Something In The Water

Kia ora friends, whānau and any other interested parties.

Thanks for landing on our Boosted campaign! Without your help, the dream of making this film will not be possible. Our project falls slightly askew of what sits within the realm of being funded, and we need the help of our community to make it happen.

Due to the nature of Something in the Water, a decent amount of funding is needed. Set in a swimming pool, with people jumping in and out of water, and a car stunt, costs are going to pile up. These things aren't cheap to do safely!

These differences, which make the film "difficult", are exactly the reason we are so excited to get this project into production. It gives the chance for a number of practitioners to showcase their talents and deepen learning through collaboration.

Your help would not only fund this film, but something that would enrich the CV's of many creatives. Speaking especially for the core creative team, we believe this project will open avenues to funding for future projects - hopefully we won't need to ask for your help again!

Any size of donation helps, and/or a share through social media!

The Team

Harvey Mills (Writer / Director)

Harvey is a graduate of Unitec’s Screen Arts programme, having majored in scriptwriting. Before that he cut his teeth on music videos for the local scene, being recognised by Under the Radar for The Downtown Club (Goodwin & Kyle) in their top videos of 2018. He has also directed videos for Milk and Roidz.

Fred Renata (Cinematographer)

Fred is one of New Zealand's most distinguished cinematographers. His work as a director of photography has taken him to all corners of the globe. After a career in electrical engineering, he moved into filmmaking, joining the lighting department on Merata Mita's 1987 feature, Mauri. Muru is his most recently released work.

Cameo England (Producer)

Cameo has worked in the independent cinema scene for over 10 years - wearing various different production, distribution and exhibition hats at Madman Entertainment, Vendetta Productions and Wild Bunch International. They now manage the Hollywood Cinema in Avondale. Cameo’s passion is to produce unique genre films with a queer or social focus, such as 2017’s THERESE and 2015’s THE RED MAN.

Adeline Esther (Casting Director / Lead Actress)

Adeline Esther is a hungry and passionate actor and maker! She works both on screen and behind the scenes as a writer, director, camera operator and in art department. Recent works include Perianayaki (NZIFF Best Short Film), After School Special and Indian Ink's latest production, Dirty Work.

More About the Project

Concept

First and foremost, Something in the Water is a 10 minute short film and a comedy. Using the rom-com character trope of the dejected yet persistent male, SitW reflects on the harm such a man could have. Unable to take rejection, Jeremiah’s deluded mind influences the visual genre tropes of the film. We span rom-com, through psycho-drama, and finish on slasher-horror as his ego leads us on a darkly comical journey. Throughout, absurd humour and camp performance offsets the darker elements of the film.

The Look

Blanketed over the film is an A24 style ‘Elevated Horror’ look. By creating a serious look, we poke fun at the style through the less pretentious nature of the content.

Themes

Focused on the dichotomy between “wokism” and an older, learned masculinity, we are exposed to Jeremiah’s fragility. Through his ego, he can’t grasp that no means no, and through his actions, we discover his sense of entitlement over the object of his desires (the girl).

What Are We Crowdfunding For?

All money raised will go towards the production stage of the film.

Breakdown of our costs

• Locations: $6,000
• Catering: $750
• Stunt Coordinator approx: $2000
• Camera / Lighting gear Insurance: $800
• Costume & Makeup: $500
• Art Department: $200

Total $10,250

Every little bit counts towards this total! This is our bare minimum, another $5,000 of our own self-funding is set aside for further costs of production and pre-production.

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