We have hit and overreached our target! Thanks to you all for being brilliant!

We�re going to keep going until the end of the campaign as we want people to be able to get involved with the same feeling of making a difference that those who backed us on the first day got. And of course with filmmaking every dollar makes a huge difference especially to our cast & crew who are working so hard to make this film amazing. To give them the tools they need and see to their comfort on set and during pre-production is immensely important. Thanks so much! We will use any backing we receive over and above our target to work on the production value of the film, ensure our cast & crew are safe and comfortable, especially our daring stunt guys, and to get the kit we need to get the fine detail into the film that we need for the 'lomo' look we intend. We are super confident that we can make an incredible film with your amazing support and we're looking forward to sharing the rest of the process with you as we go through! 

www.clowningaroundfilm.com

The film

There was a time when Bonzo was the best clown in town. However after being undermined by his rival Mr. Fernelli, Bonzo finds himself on a downward spiral of alcoholism and six months later he�s at the bottom of a bottle with his career in ruins.

After receiving a message from �Clowns UK� (the governing body for clowns) that they are reviewing his clowning licence, Bonzo decides this may be his last chance to prove to himself, the authorities and the local community that he can be the clown he once was and decides to get his business back, taking on Mr. Fernelli in the ultimate �Clown Off�. But as he sets on his path, his addiction haunts him at every turn and he finds that sometimes even when you win, you really lose.

My name is Damien Cullen and I wrote "Clowning Around", a bittersweet comedy about one mans struggle to overcome his demons, over four years ago based on an idea of some friends of mine. 

Originally it wasn't that at all, it was a slapstick comedy about two clowns who battle for supremacy in the local town, but I felt it had more potential and could work in a more dramatic way by adding more depth to the characters and allow you to engage with them more, plus I have always found comedy a great way of dealing with an issue that is not particularly humorous. 

Having written a draft I was happy with, in March 2008 I submitted to the OTTfilms Forum (an online collaborative filmmakers group in the UK at www.ottfilms.co.uk) and received positive feedback and some good notes on how to improve it. I also started working with Development Producer Heather Brunt with a view to submitting to the Film London scheme 'PULSE' in 2008. Working with Heather improved the script dramatically but required a lot of work so we missed the deadline for 2008 and then resubmitted in 2009 with the help of some storyboards from Andrew Lamb (http://www.adl101.com) but were unsuccessful. 

After applying for several other funding schemes but not finding one that retained the integrity of the story, I decided to get the film funded myself. In order to do this and attract collaborators by setting up the website and to use it as both a way to post all information about the film, but also as an interactive forum for people could communicate with us, using a central forum, blogs and video to allow people to follow their investment each step of the way and be firmly involved in the filmmaking process. The �5,000 ($7,500) we hope to raise here, will be just under the overall budget so we will also be looking for funding from private investment too.

So for four years now, we have been developing and discussing the film and now it is time to get it made. I have provisionally cast the main roles and am now trying to raise funds to get the film made in and around my day job, varying debts and personal circumstance (apparently credit cards, mortgages and weddings don't pay for themselves...) With six weeks holiday booked till the end of August, this will give me the perfect opportunity to dedicate the time needed to get the funding for this film to the best of our ability.

Through five other festival screened shorts on which I worked as producer, I have assembled not only a highly professional and dedicated crew but also contacts to help me get great deals on equipment and also maxmimize the distribution and exhibition of the film. We are aiming to shoot over four days in late September/early October, giving us ample time for pre-production and to include everyone in the updates on how the film is being planned and made. 

Whats the end goal?

Our goal for this is first and foremost to create a top short film that everyone involved can be proud of and that will be engaging for any audience that views it. In order to get the film out there, we are aiming to get the film to a festival on each of the SEVEN continents (including Antarctica) to reach as many different people as possible and get a global following of people for the film. We also have a cast and crew from not only the UK but Ireland, Brazil, Columbia, Greece, Italy and Pakistan so want to make our project as far reaching as possible.

Who is involved

CONFIRMED CAST

BONZO (David Schaal)

MR. FERNELLI (Matthew Jure)

MRS. JENKINS (Kiki Kendrick)

JERRY THE BARMAN (Alex Walker)

SECURITY GUARD (Andy Bainbridge)

TEACHER (Leilani Holmes)

CONFIRMED CREW

WRITER/DIRECTOR (Damien Cullen)

PRODUCERS (Leilani Holmes, Graham Inman, Elsa O'Toole, Michael Baxter, KC Thiruchelvam, Gavin ap Morrygan, Huda Al-Ateeqi, The Brewery)

CO-PRODUCERS (Carlo Ortu, Andrew Bate, Phil Deguara)

ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS (Markus Meedt, Spencer Hickson, Sharon Guest, Charmed Life Film, Malcolm Benson, Robert Yates, Barbara Cullen, Tom Yarwood)

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY (Azul Serra)

ASSISTANT CAMERA (David Pulgarin, James Leckey)

PRODUCTION DESIGNER (Frances Cooper)

1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (Greer McNally)

3RD ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (Blair Powell)

PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR (Dan Hammersley)

PRODUCTION MANAGER (Katherine Evans)

COSTUME DESIGNER (Katerina Dipla)

MAKEUP ARTISTS (Kirsty Phillips) (Claire Maher)

MAKING OF ASST MAKE UP (Victoria Poland)

'MAKING OF' PRODUCERS (Luqman Ahmed | Josh Bamber)

What the Money is Going On

All the actors and crew involved are doing it because they are in love with either the script or me (mostly the former) but there are certain things that will cost, such as:

Food (apparently people need feeding) : �70/$100 per day

Camera Hire (provided by Lightning Media): �120/$200 per day

Lenses Hire (provided by Lightning Media): �60/$100 per day

Sound Equipment �60 per day

Lighting (provided by Lightning Media): �60/$100 per day

Hair and Make Up: �60/$100 per day

Insurance: �300/$480 for shoot

Costume: �350/$560 for shoot

Petrol: �35/$50 per day

Van Hire: �33/$50 per day

Stunt Co-Ordinator: �200/$300

Travel Expenses �VARIOUS/$VARIOUS

Hard Drives �300/$470

So, as you can see, quite a bit to cover! We could do this cheaper, but it wouldn't be to the quality we like to do things at and after 4 years of working on something it needs to be something we can all be proud of.

What We Need & What You Get

We have set up a number of ways to work with us to get the film made for a micro-budget of �5,000, starting at a lighter contribution of $1 and working up. Of course, we are always willing to discuss with any investors who plan to put more significant sums into the project how they can be more involved. What you get for this is an investment and collaboration in a vibrant, creative and hard working team and a contribution to a film that you can be immensely proud of when it tours the festival circuit.

Want to be a Producer?

Other Ways You Can Help

We have a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/summitfromnuthin) and a Twitter page (www.twitter.com/summit_nuthin) which we post info on "Clowning Around" and all other projects we are working on, please join and tell as many people as possible!

Contact Us

If you would like to contact us directly to discuss how you can contribute to the film, feedback on our campaign or any info we have not supplied so far, please email us at info@clowningaroundfilm.com