Ex-Rental (Feature film)
A middle-aged songwriter returns home in search of a fresh start and inspiration. He teams up with a young filmmaker to record the creation of 6 songs in 6 days
A No-Budget drama/comedy feature to shoot this summer
Guy, 46, a self-deprecating film-obsessed singer-songwriter is at a crossroads. After 20 years of searching for fortune and glory, he retreats to his childhood village to begin again. Does he still have another shot left, or should he move on? What once came easy to him is now just a memory.
Helen, 28, is a social and inquisitive, aspiring filmmaker rushing head-first into her future. A local film festival is scheduled for the end of the week. and when she collides with Guy(literally) she finds the subject she has been looking for. She too is at a crossroads and much like a younger Guy has to decide whether to leave her life behind or stay where she has people who love her.
With one looking back and one forward, they discover a shared interest in their connection to the Video Shop era and Ex-Rental tapes. He is nostalgic for a time past and she is trying to understand and recreate it. It was a time of discovery, choice, and commitment. Bright colourful covers in hefty cases, objects that held a permanent place on the shelf, a reminder of adventures taken and yet to take.
With the clock ticking they combine forces to make a film documenting the writing and performing of 6 songs in 6 days. Each song is inspired by low fidelity and high nostalgia.
And as with many 80's direct-to-video classics that Helen and Guy so admire, they each hold hidden truths and closely guarded agendas. There are Exes other than videos in this story and revelations on both sides threaten to end the project and their growing friendship.
THE FILMMAKERS
Much like the characters in our screenplay, one of us is a filmmaker and the other is a musician who have teamed up to make a film. This project explores the internal and external struggles of pursuing a creative dream, the dangers of an overactive imagination, and our love for the era of the Video shop.
However, unlike the dynamic in the film, we have known each other for nearly 30 years having met while studying film at University. We are now both at peak midlife crisis plagued by thoughts of time running away from us, along with the fear of dreams unrealised. Why do we keep pursuing and pushing forward? Should we?
Paul is a director, camera op, and editor for corporate/event films. Keith is an editor for corporate news-style films, music documentaries and sometimes composes music for films.
When not working, Paul turns to short films holding on to his dream of making his first feature
Keith makes music, music videos, performs live, and dreams of becoming a Rock God.
This project is a perfect amalgamation of our passions and skills.
THE MISSION:
The plan is to shoot over 2 weeks in August. We shot the attached sequence last August as a test to see what we could achieve alone and with the equipment available to us. We're very happy with how it turned out and know that with some help we could make something special.
SONG SAMPLES:
We've also been having a lot of fun creating songs that our lead character wrote way back in the 90's as an angry and confused teen. Here's an advert for a crowdfunding perk that will be running in the lead-up to production:
Helen Conway(28), Bristolian, Indie documentary filmmaker. Geeky though an outsider wouldn't notice. Quick-witted, inquisitive with Hard-nosed reporter aspirations. Mischievous and fun. The character has a great love of film and its history.
We are looking for a lead actor to join our no-budget feature with a very small, dedicated, and friendly team. At this stage, it is an expenses-only gig to get the film shot.
To get an idea of the film's tone please see the sample clip which includes the Helen character, and if intrigued we have attached the opening 25 pages of the script to the project page.
Ideally, it would be beneficial to be comfortable with possible improv around the subjects.
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