You Free Tonight?

  Archie is a 16 year-old boy, discovering his sexuality, when he finds the app 'Findrr', the palce to go to find gay relationships to the naked eye, but he soon discovers it's a hub for hook-ups. 

  He gets matches right away, and is quickly snapped up by a '21 year old' called Paul, who brings him to a car park, fuelling his numb, attention driven spiral to a shell of his former self, as he wrestles with his sexuality, and the persona he has created. While his friend and mother try to reassure him he is good enough, he can't help but fall back into this spiral prompting the question: is there an end or do we keep falling lower as the years pass.

You Free Tonight? is set in a realistic world of a young exploring Archie, beginning in 2017 and ending in 2024. We follow Archie’s emotion, thoughts, and actions, and the visuals will reflect this. Whilst utilising natural lighting, elements of colour will be prevalent to represent danger, comfort, and everything in between. In addition, camera movement will be natural and flowing so the audience stays with Archie.

Taking influence from Euphoria, Beach Rats, Heartstopper, and Sex Education, we will balance the story and visuals, allowing them to aid each other. 

We've given you a sneak peek of what we're going for in our promo video, but there's so much more to show you, which can only be possible with your help. Using our powerhouse of a crew we aim to pull together the best cinematography, production design, sound and editing we can offer to bring Archie's story to life. Take a look at what our crew's been up to so far:

cinematography

editing

production design

costume

 Since the creation of dating apps, the culture around them has changed and evolved to be a place people can find comfort in, but also shines light on peoples vulnerabilities. Archies story is so important because it represents a larger issue with the online dating culture, especially within the gay community, he is the story that hundreds can empathise with, bringing to light the issue and hopefully acting as a cautionary tale about not only being safe, but checking in on people that could possibly be vulnerable to this.

 For an audience unfamiliar with this subject matter, it opens their eyes to a new world that is often hidden from the public, out of either shame or general secrecy. It presents a window to this world, while also reflecting a mirror to the community affected.

This film is incredibly important to tell the stories of people that so often choose to hide themselves, starting conversations and hopefully bringing people closer.

 As you can see, this film needs your help to be as great as we know it can be. Without your input, however big or small, be it monetary or sharing our social medias and this page, we appreciate it more than can be expressed.

 We would not be able to make this film without your donations, and every bit of change in your pocket or pennies down the back of the sofa could help us make the best film we can, giving us the happiest cast, happiest crew and most importantly, beautiful film.

Here's the scary part, numbers time (spooooky). Any of your donations will help immensely, and to keep you in the loop of where your money is going, we've made a handy and helpful pie chart to show you exactly what we need to fund, from start to finish of our production.

Of course, none of this would be possible without our wonderful crew, so here are our wonderful Heads of Departments!!

writer / director

will bottone

He / Him

Whilst specialising in producing during my time at Bournemouth Film School, I’ve learnt how to make a production work to tell a story at its best. Coming into the final year, I have taken this practice and put it into an exciting, heartbreaking, and enlightening script.

Having grown up in an increasingly accepting world, I’ve been able to celebrate my own sexuality. However, unfortunately there is a darker part to that world that many haven’t seen. From personal experiences and from helping friends through their own encounters, I’ve formed a script to represent that, acting as a window into a world that people may not see, and a mirror to those in the same world as the protagonist Archie, allowing them to realise they aren’t alone.

producer

bee mclean

They / Them

  I'm Bee, the Producer of You Free Tonight? Through the past two years at AUB, I've had a lot of experience on productions and making sure the directors vision is achieved to the best quality I possibly can, and I don't intend for this to be an exception. Using Will's idea's I truly believe this will be a powerful and important film that needs to be told, especially now with online dating being so popular.

1st assistant director

molly anthony

She / Her

Archie’s story is a powerful one, and a story I’m so proud to be working on. Whilst our world grows to be more inclusive of all types of people, darkness still exists - and for those like our protagonist, it can be a scary time. As 1st AD on You Free Tonight, I’ll be making sure that WE stay on time whilst still capturing all of Archie’s most important moments.

director of photography

poppy landen

She / Her

Hi my names Poppy Landen and I am the Director of Photography for You Free Tonight? From creating short films at the age of 8 using an iPad and iMovie to working on this film - I have always been an incredibly visual person. Since then I have improved enough to give this film the visual finesse it requires. I enjoy all aspects of cinematography and being able to head a team of fantastic cinematographers and work with the crew in this film is incredibly exciting. Set over the course of a few years with moments of dark and light throughout, I plan to use colour, shadows and composition to express Archie’s story whilst also making it visually breathtaking.

gaffer

casper griffin

He / Him

Showing the least glamorous side of hookup culture which many individuals have experienced and exposing that in a narrative format has so much potential. This film is a unique story which I truly believe will be great. My aim is to achieve the Director’s and Director of Photography’s vision through various lighting techniques to provide the right mood for the film.

production designer

emma snow

They / She 

Hi, I'm Emma Snow, Production Designer. Though I've always had a passion for filmmaking, I most recently found myself falling in love with the art department, and have really developed a deep love for production design and prop making. I am incredibly excited to work on YFT, and cannot wait to explore Archie's experience of being a young, queer person who is still figuring themselves out. It's a story which many of us can relate to in some way, and it's incredibly important to share these stories of real, imperfect people.

editor

drew collins

She / Her

Hello, I’m a third-year editor with a passion for postproduction.

I was originally drawn to the script due to the hush nature of hookup culture and how positive it is to bring light to the harsh realities many experience.

This film offers various opportunities to incorporate my strengths, creating motion graphics and camera/edit collaborative transitions. Ive taken inspiration from films such as Euphoria, Sex Education and Sherlock.

Editing allows you the power to piece together the story and bring the crews hard work to life. I’m looking forward to this process working on ‘You Free Tonight?’

sound

nicholas stone

He / Him

Hi, my name is Nicky! I have always had a deep interest for all things sound.  Introduced to music from a young age, I developed my skills from music production, and it gave me a head start for sound in film.  I love filmmaking because it allows me to add layers of meaning and feeling by using sound.

costume designers

amber chapman - izzie farr

She/ Her - She/ Her

Hey, we are Amber and Izzie, co-designers for ‘You Free Tonight?’. We've both had a passion for costume and working on set for the last 5+ years and decided to make it a reality. In our opinion, it’s a massive part of any performance, giving the character their identity without them having to say a word, and fitting in with the surrounding area.

We were drawn to the script due to the emotive story being told, something that we believe needs to be heard, seen and understood by today's generation. Sadly, this storyline isn’t as far from reality as it may seem to some, and our friends and loved ones go through these heartbreaking experiences more often than we’d wish wish on anyone. This is what makes this script such a special one and we are so looking forward to being a part of telling that story. 

make-up artist

noa waller

She/ Her

Hey! I’m Noa the Hair and Makeup Designer! Currently in my third year of studies at AUB. Ive been doing hair and makeup, like many others, since I was a little girl and decided at 18 to turn my hobby into a career. Ive explored most areas of the industry and find myself constantly drawn back to film/tv. I’m so excited to be a part of this production and can’t wait to bring the vision to life. 

Special Thanks:

Crew Headshots: Charlotte Riddette-Page @charlotterp.photography (instagram)

Video/ photoshoot actors: @finwhitfieldacting @ocuin (instagram)