Chalk: A Short Film

What is the film about?

On the cusp of their parent’s divorce, and tasked with packing up their parents' holiday caravan overlooking the white cliffs, a brother and sister try to reconnect after years of not speaking.

This is our final major graduation project that we are currently developing and shooting in February 2024.

Why is this story important?

Chalk has been written to tackle the themes of estrangement, distance, and resentment within sibling relationships.

Sibling bonds are often portrayed as deeply loyal, supportive, and though their petty squabbles are often played out in media, the sense is often that, despite this, they are founded on trust and belonging. We want to explore a different kind of relationship – one of alienation and miscommunication.

We want to make this film because we believe it has the potential to delve into a dynamic which we don’t often see on screen, and most importantly one that may speak to people who have craved to know and understand family members better than they do.

The story is set in the winter, located at a caravan park atop the White Cliffs of Dover - dismal, grey and less than thriving. This is so key to the story... the sibling’s happy memories of spending their summers by the sea, juxtaposing with their arrival as adults mid-winter, finding a much more harsh and unforgiving environment, whilst also being met with the suffocating nostalgia of the caravan is incredibly representative of their relationship. They left as siblings and return as strangers.

Tonal Moodboards

Director's Statement

Family dynamics is something that I find incredibly compelling when it comes to story, and the 'sibling relationship' is something that I am keen to explore. Growing up with two much older siblings, there has naturally been a sense of distance and separation between us, with me having always been in such different life stages to them. You could argue our childhoods were incredibly different and exactly the same, parts that mattered to me more, and parts that mattered to them more. This is the driving force that I want to take through into this story.

In short, this story is about growing apart from something you grew with, and what that can do to the heart. I want to explore whether blood really is thicker than water, whether old wounds can be healed when a shared past is so momentous, and whether you can ever really untangle yourself from your own history, and start again.

Visuals and Production Design

The big backdrops and landscapes are going to be a centre piece in this film, taking inspiration from Terrance Malik and Chloe Zhao’s films such as 'Nomadland' and 'Knight of Cups' to create a naturalistic yet cinematic look. 'God's Own Country' and 'Submarine' also act as important visual references when it comes to shooting a film that draws on rural/coastal Britain as a key motif within a narrative journey.

Exterior Moodboard

Sketch Plans

Floor Plans

Visual Script Breakdowns

How will your money be used?

We acknowledge that filmmaking is an expensive process, and massively appreciate any support you would be willing to provide. Crowdfunding allows us to cover a variety of costs related to the production of the film, for example:

* Actors' Travel and Food Expenses - Due to the nature of the shoot being on location, we will pay for all actors' expenses whilst we are away together. We want to ensure that their experience is as safe and comfortable as possible, and this is our utmost priority.

* Production Design - Funding to gather props, wardrobe, and makeup required will allow our team to build the desired world and characters for our story. We aim to create a space which feels frozen in time, containing all of the childhood memories that both our characters' share.

* Camera Department - Due to this being our major graduation project, we want to allow the camera department to have more flexibility with the equipment that they use. University provides us with the basic equipment for shooting however, due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of our locations, we aim to acquire additional equipment to help make the shoot smoother, more cinematic, and do justice to capturing the performances of our cast.

Test shots from our first recce by the coast (05/11/23)

Any donation, no matter the amount, is massively appreciated.

Thank you so much for your interest and involvement in our film.