Introduction:

The Colours and The Kids is a short film being made by students of the Theatre, Film and Television department at The University of York.  As the final project we are making together as students, a wide range of skills and experiences to make a short film that will be truly special.

The Film:

A newly orphaned young girl meets a widow mourning the loss of her husband and children, and together they discuss a series of odd events that happened on an isolated island years before.

Our film, The Colours and The Kids, is a modern fairytale exploring childhood, motherhood and loss. It's a deeply personal project to those involved. We aim to use a variety of experimental and spontaneous techniques to bring the film to life.

Where We Are So Far:

We are currently in the early stages of pre-production. Having held auditions and confirmed our cast, our primary focus has turned to location scouting. Scheduled to be shot in early April 2015, workshopping with the actresses has already begun.

The Crew:

The film will be heavily improvised and shot in a multi-format fashion. Due to this intimate, experimental and spontaneous production method, the crew is being kept to a minimum. Between the seven of us, we have worked throughout the UK and Germany on a variety of feature films, documentaries, TV shows and short films as well as writing, directing and producing original music and theatre productions. Our work has been showcased and selected in the Raindance, Luma and BFI film festivals. We are all constantly working on projects both together and independently.

• Writer/Director/Producer/Editor – Sam Boullier – Studying Film and Television Production at the University of York, Sam’s just got back from Berlin, where he was the director of photography on an experimental independent feature film.
  

• Co-Producer/Assistant Director– Lennard Morrice-Ortmann – A fellow student, Lenny has directed festival favourite The Salesman and produced numerous shorts as well as having years of experience in the German film industry.
  

• Cinematographer– Samuel Hunt – Samuel’s ambition is unparalleled. As a part of his Film course at the University of York, he took a cast and crew of twenty to the Lake District to shoot a Viking film, in Old Norse!

• Camera Assistant – Thomas Rosser – Thomas is currently in pre-production as cinematographer on the short film Cargo, which promises to be a fantastic short film.
  
• Gaffer/Grip/DIT– Alex Campbell – Award-winning director in his own right, Alex Campbell, ex-University of York Film student, is currently writing a play that he aims to take to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015.
  
• Location Sound – Oliver Wood – As a music student, Oliver has a huge variety of experience in theatre, film, orchestral and acoustic music. He is currently working as musical director on The Witches of Eastwick, which is to be premiering in February in the University’s Central Hall.
• Set Dressing/Continuity/Gaffer/Grip – Clara Cornish – The short film Clara produced in her second year in the TFTV department is now being shown as an exemplar throughout the University. She is currently in pre-production on a short documentary.

What We’ll Spend the Money On:

With the minimum target, money will go towards fundamentals, such as petrol, train fares, food, electricity. The more we raise, the more we can afford to put on screen.

More expensive locations, whether it’s down to hiring costs, electricity or the distance to travel there, suddenly become possible. More can go into costumes. More can go into equipment. Our goal is to raise enough to rent out a fantastic lens for the shoot, making literally every shot even better.

Preliminary Budget Breakdown:

All budget estimations and research is based on a five day shooting schedule.

Equipment = £490

• Super 8 stock and development = £50
  
• Zeiss 25mm Master Prime rental = £350
  
• Mini-DV tapes = £20
  
• Back-up hard drives = £70
  

Locations = £120

• Locations hire = £50
  
• Electricity cost = £70

• Car Insurance for five days = £150
  
• Petrol for production vehicles = £200
  
• Petrol for cast vehicles = £100
  
• Train fares for cast = £50
  

Catering = £250

• 12 people, three meals a day = £250
  

Art department = £140

• Costumes, four characters, two changes, two versions = £70
  
• Props (paint, paintbrushes, wooden doorway, archaic kitchenware) = £70
  

Total = £1,500

Making This Film a Reality:

Please help make this film a reality by donating online. Any amount really does make the difference.

Although we will be able to make the film with our minimum aim, the £1500 we aim to raise will bring our vision to life. With the fantastic help from YuStart, the first £350 raised will be matched by friends and alumni of the University. This means that for the first people that donate, every pound you give will double!

As a way of thanks, we are offering a range of rewards for those that donate. From a personal thank you video from the cast and crew to a chance to visit us on set, we want to show our appreciation as much as possible.

And if you can't help us financially, following us online and spreading the word makes all the difference.

This is a hugely personal piece of work. The story came to me during my Grandmother’s funeral, and since then has developed into a script I am very proud of. Surrounded by my closest friends and most skilled colleagues, I think this film is going to be something special. 

If you want to hear more about the project then visit our creativedistrict and Twitter accounts for more information.

With such an intimate, low-key project, even the smallest contribution or spreading of this project on social media is valuable. Please consider donating whatever you can.

Thank you for your time and interest.