Welcome to my world......: The Tapes

Saturday, 8 October 2011

UK Film Review: Victim

When British urban film steps up to send out a strong thought-provoking message, Victim is a great example of what can be produced. Co-Written by aspiring actors Michael Maris and Ashley Chin, the events that unfold provide an insight into many of the struggles faced by youth growing up in such a high-pressured modern society. How do those who end up on the wrong side of the law get there?

Perpetrators are depicted in the media as thugs who lack morals, guidance, decorum and common decency. The details of their offences are more readily available, than exploration into the events that encouraged such individuals to make undesirable choices. Sympathy only offered to the victim - "a person who is deceived or cheated, as by his or her own emotions or ignorance, by the dishonesty of others, or by some impersonal agency."

Victim boasts a strong cast including David Harewood, Frank Harper, Anna Nightingale, Ashley Madekewe, Jason Maza, Shanika Warren-Markland, Letitia Wright and writers Michael Maris & Ashley Chin to name a few. Upcoming songstress Selah also makes an appearance, including within a scene reminiscent of Lauryn Hill in Sister Act 2. Keeping all the talent tied together on screen is a soundtrack enticing you to bop your head. Consisting of an array of tracks from the previous decade to the present, as each filters through your ear drums they add to the entertainment value of the feature.

Completed on a micro budget, much of the soundtrack sourced from in house catalogue, writer Michael Maris says "Victim could never have been completed without everybody getting involved and believing in the project. I thank everybody that supported us with their own passion to make Victim happen."

Produced by Pure Film and due for cinema release February 2012, the first public screening of Victim took place at the Raindance Film Festival receiving remarkable feedback. A great start for Pure Film with a string of features due for release. The Tapes starring Natasha Sparkes, Jason Maza and Arnold Oceng has just been released on DVD and Payback Season starring Adam Deacon alongside another great cast is set for release later in 2012. Pure Film are also set to join up with Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) as they get ready to start production for Magnificent Eleven and have another feature length set to start production in Summer 2012.

Thursday, 22 September 2011

UK Film Review - The Tapes

Ever wanted to go on Big Brother and find your inner celebrity? If you lived in a town like Whitstable, Kent, where would you deem an excitable place to film your audition tape? That is the question which led Gemma, her boyfriend Danny and his film student friend Nathan down to a derelict farm in hope to film a party of swingers.

The Tapes is a feature length horror which evolved from idea to creation in just 6 weeks. Completed on an extremely low budget of £17,000 and filmed in just 6 days, what has been achieved is remarkable! Originally planning to film over just 4 days, 2 additional days had to be added to the shoot. Post production also took a lengthy and testing 20 months for the team to complete. But these weren't the only challenges encountered by the team; a favourable cameo role was spooked out of participating and Scott Bates (Producer/Co-Writer/Director) found himself skidding down a steep hill during snowfall en route to rehearsal with members of the cast, the day before filming was due to commence.

Undeterred by the events of the previous day and being snowed in overnight, the shoot went ahead, battling through the snow. Turning negative to positive, the team saw it as a free special effect, adding an extra edge to the feature. Actors Jason Maza (Danny), Arnold Oceng (Nathan) and Natasha Sparkes (Gemma) improvised lines throughout, with clear direction of where the storyline needed to end. Together they spent lots of time developing their characters to give the film it's natural feel. A devil worshipper was also consulted and taken on board as an adviser, adding to the film's unnerving realistic edge.

Having already found familiar feet in various acting roles, Jason Maza and Arnold Oceng play their characters of a wide boy wheeler dealer and intelligent, peace-maker friend very well. But an extraordinary talent has been found in Natasha Sparkes, who made her acting debut within The Tapes, but went on to be casted in another feature length soon to be released 'Victim', premiering at the Raindance Film Festival on 2nd October. Natasha's talent shines as one deserving of the big screen, her character within The Tapes can have you laughing in one instance and anxiously staring the next, carrying the emotions of the film throughout.

If you think you can withstand the events that took place when a Big Brother hopeful wanted to stand out amongst the masses..... I challenge you to watch The Tapes......