Extra Dimension for Forres film couple
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A FILM which has won two international awards, only after the couple behind it sold their house to fund it, will have its first Scottish screening in Moray.
"Dimensions" is the work of director Sloane U’Ren and husband Ant Neely, who wrote the screenplay.
The couple, who currently live in Forres, out their house on the market to partly fund production of the film, which cost £150,000 to make.
They will host a charity screening of "Dimensions: A Line, A Loop, A tangle of threads" at the Ogstoun Theatre, Gordonstoun on Friday, May 11 at 7pm.
Dimensions has just been awarded Best Film 2012 at the London Independent Film Festival and earlier this year won the Gort Award for Best Film 2012 at the Boston Science Fiction Film Festival.
The film, set in the 1920/30s, revolves around a scientist’s obsession with going back in time to revisit a moment from his childhood.
The film stars Henry Lloyd-Hughes (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Inbetweeners), Camilla Rutherford (Gosford Park, Rome) and Patrick Godfrey (The Duchess, The Remains of the Day, A Room With A View).
"Sloane and I have often talked or making our own film. Over the years we have been fortunate enough to enjoy working on so many other people’s projects," said Ant (40).
However, he added: "We knew we could make a film but have also known people trying to get funding together and it goes on for years and years."
The couple decided to take the plunge and follow their dream. Since selling their house, they have been living with Ant’s dad Dave and step mum Beverley.
"Making a film is an expensive undertaking and our only real option was to sell our house to help fund it. It all seems a little nuts until you remember – life is short," he added.
The sale of their house in Twickenham helped pay for two-thirds of the cost of the film and thanks to the enormous support of family and friends, and other investors, who were as passionate as them, they were able to make the film, which took just 21 days to shoot.
The couple are heading to the Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 16 to 27, to spread the word and speak to people in the industry who can help bring it to a wider audience.
The film was directed by Sloane (38), who has worked in the art departments on films such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Being John Malkovich and Batman Begins.
"The £150,000 it cost is a tiny amount in terms of a film. They spent more than that on Batman’s cape in the Dark Knight. The film looks like it cost a million and a half because of the production," said Ant, who wrote the screenplay.
Said Ant: "When writing the script for Dimensions, I spent many hours thinking about how we perceive time. The passage of time is something that has always fascinated, and frightened, me, so it seemed natural to explore it in the film.
"Sloane was very keen to make a film that was a character-driven story in a sci-fi world, rather then a film that focussed primarily on a sci-fi world."
Sloane’s film career started at the of four as a child actress in Los Angeles. As she reached her teens, she realised that she was more interested in the visual side of filmmaking than appearing on camera and studied art history at the University of California, Berkeley before resuming her career in film Art Departments.
She has worked for Disney, The Jim Henson Company (The Muppet Show creators), and has at one time or another worked at every major film studio in the U.S. and U.K.
Ant admitted the hard work is promoting the film.
"If you have a huge star in a film it is easier but with a small film you don’t when or if it is going to take off.
"It is such a funny business, and it has been hit hard by the recession. You are living in a house of cards and keep stacking them higher."
The film will definitely come out on DVD and online, but persuading film bosses to take it to a wider cinema audience is the tough part.
The couple are already looking towards their next project and have completed a further two scripts for consideration.
Ant admitted living and working in the Forres area has been a terrrific experience.
"It is nice to be somewhere beautiful and it is really inspiring. It would be great to shoot a film along the coast here.
"Writing can be very insular, so it is fantastic to be able to go to the forest or wander along the beach," he added.
Both Sloane and Ant will be at Gordonstoun on May 11 to answer questions and talk about their past experiences in the film industry on films which include Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
All profits from this preview screening will go to the Moray Society.
Tickets are available from dimensions.moray@hotmail.co.uk
http://dimensionsthemovie.com/
