Heartbeat

Heartbeat

Project 2014-04-17 23:09:05 +1200

Heartbeat
An afternoon jog takes a wicked turn at the hand of a throwaway curse.

Project Description

Heartbeat is an 80’s smash of frat comedy and gory horror, that New Zealand film has never had the chance to experience. This short film is the kiwi answer to the 80’s cult classics Revenge of the Nerds, Weird Science and Blood Diner. 

Set on a Kapiti Coast beach, Heartbeat tells the tale of ‘the girl’, ‘the nerd’ and ‘the jock’, all caught in a treacherous love triangle filled with devotion, betrayal and careless black magic. 

The funds we are asking for will largely be dedicated to the special effects that we require for the shoot. Because we want to capture the genre in all its glory we spare little expense in this department; we are intent on utilising high quality makeup and prosthetic effects to create an authentic 1980’s film experience. The funds will not only allow us to work with the special tools & equipment we need but also the industry professionals we desire.

Heartbeat is just the beginning for our company Film/Thought. We have a wealth of other projects in the pipeline but believe Heartbeat is a great kickstart to bringing our projects to life.

Other essential costs 

• Original Music. An 80’s comedy horror film is nothing without an imaginative and innovative soundtrack.

• Festival Fees. These can be costly and we are aiming to enter Heartbeat into multiple high profile festivals. 

• Cast & Crew. Our cast and crew require accommodation and catering.  

100% of all donations will go directly into making Heartbeat. 

About Us 

Film/Thought is a company built by Liam Bachler and Jennifer Martin; founders who have set out to make their visions come to life on film. They are an up and coming creative duo setting out on their first official creative venture. The two make a successful combination due to their different and complementary creative backgrounds. 

Jennifer Martin (Creator/Writer/Actor) is an actor and writer who graduated from Toi Whakaari:NZ Drama School in 2010. Since graduating Jennifer has acted in numerous film and theatre projects. Most recent in: Tracey in Jemaine Clement & Takia Waititi’s ‘What we do in the Shadows’, Melissa in Nick ward & Kathryn Burnett’s production ‘Mike and Virginia’ at Circa, and Riverdance in Cohen Holloway & Charlie Bleakley’s short film ‘Coconut’. She has also written many works, her most successful being ‘Ivy - Saviour of the Dinosaur’ a production commissioned by Capital E: National theatre for children which has toured and continues to tour both New Zealand and Australia extremely successfully.

Liam Bachler (Creator/Director) is a filmmaker from the Hutt Valley. He writes, shoots and directs films, documentaries and television but is better known for his music videos for Unknown Mortal Orchestra, She’s So Rad and Boycrush. After making skateboarding videos & attending film school, Liam cut his teeth in the moving image industry at Sticky Pictures in Wellington. He worked there for 6 years as the in house go-to guy, eventually becoming a director in his own right on viral videos, commercials and the TVNZ arts show, ‘The Gravy’. His recent accolades include Second Unit Directing on Mark Albiston & Louis Sutherland’s feature film ‘Shopping’, that achieved 7 awards at the Moas in December 2013. Liam is currently working on the NZFC funded documentary short entitled Hilda Brodie’s Love and Movie Films. Work can be found at www.liambachler.co.nz

Additional Team:

Simon Raby (Director of Photography): Simon made his first feature at the age of only 16. Later he became a freelance camera/sound man, and collaborated with director Niki Caro, who he would shoot five films for. He has also worked extensively with director Scott Reynolds; including on stylish thriller The Ugly. These days Raby balances his work as a cinematographer with occasional directing gigs — including The Gravy and second unit work on Neill Blomkamp epic Elysium.  

James Dansey (Composer): James began his musical life as a member of the Sneaks in 2004, and soon started touring, as a musician with The Ruby Suns and Lawrence Arabia, and as a live sound guy with The Brunettes, SJD and Cut Off Your Hands. Most recently can be found writing music for film and television, drumming in Hang Loose, singing/ dancing in Spring Break, and recording in various hovels around Auckland for the likes of Sherpa, Cool Cult and HDSPNS.

Will Hall (Actor): Christchurch-born Will Hall got his big break playing the average joe who has strange visions after an incident in a car wash, in acclaimed 2004 series Insiders Guide to Happiness. Hall went on to appear on prequel Insiders Guide to Love, then spent two years on Shortland Street, as skateboarding doctor Kip Denton. Hall also plays the baddie in Canterbury-shot movie Western Netherwood, which he helped to produce.

Darren Young (Actor): Darren is a seasoned film, television and theatre actor. Darren began his career by studying at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama school. Darren is known for ‘looking a bit like a Maori and getting cast as a cop’. His recent credits include Tim Lee in the 2012 season of Harry and Len Snee in Siege directed by Mike Smith. Darren is looking forward to getting weird with the Heartbeat team. 

Esmée Myers (Actor): Esmée is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School (2010) and has most recently played Miranda in Bard Production’s sellout show of “A Tempest Off Matiu:Somes Island.”  In 2013, Esmée travelled to Hong Kong with Empress Stilt Dance to perform in the "Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Parade."  She also directed "Scrooge" with Equippers to sellout shows in Auckland’s Aotea Centre, Manuka’s Vodafone Events Centre and Tauranga’s Baycourt Theatre.  in 2012, she was an actor in Noise and Picture’s "Brains?" which won the V48 Hour Film Festival.  She has just come off the back of filming in Rob Sarkies' latest telefeature for TVNZ and has just finished a voiceover internet advert for "Coromandel No Mining.” 

Rest of cast and crew to be confirmed. 

Risks & Challenges 

Our main goal with Heartbeat, is to get our original work into the festival circuit and thus gain momentum and exposure as up and coming film makers. 

Our biggest challenges will be…

Weather - Because it is an outdoor shoot, we have taken into account production delays due to weather. To minimise this we have chosen to shoot in summer - where we have a better chance of clear weather. We will be staying close to the location to maximise our shoot time and will also allow for rain days when organising shooting. 

Special effects -  To capture the genre appropriately and effectively, we will be relying heavily on special effects, both on set and in post production. A large amount of our kick start fund will be dedicated to this. There are risks and challenges involved in this department with damage to equipment and scheduling sequences are critical. To mitigate risks we will put emphasis on rehearsals and communicate with all involved the importance of time limitations. In addition, only skilled and designated people will transport and handle equipment. 

Time management and scheduling around actors could also be a potential issue and we will do our best to accommodate the cast that we want for this project. This will all be preplanned prior to the shoots.

 We feel we have considered and planned for all risks and believe that as committed collaborators we can overcome any unforeseen challenges that may present themselves.

Thanks for taking the time to read about our project, 

Liam & Jen (On behalf of the heartbeat team)

 Incredible poster illustration by Wizard Hadley Donaldson.

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