The Mean Spirited

Aim

Hello! Welcome to our crowdfunding page and thank you so much for showing your interest in our comedic horror which will be shot in one take

THE MEAN SPIRITED

A spiritual obsessive, a grief-stricken young man, and a social media influencer's visit to a séance that is being hosted by an enchanting psychic. 

Each of the characters have ulterior motives that gradually reveal themselves as the events of the evening unfold, causing the film to progress through stages of comedy, drama, horror, and social commentary; all of which are captured by a highly-choreographed one single shot.The Mean Spirited is written and directed by The Archer Brothers and executively produced by the National Youth Film Academy.

WHO ARE WE?

We are a collective of young filmmakers and actors from all over the UK selected by the National Youth Film Academy to create a short film which will be released at the end of this year, with the premier showing at the Odeon Cinema Greenwich.

The Archer Brothers are award-winning comedy filmmakers from the East Midlands.

Joseph and Jack collaborated first on House Party Raiders (2017), a ninety-minute action-comedy feature, which they made when Joseph was undertaking his science degree and Jack was finishing his A Levels.

The film caught the attention of the National Youth Film Academy (NYFA), with the organisation funding their first short film On In 15 (2020), a 15-minute one-shot comedy.

Following the awards and film festival success of the unique short film, the NYFA are backing the duo again with their next comedy short The Mean Spirited (2021).

In their collaborative process the older brother, Joseph, typically takes on overall leadership of the project, overseeing its production and coordinating the technical aspects. Meanwhile, the younger brother, Jack, typically steers the films’ creative aspects, such as their scripts, performances, and cinematography.

MEET THE CHARACTERS

Mr Blakely:

 A mild-mannered and deeply spiritual psychic. A real ambition of his is to become a psychic who can offer people closure and bridge the gap between the living and dead, however he isn’t at that level yet, and is essentially faking it until he makes it. Naturally, he is keen for the business Oscar’s exposure will bring him. With the best intentions, he lies to everyone about the extent of his capabilities.

Lottie: A psychic watchdog who  psychics as frauds because she disagrees with the way they exploit the dead to earn a living. She spends most of the film pretending to go along with Mr Blakely until the unveiling moment, whereby she relishes too much in Mr Blakley’s fall from grace, revealing her lust for righteousness at any cost and she is therefore as bad as any vigilante. With the best intentions, she lies to everyone about who she is.

Alex: A complete non-believer in all things spiritual and religious. Whilst he is cynical of the spirit world, he is driven to entertaining the idea and attending the séance due to the severe grief he is suffering for his recently deceased mother. He is seeking closure at any cost, and willing to lie to himself and his own values to attain it. With the best intentions, he lies to himself about the best ways of coping with grief.

Oscar: Famous online influencer who is recording the séance in pursuit of entertaining his immature audience and amassing more followers. Morally bankrupt and intellectually challenged, but abundant in momentary charismatic energy, Oscar has attained 6.2 million followers online and is dedicated to growing that figure. He sees himself as a good entertainer. With questionable but understandable intentions, he lies to his audience and misleads society about what his life is like and what life should be like.

THEMES 

Alongside the humor comes several key themes and topics that are at the heart of the film: 

Grief: The process of grieving/ The manipulation of grief and lies/ Comedy as a form of relief  

Belief: What is it to believe?/ Belief in another being/ Belief in the Supernatural

Treatment of others: Respect/ Manipulation/ Deceit/ Forgiveness 

Social Media: The prison of Social Media/ Dominance in life/ A power for Good and Evil

This mood board illustrates the style and aesthetic of the film we are aiming to achieve. With a strong focus on theatrical elements to production both from set design to filmic style this will be a diverse style allowing for the elements of horror and comedy to interlink. As such the lighting in the film is dynamic and phasic, this is to change the tone and mood of the film as the characters go further into the horror of the séance while also emphasizing the comedic elements of the story.

Here you can see the areas your support will be invested into. Location is our key priority, finding a location that allows a controlled environment to be able to effectively create a one take film. We will then need specific equipment to help achieve this effect further. All of this will allow us to enter the best film possible into the festival circuit and bring a unique, ambitious and entertaining film to the international film circuit.

SUSTAINABILITY

As the next generation of young filmmakers and actors we set the tone for the way the industry standards will develop and change. As a company we wanted to represent the change we feel is necessary for the arts to thrive.

As such we aim to put sustainability at the heart of production. We will ensure our set has no waste, we source materials second hand, reduce our carbon footprint by filming in one location and more.

We want to champion the issues that matter. By exploring methods of sustainability in the film industry now we can raise awareness to others of its importance as well as improve our own methods in future productions.

THANK YOU

Finally, we would like to say a huge thank you for your support. 

If you are unable to donate, please still become part of our family and follow the journey of our film. You can also help us by sharing our crowdfunder with your family and friends and sign up to our website (coming soon) to follow the films progress.

Naturally major disruptions have happened as a result of Coronavirus, however we are excited to be at the forefront of the changing film landscape during the pandemic and would relish the opportunity to work with you in encouraging the work of young aspiring artists at this time.

This project successfully funded on 26th June 2021