Dead Swimmers

[Chase]

I've been trying to write the perfect manchild movie for years. My first micro feature, One Way Love was suppose to be that but since I was young when I came up with the concept, it didn't have a category and if anything it got my feet wet in the making of a film. It also had a small distribution run but not as far as I would have liked in the DVD niche market of black films.

A lot of people claimed it was the accent scenario of an american style film made in the UK.

3 years later, I am here with Dead Swimmers, a true 30-40s manchild film which I hope to make in Denver either this year or next. I have an american producer who was hoping we could find a UK producer to do a co-production deal but hey, we are off to cannes hopefully this year to start our journey.

We completed a short called Static Kiss and sent it off to cannes for submission. We hope to use at as an introduction of our collaboration and take our screenplay with us.

As for Dead Swimmers, believe it or not is a dramedy about male fertility and what it is to be a dad when you and your friends refuse to grow up and continue to live a life without substance.

I'm on the third act of the script and plan to workshop it at various writing/play schemes such as Organic Cherry and Rocliffe forum in London.

I think this is what having a plan is all about.

How do others plan to prepare their next projects?

 

[gepetto]

Chase..

What about Static Kiss? Tell us about that mate

George

 

[curtinparloe]

I don't usually do any planning until I have a full draft in place. I'm not too keen on working to a deadline - I guess that makes me a proper writer!

 

[Chase]

Thanks for asking, Gepetto.

Especially with Kiss being finished and sent off.

My wife says, simple is best. That's what happened when I did Land of Nod about black people nodding at one another. Make films about simple acts of human response. So one day, me and friend were watching a young couple from across the street. Awkward lad and cute girl. How many of us have seen this type of coupling. But they looked at a point where they wanted to leave and didn't want to leave. As if, she was waiting for him to say something and he was waiting for a miracle; a sign. We started adding voiceover to this scene and I realised that this would make an interesting short about the awkward doorstep kiss.

My american producer sent over an american HD DoP and we shot for 2 days. Although post production has been taking longer than long but as you all know it should and it does.

We are even talking about doing an american and japanese version of young love tales to bolster collaboration.

That's where we are.

chase

 

[Booth]

Chase, have you got accreditation for Cannes? I know it's your first time over there so if you need a pointer on what you need I will try and help out.

Did you submit your short to the Short Film Corner at Cannes?

 

[Chase]

I submitted online registration and the dvd to the short film corner on mon. I thought they would give out accreditation details in april when they decide if they want the film. But I appreciate any advice, Michael.

chase

 

[Booth]

They are both seperate.

Getting industry accredited is processed in the order they arrive. For example Coppack applied before me and got his within a few days. I had to wait just over a week before my accreditation was granted. So you won't need to wait till after the deadline to find out if you have been accepted. Infact everyone with accreditation or who has applied is given a number/letter combination that you can use to see the progress of your accreditation request on the Cannes website.

Short film corner is different so I'm told from my friends who have shown work there. It's at the bottom of the film market. If you're successful you automatically get accreditation (double check this, though if you've applied through the normal channels as well you should be okay). However I think you hold slightly less sway with short film corner accreditation than industry accreditation. For example a friend of ours couldn't book red carpet screening tickets. But it still gets you into pretty much everywhere else.

If you need any more help let me know. You should keep checking the status of your industry request. That way if they reject you, you have enough time to lodge an appeal with their office in Paris and perhaps send supplemental evidence of your work.

 

[Chase]

Good stuff to know, Mike. I appreciate it.

 

[gepetto]

Chase

That sounds cool. Is it likely to have a screening of some kind over here before you go to Cannes so we can get to see it?

 

[Chase]

I plan to enter it into Kino shorts but probably not the first one this march.