On the 31st of May last year, during the London Screenwriters Festival 365, I had the pleasure of watching Clive Frayne’s DIY Script Doctor session and subsequent script chat. I found that Clive’s thoughts about regional filmmaking chimed very close to my own, so we connected on Twitter. Our discussions on Twitter lead to a face-to-face Zoom meeting, during which Clive kicked my ass and helped me get my mojo for filmmaking back.

This journey has led me to The Mire, a contained psychological feature film being shot in Portsmouth this year. It’s the story of a cult leader who is caught by his two most loyal followers whilst he is escaping with money stolen from his congregation. A battle of wits unfolds over the course of one evening as each of them attempts to manipulate, reform, and outwit the others. To bring this story to life I’ve partnered with the incredible writer Chris Watt and Familiar Stranger Films, a production company local to Portsmouth.

Using Clive’s notion of ‘sweat equity’ and offering shares to the principal cast/crew, we’ve managed to get the ‘hard’ costs of The Mire down to £4000, which we’re trying to raise through crowdfunding. Contributing to our campaign will provide a real boost for regional filmmaking to Portsmouth, something I hold very dear to my heart. Films don’t have to be made in London, there are other settings, with other stories, and these deserve to be heard.

It’s been an odd year, and if you can’t contribute financially you could still help us a lot by sharing the campaign out into your network of contacts.

You can learn more about the film and what we’re offering at igg.me/at/themirefilm

Find the team on Twitter at:

@AppleParkFilms
@thechriswatt
@FamStraFilms

…and the ass kicker himself – @clivefrayne

Adam D Nelson
Filmmaker

PS – Tickets are now on sale for the February month long onling screenwriters festival here… www.ScreenwritersFestival.online