COLD HARD REDEMPTION
“…..and the audience has spoken. They want stories. They are dying for them. And they are rooting for us to give them the right thing.”
Kevin Spacey , Edinburgh Television Festival Aug/13
Check out our new webpage where you can see more stills from our trailer shoot and where we will add interviews as they become available: http://www.coldhardredemption.com/
We believe in cinema that moves beyond entertainment, we love movies that inspire the people of the world to better understand, to be compassionate and curious towards themselves, their community and the whole planet. We believe in a great story.
Thousands of people suffer silently from PTSD every day. We don’t see them because their pain is hidden under the skin. There is a stigma to this condition–an invalidation of their condition. They are screaming for understanding. Their stories need to be told.
Movies are a powerful way to get these voices heard. This is why we are looking for contributors to join us in the effort to raise the funds to make a dramatic short film that will tell one of these stories.
This is the story of Charles, a shell shocked, homeless veteran who goes looking for relief in all the wrong places. The story is fiction and is loosely based on the lives of two veterans acquainted with the author.
Cold Hard Redemption is the tragic tale of a man who returns from a faraway battlefield and finds himself without the support system he requires to cope with the PTSD symptoms that he acquired during his service.
Alone in the world and living on the street, he watches the city buzz around, completely indifferent to him. He is tormented by vivid memories and flashbacks to his time in combat. One day he meets Bones, a shapeshifting enigma who, with a bible and a kind word, promises to free Charles from his suffering.
Charles soon discovers that his new friend and self-appointed savior is not who he appears to be. Constantly donning different hats, Bones is as changeable as the words that he speaks. With rhetoric and deception, he preys upon Charles’ desire for healing and drives him further into the depths of his madness until finally, Charles commits an unspeakable deed.
This story will appeal to people with an interest in inventive cinema–the visuals and sound design are key contributors to the poetry of the film. There are also elements of the underdog action/martial arts film.
While the conversation surrounding PTSD has become much louder in recent months, it remains a foreign concept for many of us—something that happens to other people. Though if we look, its effects can be found on all sides, friends, family, neighbours. For the men and women who suffer from this condition, life can become unbearable even for an otherwise strong and healthy individual. Our film seeks to bridge this gap as it peers into the life of a man who has fallen through the cracks with nowhere to go for help. It’s a potent allegory of the thousands who suffer in silence.
At its core, this is a hero’s journey story that shines a light on the harsh reality of homelessness, mental illness and the vulnerability of people in our communities who are isolated with nowhere to go.
Clayton Gray– Writer/Producer/Bones- First setting foot onstage at the age of 4 to an audience of 300+ for the Northern BC regional spoken word tournament, Clayton has continued to tell stories and perform publicly in many iterations ever since. Hailing from a family of Canadian entrepreneurs, Clayton is using both of these traits from his heritage to drive this concept to the screen. This script is a result of many years of practice and keen observation of the Masters of the craft and the world at large, and the logical next step of his foray into the world of cinema.
Hassan Madlough– Cinematographer/Director- Since graduating from Toronto Film School in 2013 Hassan has written and directed 7 films including a collaboration with Clayton in his ‘Blind Dream’ filmed entirely on 35mm. In addition to his continuing work as a writer/director, Hassan has also worked professionally behind the lens as a cinematographer on dozens of projects from commercials, to music videos and international feature and short films in Dubai, Berlin and New York. Incorporating highly emotional content into his work he has spanned many genres from drama, comedy, romance and thrillers. Complete resume and demo can be found at www.hassanmadlough.com
The total project budget is $ 60,000
While a large portion of this budget is allocated to finishing costs, further marketing and distribution, the current cost is approximately $46,500.
A highly skilled team of professional film makers have expressed interest in participating in this proof of concept project. We will be producing a high quality film with professional visual and audio effects. To make this project viable, several members of the production team have offered to contribute their time and/or equipment at no charge or at rates that are considerably below current professional standards as well as pledges from several organizations towards lights, cameras and other equipment. These in-kind contributions of $16,800 provide more than one third of the total required financing.
The remainder, at a minimum cost of $29,700 is what we still require to get this film in the can. This will help to pay for: Further equipment, actors, crew and their gear, insurance, location costs, post production edit, sound design and music rights.
At a Glance:
Total |
60,000 |
Current |
46,500 |
In kind |
16,800 |
Cash needed |
29,700 |
So far we have raised $1,200 in offline cash contributions!
Alliances with PSTD advocacy, education and support groups will be the primary strategy used to promote the film. The producer is forming relationships with several national and international PTSD organizations that will benefit from this film’s profile in aiding and promoting their advocacy and service delivery mandates.
Film festival submissions will be the first distribution channel. The producer will submit the finished film to approximately 40 film festivals in Canada and abroad, including the Toronto Film Festival, SXSW, Cannes, Short Shorts, Palm Springs and so on. Acceptance into these festivals is not guaranteed, and the more submissions that are made, the better the chance of being accepted.
Presence at a prestigious festival has a double benefit of finding new audiences and positioning the film for possible international recognition up to and including the Academy Awards. Distribution deals are frequently acquired at film festivals. Such deals may take the form of compilations with theatrical releases, national and international network television broadcasting rights and through other channels such as airlines, and online platforms such as Distrify and Vimeo which provide perpetual distribution potential.
Social media campaigns using Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are in preparation to support these promotional campaigns and serve as part of the distribution program.
Potential revenue sources may include festival cash prizes, licensing fees, box office sales from theatrical release and auxiliary sales such as Video on Demand and DVD.
Your contributions provide an indispensable pillar of support to this project achieving its true potential and in recognition of this generosity the producer/creator, Clayton Gray, has pledged a portion of future earnings as an added revenue stream to contributors: 15% of all producer fees over the course of three years beginning May 1, 2015 (ending April 30, 2018) will be distributed as they are received to be divided by contribution share among contributors who pledged $100 or more during this campaign.
All contributors will receive a DVD or digital copy of the final production.
The film will serve as a proof of concept piece. Our main goal is to reach an audience that connects with the story and to establish a foundation to further develop the project into a feature length film, that will go to film festivals around the world. While a return of investment is possible at this stage, the landscape of short film sales are such that revenues seldom cover production cost. However, should our little project gain sufficient traction to move to this next level, the support that you have shown today and the momentum that we create together will set the stage for further funding channels such as production grants, federal and provincial tax credits and of course, crowdfunding.
Thank you for your support.