about the film

wasteland - feature

Please note the above title is a working title. The title of the film is yet to be confirmed by the producers.

Tommy Draper, our screenwriter, is currently working with Tom Wadlow to complete the script on this very different concept to Light Films.  Having never made a feature film before, we are keen to progress to this next level and produce something low-budget with inline with our usual high-budget ambition.

The shoot will take place between the end of June and beginning of September, and will require a minimum of 4-5 hours of filming every weekend.  Applicants are urged to check their ability to commit before applying.

Designs by Art Department manager Sophie Black

Cast Positions

Scott - Played by Shameer Seepersand

- 20’s, Zombie apocalypse survivor, scavenger, lonely. Main character.

Beth - Played by Lucy Varney

- 20’s, Zombie apocalypse survivor, Scott’s girlfriend. Important character throughout the movie.

Dave - Vacant - to apply please click here

– 20’s (same as age as Scott). Scott’s friend. Abused by Scott, plenty of banter.  Character used in 2 scenes early in the movie.

Lolli - Vacant - to apply please click here

– 20’s (about same age as Scott), Zombie apocalypse survivor, gentle inside but tough outside, takes no prisoners. Max’s girlfriend. Major character in the later part of the movie.

"Boyfriend" Speaking Extra Role - Vacant - to apply please click here

– 20’s.  Beth’s date in an early movie scene. Has one, maybe two lines.

George - Vacant - to apply please click here

– late 40’s, early 50’s. Father figure. Major character early in the script. Never seen on screen, only a voice on the CB Radio.

Max - Vacant - to apply please click here

– 20’s, rough and tough, Zombie apocalypse survivor, aggressive. Small but interesting role in the later part of the movie.

Old Man - Vacant - to apply please click here

– 50+. Man sat in church scene. Words of wisdom and warning on the state of the world.  Used in the middle of the movie.

Designs by Art Department manager Sophie Black

First castings have taken place, there will be a second audition opportunity between September and December 2011.

Please apply using the above links, including your resume and headshots in order to be considered for an audition.

the trailer shoot

film-making isn't easy at the best of times, but what makes it worth while is seeing the finished film being played to a cinema full of people. This has happened now on the last 5 short films that I've made. This thrill comes at a cost however. Each time the film has finished I think, that was great but I know I can do something better. I'm constantly looking to improve and I believe that with each new project I do. Now though, it's time to go bigger. Well not actually bigger, longer. I'm looking to make my first feature.

Storyboards by Sophie Black

I always try and makes sure that every penny I spend ends up on the screen. It's often difficult to balance a film budget, there are lots of hidden costs that can really catch you off guard, where thats from working out how many litres of paint you need to paint a set to expenses for cast and crew. With a 2-3 days shoot in mostly loacations you can really get by on spending as little as you can. Not with a feature! We are looking to shoot quickly and have as few loaction moves as possible but we will still be looking at a month shoot. Because of this, I've also decided to shoot a trailer first. This way I can use the trailer to help me raise a bit more than my normal budgets, to make sure that my vision (however large or small) is achieved with best delivery possible. Filming a trailer is an interesting challenge. Normal rules of the film don't always have to apply. For example you can show shots and sequences that won't end up in the final film or you can shoot something that is to stand separate from the film (something I will be doing for a short film that I'm shooting later this year called Paradise Corner).

On monday the 21st August my very talented and dedicated crew set about making a trailer for Wasteland. This involved filming scenes that will be in the finished film and some other scenes that will not but are good fillers or show a version of scenes that will be filmed later once we have got more detail filled in. It was an interesting shoot because we had a lot of freedom to add shots or come up with ideas as we were going. That said we storyboarded the scene so that we had a guide to get us to where we wanted to go plus also it meant that Neil Oseman the Director of Photography was able to get stuck into some really interesting lighting design click here to read how Neil approached the lighting.

The Wednesday before Tommy Draper, Sophie Black, Lee Martin and Jason Andrasi set about building the flats for the walls of our set. Having had some experience with putting sets together on Shelf Stackers we were no stranger to a bit of the old woodwork. Sophie Black did an amazing job of designing the interior of our build to match the exterior location. We made sure that all the walls were braced and that there was enough to get lights down the side of the set to aid Neil and Colin. Once the panels were built we got to work on putting up the wallpaper and aging everything so that we could believe that Shameer Seepersand who is playing the lead Scott had been living in the this hideout for a long period of time. As we are using the scene that we shot in the this set as the framing device for the trailer we were going to spending a large part of the shoot in this set. It was a great set to use as we can complete control of the lighting and were able to get creative with jib shots and dolly shots. 

funding the film

We are looking for help with the funding of Wasteland.  Don't get put off by the word "funding", we're not asking for millions.  We want to give you something back for each small or large donation, from gaining special thank you in the credits or a chance to play a fully made up Zombie in the movie. So check out the link below to see how you can get involved for as little as £12!

wasteland the movie