First, a big thank you for showing interest and taking the time to read over our campaign for Invasive. As I'm sure any artist can relate, our passions are often not the easiest financial pursuits, and with limited funding opportunities, it's a wonder how there's still such a high level of creativity and uniqueness in the independent space. 

It's a testament to this perseverance that, when the drive to create emerges, so many exemplary pieces of art are so readily accessible. And it's this same drive that is fuelling our desire to see Invasive brought to life.

We hope that after reading through, you feel the same drive we do. 

A cult intent on safeguarding the future of the human race has come to a realisation: the only way to save Earth is a factory reset – drastically reduce population and infrastructure and start over. Collective acts of self-immolation, all with the intent for the fire to spread.

By any means necessary, they persuade the idealistic, the weak and the vulnerable to sign this collective mass suicide pact - pawns in the cult’s literal scorched Earth mission.

Grieving the loss of his partner, Luke sees the pact as a way out — a get-out clause from emotions too painful to face. To ensure the cult’s mission is carried out successfully, everyone must complete the pact in pairs. Luke is matched with Nora, a pleasant local school teacher and upper-ranking member in the cult.

But, as the fateful day nears, doubt creeps in for Luke. That doubt turns to panic when Nora shows up on his doorstep — much earlier than expected. Noticing Luke's hesitation, her smiling façade begins to slip. Luke knows he’s running out of options – and, more importantly, time.

Can he – or could any of us – be selfless enough to give up our lives willingly? And are those who do so truly altruistic, or driven by something more sinister? More desperate?

These are the questions at the heart of Invasive, and this explosive short will keep you on the edge of your seat right until the credits roll.

As a directing pair, we primarily work within the genre sphere, favouring grounded projects that infuse horror into the everyday. Our partnership is built upon a shared love of horror the world over, and at present, we have tackled a dinner party at the end of the world, a reckless desire to communicate with a lost loved one and a woman turning to the supernatural to overcome her OCD. Our films have found festival success the world over with audiences routinely commenting on the storytelling, visual style and our ability to construct a lasting scare.

Each of our films has been created with little to no budget, focusing on ingenuity and tact to produce as unfiltered a vision as possible. Invasive will follow the same principles, but, with loftier ambitions including high-grade VFX, it is a concept that requires funding to fully realise its potential.

Invasive is our most personal project to date, as it tackles the concept of self-destruction through the horror genre. Asking the question, can we pull ourselves back from the brink when said brink is a train with no brakes? The core behind this project stems from the feeling of hopelessness that can drive individuals to rash, life-altering decisions. It is a concept close to the creative team, and something that has affected us both internally and externally. As a result of such experiences, the desire is for this project to be tackled with care, not one to be so easily reduced for the sake of cheap thrills.

Invasive’s uniqueness is its reverence for Luke’s humanity in the context of a subgenre that typically treats those initially willing participants as mere cannon fodder in the comparatively unwilling or unknowing protagonists’ journey. Immediately, when discussing cult stories, an image is created of masked figures dancing about the woods and countryside in robes with towering effigies. The cult of Invasive is not that; they are a quieter breed that allows for the humanity of the short to not be lost in the machinations or rituals.

As a creative team, we pride ourselves on efficiency and planning. Our vision is clear, and as a result, we know what we need to shoot and for how long. Coupled with a meticulously planned storyboard and a tight script will ensure every penny spent on Invasive will be put to good use.

Below, you can see a preliminary breakdown of how funds will be distributed. Specific figures are not given only in the event that we raise more/less than our total, or one of us wins the lottery between now and our shoot date.

That's all for now, and once again, thank you for taking the time to find out more about Invasive and what we are looking to achieve. 

If you are able to help in seeing this project brought to life, we would be immensely grateful. Even if you cannot assist monetarily, simply sharing the page will do wonders for getting the word out.

If you'd like to keep up to date with this and any future projects, check out our Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/beneaththepinespictures/