Dressing Gown: An Original Short Film

Hey Guys,

My name's Cam Roberts and I'm a filmmaker from London, UK. I'm seeking to crowdfund the budget of my next short film, the apocalypse thriller, 'Dressing Gown'.

The trailer can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu1skF-oZ0G/

-or on YouTube, here: https://youtu.be/ibB7HOlixDU

The Story

'Dressing Gown' is a story of two lifelong friends, holed up in an abandoned flat while an unknown apocalypse rages beyond the door. As time and terror drift on, an unspoken elephant in the room arises: one of the friends is infected, and with hope and possible salvation dwindling, the other must make a choice before his fate is decided for him.

The Journey

'Dressing Gown' is the culmination of almost a decade of work I've put into developing as a film creator. After many years focused on writing, I produced a pair of original lockdown shorts with my sister Bella at the helm: the domestic drama, 'Coming Home' -

-and the psychological thriller, 'Screen Time'-

These experiences unearthed newfound ambitions in me to work both in front of and behind the camera. I next produced a sequence of cinematic recreations, interpreting characters from 'Joker', 'American Psycho' and 'Swingers'-

-while my most recent production involved a cinematic parody of 'American Psycho's' 'Business Card Scene', rewritten for the Instagram generation.

Links to these projects can be found below:

American Psycho 'Hip to Be Square': https://youtu.be/hWWyBEuycek

Joker, 'Talk Show': https://youtu.be/pv4wGX0N88U

'American Trainer' (Parody): https://youtu.be/uaSrhJjvS7c

Swingers 'Pep Talk': https://youtu.be/sHwK11Ur5hk

Coming Home (Original Short): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLhRU60aPM

Screen Time (Original Short): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu5taEMwgJg

After building my experience and comfort as an actor-director, I'm excited and confident to enter the director's chair once again, ready to bring another one of my own original stories to life.

Inspiration

Set against the backdrop of an apocalypse, 'Dressing Gown's' trailer draws allusions to Jim's walk through the abandoned London in '28 Days Later'.

However, the vast majority of the actual film will take place inside a flat, abandoned by its occupants; here, the men explore themes of friendship and sacrifice as their predicament becomes untenable. The bleak isolation of the story world juxtaposes the domesticity in their conversation and companionship. This leads me to reference Naughty Dog's 'The Last of Us' (for its tone), alongside 'Saving Private Ryan's' candle-lit camaraderie scene as direct sources of inspiration. In 'Dressing Gown', I aim to portray a story where human connection provides hope, even when it appears to be extinguished.

How will the funds be used?

The funds we raise will be used to pay my crew, and location fees, and cover food and transportation expenses during shooting days. Any additional funds left over from the production's finances will then be used to pay festival admission fees.

Festivals?

As the most practical mechanism to get my work seen and heard, I intend to enter 'Dressing Gown' into the festival circuit. I have strong self-belief in the work I've produced so far and lofty ambitions for the future; my feeling is that a strong original piece could provide a springboard to the next stage of my career.

About Me

I've been film-crazy as far back as I can remember. Over five years as a Chorister of Westminster Abbey, films helped me decompress from the rigours of life as a full-time child musician. As I grew up, I saw my experience with music lend itself to film: spending my teens focused on musical composition, I later turned to writing, and then acting, directing, and producing. In my spare time, I like to stay active, and think about new ideas while I'm on the go!

Rewards Scheme

The rewards scheme I've set out below is a means of incentivising those who invest in this project to receive tokens of gratitude for their help. Each level of the scheme is fashioned after the name of a famous film - namely, those which have had an impact on me over the course of my life.

NB: Rewards Shipping is worldwide.

The Extra-Terrestrial

Donation: £750+

Jurassic Perk

Donation: £500

Good Will Hunting

Donation: £250

Silver Linings Playbook

Donation: £100

The Godfather

Donation: £50

Snatch

Donation: £20

Uncle Buck

Donation: £10

Closing Thoughts

The last four years have portrayed a steady increase in the quality, complexity and ambition of the work I've produced. With this apprenticeship behind us, we have big plans for the future. If you can help us make this next stage possible, we'll utilise all of the passion, drive, ability and talent at our disposal to make 'Dressing Gown' a little film worth investing in.

Look out for it!