The Story

Meaning of the story  

The Salesman’s main objective is to flip onto you. The audience. To ask questions and engage with the powerful subject matter present within it. Dealing with the Cost-of-Living crisis and the powerful parental subtext, it asks the question to you: “What would you do?” Something you must interact with alongside Sebastian and be taken down the road of his tragedy with him. 

Proof of Concept

Over the development of the final script. We have constantly been redeveloping through the use of a proof of concept below. We have utmost confidence in the script for this reason and we hope this small dive into what you can expect from the project.

Directors Statement 

“I believe telling stories is only done best when it is talked about people. I find it so compelling to understand how a person can evolve over the course of a story. That is why this film is so powerful, and something I am eager to do. I want to cause reactions; I want audiences to ask questions about the piece and to create a cinematic experience, where they feel something towards the end with this character evolution. Something I think is not done enough in today’s Cinema. I feel stories that deal with these relevant issues in our society (Cost of Living, Nurses Strikes etc.) and the potential consequences of that, can circulate many complex reactions and as I say create an experience. I would consider that a great personal success.” - Aaron Reid

Meet the Crew

Here is the Heads of Department for The Salesman. We look forward to working with the expanded crew across all departments. 

Aaron Reid 

Writer + Director

Our classically trained Director Aaron Reid has enjoyed and dedicated himself to all kinds of roles from pre-production all through to post-production. This has allowed him to have a mature understanding of filmmaking through learning all processes in a way to apply creative practice. Always wanting to tell character driven stories he is looking to accumulate all his experience into an ambitious challenge. With a unique setting for the highest standards, and immense passion for making films, Aaron will not settle for anything but the best and always looks to bring the most out of his crewmates. 

Adam Cowell

Producer

Adam is a freelance producer based in Manchester. This is the fifth short film he has produced with this crew over the past two years, as well as having worked on a number of other short films, music videos and theatre productions. He also has experience creating social media content for YouTubers and small businesses. Alongside this, he is also a freelancer in the camera department, and is a host of Salford Film Festival.

Maddie Francesca

1st AD

Trained as both a production designer and an assistant director, Manchester native Maddy on numerous occasions showed off her creativity and firefighting skills on set. An extremely driven and compassionate individual. Maddy isn’t just interested in the story that is told on screen she’s inspired by the characters that make the story possible from what would have led the characters to the situation developing on-screen, to what drives them and who they might be afterwards. 

Sebastian Jennings

Director of Photography

Sebastian Jennings. Also from the Calder Valley is a longtime friend of our director Aaron, with them collaborating on numerous projects beforehand. Sebastian is industry experienced as an independent filmmaker, specialising as a Cinematographer in upcoming feature projects and now in The Salesman. An efficient and talented professional who always looks to bring the best out of a shot, we are looking forward to seeing the beauty the film can be with his eye down the viewfinder. 

Why is the film worth making

The Salesman has been in development for over 2 years. With that we have constantly been doing “micro-shorts” and testing elements of the script and re-developing certain ideas. From that we know what works in this story and what creates reactions for an audience. We believe we are in the strongest position and super confident with the script at hand.  

Our number one philosophy behind The Salesman is telling a compelling story. The message behind it surrounds these parental elements, where the film turns to the audience and asks the question. “What would you do?” We feel for that very reason the film must be made. Something that demands a powerful response and engages with any audience with a very polarising narrative. 

Finally, we want to change what a short film can be, craft it more like going to the cinema and bridge the gap between feature length films and short films. This is why we are making the first “blockbuster short film.” An experience rather than a moment. We want audiences to watch the character of Sebastian evolve within this world and live with him for just that moment in time, and from that takeaway a cinematic experience.

Where is this film going

With this blockbuster we see no other direction but up. We expect nothing but the top standard. This film will be ensured to have the best possible technical standards we can achieve. With a dramatic, powerful story with a strong message this film's ambition lies within the film festival circuit. Being set and filmed in the Yorkshire area, Leeds International Film Festival, Bolton Film Festival + Manchester International Film Festival seem the best local opportunities. Across the post-production phases, we will investigate distribution options for people to see the film worldwide. 

Budget Breakdown

Final Message

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our project. All donations are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or would like to know more about the project, you can email our director: 

aaronreidie123@gmail.com