Scourge of Nature
A$15,015
of $14,915 targetyrs ago
Successful on 6th Sep 2015 at 9:01AM.
"Plants may seem peaceful on the surface but they are still living beings with a will to dominate and survive. People are the same."
What happens when a young schoolboy takes a stand against the bully who always wins? Scourge of Nature is the story of Thomas – short, skinny, flaming red hair and without friends. A keen young horticulturalist living in a world where plants make more sense to him than people. He wishes he could be one of the cool kids like Jeremy. Instead Jeremy and his best friend York torment Thomas at the school bus stop every day. But can Thomas put an end to the torture?
When Julie Sam-Yue (Director) came upon Sam Wiseman’s (Writer) script, the intention was to make a comedy about a schoolboy getting back at his bully. As the story developed something became glaringly obvious – there is nothing funny about being bullied, in fact it is quite the opposite. Which led to the question, why do people bully? Bullying has been around since the dawn of time, so why is it getting worse and not better?
The creative team took the opportunity to make Scourge of Nature into a film that truly represents what bullying is – a horror. Taking inspiration from directors such as Lars Von Trier, Stanley Kubrick, Xavier Dolan and Andrzej Żuławski, we aim to bring you a film that starts a much-needed discussion about bullying in the schoolyard.
What happens when a young schoolboy takes a stand against the bully who always wins? Scourge of Nature is the story of Thomas – short, skinny, flaming red hair and without friends. A keen young horticulturalist living in a world where plants make more sense to him than people. He wishes he could be one of the cool kids like Jeremy. Instead Jeremy and his best friend York torment Thomas at the school bus stop every day. But can Thomas put an end to the torture?
When Julie Sam-Yue (Director) came upon Sam Wiseman’s (Writer) script, the intention was to make a comedy about a schoolboy getting back at his bully. As the story developed something became glaringly obvious – there is nothing funny about being bullied, in fact it is quite the opposite. Which led to the question, why do people bully? Bullying has been around since the dawn of time, so why is it getting worse and not better?
The creative team took the opportunity to make Scourge of Nature into a film that truly represents what bullying is – a horror. Taking inspiration from directors such as Lars Von Trier, Stanley Kubrick, Xavier Dolan and Andrzej Żuławski, we aim to bring you a film that starts a much-needed discussion about bullying in the schoolyard.
The Crew
Julie Sam-Yue - Director
Julie got her start in film when her Year 11 Art teacher submitted her animation into a competition and she won a scholarship for a Bachelor of Film & TV at Bond University. She had never considered film before but it didn’t take much for her to ditch her law degree and take up the offer. She hasn’t looked back since. Julie has been working as a Production Assistant and Storyboard Artist on TVCs, working in-house at Playbig Film and, recently, Goodoil Films. She has directed four films, two of which have been accepted in the Cannes Short Film Corner, and two award winning animations. In 2013 she founded Perdure Films to produce her original content that she is developing with close collaborator, Sam Wiseman.
Sam Wiseman - Writer
Sam is a film buff through and through. His life goal is to watch all the films in 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die. So far he has watched 437. He specialised in Screenwriting at Bond University where he met Julie and collaborated on her first film as director. They worked together again on their graduating film where Sam’s script was highly commended by a panel of film industry professionals for his original concept. Sam is currently studying at the University of Queensland, majoring in philosophy and literature and is already working on his next script for production next year.
Taylor Goddard - Producer
With a background in events management, Taylor has used her experience working on one of Australia’s biggest music festivals, to follow her passion of film producing. When she first stepped on a film set, she knew she was right at home and has since gone on to work on numerous short films in various roles. Working as a Producer’s Assistant for her mentor Raquelle David at Damsel Picures, Taylor has been honing her skills to take on the challenge of producing Scourge of Nature. Her formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Professional Music Practice (Art and Music Management) from the Australian National University, and a Graduate Certificate in Media Arts and Production from UTS.
Hanley Zheng – Director of Photography
Hanley is an ACS award-winning cinematographer based in Sydney. He first met director Julie Sam-Yue at Bond University on the Gold Coast, collaborating with her on her graduating film. We rely on Hanley’s extensive food knowledge and guidance on great places to dine and wine when we reguarly meet up. But as an AFTRS cinematography graduate, Hanley’s foremost passion lies in working on narrative-based projects with strong creative direction.
Lauren Miller - Production Designer
Lauren is an emerging production designer from Sydney who has successfully designed an array of short films, commercials and music videos. She has a Bachelor of Design in Creative Direction from Whitehouse Institute of Design and a Graduate Diploma in Production Design from The Australian Film Television & Radio School. Lauren is interested in people and visually exploring how a characters psychology can determine their physical world. She thoroughly enjoys the process of collaboration and feels fortunate to be playing a part in telling stories across a variety of different mediums.
Kathryn Alley - Editor
Kathryn's work is in editing for film and television. Originally from New Zealand, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Film from the University of Wellington before refocusing into film editing. In 2014, Kathryn moved to Sydney to study at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in order to further her knowledge and skills of the post production process. Kathryn enjoys the collaborative process of filmmaking and is passionate about creating engaging and unique stories with like-minded storytellers.
Matthew Morison - Composer
Matthew Morison is a Sydney based musician and composer. He originally studied jazz piano at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide before spending a number of years touring in bands around Australia. He moved to Sydney in 2014 to study Screen Music at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and has since established himself as an up and coming composer. Matthew's work focuses on appropriating found footage, raw audio, poetry, and other forms of media to create new and abstract narratives.
Nick Redmond - Sound Designer
Nick is a freelance sound engineer and designer, who recently graduated from AFTRS with a sound post production graduate diploma. His passion for sound and music was realized in his teenage years and then solidified in an arts degree at University of New South Wales where he majored in film. UNSW gave him the tools to better analyze film and gave him the chance to attempt his own sound design tasks. Teaching himself the basics of the industry standard programs, Nick was able to work on the sound for a number of student's major works. After taking a liking to the process, he then pursued some advanced sound classes at COFA. Recently one of the short films in which he was the sole sound designer, Driftwood Dustmites, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. Nick currently teaches sound to B.A. students at AFTRS and is enjoying the freelance sound designer’s unpredictable lifestyle.
Julie got her start in film when her Year 11 Art teacher submitted her animation into a competition and she won a scholarship for a Bachelor of Film & TV at Bond University. She had never considered film before but it didn’t take much for her to ditch her law degree and take up the offer. She hasn’t looked back since. Julie has been working as a Production Assistant and Storyboard Artist on TVCs, working in-house at Playbig Film and, recently, Goodoil Films. She has directed four films, two of which have been accepted in the Cannes Short Film Corner, and two award winning animations. In 2013 she founded Perdure Films to produce her original content that she is developing with close collaborator, Sam Wiseman.
Sam Wiseman - Writer
Sam is a film buff through and through. His life goal is to watch all the films in 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die. So far he has watched 437. He specialised in Screenwriting at Bond University where he met Julie and collaborated on her first film as director. They worked together again on their graduating film where Sam’s script was highly commended by a panel of film industry professionals for his original concept. Sam is currently studying at the University of Queensland, majoring in philosophy and literature and is already working on his next script for production next year.
Taylor Goddard - Producer
With a background in events management, Taylor has used her experience working on one of Australia’s biggest music festivals, to follow her passion of film producing. When she first stepped on a film set, she knew she was right at home and has since gone on to work on numerous short films in various roles. Working as a Producer’s Assistant for her mentor Raquelle David at Damsel Picures, Taylor has been honing her skills to take on the challenge of producing Scourge of Nature. Her formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Professional Music Practice (Art and Music Management) from the Australian National University, and a Graduate Certificate in Media Arts and Production from UTS.
Hanley Zheng – Director of Photography
Hanley is an ACS award-winning cinematographer based in Sydney. He first met director Julie Sam-Yue at Bond University on the Gold Coast, collaborating with her on her graduating film. We rely on Hanley’s extensive food knowledge and guidance on great places to dine and wine when we reguarly meet up. But as an AFTRS cinematography graduate, Hanley’s foremost passion lies in working on narrative-based projects with strong creative direction.
Lauren Miller - Production Designer
Lauren is an emerging production designer from Sydney who has successfully designed an array of short films, commercials and music videos. She has a Bachelor of Design in Creative Direction from Whitehouse Institute of Design and a Graduate Diploma in Production Design from The Australian Film Television & Radio School. Lauren is interested in people and visually exploring how a characters psychology can determine their physical world. She thoroughly enjoys the process of collaboration and feels fortunate to be playing a part in telling stories across a variety of different mediums.
Kathryn Alley - Editor
Kathryn's work is in editing for film and television. Originally from New Zealand, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Film from the University of Wellington before refocusing into film editing. In 2014, Kathryn moved to Sydney to study at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in order to further her knowledge and skills of the post production process. Kathryn enjoys the collaborative process of filmmaking and is passionate about creating engaging and unique stories with like-minded storytellers.
Matthew Morison - Composer
Matthew Morison is a Sydney based musician and composer. He originally studied jazz piano at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide before spending a number of years touring in bands around Australia. He moved to Sydney in 2014 to study Screen Music at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and has since established himself as an up and coming composer. Matthew's work focuses on appropriating found footage, raw audio, poetry, and other forms of media to create new and abstract narratives.
Nick Redmond - Sound Designer
Nick is a freelance sound engineer and designer, who recently graduated from AFTRS with a sound post production graduate diploma. His passion for sound and music was realized in his teenage years and then solidified in an arts degree at University of New South Wales where he majored in film. UNSW gave him the tools to better analyze film and gave him the chance to attempt his own sound design tasks. Teaching himself the basics of the industry standard programs, Nick was able to work on the sound for a number of student's major works. After taking a liking to the process, he then pursued some advanced sound classes at COFA. Recently one of the short films in which he was the sole sound designer, Driftwood Dustmites, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. Nick currently teaches sound to B.A. students at AFTRS and is enjoying the freelance sound designer’s unpredictable lifestyle.
Cast
Matthew Shanley - Thomas
Matthew Shanley started his acting career at the tender age of 4, landing television commercials including NRMA, Coco Pops, Patties Party Pies, Mitsubishi Pajero, Jeans for Genes, Alliance, Milo and KFC, to name a few. Matt expanded his love of acting and featured in two short films: Tim Winton’s The Turning and Baby, Baby, and also landed a role in the mini series, Australia The Story of Us. One of Matt’s highlights over the years was performing in the musical Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Weber. Matt’s love for the art of acting naturally comes through in the many diverse roles he has been fortunate to portray. His cheeky character and rustic red hair have definitely attributed to his successful career to date. Far from the stage and set, but also at the age of 4, Matt started pursuing his other loves in life – football and motorbike riding. Matt is now looking forward to his next venture and is thrilled to have the opportunity to play the role of Thomas in Scourge of Nature.
Matthew Shanley started his acting career at the tender age of 4, landing television commercials including NRMA, Coco Pops, Patties Party Pies, Mitsubishi Pajero, Jeans for Genes, Alliance, Milo and KFC, to name a few. Matt expanded his love of acting and featured in two short films: Tim Winton’s The Turning and Baby, Baby, and also landed a role in the mini series, Australia The Story of Us. One of Matt’s highlights over the years was performing in the musical Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Weber. Matt’s love for the art of acting naturally comes through in the many diverse roles he has been fortunate to portray. His cheeky character and rustic red hair have definitely attributed to his successful career to date. Far from the stage and set, but also at the age of 4, Matt started pursuing his other loves in life – football and motorbike riding. Matt is now looking forward to his next venture and is thrilled to have the opportunity to play the role of Thomas in Scourge of Nature.
How The Funds Will Be Used
LOCATIONS: Locking down the right location can mean a bunch of fees - no location, no shoot! Our locations for the shoot include a Greenhouse, a bus stop, a school room, principal's office and a school gate. Applications to council and reimbursement for location scouting expenditure.
CREW: Our crew is worth diamonds and rubies - but that don’t pay the rent! Other than our heads of department, our shoot requires a 1st Assistant Director, Camera Assistants, Grips and Gaffers to make sure our shoot goes to plan and runs on time. Time = money!
MAKE UP and WARDROBE: While minimalism is always effective, we still need to dress our cast! Our shoot requires a level of special effects make up. We also will be dressing 10 school boys in identical school uniforms
PROPS and SET DRESSING: With your help, we would like our film to jump off the screen! More specifically, our shoot will require lots of plants and duplicates of our prized orchid! We will also be creating a bus stop.
CATERING: All crew love to eat, and when they eat well, they work well! This part doesn't need to much explaining. Shooting a film is exhausting work, keeping our crew happy means keeping them well fed and hydrated.
FESTIVAL ENTRY: We would like our film to be seen around the world! Entering a film into a festival can cost anywhere between $30 and $100 per entry. We want our film's message to be spread as far as possible, and festival screenings are a great way to do so.
CAMERA: Depending on who you talk to, probably the most important thing! Our film will be including some slow-motion shots which will require particular equipment.
POST-PRODUCTION: The shoot is only phase one – our post team will need the resources to scare you to the core. Colour grading, editing, sound design and composition comes under the Post-Production banner! This phase enables us to have a completely finished film ready for viewing by you!
CREW: Our crew is worth diamonds and rubies - but that don’t pay the rent! Other than our heads of department, our shoot requires a 1st Assistant Director, Camera Assistants, Grips and Gaffers to make sure our shoot goes to plan and runs on time. Time = money!
MAKE UP and WARDROBE: While minimalism is always effective, we still need to dress our cast! Our shoot requires a level of special effects make up. We also will be dressing 10 school boys in identical school uniforms
PROPS and SET DRESSING: With your help, we would like our film to jump off the screen! More specifically, our shoot will require lots of plants and duplicates of our prized orchid! We will also be creating a bus stop.
CATERING: All crew love to eat, and when they eat well, they work well! This part doesn't need to much explaining. Shooting a film is exhausting work, keeping our crew happy means keeping them well fed and hydrated.
FESTIVAL ENTRY: We would like our film to be seen around the world! Entering a film into a festival can cost anywhere between $30 and $100 per entry. We want our film's message to be spread as far as possible, and festival screenings are a great way to do so.
CAMERA: Depending on who you talk to, probably the most important thing! Our film will be including some slow-motion shots which will require particular equipment.
POST-PRODUCTION: The shoot is only phase one – our post team will need the resources to scare you to the core. Colour grading, editing, sound design and composition comes under the Post-Production banner! This phase enables us to have a completely finished film ready for viewing by you!
The Challenges
All filmmaking is challenging. There are locations to find, crew to hire, props to source and everything in between needs to be organised within an inch of its life to be in front of the camera in time for "action!". When it comes to Scourge of Nature our greatest challenge is making a powerful film that can reach out to people and make an impact on how we think about bullying.
The Film!
A digital link to the finished film + a Facebook shout out! Your contribution has helped feed a crew member for the day - thank you for keeping them happy!
17 chosen
Est. delivery is Nov 16
A Director's Perspective
A Production Still with personal message of thanks, taken by our Director Julie Sam-Yue + all of the above Thanks to you, our crew will have refreshments to keep them going during the long hours on set!
36 chosen
Est. delivery is Dec 15
Scourge of Colouring In
Your very own Scourge of Nature colouring-in book featuring artwork inspired by the film + all of the above Your contribution has allowed us to enter into an international film festival! Thanks to you, our film has the opportunity to be seen around the world!
14 chosen / 186 available
Est. delivery is Dec 15
Private Screening
Come along to see Scourge of Nature before anyone else at a private screening of the film + all of the above! Your contribution has gone towards hiring a school uniform for one day!
13 chosen / 187 available
Est. delivery is Dec 15
The Horror! The Horror!
Did you ever want to star in your own horror film? Send us a photo of you and your most creative horror film title and we will send you a personalised A3 Poster inspired by the B Grade Horror movies of years gone by. + all of the above! Scourge of Nature will not be a silent film. Your contribution has enabled us to have sound equipment for a day!
7 chosen / 13 available
Est. delivery is Mar 16
Well that's Orchid...
Take home one of our plants from our greenhouse scene! First in gets our exotic Orchid Hybrid, our hero's most prized possession + everything in the $75 reward! Your contribution has allowed us to secure a location for the day! Thanks so much! **Available to Sydney residents only
5 chosen / 5 available
Est. delivery is Dec 15
Part of the Team
Come on set for a day and witness the magic of filmmaking! Sit next to the Director and pick the brains of the Producer + everything in the $75 reward! Your support has hired our camera for a day!
1 chosen / 3 available
Est. delivery is Sep 15
Scourge of Nature Artwork
You will get the opportunity to privately consult with artist, Brooke Amanda Goddard for a limited edition piece of art inspired by Scourge of Nature + everything in the $75 reward! Check out her website for her nature inspired mixed media pieces! http://facebrookedesigns.com/ Your pledge has enabled us to dress our set and purchase much needed props!
1 chosen / 4 available
Est. delivery is Dec 15
Team S.O.N
An official Executive Producer Credit, link to the film + a Scourge of Nature film pack (poster, production still, colouring book and invite to the screening )! Our crew will run in the 2016 City2Surf to raise awareness for bullying! Your support has helped pay our crew! Without their hard work we wouldn't have a film at all. We will be eternally grateful and look forward to bringing you a film to be proud of!
0 chosen / 1 available
Est. delivery is Dec 15
The Producers Sacrifice
An official Associate Producer credit + a link to the film and a Scourge of Nature pack (poster, production still, colouring book and invite to the screening )! Our Producer will also have a Scourge of Nature artwork shaved into her hair, all in the name of low budget filmmaking! Your support has enabled us to hire the lighting gear for our shoot!
1 chosen / 0 available
Est. delivery is Dec 15