Short Film - Covening

Join our coven!

When Lily, an outsider, finds herself swept into an otherworldly encounter with a higher power amidst the final ritual of her boyfriend’s witch cult, her reality shatters. As she navigates her new found powers and tangled relationships, Lily must decipher whom she can trust in a realm where friends become foes and dark secrets lurk behind every corner.

We’re five students on the MA Acting for Screen course at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and we’re in pre-production for our short film, working title : Covening. It’s a character-led surrealist comedy horror centering around Lily. Her boyfriend, Justin, introduces her to his coven, a branch of pagan witchcraft that believes in the innate power and majesty of the world. A story about community and belonging, jealousy and rejection.

Who are we?

MATTHEW PAUL: Actor/Writer.

Hello! My name is Matthew Paul, I’m a current student in the MA Acting for Screen course at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and I am the writer of this short. I’ve been acting since about the age of 8, starting in the after-school drama group. I starred in a few short films around the age of 16 and 17 and really got a bug for screen acting. I studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge, graduating in 2021. Though, I spent most of my time (before Covid) acting in stage shows across Cambridge including The History Boys, Macbeth, A View from the Bridge, Mosquitoes and Twelfth Night, as well as more short films. I also produced Cambridge’s biggest student new writing festival for two years in a row.

CORAL BEVAN: Actor/Producer.

Bevan is a trained actor and comedic clown, who specialises in character comedy. She studied at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and also Gaulier Clown School in Paris. She often sets her work in an absurd and surreal world. Previously Bevan's work has won the Fulwell 73/Comedy 50:50 competition 2021, was a finalist for Funny Women 2021, a finalist for The British Comedy Guides Talent Awards, a finalist for Man-up (UK and Europe's biggest drag king competition), and her work has also been screened at The Munich Film Festival 2021, as well as a short she played the lead in, was selected for Best UK Short at Raindance Film Festival.

GERMAN SEGAL: Actor/Director.

German Segal is a TV, film and theatre actor, currently studying on MA Acting for Screen course at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. German previously studied Acting at Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia and since then worked in many productions in films and TV, as well as doing stage performances. His credits include various TV shows, plays, feature films THE RED GHOST and VIRAZH and a leading role in a British TV series THE UNDECLARED WAR (Channel 4)

EVE CAMPBELL: Actor/Art Department.

Campbell is currently studying MA Acting for Screen at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, prior to this she studied acting part-time at Identity School of Acting, whilst completing her undergraduate degree in Politics and Economics at the University of Sussex. She has always been passionate about acting and has done it as a hobby but only in recent years has made the shift for it to be her main focus and practice. She feels very lucky for this shift to have been facilitated by such wonderful schools and projects.

Eve will be doing Art Direction on this short alongside Laura Kaliger, she is excited to explore a new area of filmmaking and this one particularly as her interests outside of acting include fashion and design, with a focus on sustainability. Eve is always looking for new ways to explore and grow as an actor and is excited to expand her creativity through this project.

LAURA KALIGER: Actor/Art Department

Kaliger is a student on the MA Acting for Screen course at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and she is doing art design for this short, alongside Eve Cambell (or she is a movement director of this short). Her diverse acting experience includes various theatre, film, TV and voice projects, such as the TV series Black and White World (Crno Bijeli Svijet), by Croatian Radiotelevision. While pursuing her BA degree in Acting at The Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb, she has played major roles in productions such as W. Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Sophocles: Antigone (Antigone), A.P. Chekhov: Three Sisters (Irina) and A.P. Chekhov: Ivanov (Sasha). As an educated actor, singer, dancer and musician, she is passionate about exploring different forms of performance and finding new ways to further develop her craft.

For your generosity, you will receive...

£10: a shoutout on social media

£25: a special thank you in the credits

£50: a thank you in the credits and a signed poster

£100: a thank you in the credits, a signed poster and a Q&A with the creative team via Zoom

£250: All of the above and an Associate Producer credit

£500:All of the above and an Acting Workshop via Zoom led by us for one and a half hours

£1000: All of the above and a preview of the film

£2000: All of the above, an Executive Producer credit and you will be endowed with legendary status for the rest of your life.

About the shoot

Our director worked closely with DOP Julio Carmenes, a freelance cinematographer from Ecuador with experience in narrative and documentary filmmaking. His porfolio includes commercial work, short documentaries and short-films. He came to the UK to learn more about the craft and further explore ways to film stories. Julio, along with the rest of our incredible crew, helped bring our vision to life. Below are some BTS photos from our shoot, which we feel capture the menace and magic of our project.

Julio's Cinematography Reel