‘Clouded’ in Development

(Pic from last year’s pitch proposal document)

It is with great pleasure and stress that I’m announcing that I’m starting to take my short film project Clouded into very early stages of pre-production, aiming to shoot in early-mid November.

Originally, this project was slated to be part of my semester’s productions, but due to COVID-related cuts, the uni’s only going through with 6 of the 10 previously-greenlit projects. So I’m going to do it outside the semester workload, which opens up its own set of challenges.

But before that – what’s the damn thing about?

Clouded is the story of a family under stress – as two parents deal with their child’s passing and further life as a digital consciousness. Genre: drama / science-fiction.

Sound vague and artsy enough for you? Great!

The production timeline so far involved the story being pitched at uni and greenlit as one of ten out of twenty pitches to be made this year. I was originally just going to write and direct it, with two friends on to produce and associate produce (now both have other commitments, leaving me as the only person committed to produce). The story had some development in the first half of the year, I wrote a first draft script, and then it was cut from the slate.

I’ve done one redraft, and a table read with other scriptwriters at uni, which was an alarming but informative experience – although overall I think it went over well. The script is a very tight 8 pages, and I’m incredibly proud of it. From the table read and more thought I’ve certainly got plenty of ammunition to do another draft or two, although I imagine the final shape of the script won’t figure itself out until I’ve had some actors go through it.

So what are the major hurdles? Funding, cast, location, crew. Sounds like most of the film, right? Okay, that’s accurate. I’ve also got a fantastic co-producer who’ll be helping out, too.

If anyone reading this can help in any way – be it a potential crew member, or someone willing to donate a few bucks to the cause, I would be eternally grateful if you got in touch. However, my heart would soar just from subscribing to this blog or connecting with me on social media to keep informed.

Either way — I’ve got about 13 weeks to make it happen, and it’s going to be hectic. I think it has the potential to be a really beautiful little film. Will keep you up to date.