Our Favourite Place - Alzheimer's Short Film

“When an older man enters the latter stages of his life, he has to come to terms and deal with the effects of having Alzheimer's whilst clinging onto a dwindling memory whilst also being unaware of the issues it causes his family”

Our aim for this film -

To stand out from other films tackling this subject, is to focus on ‘Pat’ our Protagonist whilst also looking at the effects it has on his close family.

This film won’t shy away from the harrowing nature of the disease, but will also hopefully offer viewers some form of closure, whether that comes directly through the film or resonates with their own experiences.

A word from the Writer/Director - Joe Wollacott

“Hi Everyone, I’m Joe, and I’m the Director and the writer for this film, I’d like to Thank you for taking the time to check out our GoFundMe page and for reading this far. This film for me is incredibly personal, my grandad a couple of years ago was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Dementia and the subject is something that resonates with me a lot, and made me decide to go ahead and create this project. Any amount of money helps to contribute towards this project, whether it’s £1, £10, or more, anything helps."

Story -

The film starts before our protagonist Pat, is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He and his wife Lisa host an anniversary party with family friends, including Pat and Lisa’s son Mark, and his Daughter, Lauren. Early signs of Pat's oncoming disease seep through.

5 years later, Pat, now a shell of the man he once was, deals with normal life tasks, with an incredible amount of help from his wife Lisa. What seems like a good day for Pat, slowly turns into one of his worst when going out for a pub meal with Mark, Lauren, and family. When rushed back home, the severity of Pat's disease becomes very apparent and we see how each member of the family deals with this in their own ways.

As the Film comes to a close Pat finds himself wandering around in a long-forgotten memory.

Why you should support this film -

Now why this film over another film, or maybe a better-worded question is why should you donate to any film at all?

Well, our director Joe can answer both! (or try to at least)

“Short films are their own entire genre of film, there’s millions of short films out there from high budgets to low budgets to no budgets at all. Short films can do a multitude of things, such as give people the chance to make mistakes and explore ideas you might not get the chance to in feature-length films - or they can give a chance for less privileged people to create something that can be viewed and accepted by people rather than laughed off or shrugged off as a fun hobby. We, and every individual who is a part of creating short films, don’t do it for the money, we do it because we love making films and we want to share our love for films with you

Now why this film in particular?

‘Our Favourite Place’ aims to heavily lean into the balance of Sadness and Happiness that life offers. We want to create a film which engages the audience - A film which hopefully people will still think about long after they’ve watched it. We will look at Alzheimer's in a surrealist way, the story itself is real, somewhere out there something similar has happened or is happening currently. If this story reaches those people or if it reaches anyone that can relate it to their own life, if it can give any sort of relief or closure, if it makes people happy or sad, then we as filmmakers will have done our jobs.

For that to happen, we need to raise a certain amount of funds to be able to make this film as best as we possibly can, we need to design our set properly, and design and craft costumes for these characters, maybe most importantly we need a handful of incredibly talented actors who can carry the weight that this film brings and so much more. So if you have a couple of pennies to spare please consider contributing.

5% of our GoFundMe earnings will go to an Alzheimer's charity. It’s something that no one should have to go through, it is a horrible and twisted disease, so a portion of the money you donate will go directly to a charity.

So if we reach our goal of £2,500 that's £125!

Thank you,

Joe Wollacott - The director

Theme and Tone -

This film will explore themes of Age, Loss, Love and Family -

This will be a film that everyone can hopefully relate to, whether you know someone with Alzheimer’s or not, we all deal with loss and we will all eventually grow old and look back at memories of our favourite times, you may have even lived your favourite memory already but don’t even know yet.

We don’t want to shy away from the fact that this film will be emotional, when dealing with themes of loss and family this is something to be expected and is one of the major reasons that draws us to this film. The tone of the film will be stylised almost like a thriller, we want to push the boundaries of what we can do as filmmakers with this subject, without stepping over the line.

Music -

The overall sound of the film is incredibly important to us, this includes any music/scores that the film has. We are currently looking at composing a score and also have ideas for other songs to be featured in this film but aren’t able to confirm any yet, bar one - A confirmed song to be featured in the film is ‘Think of me once in a while, Take Care’ by Take Care. We spoke with Liam (the artist) about using this song and he was very happy for us to have it featured in the film which for us is amazing as it perfectly sets the tone.

Standouts from Equipment List -

Taster video to show example of effect and sound design used in the film -

Meet the Crew!

Producer - Finnian Balfour-McKie

"I'm Finnian, the dedicated producer for 'Our Favourite Place'. From managing chaos to capturing those magic moments, I'm on a mission to craft a film that'll tug at your heartstrings.

Secondly, I truly believe this is an incredible, beautiful, relatable personal story to tell. One that doesn't just affect the crew but will affect the whole audience once they watch it. Your support fuels our passion, so join us on this cinematic adventure!"

1st AD and Co-writer - Jake Greenwood

"A few months before joining this project, I would meet with Joe (the director), and he would share his developing ideas with me. I was fascinated by the concept of this film and its characters, knowing that I really wanted to be a part of it.

The writing process for this challenging subject has been difficult but rewarding. I believe that the story we are going to tell you is extremely powerful and will resonate with audiences as we have all experienced the pain of losing someone.

As well as co-writing, I will be working as the 1st Assistant Director, it will be my responsibility to ensure that the entire set and all departments run smoothly while shooting, managing locations and time constraints. I will lead the logistical side of the production to provide you, the audience, with the best cinematic experience possible.

I can’t wait to show you the story we have worked so hard to create”

Cinematographer - Caleb Harris

"From the first time I read the script, I was struck by the power of the story! This story explores the struggles Pat and his loved ones face as his condition worsens, and I was instantly drawn to the visual potential of the film.

As a DOP, I have spent countless hours honing my skill; experimenting with lighting setups and camera positionings, allowing us to create a unique visual style which helps enhance this powerful narrative!

I am excited to work with this amazing crew to bring this story to life for you all!"

Editor - Julian Cheeseman

“During my film course, I have gained a lot of knowledge and skills in editing, which I honed by editing multiple student films and commission work.

I am excited to bring what I have learned to ‘Our Favourite Place’ to artistically and respectfully portray the profound impact dementia has on a person’s state of mind and the emotional toll it takes on their family."

Sound Department - Oriel Akeh

"Through working on several projects in the past few years my interest and proficiency in sound design has really grown and I'm excited to bring that understanding onto a project so personal and real for many people. This is Pat's story and we want the sound to serve his experience, placing the audience in his shoes so that we really feel what he feels. The passion and heart in Our Favourite Place really struck me when I first heard it pitched and I can't wait for you all to see it come to life."

Camera Operator - Archie Wild

"I'm a passionate film photographer in my spare time so I'm extremely excited to move up and beyond onto 16mm!

Film has captured my imagination ever since I was handed my dad’s 35mm film camera and started capturing moments of life. Film has a place in my heart and I love the authenticity of an analogue camera and the joy it brings when your work gets developed.

Stepping up to 16mm, 24 frames per second can be daunting and what a brilliant opportunity I think my lessons and progression in film will translate onto screen wonderfully. Let’s not forget the arri a true cinema camera and weapon, Our Favourite Place will look amazing and be a joy to shoot."

Art Director - Adam Subrt

"As Art Director I aim to focus on the set dressing for 'Our favourite place in the world' which will transition from colourful clothing symbolising a harmonious period in the film which contrasts to the time jump which will involve darker clothing and making the characters look older using subtle details such as darker tones, colours and untidy clothing worn by the characters."

Important dates!

Shooting date - 4th-8th March

Video Lock - 30th March

Sound Lock - 12th April

Release date - end of May

Budget Breakdown -

T&C's

As this is a GoFundMe page there will be no rewards or gifts through donating to this - however, a link to the final film will be issued and a thank you in the credits as well.