The Fitzroy (2013)
Comedy
Written and directed by Andrew Harmer
Produced by Liam Garvo and James Heath
Are you tired of Hollywood remakes and sequels to questionable movies? I know I am. That's why I decided to devote some of my time to promoting a fundraiser for The Fitzroy. The aim is to generate £60,000 to enable the film to be made.
Synopsis
The Fitzroy is a surreal black comedy set in a post-apocalyptic 1950’s. The world is covered in a poisonous gas and the last few remains of society live out the end of the world in the last refuge for a traditional summer holiday: The Fitzroy Hotel, a rusty submarine beached just off Margate.
Our story focuses on Bernard, the hotel’s bellboy, cook, maintenance man and general dogsbody. Overworked by the hotel’s greedy owners and underappreciated by the selfish guests, Bernard faces a constant battle to keep the decaying hotel afloat and ship shape.
That is until he falls in love with Sonya, a lounge singer and murderous femme fatale. Under her spell, Bernard becomes convinced it is he who should be running the hotel. But when Sonya kills the hotel’s owner, Bernard’s world is thrown upside down as he struggles to hide the murder from the other guests and the ever-suspicious council inspector.
As the murder’s consequences ripple through the hotel, they threaten to rip Bernard’s world apart and he stands to lose everything he loves. With a hotel full of guests hungry for blood and justice, Bernard must choose between the woman he thinks he loves and the hotel submarine that is keeping them all alive.
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That sparks my imagination. The first thing I thought of when I read the synopsis was Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Delicatessen. The filmmakers describe The Fitzroy as feeling like a cross between Monty Python, Spike Milligan, and Jeunet, so I'm even more interested as that's my kind of humor.
Filmmakers
Andrew Harmer (writer/director) is an award-winning director. He has worked in on air promotions for the past six years. He has made a number of successful short films. A selection of Andrew’s work can be seen at www.andrewharmer.com
Dresden Pictures (production company/producers) was established by award-winning producing partners Liam Garvo and James Heath after several years of collaborating on a wide variety of film projects.
They are currently in development on a number of independent feature films www.dresdenpictures.com
Other talent includes:
Ciro Candia - Director of Photography
Natalie O'Connor - Production Designer
The Green Rock River Band - Original Music and Soundtrack
Here's what the filmmakers have to say about the fundraising project:
The shooting production budget for The Fitzroy is £50,000. We are looking to raise £60,000 through the crowdfunding site Kickstarter, which, once Kickstarter’s fee and the reward costs are removed, should leave us with £50,000. Opportunely, Kickstarter UK launched on the 31st October just in time for The Fitzroy campaign.
Kickstarter is the best-recognized and most respected crowdfunding website. It’s full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others. Since their launch in 2009, over $350 million has been pledged by more than 2.5 million people, funding more than 30,000 creative projects.
We set up a page on the Kickstarter platform, providing a clear overview of the project, the target amount of money sought and exactly what it will be used for (the production budget of The Fitzroy). We offer incentives and rewards to supporters at different levels. We then reach out to our friends, family, social networks, the film community and anyone else we think will be interested in seeing The Fitzroy to support the project and to spread the word to their networks.
Incentives
At a basic level, the incentives will be pre-sales in the film, so backers are rewarded with an HD Download or DVD of the film, not to mention our overwhelming thanks. Plus, every backer will receive a personalized digital postcard. We will be announcing some exciting surprise rewards throughout the campaign.
Other incentives include:
Beach survival kit
Ever tried having a holiday in a post-apocalyptic world? It’s not easy. Luckily the government has issued these ‘Beach Survival Kits’. Each kit is handmade and personalized by the director. The kit includes rations (Fitzroy Rock), a jar of fresh air (good for one last breath), survival pamphlet, emergency messaging chalkboard, and, of course, some entertainment to while away your last few hours; The Fitzroy DVD and soundtrack. If you are going on holiday, remember - stay safe!
Posters
An exclusive premium printed signed poster just for Kickstarter, from one of the five poster designers we have on board. These will be strictly limited to the number of backers who request this reward, and backers will have the choice of which poster they would like. Posters will be revealed throughout the campaign.
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So why don't we give these guys a chance? Imagine if you were trying to reach your own dream. The fund has already reached £5,000. You can find out more, and how to donate, by visiting the film's Kickstarter page: www.thefitzroy.com/ks.
If you can't afford to donate, you can still help by following the crew on Twitter and giving the film a boost with a mention or a retweet.
Thanks for listening. Let's help make this happen.
Twitter
General: @the_fitzroy
Producer James Heath: @jamesjheath
Producer Liam Garvo: @lgarvo
Director Andrew Harmer: @andrewharm
Head of press Rebecca Wilson: @BecsGW
This is so cool, Steve! And the movie sounds very fun! I'll definitely try to help out. Hope they reach their goal!
ReplyDeleteThanks Fernando. It does look pretty cool. Even if we don't donate, we can help out by writing an article or retweeting. There's a press kit if you feel the urge to write about the movie.
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