Help us raise £2,500 to bring our film to life BY SPONSORING US!!!
what is St. John's Blessing?
St. John's Blessing is a fascinating and not widely known 18th-century historical phenomenon in which prisoners and their executioners would have a drink together and talk about.. well no one really knows. But we have some ideas...
Set in a medieval prison cell in Bavaria 1701, Ehrhart, a repressed, burdened executioner and Thomas, a defiant, demanding prisoner condemned for sodomy, are to have a last drink together. But tensions arise and buried truths are faced when it comes to the tradition of asking for the prisoner's forgiveness...
Who are We?
Hello there!!! We are a group of seven, passionate future filmmakers in our 3rd and final year at the University of York, who after nearly 3 years of film and television production training, are excited and raring to put all our practical knowledge into the production of this queer period drama.
WHY WE WANT TO MAKE THIS FILM:
Through making St. John's Blessing, we aim to give a voice to those forgotten names throughout history, who dealt with the repression of hiding who they truly were, to simply survive. Thomas and Ehrhart's interaction in the prison cell will cover themes of shame, morality, facing uncomfortable truths and questioning the importance of living your truth when it is a risk to your life. It will certainly be a gripping and intense watch - that we hope will be as representationally important as it will be visually and emotionally captivating.
We've been inspired tonally by films such 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)' and 'Carol (2015)' which tell forbidden queer stories alongside stunning cinematography. We're also in collaboration with the extremely talented student composer Izzie Burger de Fremol, who will be composing an original string-based score for this film! So there's a lot to be getting excited about!!
Where will your donations go?
We may have our script...
But, to be able to make this film we’ll need amazing actors, period-accurate locations and costumes etc. And we don’t exactly have the money…
We're gearing up to shoot in March 2024, which is why we’re now fundraising! Here's how we are hoping to use our funds:
Budget Breakdown:
Set Build - £700
The majority of our film is set inside a medieval prison cell. We're looking to design our prison cell set and build it from scratch! Which is going to be the most costly but most needed aspect of this production.
Props and Costumes - £500
Our designer is tasked not only with finding period-accurate costumes to make our actors look straight out of 18th-century Bavaria but also finding set dressings and props! Such as the sword for the execution and the goblets used for St. John's Blessing ritual!
Locations - £400
When we're not filming scenes in the cell set, there are a few other locations local to York that would be the perfect backdrops for other scenes in the script. We'd love to find a grand manor house and gardens, a gallows perhaps...
Travel - £320
This money will help us cover the travel costs of our cast and crew.
Specialist Equipment - £250
We'll require certain extra pieces of lighting and camera equipment to achieve the ambitious shots we're after and get our film looking festival ready!
Catering - £230
We'd love to be able to supply our cast and crew with some nourishment over this 6-day shoot, and keep everyone healthy and able to perform at their maximum ability!
Contingency - £100
Things always go wrong on a film set, which is why we're setting aside this money to ensure that we can accommodate any unprecedented events!
Rewards for you?
We recognise how amazingly generous it is to donate, so want to give back to our donors and there are lots of exciting rewards that we are offering. From social media shoutouts to posters, props from the film, even 3D-printed sword key-rings sent to you! Take a look at them all on the right-hand sidebar of this page and be sure to claim these when you donate! -> -> ->
Good news for early donors:
Not only do the first donors have first pick of the rewards they'd like to nab, but YuStart also offers Match-funding, which means that the first £250 of donations will automatically turn into double the amount - all the more reasons to get your donations in early!
Contact us
Please send all email enquiries to stjohnsblessing@gmail.com
Be sure to follow our Instagram @stjohns
blessingfilm if you want to see what we're getting up to in the lead-up to production! We'll be regularly posting reels of our crew, historical facts, fundraising updates and much more!
Help us succeed!
We truly wouldn't be able to make this film a reality without your donations, we would bless you if you would help us spread the word about our project, talk to friends and family about us and share this page on social media.
Truly, Thank you
- Jane, Austin, Luke, Becky, Aurie, Eden and Isaac. x
