The Boy In The Shed

The Boy In The Shed is a thought provoking featurette, that centres around children’s mental health and bereavement. Eddie, a young boy grappling with mental health, struggles to come to terms with the sudden death of his father. He meets Summer, the new girl, who teaches him to talk about his feelings, allowing him to deal with loss, bullying and loneliness in a world he feels no longer his own.

£4,511.00
raised of £15,000.00 goal
Funded
16 Backers
Genre
Film
Scope
Feature
Seeking funding for
Production
Campaign type
Flexible Funding
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    Project

    The Boy In The Shed

    Genre
    Film
    Seeking funding for
    Production
    Scope
    Feature
    Campaign type
    Flexible Funding
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    DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT BY BEN WICKS:

    I’ve always been fascinated by how children cope with so-called ‘adult issues’

    A recent short of mine, Snapshot, focussed on how a child came to terms with his grandfather’s diagnosis of Alzheimer's. 

    Alistair, my co-writer and I, wanted to put a child back into those ‘adult issues’ and, after both going through bereavements ourselves and watching how our younger siblings also struggled to cope, we started to write the character of Eddie and The Boy In The Shed was born. 

    It is crucial for me to showcase the effects mental health has on a young boy who tries to communicate his feelings over bereavement. I do not want to shy away from showcasing bereavement on camera and will ensure that this is a visceral project with raw emotion at it’s heart. 

     

    MENTAL HEALTH

    Mental health within children plays a vital part in the characterisation of Eddie. In the film, we explore this mainly through sound. We wish to create a sound-scape of what we would consider ‘everyday sounds’; the music blaring from the parked car, the whirring of the garden mower, the sizzling of the pan in the kitchen and the screech of the ambulance whizzing by. All forming an overbearing cacophony that we wish to build into the score of the film - allowing us into the mind of a child struggling with their mental health.  

     

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    Fundamentally, The Boy In The Shed should be almost documentarian in its approach. Whilst still remaining tonally cinematic, audiences should feel that what they are witnessing is real life. I hope to achieve this through the use of a hand held camera and shallow close ups, giving focus on the emotion of our characters, namely Eddie. 

    When we meet Eddie in the present, his world is cold, dark and lonely as he battles the demons of bereavement & anxiety. Extreme and uncomfortable close ups will put us firmly in the mindset of Eddie.

    This darker and colder world is juxtaposed by Eddie’s memories of Dad - seen through flashbacks. These are warm and exciting - wider, more fluid camera movements will allow for a calmer mindset. I intend to shoot the flashbacks at golden hour to really paint a ‘rose-tinted glasses’ feel.

    From the tone of films from the likes of Andrea Arnold & Mike Leigh, to the visuals of Belfast, JoJo Rabbit and A Monster Calls, the aim of this film is to catapult the audience into the world of Eddie - his struggle to communicate and understand the loss of his idol, his Dad - something every audience member will go through at some point in their lives.

     

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    This film is a featurette, meaning the film will be about thirty minutes long. Subject to finance, our plan is to start principal photography in February 2023. 

    We’ve created a structured film festival plan where we will be entering top tier, BAFTA qualifying festivals. Our hope is to use this platform to raise further awareness around children’s mental health. 

    We have been incredibly blessed to have Child Bereavement UK join us on this journey as one of our charitable partners. They have provided invaluable insight and guidance in order to make the script as accurate as possible. We are also incredibly lucky to have the Norwegian trio I See Rivers providing us with music for the film. 

    We are excited to announce that The Boy In The Shed will be the first major co-production between Shoreditch Pictures (Directors being Ben Wicks, Sarah and Jeremy Culverhouse) and Window Zebra Productions (Directors being James Haslam, Dominic Howlett and Sam Kemp). 

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    £4,511.00
    raised of £15,000.00 goal
    Funded
    16 Backers
    VIDEO SHOUTOUT

    For your generous donation, Our director Ben Wicks will release a personal thank you to all of those who have donated via video.

    £15.00
    WITH THANKS TO IN CREDITS

    For your generous donation, you will have a special mention in the credits along all cast & crew for kindly helping us make the film.

    Welcome to the family!

    £30.00
    DIGITAL COPY OF PRE-PRODUCTION NOTES & SCRIPT

    For your generous donation, you can choose between a digital copy of either the Director's, Director of Photography or the Production Designer's script.

    This includes all of their pre-production notes, scribbles and all. This is a great insight into how the head's of departments think and work when gearing up towards filming. A great gift for anyone wanting to know how to write a script or prep for filming.

    (49 remaining out of 50)
    £50.00
    BE A PART OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS

    For your generous donation, you will get the opportunity to sit in on either a technical or creative meeting of your choosing. These will generally be 30-60 minutes long and will be a deep dive into our process in making the film.

    These will be online meetings. There will also be a ten minute Q&A at the end of the film, for all those wanting to know how certain things are done in film. This is your time to grill the director and creatives, so go for it.

    You will also have access to all of the awards in the above categories if you choose to do so.

    (20 remaining out of 20)
    £150.00
    THE FILMMAKERS PACKAGE

    For this generous donation, you will receive the exciting opportunity to visit us on the set of The Boy in the Shed, as well as receiving your chosen digital copy of the script with pre-production notes. This is a great gift for any budding filmmakers who want to see what life on set is like, as well as meeting people in the industry!

    *Please note that there will be set times for set visits. You will be sent a list of dates and times to choose from. These will be limited and subject to a first come first served basis. This package also does not cover any travel costs to and from location.

    (14 remaining out of 15)
    £250.00
    BE A FILM STAR AND WALK THE RED CARPET

    For your generous donation, you will get the amazing opportunity to have your very own cameo in the film. This includes time spent on set, meeting all the cast and crew, while getting to experience what it is like being in a film. You will also get a credit as a part of the cast. Finally, dust off your dancing shoes, because you will get your very own invite to attend the premier in London, along with the entire team.

    *Please note that we do not cover any cost of travel to set or the premiere. Timings will be arranged via email. We cannot guarantee to re-book the experience if you cannot

    (4 remaining out of 5)
    £500.00
    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

    For this generous donation you will be credited as an Executive Producer.

    We will send you a cut of the film before it is released, as well as invite you to, and reserve a special seat along with the Director, HODs and Execs at the premiere in London.

    We cannot wait to dance the night away!

    *Please note that we won't cover any travel costs, to and from the premiere in London. This is a one time, scheduled event.

    £1,000.00