Further than Any Man: Short Psychological Thriller

“Set deep beneath the waves, trapped inside a exploratory vessel, Geoffrey Cadell reckons with the dangers that lie in the darkness… and in his own mind.”

Synopsis

Further than Any Man takes place inside a diving bell deep beneath the sea. Inside, the explorer Geoffrey Cadell is beginning to question his own sanity. He’s not had contact with the outside world in… he doesn’t know how long. And now, he’s beginning to hear voices… but are they coming from outside? Or is it just him?

Concept art ft Geoffrey Cadell sat in the Bathysphere (drawn by Javier Pérez de Lema derived from production design art by Danielle Mallett)

This short film explores themes beyond isolation, the human drive to push the boundaries of what it knows, and whether that should be done at all. Inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft and Jules Verne, Further than Any Man is a psychological horror thriller where we endeavour to leave your skin crawling!

What are you contributing towards?

We wouldn't be asking for help if we didn't need it! A lot of the cast and crew are working on our project out of passion for the material, but unfortunately the material itself doesn't come free.

Your donation will be spent on securing locations, props, elements for the set design, lighting and more! A portion of the budget has also been set aside for festival applications so that our film can be seen by as many people as possible.

Look & Feel

Our short film takes place in one location, which means it has to look just right! The Bathysphere is inspired by steampunk, the Nautilus, the environmental design of Bioshock and the imagination of our award-winning production designer Danielle Mallet.

In a horror story such as this one, the environment is extremely important. Our main cast is going to be fantastic, but it’s incredibly important to us that they’re working off of a great set. You can help make that a reality by ensuring we have the proper budget to pull it off.

Concept art of the Bathysphere (Danielle Mallett)

In terms of cinematography, our film will feature low-key lighting, enhancing the cramped and deep environment. Palettes will be formed of burnt oranges and deep blues, with a few interesting lighting choices. Our award-winning Cinematographer Daniel Llobera has already started work with ideas and shot lists.

Meet the Team

Jonathon Carley in 'Seven of Swords'.

One of the great things about our team is we've already worked together before! The image above is from Seven of Swords, a short comedy-drama written, filmed and edited in only a 48 hour period that included a lot of the people you'll read about below.

Director – Javier Pérez de Lema

A graduate of the University of Lincoln, Javier is an up-and-coming director with a specialty for niche genres and out-there ideas. His first short, Murder at Curtain Call, has been extremely well received in festivals and garnered a variety of awards for Best Crime Film, Student Film, and Directing. Further than Any Man is his pet project, and he’s worked closely with co-writer Gregory Fishwick (more on him below) to ensure that the story is as tight and thematically rich as can be.

Producer – Haya Altamimi

Haya is a producer, director and editor with an international portfolio of short and feature film work that has been recognised through festival nominations and awards, in broadcast television and streamed on major TVODS. Haya currently works at Social Chain, the biggest social media agency in the north west. She also directed Seven of Swords and can accomodate the needs of the whole team, having worked with them before.

Director of Photography – Daniel Llobera

Daniel is a powerhouse creative. In a few short years of work he’s cemented himself as a standout cinematographer, working on all kinds of budgets and scales. He holds the award "Best In Show" awarded by the British Journal Of Photography for his still images at the exhibition "Free Range" in 2013 as well as a multitude of "Best Cinematography" awards from independent film festivals around the world.

He’s worked with Javier before, and they have a good working rapport which is going to result in Further than Any Man looking absolutely top-tier.

Production Designer - Danielle Mallett

Danielle is the real genius behind our environmental storytelling. She’s already started work with her sketches and concept art, which you’ve seen throughout this page, and has already established a guiding principle for all her aesthetic choices: weight.

Scale model of the Diving Bell (Danielle Mallet) 

Weight dictates the environment of the diving bell. Heavy materials, thick leading lines, the porthole. The plan is for it all to create an inevitable sense of downwardness. Like a stone in the ocean, there’s no choice about going further, in the end.

Concept art of the Bathysphere (Danielle Mallett)

Danielle is passionate about materials and textures. Creating depth and story with something as simple as a peeling wallpaper or damp spots on the floors… the first impression of a gentlemanly veneer breaking down as the film goes on. The Production Design is in safe hands with Danielle at the helm, and you can help her reach her furthest potential!

Screenwriter - Gregory Fishwick

Gregory is the mind behind Further than any Man's thematic content. A passionate fan of horror and gothic themes, Gregory is both a trained actor and filmmaker, who now dedicates himself to screenwriting and directing, having received multiple accolades from his projects, which include A Town dressed in Black and The Girl from the Village.

Gregory collaborated with Javier on the creation of Further than any Man, and is responsible for coming up with the themes on human ego and the drive to push beyond what you should, the hunger of the beyond.

Meet our Talent

We hope we’ve convinced you that the team behind the camera knows their stuff, but it would all be for nothing if we didn’t have some powerhouse talent in front of the camera, and we’ve got a wonderful trio of stars already lined up!

Jonathon Carley as Geoffrey Cadell

Featuring as our main protagonist, Jonathon is an actor known for appearing in supporting roles in shows such as ITV's "Sanditon", Channel 4's "It's a Sin" and Dave's "We Are Not Alone". In voice acting he is best known for following in the footsteps of the late Sir John Hurt by assuming the role of the War Doctor in the "Doctor Who" range of official audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions.

Jonathon adores exploring interesting characters and concepts and the role of Cadell in our film is just that to him. He is very much looking forward to bringing to life a scientist at the turn of the 20th Century, with a hunger for knowledge and understanding bordering on greed. To him, this story challenges the physical, theological and emotional limitations and boundaries of humankind. A bonus is that the historical setting will make for a very stylish production.