Newtown
Martin Cole | Film
Overview
Newtown is a 10-12 minute short film set in contemporary Wellington. It showcases the struggles a young artist faces when trying to break into a creative industry.
Story
Our story follows Suni, a down on his luck, anxious musician who lives off his older sister Ana. His manager Jed convinces him to avoid performing and stick to recording, but Ana is sick of paying for Suni and therefore books him a gig. Leaving Suni no other option but to break out of his shell, and perform.
As Newtown is about a musician specifically, we are collaborating with a local artist to provide us with a four song EP to serve as our film's original soundtrack, alongside being our protagonist's repertoire.
Why This Film Matters
Creative practice challenges people by getting them to channel their individual creativity, while having to work alongside others to create something remarkable. Young artists often struggle to get out of their own way and we want to tell a story that will help emerging creatives learn the value of help and collaboration. Our aim is to premiere Newtown at a local film festival, and hopefully submit to international festivals.
We have a four song soundtrack, which will be released by our local artist in conjunction with the film. We want our film to target musicians and emerging artists of all kinds while remaining a universal story about a young person learning to accept help in order to succeed.
Why You're Needed
We need to raise money to hire locations, pay for outstanding local actors, and cater for our cast and crew. Additionally, this project gives young emerging artists the opportunity to be innovative and begin making films in the New Zealand film industry.
By backing our project, you will be supporting New Zealand's creative community, helping us tell a story of a struggling young artist, who must learn to accept help in order to achieve their goals. Newtown will give audiences an insight into the struggles of an emerging singer, casting a light on those among us who feel isolated and helpless.
Newtown will resonate with anyone who is struggling, or has struggled, to get out of their own way when attempting to break into an industry. We want to show emerging artists that there is help out there for them, and we're asking for you to aid in executing our vision.
The Team Behind The Film
Our team is made up of fourteen dedicated students studying at Massey University.
Max Gardiner - Writer/Director
Ollie Cass - Producer
Jack Harriss - 1st Assistant Director
Sean Greenslade - Editor/ 1st Assistant Camera
Ben Wulff - Cinematographer
Martin Cole - Line Producer/Unit Production Manager
Martin McPhee - Gaffer
Alex La Rooij - Sound Designer
Harry Ruffino - Art Director
Vincent Gabriel - 2nd Assistant Camera
Brandon Sampson - Boom Operator
Heath Haydock - Producer's Assistant
Kees Mccahon - Best Person/Key Grip
Bailee Lyall-Brennan - Behind The Scenes Director
Will Wood - Data Wrangler
Thank you so much for your support,
The Newtown Team
Donors
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Anonymous
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Shirley Rose
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Thomas Williams
Gotta back the homies, LESHGOOOOO
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Phill Halpin
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Helena Halliday
Project Updates
No updates yet
Project Owner
Martin Cole
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