Target reached!
The extra money from our stretch goal would primarily go towards one of three areas;...
Keep The Family Close
Lincoln, England, United Kingdom
Aim
The aim of the project is to secure funding for our short psychological horror film 'Keep The Family Close'.
We hope to use this area to show you all about our project, and let you know just what ‘Keep The Family Close’ will shape up to be. We’re planning on making a psychological horror film that will leave a lasting impression on anyone who watches it, and here’s how we’re going to do it.
WHY THIS FILM:
‘Keep The Family Close’ is relevant today as it is inspired by current events, specifically the ongoing pandemic. Albeit set just over 100 years ago, the context of the film is eerily similar to the current climate of today's world.
Tackling themes such as isolation, madness versus reality, and faith, our unique take on the classic horror genre is a breath of fresh air and one that does not conform with the traditional conventions. Taking elements from folk, psychological, and Lovecraftian horror makes the film a distinctive viewing experience.
MEET THE TEAM:
Rohan (Director): I’m Rohan, and I’m the writer and director for ‘Keep The Family Close’. Creating stories has always been a passion for me since I was young, and I love exploring different genres as a filmmaker. My fascination for Lovecraftian horror stories inspired me to write ‘Keep The Family Close’, a horror film at its core but also an exploration into the human psyche. The modern society parallels that are apparent in the narrative make the film relevant as ever and I feel that today’s audience would relate in some capacity to the underlying themes of isolation. I’m thrilled to undertake an ambitious and innovative project such as this and I look forward to working with a great cast and crew.
Joe (Cinematographer): My name's Joe and I’m the cinematographer for our Short Film “Keep The Family Close”. My previous experience includes a variety of short films in which I have either been an actor or cinematographer. In my free time I also work as a freelance photographer. All of these I have been practicing in since my early teen years and I’m excited to be working on what will be our most ambitious and exciting project yet. It’s my job to work closely alongside our director to achieve his vision for the film. Visually I’m drawing inspiration from films such as ‘The Witch’ & ‘The Lighthouse’ to create a bleak and dreary world that reflects the isolation of this family not just from the rest of the outside world but also from one another. They’re lonely people who’s entire lives are committed to the fathers will & religious beliefs, never truly living for themselves. I have the task of reflecting these ideas through subtle camera work that isolates the family members in shots and lighting that remains more akin to natural light for the majority of the film, only becoming more exaggerated during more surreal and fantastical sequences.
DOP Page links:
YouTube- https://youtube.com/channel/UCEiC-NW6qmnbgixcqFEsEAQ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=izrccs5lvpld&utm_content=17ranrx LinkedIn- https://uk.linkedin.com/in/theengledew
Lewis (Producer): I’m Lewis, the Producer of ‘Keep the family close’. I've always had a desire to make learn about and make films because they were a mainstay growing up. Films are one of my favourite ways to bond with people and because of that, making them seemed like a natural progression. My previous work has included several student films, including Producing another short drama film called ‘To Conclude’, something that I crowdfunded for in the last academic year, but this is the project I’m most excited for because I’ve always wanted to work in horror, and it has a much larger scope. I’m suited for the job because I have more experience in producing films than any other film role, and the fact that Horror, and Psychological horror are two of my favourite genres, and I’ve watched and researched them extensively. I can’t wait to work on ‘Keep The Family Close’!
Jake (Editor): From a young age, I’ve always aspired to be a filmmaker. I started making films at the age of 14 and I have been writing, directing, and editing ever since. When I was younger I made films with my friends and family and while most saw what I did as a hobby, I always knew it would be my career choice. I devoted myself to this art and with every project, to improve myself with filmmaking. I truly believe in the magic of taking people on a journey through film and using the medium as a way of inspiring people and sparking their imagination. This lead me to specialize in crafting and editing, as it ultimately became the direction I wanted to pursue.
I am currently educating myself and specializing in editing, at the University of Lincoln, but I still have a love for storytelling. Keep the Family Close is a story that I could immerse myself into the characters and the setting, imagining what our final product might look like, just basing it off of inspired material and the screenplay. Having the role of being the editor allows me to portray the intended vision of that psychological terror, alongside the influence of the director, accurately.
Vimeo Link: https://vimeo.com/jakemasterton
Matt (Sound): Hi, my names Matt and I am going to be the sound recordist/FX artist for this project! My practical role in this project will take place both during the production and post-production process of the film. I will be recording sound and dialogue on set as well as recording foley and editing sounds during the edit.I have previously worked on many projects both in and outside of university ranging from short-films and adverts to videos for reputable organizations such as Camp America. I also run a small production company called Afterlife Productions. I display all of my work from previous clients and projects. Since this project is a psychological thriller, I am going to use sound to contribute to the manipulation of the viewers emotions.
Page links:
Afterlife Productions Instagram Link – Matt Hammond (Instagram)
YouTube Link - Matthew Hammond - YouTube
CASTING:
In regards to casting we needed to bring together a group of four who’d make a believable family and a plague doctor. The plague doctor would remain In a mask so as long as they could appear physically intimidating to the daughter in height and stature, anyone could be under the mask. The family was a little trickier as we needed to find four people who could be seen as being in the same family whilst also having vastly different characteristics. For example, The daughter would need a softer and more desperate appearance compared to the mother who’d appear to have perhaps been that way once herself but has long since given up and withdrawn, accepting the almost tyrannical rule of the father. To gather auditions we left listings on Facebook, Mandy, StarNow. Whilst Facebook and Mandy were not met with much attention we had an abundance of applications on StarNow leaving us with a variety of choices.
In the end we settled on our main choices for the role (as listed below) as well as securing understudies for each role should anyone be unable to make it last minute.
Hollie Goddard- Daughter
Kaine Applegate- Son
Maria Hobbs- Mother
David Aston- Father
Plague Doctor-TBD
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT AND CREATIVE VISION:
The story of ‘Keep The Family Close’ is heavily inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and the concept of cosmic horror. I have a great interest in stories, especially horror, that concern bigger issues that affect humanity and defy the stereotypical genre conventions. The entire family deals with various trials that ultimately test their faith and psychological stability, however this is just the surface narrative as there is an underlying sense of dread that something much bigger is happening. Isolation is a key theme throughout and is something that is relevant today. I want to present this idea through the use of the time period. 1919 was a time just after World War 1, where xenophobia was at an all time high and people were afraid to be in contact with each other due to the ongoing pandemic of the Spanish Flu. However, the disassociation that the audience would feel due to the family’s paganistic beliefs and way of life will still allow for an uneasy and mysterious viewing experience. Taking inspiration from films such as ‘The Lighthouse’, ‘The Witch’, and ‘The Ritual’, the film explores the idea of sanity and how far we go as humans to believe in something; is it worth the conflict that comes along with it?
CINEMATOGRAPHER'S VISION:
The Look and Feel of ‘Keep The Family Close” will be that of one that uses colder tones and colours. By primarily utilising colours like muted blues, greens, greys and blacks (with the only addition being a warmer yellow/orange for the candle/fireplace) we can reflect the lonely and empty feeling of this isolated farm cut off from all that’s around them. These muted colours will also be reflecting the suppressed feelings of the family under the father, desperate for something more but unable to see the brighter colours in such a hopeless world. For reference refer to such films as ‘The Babadook’ (2014), ‘The Witch’ (2015) and ‘The Lighthouse’.
To further this feeling I will mostly be using natural lights with a minimalist lighting set up just to separate subjects of a scene from the background to the foreground. When characters are the focus of a shot I will be using a shallower focus to really isolate them from all that is around them. Besides this, a heavy implementation of darkness, shadows and contrast in scenes to really exaggerate the feeling of this “home” existing in a void. As well this it divides characters faces into two. Subconsciously suggesting characters duality, having other sides to themselves that perhaps they aren’t even aware of. I will also use the length of a shot to help emphasise which character holds power in a given seen. For example at the start of the film whilst the father holds total control over his family through fear, his shots would remain longer so the audience can really feel his intensity that he won’t let you pull away from. Compared to the daughter who begins unable to keep eye contact with her father or look up at what is looming above them, who’s shots will be shorter but progressively grow longer as she begins to discover her capability.
Colour Key:
EDITING STYLE:
The focus for this project is to edit it in such a way that’s it makes sense but creates mystery. The current experience of Covid-19 has largely inspired this film and my approach stylistically, along with how I’ll be able to have the audience feel that through the atmosphere and experimenting with pace. It has to have a sense of confusion and a gradual deterioration of the human psyche.
The narrative is mainly structure through the themes of belief, isolation and mental health, expanding on these through shot selection through a variety of tone shifts and harrowing sound design. That’s the ideal approach, but also to utilize the best performances by focusing on dramatic actions. Achievable atmospheric horror for the tense finale. It’s a gripping dark tale that audiences will be compelled by, due to the period and the way it’ll fit accurately through colour grading, aspect ratio and elements from films in the era it’s set in. All the family members have mystical fantasies and a warped perception of reality, due to isolation. Enough complexity to utilise in the editing room. Here are a few example pictures of the style I want:
SOUND DESIGN:
I have taken inspiration from films such as The Babadook and The Conjuring when planning for my foley and sound FX during post production. The use of everyday sounds can be extremely effective if the scene has been progressed correctly. For example, a distant rattle in the trees is much more effective if the entire scene has had little to no sound, thus allowing time for the tension to build up. The viewer will be expecting a scare and I plan to catch the off guard.
I have also taken inspiration from the video game The Forrest, which includes the constant use of eerie sounds to scare the viewer. The simple use of wind flowing through a dense forest can be used to create multiple emotions. Wind can be used to create a sense of mystery and adventure, however when paired with the correct cinematography and story, the wind can hint at something much more sinister. I am going to experiment with the use of infrasound to increase the discomfort of the viewers, thus increasing anxiety and fear factor.
CONCEPT IMAGES:
SCHEDULE:
Our current schedule suggests we’ll shoot our film towards the end of March/Early April. We’re already deep into pre-production, with our next main goals being procuring props and costumes. Once those are finalised, we will be moving forward into scouting the locations, something we’re scheduled to do around mid-to-late March, though that could be delayed depending on how long the Crowdfunding funds take to transfer. We have already got actors who are very excited to work on the project, having held virtual auditions for most of December and January. Once we finalise costumes and locations we would be set to move into principle photography, being scheduled to film from the 28th of March to the 4th of April. From there, we would be working hard in post-production to edit the film and make it as well put-together as possible, with an estimated release date being planned for the 20th of May, depending on Covid Restrictions.
FUNDING, WHAT WE PLAN TO SPEND THE MONEY ON:
Operating based on our standard goal, our current budget would be divided as follows; £300 would be dedicated towards finding a location to film, ideally a run down looking farmhouse or cabin in a woodland setting. Our equipment is provided by our university, and is exempt from the budget. £100 of our budget would go towards feeding the cast and crew over the course of the (assumed) week long shoot, meaning we would then have £100 dedicated to travel costs, with a final £125 dedicated to props and costumes. Finally, the last £200/£150 of our budget (allowing for breathing room) would be allocated to our festival fund. It is worth noting that should we exceed our stretch goal, we would be able to stretch these numbers further and spring for even better locations and further travel costs that could increase the scope of our search.
POST RELEASE:
What we plan to do after, e.g festivals: After the film’s initial release, our plan is to take it on a festival circuit across the UK and hopefully internationally as well. Targeted festivals include the ‘Aesthetica’ film festival, taking place digitally this year from the 2nd-30th November in York, Screamfest Los Angeles, a specialised horror festival taking place in October of this year, which will be the perfect place for ‘Keep The Family Close’’s psychological brand of horror. Other planned festivals include but aren’t limited to the London International Film Festival, another big stage to showcase the hard work and passion that’s gone into ‘Keep The Family Close’, The Raindance Film Festival, taking place in Autumn of this year and the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, which also takes place in October. With these being our planned ‘main stops’ so to speak, we intend on submitting to as many film festivals as possible, something that your generous donations will allow us to further pursue once production is completed!
CONCLUSION:
With everything above in mind, we hope we’ve delivered a clear picture of the type of film we want to create. We’re certainly passionate about getting it done and making it as polished as possible for it’s inevitable release. Hopefully you’ll join us for the ride and we’ll be able to make something memorable together.
This project successfully funded on 21st March 2021