A De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) student has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance an ambitious new film.
International Film Production student Jamie Ball is one of nine DMU students working on The Nail That Sticks Out in key roles including producer, director, editor and director of photography.
The film will tell the story of Aiko, a controversial Japanese artist living in the UK, who is struggling to complete her latest collection.
Her muse and girlfriend, Elisabeth, faces her own pressures dealing with her fledgling acting career. The journey to Aiko’s final masterpiece takes in passion, lust and obsession and shows no sign of a happy ending.
The International Film Production course is delivered by DMU in partnership with Creative Media Skills (CMS), a media training company based at Pinewood Studios.
The Nail That Sticks Out is the final project on the one-year Master’s course and is designed to provide a stepping stone into the film industry. Jamie, the film’s producer, is hoping the money raised from crowdfunding will enable them to maximise the opportunity.
In order to complete the project, the students are hoping to raise £4,000 through the crowdfunding campaign and have already made an excellent start with nearly £1,000 being raised in the first few hours.
Jamie explained: “DMU has helped us with part of the budget required to make an industry-standard short film, with the rest of the budget coming from crowdfunding.
“Whilst most of the crew will be working for free, there are some roles that we need to be able to pay for, and we are keen to hire professional actors too.
“DMU and Creative Media Skills have given us access to industry professionals, who have been advising us on how to make the film since the script was chosen, something that has been invaluable.”
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Jamie, from Leicester, believes the film addresses important themes that are under-represented in films.
He said: “I feel that there is nowhere near enough varied representation of female and LGBT+ characters on screen, something I'm really passionate about.
“I'm pleased that the first film I'm producing addresses these issues, while at the same time telling a new and interesting story.”
As part of their course, students have received teaching from industry professionals across different areas of the film industry, including renowned producer Iain Smith, producer of box office movies Mad Max: Fury Road and Children of Men.
Iain Smith spoke of his anticipation for the film: “The Nail That Sticks Out is an extraordinary and exciting project. It’s being made by a wonderful, energetic and creative team of student filmmakers.
“It has been a great pleasure to work with them at CMS; in particular Rebekah (Writer), Jordan (Director) and Jamie (Producer) who have huge talents. I predict they will go far.”
The film’s crowdfunding campaign can be found here.
Posted on Friday 25 May 2018