Get Gorgon Going!!

Introduction:

My name is Lizzie, I'm from a small town in the North West and I am the writer and lead actor of Gorgon. I’ve featured in No Offence for Channel 4 and The Man in My Basement alongside Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin from Spider Man!!) and Corey Hawkins (Benny from In The Heights (for the musical theatre fans))!! Gorgon marks my writing debut and I am very excited to tell you ALL about it…

Gorgon - The story:

Logline: Chloe, an emotionally repressed teen and best friend Elise, the enigma and ‘it’ girl of their class, are on a school art trip in North Wales; When Chloe steals Elise’s sketchbook, she tries to use it to inspire her own art before Elise eventually catches up to her and their relationship hangs in the balance.

About:

Gorgon is a 15 minute coming of age drama about the relationship between Chloe and Elise- two young women aged 17 on an art trip to north wales. Whilst the events within the film are fictional, Gorgon was inspired by a watersports trip I went on with my school back in 2015. I merged this with stories my mum told me from an art trip that she went on during her A-levels.

The story explores the often complicated yet incomparably beautiful bond between two girls, at a time when they’re becoming women. It examines the way in which art is so often our biggest advocate when we don’t have the words to say how we truly feel: what we’re scared of, excited by or in love with. It locks into the idea of those dreamy summer nights when you experience your own freedom for the first time, away from your home and your parents. We see how a teacher becomes a role model, a friend, and the sting and somehow betrayal we feel when it’s revealed to us that they too are a human being with flaws. Gorgon encapsulates so much of what my experience has been as a young woman trying to navigate evolving relationships and a sense of self, how confusing and frustrating and liberating and joyous it is. I hope that, within this story, everyone can see parts of themselves and their journey into adulthood. That experience alone deserves all the reverence it is afforded in Gorgon.

Why:

Women have always played a huge role in my life. I was always around my granny as a child, I have a sister, a close relationship with my mum and went to an all girls state school. It never occurred to me as a little girl that I could be seen as different or unworthy.

As I've grown up and learnt more about the industry, I've come to know the very real and palpable disparity between men and women- both on screen and off. In 2024: women made up 23% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers working on the 250 top grossing films (U.S.). Not only that but a project was more likely to feature a higher percentage of females as protagonists, in major roles and as speaking characters when directed by a woman.

Female stories are, understandably, more likely to be told by women. But when those women don’t make up even a quarter of the films we see in our cinemas or on our streaming services we are failing to tell female stories in their proper proportion which contributes to a society that continues to dismiss women's power, agency and relevance.

It wasn’t always like this… The highest paid director during the silent era was a woman called Lois Weber. She was the first woman to write, produce, direct and star in a film which became the most profitable release by Universal Pictures in 1916.

During this era, filmmaking wasn’t glamorous, the women and men making films did it all by themselves; they didn’t have big budgets to rely on or a system to follow. Which is very much a reflection of independent short filmmaking today. When Hollywood sprang up in the 1920s an industrial-like assembly-line mentality was adopted. Departments were created (camera, lighting, sound, costume) and headed by men. Roles within the system of filmmaking became gendered. Not only that, but studios became unionised and women were not allowed to become members. Fast forward and after WWII men returned to work and pushed the female filmmakers out even more.

Since then, women have embarked on a tumultuous journey to reclaim their positions within the industry. Some incredible feats have been achieved. After 81 years of the Academy's history, in 2010 Kathryn Bigalowe became the fourth female director to be nominated in the best director category and the first to win. There’s so much to be proud of, but we’re not there yet.

I didn’t write this film as a form of political protest to take down the patriarchy. I wrote it because in recent history, there has been a lack of female lead stories. There is a continued stereotype of women and girls that is demanded of us on a day to day basis. There is an outrage when we don’t fit into that stereotype. It is my wish, my hope, my goal for this film to show young women as the complicated, wondrous, talented, funny, flawed, angry, individuals that we are everyday. That we are not just one thing but many. In that, we can give women more of their power, agency and relevance.

That being said, let me introduce you to our INCREDIBLE team so far…

Gorgon - The team:

We have a mixture of really exciting established and up and coming talent already attached to Gorgon. This project is being led by incredible female talent and we are committed to using local crew in the North West and in North Wales, where we will be shooting Gorgon.

We also want to encourage people to come along to shadow different departments earning them their first credit which will hopefully act as a stepping stone for them to secure more work in the industry. Making the first step is often the most difficult when you don't know how or where to step. I have been given so much guidance and mentorship to get to this point and the value of that for me has been immeasurable.

All we need now is your help…

The money:

We are living in an era where funding for the arts is hard to come by, it’s even harder to secure. I may have more luck buying a lottery ticket- which I have done, just in case… We have already secured a third of our budget through private investment but we need a little extra to make sure we can cover the entirety of production costs. So, we are coming to you, our friends, family, friends that are family, strangers, colleagues, your nan, anyone who is able to donate any amount of money. There is no amount that is too big or too small. Every penny counts for something when you’re creative, resourceful and forward thinking.

Incentives:

£? - Any amount counts for something- there is none too big or too small.

£2 - Help us get the ball rolling.

£20 - Will contribute to kit hire for a day.

£30 - Receive behind the scenes photos and personal updates on the film's progress.

£40 - Did someone say merch?! Grab yourself a Gorgon Cap.

£50 - Get your glad rags on, receive an invitation to the films premiere!

£150- All of the above!

If you’ve gotten to this point, you’re a real one.

Thank you so so much for taking the time to read in the crazy fast paced world we live in, we truly appreciate it. Please feel free to share on social media (or in your family whatsapp chat!) the more people this page can reach- the better!!

For now, thank you, lots of love.

Lizzie and the Gorgon team xx