Michael Gupta

  

Written and directed by Michael Gupta
Produced by Emma Hudson
Assisted by Metroscreen %20 Screen NSW First Breaks Program

THE LAKE was selected for support and development as part of the Metro Screen Breaks program with funding from Screen NSW. The program provides assistance to emerging filmmakers and early career creatives.

Writing The Lake has been an interesting process. It all started with one scene - a boy trapped underneath the water. From there the film grew into what it is now - an exploration of brotherhood, masculinity, fear, isolation and being on the precipice of adulthood. The story centres around the young outcast Luke - his fear of the water and his troubled sense of identity. 

SO FAR:
We’re off to a great start with the assistance of Metroscreen and Screen NSW and we're looking to keep it going! We are hoping to maximise the marvellous potential of crowd-funding to help us add a little bit more screen cred and get the job done! 

We are a creative bunch and hopefully most of our challenges will be solved in just that manner – creatively. But there are many essential elements that we must wisely put our money towards and that’s where we need your help.

Our goal is to raise $7,000 on Pozible, with the remainder coming from personal contributions and in-kind donations.

Our estimated production costs will be $15,000.

We are pulling as many favours as possible and many of the artists working on this film are donating their time and expertise. As emerging filmmakers and up and coming talent we would love to have the opportunity to involve as many of you as possible in our little expedition.

So whether you've come to this page as a friend, family member, colleague, crush, stalker or total stranger/potential supporter - we say THANK YOU.

Speak soon,
THE LAKE TEAM.

UPDATE: we are nearing the end of our script development and will be shooting in Mid/late August. It’s creeping up fast!

  

You may be asking: Are you crazy? Do you even know what you’re doing? Where exactly will you be spending my hard earned dollars?

Well, the answer is YES, we ARE a little crazy… the good kind of crazy!

You can sleep well knowing your funds will go directly towards --

Camera Equipment – to shoot the damn thing.
Location Sound  – to hear the damn thing.
Location fees – Y’know, the place where the action happens.
Travel costs – We’re shooting out of Sydney so we need to get our people safely to set.
Food – Feeding an army over three days should be fun.
Accommodation – Housing for our cast and crew.
Production Design – Everything you see on screen put together to illuminate the story.
Costume – Dressing the actors.
Safety protocols – We’re working outdoors in water so safety is number one.
Cast – Payment for actors.
Editing – Splicing it all together.
Sound design & mix – To encapsulate you into the world of the film.
Music score - We love music.

 

For us, one of the greatest challenges will be in the casting. We know that shooting in and around the water isn’t easy for any department – least so the actors. So finding the right young performers with the ability to transmit a nuanced performance while also having the stamina and technical ability to carry out the story is a pivotal part in bringing this film to life.

Shooting under the water and in the water makes up such a huge part of this film. We’re excited to be working this out and are well under way in investigating ways in which we can achieve the look we’re going for. It’s one of the challenges we have been plotting and planning since day one and we’re hopeful we can achieve something great.

The Lake is an ambitious project but as in any creative endeavour – no risk, no reward. We believe we have a strong and experienced team to see this vision come to life and we want you to be there right beside us… in the credits… on the big screen… and why not!

Help fund a project that is supporting emerging filmmakers and come collaborate on something that you can say you directly helped in getting off the ground. We kindly ask for any donation – great or small – or a shout out on social media or whatever takes your fancy really… we don’t mind!

http://www.facebook.com/lakeshortfilm

TALK TO YOU SOON,

THE LAKE TEAM.