STILL LIFE - A Short Love Story

Still Life Crew 2023 - (Left to Right) Adam McAndrew (Sound Designer), Carla Law (Production Designer), Tom Crabtree (back, 1st Assistant Director), Che Rucker (Co-Director), Alice Butterfield (Editor/Colourist), Archie Valerio (back, 2nd Assistant Camera/Grip), Timothy Fairhurst (Director of Photography), Imogen McCormack (Producer), Sam Pearson (back, Camera Operator), Flynn Bainbridge (2nd Assistant Director), Cameron Haggie (Co-Director), Charlie Watson (back, Script Supervisor), Samantha Howman (Art Director), Alicia Addison (Electric), Erin Jenkins (Gaffer)

Not Pictured - Andrei Stanescu (1st Assistant Camera), Jack Stewart (Writer)

This short is the graduation film that we will leave the Northern Film School with. It will, hopefully, last us a few years into the future. So, we want to go all out in something we care about. We have worked hard these past 3 years to develop our skills in our chosen departments of the filmmaking process and are excited to be creating our final piece as a cohort.

Still Life is a contemporary love story about a terminally ill artist who attempts to get his works displayed in local galleries with the hope of preserving his memory.

Elliot is a painter diagnosed with lung cancer and he spends his last months submitting his abstract drip paintings to local galleries much to the silent disapproval of his partner and caregiver: Oscar. As Elliot’s demands for success rise, his health worsens, and galleries reject his art. Oscar becomes more reluctant to help him as it is a lost cause; Oscar knows Elliot’s art isn’t good enough for gallery display.

For a more detailed, beat-by-beat synopsis of the film, please click here .

This isn’t our first-time crowdfunding a film (you might even remember the last time). But that means we know how to put money to good use and use it effectively. Our total budget for this film is £4,600, of that total, £1,600 is provided by our film school. The rest we are looking to invest in the things that really make a good film and what separates the amateur from the professional. We are looking to raise £3,000 to create our film, which, the money will be put towards set design, props, actor fees, locations, feeding our lovely cast and crew during filming and then sending our film off to film festivals around the world. Below you can see a more detailed budget breakdown for our money allocations.

Of course, we can’t leave you with just a “thank you for your donation”, there are plenty of things you can get in return! We've broken it up into tiers, the higher the donation, the better rewards you get in return!

The Naturalist (£1-25)

• Digital Copy: Private Link

• Name in Credits under “We’d like to thank our Donors”

The Vanguard (£26-50)

• Digital Copy: Private Link

• Name in Credits under “We’d like to thank our Donors”

• BTS Package: Photos/Videos, Commentary, Shot Diagrams/Storyboards, Script to Screen Video

The Impressionist (£51-100)

• Digital Copy: Private Link

• Name in credits under “We'd like to thank our Donors”

• BTS Package

• Custom Painting Effect of a Photo of your choice

• Signed Copy of the Shooting Script

• Film Coffee Mug

The Contemporary (£101-149)

• Digital Copy: Private Link

• Name in credits under “We'd like to thank our Donors”

• BTS Package

• Custom Painting Effect of a Photo of your choice

• Signed Copy of the Shooting Script

• Coffee Mug

The Abstract Expressionist (£150+)

• Executive Producer Credit (which includes an IMDb Credit. A very prestigious title)

• Everything included for The Contemporary

We are going to be shooting in March, and plan to have our final cut ready to release in April 2023. Those who have donated will receive regular updates on our progress in the making of the film and its distribution. Our goal is for this film to flourish in the festival circuit, screening in the US and the UK. Afterward…we shall see.

We understand that not everyone is in a position to donate to our film, and that is totally fine! If you are unable to donate, there are still ways you can help us. Sharing this crowdfunding page with your circle, giving our social media a follow, and spreading the word is invaluable and we greatly appreciate it.

Producer

Imogen McCormack – Imogen is a student film producer at the Northern Film School. After producing multiple grief-based films over previous years, including Clara and Undying, she is excited to be producing Still Life for her final graduation piece. She is incredibly passionate about building a bridge between life and death, in representation of how a life can affect so many, long after a person has passed on. Not everyone leaves physical artwork behind like Elliot does in our film, but everyone will leave their mark on the people they spent their life with; Imogen believes this film is a metaphor for that and where the heart of the film truly lies.

Directors

Che Rucker – Che is a writer-director originally from the Bay Area in California and for the last three years, has been living in the UK. His latest short Dancing with Asperger’s won the Audience Award for Best Film at the Northern Film School where he attends. His award-winning screenplay Sensory was performed live by actors in various film festivals across the US. What attracted Che to Still Life were the loveable, relatable characters and his personal experiences with the topic of cancer. We all have bits of Oscar and Elliot in us. Che hopes audiences will watch the characters on screen and say, “they are like me.”

Cameron Haggie –Cameron Haggie is a writer and director currently directing Still Life alongside his professional partner and friend Che. Originally from Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, he now lives in Leeds attending the Northern Film School. He adores our craft for the opportunity it offers as artists to develop a written story into an image full of meaning and heart that moves an audience. As co-director of Still Life, he desires to tell this very real story of Oscar and Elliot, in a way that resonates with audiences and has them recall those loved ones that left this life too soon.

Writer

Jack Stewart – Jack Stewart is a screenwriting student based at the Northern Film School in Leeds. He has previously worked as a production designer on a short film titled Dancing with Asperger’s and has produced a documentary titled The Picture House. Jack wrote Still Life to portray a positive and natural queer relationship while dealing with themes of mourning and death that are personal to them.

Director of Photography

Tim Fairhurst – Tim Fairhurst is the DoP for the short film Still Life. Currently, in his third year studying filmmaking and specializing in cinematography at the Northern Film School. Having a wide range of experience working on productions and different locations. The cinematography team Tim is working with is a talented & experienced team, who are all excited to tell this story visually and bring Elliot & Oscar's world to life. He is passionate about the script and the themes it explores and so will portray it faithfully and work to the vision of the directors.

Production Designer

Carla Law – Carla Law is a Production and Costume Designer from Manchester, who is currently working on Still Life. She has previously worked with the Royal Exchange Theatre and the New York Film Academy and now studies at the Northern Film School. With her skill in product design, sewing and fiber art, she hopes to use her talent in our film to create personality and character within the set design.

Editor & Colourist

Alice Butterfield – Alice Butterfield is the editor and colorist for the short film Still Life. She is currently specializing in editing in her third year at the Northern Film School and is very excited to work with an amazing group of talented filmmakers to make this incredible story come to life. Alice was extremely inspired by the script and is looking forward to helping highlight the emotion from each scene and create a visually stunning film.

Sound Designer

Adam McAndrew – Adam McAndrew is the production sound recordist and post-production sound mixer for Still Life. He is in his third year at the Northern Film School with a specialization in sound. Adam, along with the sound team, will make the best use of their talents and the amazing resources available to them to help realize the crew’s shared vision. He resonates with many of the themes in the story and is determined to bring the world of the film to life through sound. More than anything Adam is excited to work with a fantastic and professional crew to create this film.

1st Assistant Director

Tom Crabtree - Tom Crabtree is the First Assistant Director for the short film Still Life. Currently studying filmmaking at the Northern Film School, Tom specializes in directing and production. Pursuing the pathway of the First Assistant Director, Tom has a wide range of skills ranging from team management, logistics, creative problem solving and an affinity for telling intimate stories through film. In stories such as Still Life, it is Tom’s job to coordinate each department's creative visions into a cohesive and emotional short film.

Just as we, ourselves, are on the verge of entering the ‘real world’ as artists of the filmic medium, something we greatly identify with, in this story, is Elliot’s need to put a stamp on the world; a lasting impact of creative expression that secures our own legacy.

It terrifies us to our core, just like Elliot, the idea that we might not be able to. Call it an exaggeration—and it might be—but as artists, we’re always thinking that every project might be our last. However, our time is just beginning whereas Elliot’s is coming to an end. We don’t want to tell a sob story about the ‘if-only’ or ‘what-could-have-been’, instead, in this film, we want to celebrate life through the impact we had on other people. Sure, future generations might not remember us as maverick filmmakers, but our family, friends, and extended circle of influence will remember us for all the good we’ve done to better their life. In that respect, we are all like Elliot.

When it comes to cancer, our own personal experiences with that are something we’d like to keep private. To those who have lost loved ones in the battle, this film is also for you. As a collective crew, we are passionate about portraying cancer with respect and delicacy. Being a caregiver is one of the hardest jobs anyone can have emotionally and mentally, but we do it all in the name of love. Some of us have seen the caregiver close-up and some of us have been the caregiver ourselves. The idea of loss scares us because we’re the ones left afterward, yet, we carry on. In that respect, we are all like Oscar.

Elliot and Oscar are emblematic of both our dreams and fears. This film is a telling of the journey to achieve our dreams, overcome our fears, and what we do in the face of adversity. To all the Elliots and Oscars in the world, this one is for you.

-C&C