W.A.N.T.
This was our entry into the Sci Fi London 48 Hour Film Challenge 2011!
Directed by Josh Bower
Cinematography by Jim Dinsdale
Produced by Raquel Haber and Matthew Young
VFX Supervisor, Aqeel Ahmed
Makeup, Helen Lake
Starring Tom Reader and Justin House
Thanks to Rob Mattingly, Fleetville Vintage Emporium and Scally Dog Collectables
Our brief, released on Saturday 2nd April at 10:30 was -
Title: W.A.N.T.
Dialogue: I put whiskey in my milk to kill the germs.
Prop: A white mug with a broken handle, containing a blue or purple liquid, into which is placed powder (or granules)
Submitted at midday on Monday the 5th, this is our weekend...
We had SO much fun putting this together, even if it was incredibly stressful and I went almost 60 hours without sleep. We know its flaws, but that's the nature of the beast; 48 hours is no time at all, but we managed to deliver something that we're happy with. Which is an achievement in itself.
We approached the competition with a completely open mind. We wanted to let the film to be centred around the brief that we recieved, rather than having everything in place then sliding the elements into it on the day. Our initial concepts were for an upbeat piece with a 70's aesthetic about a man who aspired to be a space captain in the vein of Ace Rimmer, and a Dystopian thriller about a blue liquid drug called W.A.N.T., referred to at some point as Milk.
In the latter, which we made an executive decision to pursue, the world that we created would be post-apocolyptic, taking place after some incident which grants the government cause to distribute a sanity stabilizing drug, which, after the governments downfall, becomes rare and a prized possession. Sects wander barren environments on the hunt for those with W.A.N.T.
It was at this stage that we began to realise we were losing light. We knew we wanted to have exterior daytime shots, so we set out with what we had and started to shoot with the simple outline that we had. Unfortunately, what we didn't have, which in the end proved our fatal flaw, was a clear and succint story arc. In the end, we opted to run with what we had and go for a "Momento" style, non-linear narrative, with the actions taking place out of sequence.
We learnt so much from this competition. Working under so much pressure is as good for you as it is bad and I don't imagine it will be long before we enter ourselves into another 48 Hour Film competition. Props to Sci Fi London for organizing the whole shebang.
