from 2006 to 1973 after being hit by a car. Throughout each episode he tries to piece together why he is there, how he can return to his time, and if the wonderland he is sent to is truly 'real'. The episode finale, which I'll reveal cryptically to not spoil, suggests a tension between the idealistic fantasy of the past and the supposed boring and unfeeling present. Protagonist Sam Tyler's arc is navigating that tension and the choice to stay in the past or present. Mike's character is similar, although he ends up unconscious by choice, in that he navigates that tension. It's only by his daughter (both as a child and adult) that he has any precedent at all to stay awake. Each episode there are little gimmicks or moments where Tyler's 2006 world (via sensory input on the hospital bed) affects his senses in 1973. In parallel, adult Layla uses visual and auditory artifices to disrupt Mike's visions to try and wake him. For both, it presents a battleground between the past vs present over the very soul of the person – and who will win in the end?
Secrets and Lies (1996, dir. Mike Leigh) - Watch Trailer
After a young black woman finds her biological mother living in poverty, they must learn to cope with the tensions and confusions of their extended families and the hidden truths that they share.
Much can be said of the inspirations and similarities between Secrets and Lies and Calling You. But to be honest, almost all of Mike Leigh's filmography (Life is Sweet, Hard Truths and Naked, to name a few) can be as well. Leigh's organic portrayals of family dynamics are some of the best put to cinema, largely down to the fact that each project is entirely scriptless and each scene is devised by the actors in collaboration with Leigh. Sometimes, cinema is not VFX, fast editing and overkill sound effects; all you need is a wide shot with two actors in it. We hope to create that environment of technical simplicity in favour of showcasing the acting to drive the story and thematics home.
The Shining (1980, dir. Stanley Kubrick) - Watch Trailer
Much can be paralleled from this one still image alone from The Shining with Calling You. Kubrick's take on horror is often criticised for its lack of explicit horror, especially with modern sensibilities of a jump-scare every minute. The story of a family going insane together in an empty and remote hotel is told through the visual language of liminal spaces. It's long, wide shots that show the huge expanse of the hotel at all times, contrasting with the uncomfortable close-ups as we glimpse at the emotional effects on the characters of such spaces. With such an environment, the question remains, what forces lie within it or within you? Calling You, whilst its content never goes beyond 'PG', will use the same visual language to portray Mike's psychosis in the comatose state, with an emphasis on wide shots and committing to them. Wide shots are often seen in filmmaking as secondary, seen without artistic intention but used as a 'safety' shot to ensure coverage for the sake of coverage. We intend to commit to the wides and to their lengths, much like in The Shining, where we refuse to cut any closer unless it's absolutely artistically necessary.
We would appreciate any amount of donation, either big or small, for this project. If you have donated or are thinking of doing so, feel free to also share this crowdfunder with anyone.
The biggest costs for the film are location hire fees, equipment rental, cast/crew costs, music licensing & transportation costs.
Feel free to also share our various socials for the film. This will allow us to spread the word of the film and to help get its necessary funds to completion.
Instagram Account (or @_calling.you_)
Facebook Account (or search 'Calling You')
We are currently in pre-production for the shoot. We are making the necessary arrangements to secure the locations, set, props and production design. We are also going through applications for casting and various crew roles we require for the shoot, which will take place in late October.
Once shooting is wrapped and we are near the end of post-production, it will be finished, QC'ed and delivered courtesy of Studio Holder and Disauthority in London. We plan to have a Dolby Atmos (7.1.4) mix for the film for cinema showings, with optional deliverables in 7.1 / 5.1 and 2.0 (stereo). We plan to shoot this on Blackmagic 6K and potentially iPhone Apple ProRes Anamorphic for a delivery in 4K Scope.
Daniel Howard-Baker (Director / Writer / Producer) - Website
Daniel is a film editor and archivist by day and an award-winning writer/director by night. After graduating from the University of Westminster in 2021, he has since worked on shorts, features, documentaries and fiction that have gone on to festival and award recognition in national and international screenings. His directorial work, focusing on surreal and experimental storytelling, has gone on to win awards at the Nottingham Film Fest, Liverpool Indie Awards and Big Fringe Film Fest.
His previous directorial short, 'Ball-Pit. Wednesday. Lemonade.', was an experimental psychological surrealist drama shot half on Blackmagic digital 4K and Panasonic VHS, expressing his love and interest in the analogue format and how it can be utilised in certain stories. These stories emulate themes and emotions of nostalgia and degradation, matching the physical qualities of the VHS analogue format. This mixed media approach has allowed Daniel to expand the storytelling horizon, with a particular focus on archive documentary and the limitless flexibility of the format for story.
'Ballpit' went onto a successful festival run nationally and internationally, being screened at 44 festivals in the UK and internationally, nominated for 14 awards and winning 4, including Best Experimental Film at the Liverpool Indie Awards and Nottingham Film Fest, respectively.
He returns to his hometown of Plymouth to explore the storytelling potential in the region, working as a film editor, photographer and archivist for local creative collaborators and communities, such as Plymouth University, Everyman Cinema, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Novel Pictures, Neo Noire Studios and [EK!] Productions. Daniel looks to expand the horizon of storytelling and show the South West as an arena of cinema.
Louis Holder (Cinematographer / Post-Producer) - Website
BAFTA award-winning assistant editor and Royal Television Society award-winning filmmaker, whose work has featured across national and international film festivals, including Sheffield DocFest, BFI Future Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Raindance, Manchester IFF, Scout Film Festival and UCL Festival of the Moving Image.
Louis graduated in 2019 from world-renowned Westminster Film School (BA Film) and went on to pursue a master's in Editing & Post-Production at London South Bank University, graduating in 2021. This was followed shortly after with an appointment as Edit Assistant, then rising to the position of Senior Edit Assistant, at BAFTA, Emmy & ProMax-awarded broadcast post-production facility Platform Post, remaining there for almost three years. Louis is now the Head of Post Production at award-winning picture finishing facility Disauthority, which supplies VFX/design, online, grade, QAR & delivery services to the independent feature film & HETV sectors across UK and European markets predominantly.
Work has screened at all major cinemas in London and across sites in the regions. Also credited/featured work on broadcast channels – BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, London Live, and ArtStreaming TV – and credited on productions acquired by Netflix and Amazon Prime. Previous work is also shown on BFI Player and NOWNESS, and featured work includes Vimeo Staff Pick of the Week.
Complementing his position at Disauthority, Louis continues to work as an artist-filmmaker and educator, working predominantly as an offline editor (AVID), mastering & deliverables producer and self-shooting director at Hertfordshire-based studio Studio Holder. Louis was also a leading film programmer and workshop facilitator at volunteer-run Deptford Cinema (2018-2021).
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Instagram Account (or @_calling.you_)
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Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made