Ash Sunday proof of concept short film

Hello all

My Name is Joel Eley, I'm an up-and-coming producer and I'm taking on the ambitious task of raising funds for our Comedy/horror short film Ash Sunday, with the hopes of creating a spectacular film that can be used to create a fully funded feature-length version!

Ash Sunday follows the story of the Tyne family after the funeral of their matriarchal figure Veronica. The family decides to have a quiet roast to celebrate her passing, only for her son Todd to spill her ashes over the roast chicken sending the family into a night they won't forget. Black magic, horseheads and shadowy figures loom around the dinner table and the Tyne family begin to wonder, are these hallucinations random or a window into the past? Was there more to Veronica than they previously thought?

James Alexander Allen, Director: Ready to watch films about reluctant protagonists in an unfamiliar world? Then you need to meet James.

As the maker of Silence In Court, A Medium Chance, Code Duello and Two Metres, James is well-versed in bringing a sense of humour to his sets, creating a positive environment for his cast and crew and efficiently running shoots with a clear vision and calm head

Working with James has resulted in multiple festival awards worldwide, greater exposure and connections and awards for best original score, amongst others

When this Sussex University grad isn’t telling heartfelt stories of epic quests, you can find him obsessing about Star Wars and teaching children to be tiny ninjas.

James Showreel

Park Rojanachotikul, DOP: Since a very young age, Park has always been drawn to the magic of cinema, most likely due to an early introduction to the original Star Wars trilogy VHS box set given to him by his father. While a typical family in Bangkok would go to the temple on Sunday, his father tended to drag Park and his siblings to the cinema on Petchaburi Road, where he discovered Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and many other glossy Hollywood blockbuster films.

But not until 2015 that Park started his filmmaking journey where he started his journey in the TV commercial space in Thailand before following his passion for documentary filmmaking where he worked on projects focused on migration, indigenous knowledge, and climate actions.

In late 2021, he started Subterranean Light, an inclusive and diverse film production company based in Brighton, UK and Bangkok, Thailand, where the focus on making films that influence positive social change is rooted deeply within the company’s ethos. While Park is not busy working on growing Subterranean Light, he works as a Director of Photography in the commercial and documentary space. And recently he begins to dabble in the narrative realm which he enjoys very much.

Park Showreel

Joel Eley, Producer: Having only spent two years working on his film craft Joel has won awards and worked for the likes of the BBC and Channel 4. Highly motivated not just as a producer but as a filmmaker, Joel will stop at nothing to produce the highest quality content with the resources around him. In two years Joel has had a hand in making over twenty films and has no signs of slowing down. If this project is a success the next hurdle will be pitching to film investors to secure the funding for a feature-length version, from there who knows where this project could go?

Links to previous work: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtjA2WvRG9PAX0A7SRZxitw

Sophie Oxley, Makeup artist: Sophie Is an SFX makeup artist from Brighton. She's worked professionally for nearly 2 years in the industry mainly in film, horror, fashion and editorials. She specialises in prosthetics and horror makeup.. basically anything gruesome! This is why she is perfect for this project for what we have up our sleeves!

Rory Marsh, Art Department: Horror & comedy is hands down the most fun mixture of genres to design for. Previous works include designing satanic shrines, a mad scientist’s workshop, customised dismembered body parts, peeling skin makeup effects & comedically gory graphic designs.   

You might be asking yourselves "Why do you need my money?" Well in all honesty it's to pay everyone who would be part of this project. we would be spending roughly £1000 on a location we have control over for the week. The rest goes to paying for everyone's time, kit rental and any materials we will need to make this a high-quality short film. By covering everyone fee's it gives us the best chance to knuckle down and work hard for the week and make something truly special

So to show that we are serious about making this we have stretch goals to show our thanks and commitment.

£1000 - Director James will release a video of his interpretations of the best cinema lines of all time. You can also pay more to make him stop.

£2000- Agata will do a Facebook live stream of improv decided by the audience.

£3000- Production designer Rory will release a sneak peek at what we are working on behind the scenes.

£4000 - The cast and crew will release a personalised thank you video to those that have donated so far.

£5000 - Make-up artist Sophie will do a live make-up test showing off some of the looks shown in the film.

£6000

£7000

£8000 - Director James will do 100 push-ups. Could be waiting awhile for this one.

£9000 - To celebrate collecting the full amount of money our producer Joel will be shaving off his eyebrows. No one told him to do this he just knows people will pay good money to make him look stupid.

We also are offering bonuses to those who need more bang for their buck! If you wish to claim any of these prizes please contact us via email at [email modificata], with your receipt and we will redeem your prize.

£5- thank you message

£10- script pdf

£20- script pdf + exclusive BTS photos/Gag reel

£30- early private link to the film

£50- special thanks credit

£60- script read and report from James (Director)

£100- script read and report + Zoom consultation with James

£250 - £500 kit rental voucher from Subterranean Light. (Only 4 available, T&Cs applied)

£500- exec producer credit

So please if you have the spare cash and want to be at the beginning of something incredible now is your chance! We only want a fair chance at starting our careers and with your help, we will be entering the scene with a bang! So thank you for reading all this and please please donate!