Always on
This project successfully funded on 15th October 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
How To Do A Kidnap
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
Comedy-thriller short film about a fake kidnap gone wrong. The screen directing debut of BAFTA-winning former TV comedy producer Izzy Mant.
Content creator OllieStreams has planned an elaborate fake kidnap stunt for his livestream. But when the three young friends he’s booked to do the kidnap arrive, they realise something’s not right, and things quickly spiral out of control…
This comedy-thriller short film is the brainchild and screen directing debut of BAFTA-winning former TV comedy producer Izzy Mant, and stars award-winning comedian/actor Christian Brighty and comedy legend Doon Mackichan. Executive Producers include Paul Whitehouse.
Imagine a Coen Brothers comedy with Edgar Wright's visual style, plus Greta Gerwig's comic sensibility. And directed by a woman with Peep Show pedigree. That should give you a rough idea.
Who's involved?
Cast:
Further cast to be confirmed closer to the shoot dates.
Production/Creative:
What's the story?
Courtney, Troy and Kane are three young friends who are starting a business doing ‘immersive kidnapping experiences’. Their first client is OllieStreams, a pleased-with-himself content creator, who lives with his mum and livestreams pranks to his nearly a million followers. Our wannabe kidnappers think this’ll raise the profile of their business. But when they arrive at the house, Ollie’s already being kidnapped! By real, scary-looking guys.
We cut back and forth between the content creator trying to banter with these absolute legends – thinking they’re just actors - and our gang of friends giving chase and trying to alert the authorities.
They all rock up at an abandoned warehouse, where things get scary, guns are pulled, chaos and misunderstandings abound… and we end with the mother of all twists.
And why does it matter?
HOW TO DO A KIDNAP is mostly a shamelessly entertaining comedy. But it does have something to say: about the tension between our real selves and the ‘highlight reel’ persona we present online. And the struggles of young people today, their Gen X parents worried about their online lives, but often focussing on the wrong things. At a time when online harms are much discussed in politics and in the media, this short film bursts the bubble of that debate - but in a way that we can't tell you without giving away the final twist...
What's the vision?
HOW TO DO A KIDNAP has unusual scale for a short film, with its cast of eight, three locations, and the climactic set-piece shoot-out (which requires a highly-trained stunt coordinator and armourer). This means it’ll stand out in the short film landscape, where budget constraints tend to lead to more limited ambition.
With Izzy’s TV comedy background she’s well-placed to work with the experienced production team to make a small budget go a long way – creating a film that looks and sounds amazing, while never losing sight of storytelling and comedy.
Tone & influences
How To Do A Kidnap is a ten minute rollercoaster ride that takes you from warm buddy comedy to edge-of-your-seat thriller before you can catch your breath. Influences for this mix of humour and urban action-adventure, include Shaun of the Dead and Attack the Block.
The growing tension juxtaposed with often incongruously deadpan comic performances takes inspiration from films such as the Coen brothers’ Burn After Reading and Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges.
The look
Izzy and DOP Greg Duffield have plans to shoot in a way that balances naturalism and artistry – with storytelling and comedy always foremost, and judicious use of detail shots and dynamic camera moves to add a rhythmic energy. Shooting fluidly, with a loose head, will allow the comic performances to breathe. As our fake-kidnappers’ world is increasingly upturned, we go fully hand-held – an organised chaos - contrasting with more static shots for the ‘real’ kidnappers in the warehouse.
And the climactic scene will be lit and shot like a stylish thriller, making the most of our dilapidated warehouse location. But still funny. It can look great and be funny.
The sound
Sound design and music will be central to the style of the film. A percussive, syncopated score (think One Battle After Another, The Studio) will give a constant momentum, reinforcing both the tension and the deadpan comedy, and this will be punctuated with rhythmic sound design – car doors, zips, gunshots syncing to the music – giving the film a slick, choreographic feel.
What's the plan?
The film will be shooting in London over three days in November 2026, with the aim to complete by the end of January 2027. It’s intended for theatrical release and the national and international film festival circuit. We will be targeting BAFTA, BIFA and Oscar qualifying festivals, as well as comedy-focussed festivals.
What do we need?
We’ve secured partial funding outside of this campaign, but we need £15,000 to close the gap and make the project possible.
As an independent British film, it will qualify for the generous UK audio-visual tax credit, worth approximately 31% of production costs, meaning your money will go further.
And thanks to Kino London Short Film Fund, our camera and lighting equipment will be provided free of charge.
We have a detailed budget, with everything costed, which breaks down as follows.
The support for the project so far has been incredible, with offers of favours and discounts that have helped bring the budget down. Alongside our Kino win, we were shortlisted for five of the prestigious film funds we submitted to (Day Job, Look Aside, Slick Films Fund, Unrestricted View & Phoenix Rising International), which has helped start to build a buzz. We just need to fill that funding gap before Izzy can call “Action”.
Why support us?
As well as getting the perks below, by funding this project you’ll be part of a film that will hopefully play at festivals all around the world, make people laugh & make them think, and maybe even win a few awards. You’ll be giving a boost to all the talented people who work on the film at a time when comedy, one of the UK’s greatest exports, is desperately underfunded, and when we need it more than ever. Have no doubt, your contribution, big or small, is completely invaluable and will help get this film off the page and on to the big screen. Sure, it’s just a comedy. But it has something to say too, and we strongly believe laughter is a shortcut to people’s hearts.
Look, we take your support so seriously that we’ve even resisted making obvious jokes about kidnapping or ransom payments in this request for your money. We just think that would be a hostage to fortune...
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made