Strange Factories -- Indiegogo

'Strange Factories'; an immersive feature film that tells the story of a world haunted by a phantasmagoric fiction. A unique and powerful project that fuses cinema and theatre within a dreamlike environment to create an experience like no other."

Read Wired's article on 'Strange Factories'

Who We Are:

We are a group of creatives called FoolishPeople, who specialise in creating immersive theatre. Over a number of years, we have developed a practice Theatre of Manifestation that enables us to transform entire buildings into dreamlike worlds that our audiences explore as the action unfolds around them. Our work has been commissioned by organisations such as the BBC, Secret Cinema and the Institute of Contemporary Arts.

We have been working towards making a film for some time as we believe our creative practice has the ability to capture visceral emotion and beautiful moments that can be fleeting for our audience and transform them into a very special motion picture.

Our audiences enter into the worlds we create and choose their own journey, a technique that challenges their habitual way of watching art and entertainment in a conventional manner. Active engagement and participation is vital and absolutely necessary. This structure allows for an intimate interaction with our stories that can be a powerful, compelling and a liberating experience within the individual.

FoolishPeople pride ourselves on undertaking ambitious productions and 'Strange Factories' is our most unique and important to date.

The Story :

A storyteller possessed and haunted by an idea for a new fable searches for four lost friends, refugee performers of a theatre destroyed in a mysterious fire: Sam, who is obsessed with dangerous stage effects, Jessica, a glamorous femme fatale, Rose, who has sacrificed her life to art and Hettie, a clown who hides a secret.

Victor is convinced their unique skills will help him complete work on a story he fears is becoming a paradox.

He finds his friends in a remote, pagan village founded by Stronheim; owner of a Strange Factory hidden deep in the local countryside, infamous for the frequencies of sound it emits.

Victor inadvertently enters into a dangerous covenant, when Stronheim vows to re-build the theatre if Victor learns the truth hidden at the heart of his story in time for it to be performed at the village festival.

The key to the groups success lies in unravelling how Victor's story relates to the customs of the villagers: bizarre rites practiced under influence of a hallucinogenic effluence siphoned out of the Strange Factory and served at the local pub.

Kidnapped actors, hideous monsters, invisible escape artists and ghosts of audiences past, present and future manifest in a landscape haunted by phantasmagoria.

The Phantasmagoria of Strange Factories:

The film will be toured and presented within an immersive theatre event created by FoolishPeople that explores the early history of cinema and film via the touring traditions of Phantasmagoria and theatric arcana.

The performance that accompanies the screening of the film will feature the actual actors from the 'Strange Factories' feature film and extends the story to further explore the secrets of the mysterious Stronheim and the relationships of Victor, Rose, Sam, Jessica and Hettie the clown.

You will be able to watch the film in an atmospheric setting that immerses you in the weird world of 'Strange Factories', whilst you witness the manifestation of the creatures and characters as they come to life around you. We have left a space for you to interact with the film, and venture into a wonderland to become part of the story.

'Strange Factories' will subsequently have a general cinematic release before becoming available on DVD and download in a collector's edition with extra unreleased material filmed during the 'Strange Factories' tour.

'Strange Factories' is in part inspired by unforgettable cult films such as 'The Wicker Man'.

The genre of our film is 'Film Fantastique', the most wonderful French term for a genre of cinema and literature that overlaps with science fiction, fantasy and horror. We can explain it no better than Robert Hardy, director of the Wicker Man:

"A Film Fantastique can have almost anything in it, it's based on fact but it can take flights of fantasy which are still rooted to the truth and reality of the story, so that the imagination can roam." - Robert Hardy

The fiction of 'Strange Factories' has already bled through into our reality, the mysterious hum from Stronheim's 'Strange Factories' has been heard worldwide.

What We Need & What You Get:

Stories and myths are given life by those who engage with them and this is why we hope IndieGoGo's powerful community will support the ambition of this project.

We want and need you to become part of our story. You're a crucial part of how this project is produced, created and experienced.

Were aiming to raise $12,000 via IndieGoGo to support the production's costs that we need to bring our film to life. Your pledges and donations are vital in enabling us to create new forms of storytelling for audiences who are hungry for new, truthful experiences that go beyond simple, passive entertainment.

Were offering magical and exclusive experiences as perks for our funding drive on IndieGoGo revolving around the film's release that will give you the opportunity to explore the mystery of the narrative and learn how you may even already be part of this story. We can say with absolute confidence and conviction that these perks are unavailable with any other original film, and are matched fairly to the amount you wish to donate.

We have an extremely talented core team of creatives who are passionately invested in the project. Your pledges and donations will be used directly for equipment, location costs, production design and costume needed during our shoot. The whole team is committed to making 'Strange Factories this Summer with as many resources as we can afford, with the entire cast and crew living and working on location. Any remaining funds from this drive will go straight into post-production costs.

To show our gratitude for your support and confidence in our idea and work, anyone who pledges via IndieGoGo will be the very first afforded the opportunity to see the film, and explore the heart of the mystery surrounding Stronheims Strange Factory.

Other Ways You Can Help:

If you believe in our film, then please do let as many people as you can know about it! You can use the buttons above to post our IndieGoGo page to your Facebook or Twitter. Or, if you prefer please email friends, family or anyone else you think might be interested.

Anything you feel that you can do to help spread the word.

Register for 'Strange Factories' Updates
Venture deeper into the mystery of 'Strange Factories'
Support 'Strange Factories' on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

We are grateful for your support and we really do want you to be part of this project. We hope that one day soon we'll pass by you in the village on your way to the Festival of Memories or maybe even see you following the sound of the hum, searching for the location of Stronheim's 'Strange Factories'.

Thank you for your time today and we hope you enjoyed reading about our film.

Team on This Campaign:

Foolish People
Producer
Lucy Harrigan
Producer & Actress
John Harrigan
Writer & Director
Richard Webb
Co-Director
Yiannis Katsaris
Director of Photography
Rachael Blyth
Actress & Core Creative Team
Xanadu Xero
Producer & Core Creative Team
P. Emerson Williams
Production Designer & Core Creative Team
Bettina Fung
Production Designer, Editor & Core Creative Team
Annalisa Astarita
Actress
Claire Tregellas
Actress & Core Creative Team
Little Boy Lost 0
Actor
Patrick Burniston
Sound Artist
Tereza Kamenicka
Producer & Actress

1.00833 Complete

$12,100

Raised of $12,000 Goal

0 time left

Flexible Funding campaign

This campaign received all of the funds contributed on Sun Jul 24.

Perks

for your contribution

$10 The Grove

Milestone I: You find yourself in a clearing in the forest, watching an unusual play with a small crowd of people. A Raggedy man standing next to you grabs you by the arm and whispers in your ear. As you start your journey, he will gift you clues to the mystery surrounding Strange Factories & a heart felt thank you.
$25 The Theatre

Milestone II: You enter the Theatre and follow the sounds of the audience into the auditorium, but every seat is empty and no one can be seen. A spotlight focuses on a seat, where you find a note that tells you a DVD copy of the collector's edition of 'Strange Factories' will be sent to you as soon as it's released in 2012.
$50 Society of Vandals

Milestone III: "Welcome to Kitezh." As you meet and negotiate with Arlec at the Society of Vandals' camp, he'll give you a pair of tickets to the live event screening the film and a DVD copy of the collector's edition of 'Strange Factories'.
$100 The House

Milestone IV: You find a house in the woods. Stronheim's representative Lady Thayn will give you an original artwork off her wall by director/artist Richard Webb or production designer Bettina Fung, with the promise of a pair of tickets to the live event screening the film & a DVD copy of the collector's edition of 'Strange Factories'.
$250 The Village Pub

Milestone V: The barman gives you a strange-coloured spirit on the house, which you down in one. "That's the way to do it!" As you start to hallucinate, you will meet Punch who adds your name to the list of attendees for the Theatre of Manifestation Workshop by Director John Harrigan that he tells you explores FoolishPeople�s working practice. As you stumble out, you'll also find a pair of tickets to the live event screening the film & a DVD copy of Strange Factories in your bag.
$500 Stronheim's Village

Milestone VI: Have you ever had a dream so strange and unusual you felt like it wasn't your own? For braving to venture to Stronheim's village, you will choose a framed photograph by DOP Yiannis Katsaris from the story world to take home as a souvenir. You will also receive two tickets to the live event screening the film, a collector's edition DVD of 'Strange Factories' and a thank you in credits.
$1,000 The Festival of Memories

Milestone VII: You look like someone who enjoys peering behind the curtain. As you've travelled so far, you and a guest will be dressed in 1920s finery by Stronheim's tailors- the infamous Mr Muon and Mr Tau and your portraits will be photographed by Director of Photography Yiannis Katsaris within the live 'Strange Factories' event. You will also be given a collector's edition DVD of Strange Factories, invited to the cast and crew wrap party and given an Executive Producer credit.
$2,500 The Strange Factory

Milestone VIII: "The sound arrives. The curtains open. The Performance starts." For reaching the Strange Factory, you will be rewarded with an invitation from Stronheim himself to stay in his house for a weekend break in the beautiful Czech countryside with a guest. You will also be given two tickets to the live event screening the film, a collector's edition of the DVD, invited to the cast and crew wrap party and given an Executive Producer credit.