A gritty, intense short film, introducing a new and terrifying aquatic creature– the first in a retro horror/sci-fi anthology feature.
“After months of thinking about how to relaunch this campaign and get this movie made, it was fellow artist and friend Mike Hill, who nailed the idea home for me. Many had suggested doing this film as a short, in the hopes of a producer or studio seeing it and perhaps wanting to fund the entire film, which does actually happen from time to time, but in my mind, I was over making short films, felt I’d made enough and wanted to move forward. At that time, making more shorts was a step backwards to me…”
But then Mike continued– “You’ve written so many scripts, Sandy. You have all these designs around your studio from these films that you haven’t been able to make yet. If you make shorts of just a few of them, you can make an anthology. There’s your feature, mate…”
So, I got to thinking– The two things I’m most known for, are a short film and a series of creature design books. Ya know what, he’s right. It makes perfect sense…
“Heavy Metal magazine and the subsequent animated anthology film, were VERY influential and inspirational to me as an artist in my younger years. Using that format as a model, it’s my goal over the next year and half, to create separate campaigns for each different short film, raising the funds to create my own anthology feature over time, as opposed to trying to raise all the money at once for a singular feature film.”
“Shallow Water” is an intense, horror film, which will be the first short in this Horror/Science Fiction/Fantasy anthology from Sandy Collora, a longtime special effects artist, designer, sculptor, creature creator, and award winning commercial director and filmmaker.
It combines the best of the two worlds with which Collora is so familiar. It is physical horror and psychological horror. It is eerie and intense. With a strong story and script, believable characters, and top flight performances, it strives for quality as a FILM, not just as a horror film. It’s the perfect project to open the anthology with.
“This project combines so many things that I’m passionate about: classic horror, borne of mood and suspense; a memorable iconic creature; and the ocean environment. “Shallow Water” is a perfect storm of sorts, allowing me to combine my love of all these things into one film.”
An innocent adventure: a fishing trip to a remote and mythical fishing hole goes awry and becomes a terrifying predicament that keeps getting worse. Nestled deep in the Sea of Cortez is a tiny island you won’t find on any map. Six fishermen scour the Baja peninsula to find this magical place, but when they finally reach their destination, they encounter some sea life that they did not expect. This puts them all at odds and it quickly becomes every man for himself. Which will prevail, Mother Nature or Human Nature?
“Many horror films today rely on gimmicks. Found footage, shaky camera nonsense and of course, the whole “Is it real?” thing. The original masters of horror; F.W. Murnau, James Whale and Tod Browning, never needed those things and paved the way for Hitchcock, Kubrick and others who created true horror through mood and suspense. The 70’s and 80’s exploded with a whole new crop of scary, iconic horror films like “The Exorcist”, “ALIEN”, “Halloween”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Predator”. That was 30-40 years ago! Where did films like that go? Why has the horror genre taken such a turn? I’m going to make films that are gritty, real, moody and suspenseful, with new, original creatures. Throwbacks. No shaky cam, no gimmicks…”
So much of the unique life that comes out of the ocean, dwells in the darkness of the deep. The abyssal plain. Depths of 500 feet or more. There’s life in the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of our seas, that is yet undiscovered. Hydrothermal vents over a mile deep, contain life almost alien to our human eyes, but what about the shallows? How hard would it be for something that lives in the deep to swim up into the shallow water? Especially if it was hungry. It’s a chilling thought what dangers lurk right under our feet in the murky shallow waters of our shores.
Practical Effects are special effects that are produced physically, without the use of post-production techniques like photographic manipulation and computer generation. These effects involve the use of sculpture, prosthetic makeup, animatronics, puppetry, body suits and other techniques that most realistically create the appearance of organic, living creatures. Especially for a film that has a creature with a human form, this is the best and most realistic way to achieve the desired effect.
“Shallow Water” will feature Practical Effects of the highest order, designed by Sandy Collora and created by Magee FX and an All-star team of makeup and special effects artists, all with experience on big budget FX films.
“I’m incredibly fortunate to have a group around me who are not only enormously talented, but understand me as a creative person and support my vision. Most of them have been with me for quite some time and have worked on several commercial, music video and film projects with me. They are a very special group who have contributed so much.”
Clark Bartram— Not only is he America’s most trusted fitness professional, he’s an inspiration to such a vast spectrum of people, all over the world. Clark played the titular role in the 2003 short film “Batman Dead End” directed by Sandy, that swept San Diego Comic Con. His work ethic and positive attitude is inspirational to the entire cast and crew. Sandy has said he simply could not imagine a production without him on the team.
Eric S. Dow– An accomplished editor who brings his experience to the team from reality television on shows like Pawn Stars, Counting Cars and American Restoration. Last year, Eric wrote, directed and edited the popular documentary “Behind the Mask: The Batman Dead End Story”. He was an assistant editor on “Hunter Prey” and will cut “Shallow Water”. He is currently an editor for worldwide creative content at SONY Pictures.
Dale Pearson– Co-producer, dive master, extreme location specialist and underwater cinematographer, Dale Pearson has been on many dive trips and adventures on the Baja Peninsula and worked on many projects with Sandy. Dale was instrumental in getting the “Hunter Prey” production team set up in Mexico. His experience on shows with the History Channel and National Geographic makes him a perfect, hands on producer, especially in extreme shooting locations.
Felipe Perez Burchard– One of Mexico’s most talented, up and coming cinematographers, Felipe did a phenomenal job as camera operator on “Hunter Prey” which earned him the job of cinematographer on “Shallow Water”. He has worked on many feature films, the most notable being “Apocalypto”, in the camera department.
“Simple. Kickstarter is collaboration and creative freedom. It affords me flexibility I would not have with a publisher or a studio. By funding a project on Kickstarter, it can be collaborative yet still allow me to execute my vision. It really is a wonderful model. I love engaging with my backers, and I enjoy delivering what I’ve promised. Kickstarter has been a welcome change to the way I do business, and my life.”
“Besides having a really cool project, the rewards are the backbone of any campaign. I know when I back a project, they’re the first thing I look at after the video…”
With a film campaign, you’ve gotta have the basic stuff everyone expects; posters, T-shirts, and course the film itself– DVDs and Blu-rays, etc… It kinda goes with the territory. But what we’ve done is come up with some really special rewards that are unique to this campaign. Check out the Art of Shallow Water book, which will have all the storyboards, poster designs and production art!
This full figure, painted, resin production maquette (below) was used as reference to create the full body creature suits for the film. It was sculpted by writer/director Sandy Collora and renowned creature creator Jordu Schell. This absolutely stunning piece stands approximately 12 inches tall and will be offered painted, unpainted and unbuilt as well, for all the model kit enthusiasts who want to build and paint it themselves.
For the ULTIMATE reward– a screen used creature head or full suit from the film! There will be a VERY limited number of these available after we finish shooting the movie. This is your chance to own an original screen used piece from “Shallow Water”. Hey, you never know… if this film becomes a cult classic, you’ll own a piece of horror movie history!
A prototype of our poster (below). Sent to you signed by Sandy and the cast and crew (subject to availability) How cool is that?!
A FINAL thought —
Eighty five thousand dollars may seem like a lot for a short film, but it really isn’t. Every cent will be on the screen. After all the rewards are made, shipped and the fees are paid, this is the bare minimum needed to make this ambitious short film– if we’re fortunate enough to go past the goal, the better we can make the film!
I grew up on the original Star Wars, Alien and Predator films. I love them, but where are the NEW iconic creatures and characters? How long has it been since we’ve seen something truly unique and powerful in a genre film? Too long. If Hollywood won’t do it, I will. With your help, over time we can raise enough independently to crowd fund a great anthology film.” — Sandy Collora
Making a film is by its nature, an incredibly complex and challenging endeavor. But this isn’t my first barbecue. I’ve been in and around the industry for almost 30 years and have learned from some of the best in the business.
We’ve got a great idea, an excellent script and I’ve already created the primary creature. A significant portion of the crew is already aboard and they are accomplished veterans, many of whom have worked with me before on my previous films and commercials. The locations for the shoot have been determined and negotiated, and there are a limited number of sets. All these variables increase efficiency and ensure that upon funding, everything promised will be delivered. I understand the film making process; developing a realistic schedule, a scope of work, and a budget. I know how to adhere staunchly and when to adjust. I’ve asked for the amount of money needed to deliver a supremely high quality product, on schedule.
Finally, I am a veteran project creator on Kickstarter. Backer rewards from my earlier campaigns were not just delivered on time, many were delivered early. For all these reasons, if this Kickstarter campaign succeeds, the film will be made, all rewards will be delivered fully and on a timely basis, and I believe you will be proud to have backed it.
Thank you. — SC