Why this film deserves your support

This fundraising drive is to raise additional money to realise the 15 minute film, 'Escarpment', the good part of which the director, Nathan Coombs, will be funding out of his own pocket. Nathan will be putting in about 2000, which is the absolute maximum he can raise personally through saving and selling his own video and microphone kit. The extra $2000 (1300) is essential for this very low budget film to be made, with every expense squeezed down to the absolute minimum.

This short film is a labour of love. The director has previously made five short films straddling the line between documentary and fiction, but is moving up to narrative fiction for its greater expressive possibilities. As a producer of the Super-8 Cities project he was interviewed by Shooting People in 2007. The cinematographer, Oron Cohen, has shot numerous shorts and features which have shown in competition in leading international film festivals such as Berlin. His DOP showreel can be seen here.

'Escarpment' is not an attempt to make a film for the sake of it; it is a film which has been given a huge amount of thought, and aims to say something meaningful about the fraught nature of relationships, and humankind's interaction with the world.This film sees itself pursuing cinema as artistic commentary on life in the fashion of directors like Andrei Tarkovsky and Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Read the current draft of the script here.

Film prospects

With a good script, working with quality actors, and produced to a professional standard, (even if on a tight budget), 'Escarpment' has the potential to enter top film festivals and last as a piece of standalone art into the future.

What We Need & What You Get

This film aims to raise money to be able to operate in a 'zero budget' fashion, which means that all expenses represent the bare minimum necessary to realise the project. The director will contribute at least half of the film budget out of his own pocket; your contribution is necessary to supplement this in order to bring the budget up to a level at which the film can be realised.

This includes:

Transport, accommodation, food and expenses for five people (2 actors, 3 crew) for 5 days in the Isle of Skye, Scotland (approximately 1000)

Mountain guide to oversee filming operations and ensure safety for 5 days (approximately 300)

Professional soundman with own equipment for 5 days of shooting (approximately 300)

Miscellany and contingency budget (1000)

Location scouting budget (200)

Post-production [not included in principal photography budget]

Follow the film's development