
DND, Do Not Disturb
A dark comedy (R-rated, ~25min), dealing with issues such as friendship, love, politics (in general), race, and other themes.
Not necessarily mainstream - showing a group of friends, acting and talking like "nobody is around". As the story unfolds, veering into unexpected paths, walking out is not an option. Or, perhaps the smarter thing to do.
Project
DND, Do Not Disturb
Genre: Dark Comedy / Drama
Log line 1: A group of old school/ uni-friends in their 30s is together for an evening. While some have deeper discussions, others just want to let go and have fun. As the night comes closer, their sense of responsibility seems to be thrown out the window, but it only lasts until reality strikes back.
Log line 2: London, Friday night. Fabio, Colin and Haru are at Dante and Lior's flat. They are old friends who reunite every now and then and catch up. Dante has invited Sheri over. Neither they have seen each other in a while. They met through Fabio and Lior and came very close, but eventually evolved into not more than good friends. Both have had enough of the single life and this evening might just get them out of the friend-zone.
Meet the cast (Q&A on www.dndshortfilm.co.uk)

Meet the crew

About
The idea of the story is to be bold and thought provoking. It's not necessarily mainstream. It shows a group of friends (90s babies), acting and talking like "nobody is around".
A serious comedy, dealing with issues such as friendship, love, adulthood, politics (in general), race, and other themes. It’s about perseverance, the freedom to express yourself, and the repercussions it may bring.
Locations
Location A

Location B

Mood-board & Visuals
We are aiming for a mature look (less saturation), with warm tones. Since the story of a group of friends with likeable personalities is told, whose evening gets out of control, it is going to transmit a homecoming feel, however, with room for surprises.
The movie 'Parasite' balances it brilliantly, illustrating comfortable moments with difficult ones.

What makes 'Pulp Fiction' incredibly watchable is the dialogue between the characters. It's almost as if you are invited into their day.

Quite hard to watch, 'The Warriors' displays the journey of a group of friends towards uncertainty and hope. As you go along, you more and more start rooting for them, thanks to the appealing cinematography.

Equipment (selection)

The Shot list reflects the narrative's energy and feel. Most of the time, we have two separate events running simultaneously: Living Room and Dante's Room. Where Dante's room is a place of harmony and depth; Sheri and him talking about life, work, past and present, the living room is rather loose and unpredictable; a grownup's playground. To capture these moments we introduce ‘the boys’, who finish each other’s sentences, with swift camera movements, close ups and rack focus shots - going back and forth. Meanwhile, what could be described as a "rendezvous at home", we want to emphasise on the dialogue and relationship between both characters in Dante's room. Create warmth with (medium) wide, static and point of view shots.
Camera Angles, Movements & Shots (selection)

Rhythm & Cues: The story lives off its dialogue and directness, which represents the characters in return. They are all 'working professionals' and successful in their careers. What makes them likeminded and best friends, apart from knowing each other for years, is their curiosity for life. They look at the "bigger picture". It's a special occasion, Friday night, and the spirits are high.
We aim to deliver the lines overall snappy and drum like filming in the living room and rather tranquil when listening to Dante and Sheris' conversations - as if sitting by the river, with all the time in the world.
Production
The script of 26 pages was finalised in late August 2023.
Auditions were held throughout September and October 2023. The cast and crew was announced the following month (with the exception of two cast / crew members).
The initial shoot was scheduled for mid December ('23) and planned were two shoot days (night shoots) - with the objective to limit the number of shots and takes required. Having to get everything into place during Christmas time and facing various strikes in London, we decided to allow the project to rest.

Ultimately, consisting of 75 shots, we are looking at a 4 day shoot to bring everything under one roof; two days each to film in both locations. Sufficient time to approach scenes thoroughly (setting up camera, re-mic actors and blocking).
We have been rehearsing via video-calls since early December and our first in-person rehearsal took place in January. We also started our Instagram page, dndshortfilm the same week we had our first group video-call.

Costumes
The attire of our characters (seen on the current film cover) is intended to reflect their distinct personalities, taking into account the specific occasion.

Shoot
Steering towards the end of September '24, the filming process spans four consecutive nights. With the initial two nights set in Dante's Room and the subsequent two in the Living Room.
Post-production is slated to commence right after we have wrapped filming. The editing phase is estimated to span 2-3 weeks, followed by an additional two allocated for sound mixing and colour grading.
Notably three songs are featured within the scenes, and some dialogue is delivered via voice-over narration.
- The final cut will be approximately 25 minutes.
Promotion
We have amassed a little over 250 Instagram followers since its inception in December. There is a good chance to double the following by the conclusion of filming in September. Upon completion of a short-film trailer, we will focus on promoting DND with add placements across prominent social media and streaming platforms ( i.e. Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook). Another simple but efficient method: word of mouth (friends, family, colleagues). Furthermore, our website www.dndshortfilm.co.uk, which debuted on the 10th of February, is already garnering consistent daily traffic ranging from 20 to 25 visits. Additional content, including interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, will be regularly disseminated to maintain audience engagement.
Premiere
Nov. / Dec. '24: Finally, when our short-film is ready to be unveiled, we will seek venue rental options to host the premiere event; opting for a projector-based presentation. It will offer both, cost-saving advantages and enhanced flexibility for attendee interaction, facilitating elements such as discussion, re-watching and of course, live-streaming!
DND will officially release one week after its premiere.
Potential venue: 'The Roof' in South East London

Budget
Despite being an indie short-film, we place paramount importance on compensating our cast and crew above ‘minimum equity rates’. The standard pay for actors in a short-film normally is about £150 per day (10 + 1 hour). Our proposed rates are slightly higher (£200 - £250).

The amount of preparation before actually starting to film is almost, if not even more, the same and should be acknowledged. This, we believe, fosters a collaborative ethos conducive to exemplary project outcomes - full circle.
Each shoot day incurs an average expenditure of approximately £2,500, encompassing catering, logistics, costumes, props, lighting/ equipment rentals, insurance, location fees and wages.
Post-production endeavours are budgeted at £2,700, covering expenses of editing, colour grading and ‘finishing touches’.
The comprehensive promotional journey, inclusive of advertising expenditures and website maintenance is estimated at £500, plus £750 for premiere-related expenses such as venue hire, catering, projector rental, sound equipment, and insurance coverage.
Last but not least *and most importantly*, we have earmarked £1,500 to honour our phenomenal backers with their promised rewards!
- In summation, our carefully curated budget of £16,400 underscores our determination to precisely execute our project, building upon the foundation laid during its start last summer. Our personal investment of £5,000 serves as a testament to our passion and drive to see “DND, Do Not Disturb” come to life. With the requisite budgetary allocation standing at £11,400 (including Greenlit fees) to realise our collective vision.

Conclusion
The night of seven individual souls, entrenched in the busyness of their lives. Ready to immerse themselves in joy and shake off the demands of their daily routines. As the evening unfolds, veering into unexpected paths, walking out is not an option. DND is about perseverance and the conquest of uncertainty. The goal is the goal.
The script has received positive feedback for its natural dialogue flow and humour. Notable for its 'going against the grain' mindset. While a fictive (short) story, it is genuine in regards to the contemporary landscape.
We want it to be a short-film you can revisit time and again. We envision DND to make the film festivals circuit, and above all, want it to be a collaborative effort we can truly be proud of. A billboard of exemplary qualities.