As Ralph has been known to say when it comes to indie, "it's not just about the music" and the upcoming second work by independent Film producer Simon Horrocks is a case in point. We reported on the crowdfunder for Simon's first film Third Contact which concluded successfully and now he's back using Kickstarter to fund his second feature, set in the London music scene.
Third Contact director Simon Horrocks has announced his second feature is scheduled to begin shooting early next year. In collaboration with the newly founded Mobile Motion Pictures, the cult scifi director says his film will again be shot “Rodriguez style” – virtually without a crew.
He continued...“We’ll be shooting with smartphones, but not as an excuse for a tiny budget film desperate to punch above its weight. We’ll be shooting with smartphones because there’s simply no other method to shoot a film which allows the same level of intimacy and spontaneity."
He went on to say...“People say, ‘just shoot on a DSLR if you want to make a cheap movie’. But even a DSLR doesn’t allow you anything close to the flexibility of a smartphone camera. This thing fits in your pocket. You know, something smaller than a paperback, which can shoot 4K."
“So, I’m not approaching this as a poor filmmaker doing the best with limited resources. This is not a compromise, this is a liberation. We’re freeing ourselves; not just from an industry afraid to take risks, but also from a way of making films which has barely changed in the last 50 years.”
Horrocks revealed the film is set in the London music scene. Before he was a filmmaker, the director worked in the music industry and was for some years in a band struggling for attention, like thousands of others.
He concluded...“Most music industry related movies are about a band or musician who finally make it big or already playing stadiums. But they’re just a tiny tiny percent. There’s so many musicians and bands with amazing talent who for some reason never quite make it. And I wanted to make a film about those people."
“Using smartphones to film this, we’ll be improvising with the actors and the cinematography. In many respects, this is an experimental work, because I actually don’t know 100% what will happen. But that’s the beauty of this way of making films. Really, smartphone filmmakers are still pioneers. And we’ll be trying new things and hoping show the world what can be done.”
Body & Soul is a drama-thriller set in the London music scene. It's about ordinary people trying to make it against the odds, in a tough and ruthless business. Ordinary folk trying to be extraordinary. People like me and you, reaching for the stars. They serve you coffee in the day, write lyrics in their breaks, play music when they can. And dream.
A down-on-his-luck band manager tries to save a young singer from the man encouraging her seemingly fatal addiction to drugs and alcohol.
