Antony D. Lane (Crazy D. Lane) has been fighting passionately for his debut horror feature film for 10 years now (that’s the NOT QUITE DEAD elephant in the room addressed), he has never given up hope, even during the projects darkest times AD has somehow risen to fight another day, this is him rising once again, (HOPEFULLY) for the last time, with 95% of the film now shot, he just needs a little nudge to the finish line for what could potentially be a future cult classic horror film & hopefully an indie film project that will inspire a new generation of CRAZY filmmakers.
With NO CGI GORE/BLOOD SPLATTER, the emphasis is purely on practical make up.
We have pushed the absolute boundaries of great cinematography on a small budget.
Keeping with our mission statement of NO CGI gore/mist, we’ve been doing it all practically in camera, giving the film an original ‘THE FOG’ look/feel rather than the dreaded CGI remake.
(Guerrilla filmmaking at its finest) AD would shoot in abandoned buildings to get extra production value & a very unique look he needed for his films intro sequence.
Above is a STILL from the film and this is a perfect example of what the film is truly about, it represents the importance of character performance, AD’s favourite filmmaker is Stanley Kubrick so there is a whole ‘PUSH THE ACTORS’ to absolute breaking point, making ‘INVASION’ more than just a horror film but a real character driven performance piece. One of the films tag-lines is ‘THIS MOVIE WILL HURT YOU’.
AND… finally… the writer/director AD LANE doing whatever it takes to get the shot when shooting the stand alone intro sequence in Bulgaria. When you don’t have a budget for a car camera rig, then its time to BECOME the car camera rig.
In 2003-2004 AD was seriously ill with a lodged kidney stone, he was in the most intense pain for 11 months, in & out of hospital, till one day it just passed & in the blink of an eye, he had his life back, he could do anything, be anything he wanted to be, but… he’s only ever had one dream and that was to be a film director… so he enrolled onto a film degree at the International Film School of Wales, it was there he met his filmmaking mentor and friend Ken Russell, who he would later attach to be a consulting Executive Producer on his first feature film ‘Invasion Of The Not Quite Dead’ back in 2007 during his final year of university.
The first harsh lesson AD learnt after leaving film school was it doesn’t pay to have big ambitions, he spent years trying to raise money to make his film, no one would take a chance on a first time filmmaker especially with a unique idea & then in 2008 AD was brutally attacked leaving him with a broken bone to his back, housebound & suffering from depression & with no sign of any money to make the film, he began to struggle to stay motivated, the projects future looked grim.
In 2009 AD was BACK, with a new lease of life, he joined twitter, began doing monthly no sleep film fundraisers (back in 2009 he was the only person using twitter to fundraise for their film, so he had to do something that would stand out) so he began doing no sleep fundraising marathons, starting at 50 hours & climbing each month, it was an incredible way of raising awareness for his dream movie, he would then add hours on each month till it got to a point 3 years later when he managed to do 106 hours without sleep, he managed to raise enough money to shoot over half the film, but unfortunately the years of fundraising had taken its toll on AD’s physical & mental health, which meant the film kept getting put on hold… thus starting a chain of events that would see the film stop & start for the next few years.
In 2015 the film had to be put on hold (AGAIN), after 60% was shot, AD had to put his family first, the years of struggle had finally caught up with him & with a 2 year old & a new born, AD just couldn’t put any more time & money into his film & after failing for many years to get the film finished, he lost all confidence in doing any further fundraisers, his project had now become somewhat of a joke online, there was a risk he could lose all his actors, the pressure was mounting from the original backers of the film, he entered a very dark place & had a mental breakdown, the stress of losing his film & letting everyone down, including his family, his amazing cast & crew, everyone who had ever supported him, it was too much for him to handle, & he broke.
After a year & a half of the project being on hold, AD managed to raise enough money (loans, credit cards, etc) to get the film moving again, he felt as though he needed to prove himself, get rid of the stigma of the film being a joke, but unfortunately a few of his actors wasn’t able to return, so it meant he had to re-shoot 30% in 2016, & so for 5 months between Aug-Dec 2016, AD would shoot around being a stay at home dad & his freelance editing work, but AD was willing to do ANYTHING to get his film moving again, it was a huge risk, but he managed to get to 95% shot just before Christmas, this fundraiser is happening because AD has given his absolute ALL he has given it EVERYTHING he has to try & get the film finished & there is just no way he can finish the film without going back to where it all began, to the fans.
The plot to ‘INVASION’ has always been shrouded to some degree in secrecy, it’s very rare these days to see a film without knowing too much about it, like seeing ‘FROM DUSK TILL DAWN’ for the first time without knowing the big twist. These days you can watch a trailer & you’ve seen the film, our teaser gives NOTHING away, more than that it does what it’s supposed to, which is to TEASE, (hopefully). We can reveal that the film does revolve around a police sergeant called Sam who returns to his hometown after a 15 year absence to try & fix his very broken family that he left behind, Sam finds that they’re too far gone, or are they just simply victim to a horrific virus that is sweeping the town.
So when AD was 3 years old, (apparently according to his mum) he watched a film called ‘The Cassandra Crossing’ repeatedly, figuring out how to use the video recorder in the early 80’s, this was his first known obsessive tendancy. The film would then stay with him well into his adult life, not so much the big crash scene but the build up of tension as the story progresses, having characters get sick, these are all themes that held a huge influence on him when he began writing ‘Invasion of the Not Quite Dead’.
Over the years it’s impossible not to be inspired by other films, to have a love for how they make you feel, especially when they just get the tone & atmosphere right, below are a few films that have inspired AD with his film.
This is obviously not a normal every day project, but what is incredible about it, more than most is how dedicated the cast have been with the stop/start/stop/start process of filming & how they stuck with the project for years & years. ‘INVASION’ lead actor FRANK JAKEMAN was attached in 2009 and has only just wrapped in December 2016, simply amazing dedication from a truly incredible actor.
FRANK JAKEMAN (Sam Peterson)
MARC ZAMMIT (Doug Peterson)
NEAL WARD (Lee)
NINA STRATFORD (Babs Peterson)
JOE RILEY (Joe Peterson)
LYDIA KAY (Allison Peterson)
So… first of all, this film is an absolute labour of love (hopefully established at this point), but what does surprise a lot of people is how a huge amount of the scenes are done with a crew of 2-3 people, to say we was a skeleton crew is really downplaying the term skeleton crew.
There would be quite a few occasions Writer/Director AD Lane would be on Sound/Writing/Producing/Directing/Catering/Making Of duties on any typical shoot day, a luxury at times was having the core crew of 5-6 people, so it’s amazing when people say how cinematic the film looks, even on scenes that had a crew of 2 people.
‘Invasion’ has always been about creating the most cinematic film on it’s limited budget, pushing creativity as far as possible over having money to solve problems, this is a prime example of what an independent film is & should be.
Writer/Director CRAZY D, LANE
Cinematographer JOSH WHITE (www.josh-white.co.uk)
Make Up & FX KATE GRIFFITHS (www.theatricalmakeupartist.com)
Sound & Visual FX DANNY ALLEN (www.rocktopuss-studio.co.uk)
Below are a few film stills from the shoot, this fundraiser will help us to keep to the high production value we have been pushing for with the film, these are a few examples of what the film is currently looking like.
With 95% of the film shot we’re on the absolute verge of finishing this film, Writer/Director AD Lane has always tried to make each scene have the look of a postcard.
First of all, to any past BACKERS, to support a film project as long as you have you deserve a medal, a gold plated medal, it’s very understandable for people to loose faith along the way & we hope more than anything that this fundraiser will prove that we are 100% committed to this film, maybe a little too committed to the quality aspect, hence why it’s taken so long, and more than anything we hope that our past backers will consider upgrading their producer perk packages, or at the very least help us to promote the project, we will be sending all original backers the 40 page MAKING OF eBook during the course of the fundraiser, if you have not received it, please get in touch, as we may have an out of date email on file. More than anything this fundraiser is also about re-connecting with the original backers, we want to make sure that everyone who has ever supported the film will join us proudly as we head past the finish line later this year.
To our original backers, all perks from previous campaigns are set in stone & if anyone who has previously backed us & wants to donate more, we will add it to your original amount.
Which ever Perk Package you choose, you will also get all previous ones in this section.
(Choose A DVD or BLU-RAY package & then get the above perks included also.)
(All perks below will also get a Limited Edition (£35) perk & all the previous perks.
As the campaign moves on we’ll be adding special quirky perks to keep things interesting, these are STAND ALONE perks.
Below are Perks more aimed at businesses, or production companies that would like to sponsor or partner with the project, over the next couple of years we’ll be getting a lot of media exposure, so why not join us for what will be an incredible adventure as we move to completion & then take the film on independent cinema tours.
If you’re interested in any of the above business perks, please get in touch if you have any questions about potentially partnering up.
So from 2009-2012 AD would do epic no sleep twitter film fundraising marathons, (MONTHLY), ranging from 50-106 hours, it was during that time he would get over 2000 people from 42 countries to support his dream, here are a few incredible messages of support from his original backers:
Dave Bullis “Somewhere between insanity and determination lays AD Lane.” – that’s my quote/sentence.
Sean Evans (Back to the Movies) “I’m always inspired by people who give up the world to chase their dreams. Ad has a passion that mere words cannot describe. His love of film and his dedication to this pain staking project is a testament to this wonderful person. Keep dreaming, keep achieving”.
Kathleen Crawford: “AD Lane is one of the first people I ever encountered on Twitter. Who is this guy? I wondered what kind of person does this round the clock tweeting and fundraising? Just seeing his passion, enthusiasm, and drive made me want to help him see his dream come true. And while making his dream come true, he always took the time to lift others up and to bring others along on this crazy journey. So who is this guy? Turns out he’s my friend”.
Simon Middleton: “I’m so glad I stumbled upon your project many years ago and decided to help fund your dream. I still wear my Invasion t-shirt with pride to this day. Can’t wait to see the finished film”.
Robert Rosengart: “Am a huge horror film fan. From the moment I saw this opportunity to support AD in his quest to make this unique horror film, I was onboard. We all knew it would be an uphill battle as an independent filmmaker. We lived through all his ups and downs including those “fun” twitter all nighters. And life did intercede. But he did it. His way. His vision. And I can’t wait to see the finished product. “
Over the course of the 10 year journey writer/director AD Lane has been documenting his entire experience through video diaries, on set making of’s & interviews with cast and crew. During the course of this fundraiser AD will be launching a special producers lounge, a password protected area of the ‘INVASION’ website that will house special MAKING OF’s, CAST & CREW interviews, we will also preview rough scenes for backers to get a glimpse of the editing process, showing how different a first edit can compare to a final edit.
The Producers lounge will launch during this fundraiser.
Ok, so why would a 1 month film fundraiser be life changing, it’s simple, (it’s not simple), AD has put everything into making his film, blood, sweat, tears, savings, bank loans, credit cards. In order to make sure the film didn’t die, he did whatever it took to keep the film alive, but unfortunately he fell short of around 5% to shoot just before Christmas, he managed to get all the main cast wrapped, but there’s still a hand full of scenes to grab (tie up the loose ends), & a bunch of big make up scenes, so this fundraiser will also determine how many on AD’s wishlist will get shot, like for example a DRIVE-IN massacre scene & also the Mayor accidentally shooting someone with a shot gun, (remember the NO CGI rule) so this has to be all done in camera, with squibs & blanks, adding to the realism. So going back to LIFE CHANGING… first of all, whatever happens with the fundraiser, it’s already changed AD’s life to return to social media with his personal account, due to him having a mental breakdown, it became harder & harder for AD to overcome the fear & anxiety to make his big return to Twitter/Facebook, so already as we speak, his mental wellbeing is up by 100%, already this fundraiser is 100% a success, secondly, he is setting stretch goals, because when you spend 10 years on a project that it ultimately the longest crowd funding film in history, it’s obviously a tough sell to get people to back it, so he is setting it at the bare minimum he needs to complete the film, which is £10,000, but even that, means he’ll be doing most of the post production work himself, so if it goes past the original target & then into stretch goals it means AD’s life will then significantly change, to not have to spend every hour working freelance to cover the films financial debts will give AD the time back to put into the film, but thats only if it hits the last stretch goal.
This fundraiser is about giving AD his life back, after 10 years of being trapped within a nightmare created by himself (mainly due to his intensely crippling obsessiveness for quality), he is now on the verge of completing his very ambitious debut feature film, each stretch goal will change AD’s life completely.
and… once again we want to just say that even just hitting the minimum £10,000 needed to finish the film, will mean the absolute world to AD & his family, & EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has been involved with the project, who are excitedly awaiting to see the full film, we honestly believe this film will launch careers… AD just wants to be free & get his life back? is that possible?.
The biggest risks & challenges & worst case scenarios have happened, which is what will make the MAKING OF incredible car crash viewing, but for now it’s about the film & finishing a 10 year dream without too many compromises, so really it comes down to, the more we can raise the faster we can get the last bits shot & the film through post production, what tends to happen a lot with indie films, no post production budget, it means editing/sound design etc takes months & months, some films spend a year plus in post production simply due to filmmakers not having the time to get their films finished, this fundraiser is about making sure that AD can get the film finished in 2017 & be in a position to show backers in time for Halloween.
From day one this has been about the fans wanting to see a unique & original horror film, nothing has ever changed, it’s a film being made by true old school FANS of horror for true old school fans of horror, with the emphasis on practical effects, no cgi gore or explosions, an eerie MIST that is present for all outdoor night shots & again all done practically in camera, but the biggest twist on the genre is how it’s very REAL, with strong believable characters who you can relate to, believe in & be upset by if anything happened to them, this film is an absolute rollercoaster of an emotional journey, ‘THIS FILM WILL HURT YOU’… so please support this film with social media shout outs, back us if you’re in a position to, but more than anything it’s about spreading the word, & to everyone who has continued to support this project, you are about to change a lot of peoples lives by helping this project to the finish line, & for that we THANK YOU…
“In the two decades I have been involved in this business we call ‘Film’ I have come across countless individuals with much talent, but little in the way of perseverance. Talent without resolve means little, but AD Lane has buckets of both. Whether it be the demons of self-doubt, financial ruin, or the lack of creative opportunity that everyday life sometimes robs us of, we can always find excuse to ignore the things that make us happy, or forget the dreams that inspired us as children. when you manage to combine responsibility and opportunity to create something masterful, over such a long and protracted period as AD has, it not only fulfills a personal ambition, but instills in others a greater sense of hope; hope that perhaps our own difficulties can be overcome and the goals and objectives we once set for ourselves, achievable. to see AD Lane reach the end of his incredible journey – something few of us could even contemplate enduring – is truly inspiring. He is a classic example to all young filmmakers everywhere who might think that shortcuts, privilege, or entitlement through education, should give them a lift on their journey to success. He is proof that hard work, graft, sweat, blood, tears, a little madness, but most of all talent and determination to succeed are far more important attributes. I remain inspired by his commitment, by his love, his devotion to family, and his pride in not giving up. Every ounce of success that will come his way, whether on release of Invasion, or in the future on new and more exciting adventures, will have been earned. Every acknowledgement of his dedication and talent will have been earned. Longevity in this business we so love is never something to take for granted. but actually having a shoot at it is something that very few of us deserve. AD Lane is amongst those few.”
Nicholas David Lean
Oceanstorm Films (UK) Limited
7DM Studios Limited