'Wool' Student Short Film and Charity Fundraiser

Hello.

My name is Alfie, I am the Writer and Director of 'Wool', a student Short Film.

We are immensely grateful for your interest in our production.

This short follows a young farmer's battle with mental health after he discovers his dad's cancer diagnosis. This story is very personal to me as 5 Months, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. Like the lead character, I struggled to vocalise how I truly felt and bottled up my emotions.

Please find the rewards for your donations below.

The Story:

Jed, a 22-year-old farmer, struggles to come to terms with his Dad cancer diagnosis, his family and co-workers try to reach out to talk but Jed is reluctant. Jed solely focuses on tending to the sheep. This changes for Jed when he discovers a lamb that has been killed in

his field. After discovering this lamb, Jed decides to give the lamb a fitting send-off. This experience helps Jed let out how he truly feels about his Dad’s cancer diagnosis. Jed helps his dad and shaves his head as he does with the sheep earlier in the film.

Themes:

'Wool' follows two primary themes throughout, Pre-Emptive Grief and Men's Mental Health. With the themes that will be displayed, we look to eradicate them from society as they stem from a toxic mentality.

Pre-Emptive Grief is explored as Jed treats his Father's Cancer Diagnosis as a death sentence and is reluctant to speak out. Pre-Emptive Grief creates a negative thought process that neglects the opportunity to enjoy the time you have.

Men's Mental Health but more specifically men's mental health in a rural area. Growing up in a rural area, there was a stiff-upper-lip mentality, that created a stigmatism, where men couldn't speak about their difficulties with mental health.

Meet The Team:

Alfie Gardener

Writer & Director

Alfie grew up in a rural area of Hertfordshire. His dream of working in the film industry stemmed from his love for classic cinema in his early teens.

Alfie studied Film and TV Production at West Herts College in Watford. This is where he got a lot of experience in writing and directing multiple different formats of media, such as adverts and podcasts, but narrative writing and directing are what stood out to him.

Since starting at London South Bank University, Alfie has had plenty more opportunities to write and direct productions, and looks forward to having the opportunity to write and direct ‘Wool’.

Pepper Vaughn White

Producer

Pepper is a creative from Essex, who was brought up around art, theatre, music, and performance, leading to her interest in film.

Pepper has experience producing other student short films and has many different pursuits from costume to sound design, which allows for a real appreciation and passion for the whole of the project.

Pepper is very excited to get on board with ‘ Wool’ and produce this story to a high thorough standard to do it justice.

Elza Elena

Director Of Photography

Elza is a cinematography student in London at LSBU. Previously graduated from art school in Latvia with a diploma in Photography and Fine Arts.

While studying Elza has participated in the making of short student and small independent films mainly taking over roles in the camera and lighting departments.

With a strong background in visual arts, Elza is keen on experimenting with different media and bringing all knowledge and skills together to build a creative visual look for films and help elevate the director's vision in the best possible way.

Jack Rodford

Editor

Jack Rodford is from South London. He is fascinated to showcase unique perspectives in film, including creating original stories.

He has been an editor for the short film Thaniel ’ (2022) along with various of his

own projects, including music videos.

He is looking forward to editing this short whilst also having the opportunity to be

of assistance on the day of the shoot

Moodboard:

I am wanting to stylistically capture a bleak, grainy type of cinematography, which accurately demonstrates sombre tones and themes that feature within this production.

Budget Distribution:

This graph displays the grand total of the budget and where it will be distributed.

When donating to this fundraiser, you won't only be helping to finance this production but will also be donating to charity, as I've collaborated with two charities, Hector's House and The Hospice of St Francis. For every £10 donated to this campaign, £1 will go to Hectors House and £1 will go to the Hospice of St Francis.

Their Causes:

Hector’s House is a suicide prevention and mental health awareness charity – set up by the family of Hector Stringer, who took his own life at just 18 years old.

It is our mission to stop suicide by ensuring everyone has access to mental health services and encouraging people to talk openly about how they feel through education, awareness, and support.

Here is an independent donation link for Hectors House: https://hectorshouse.org.uk/get-involved/make-a-donation/

The Hospice of St Francis can help you if you are managing, or recovering from, a serious illness. They help you to live your life well by improving symptoms, working with you to achieve personal goals - helping you to feel safe.

Their care takes many forms and our professional team plus dedicated, trained volunteers care for people with a wide range of illnesses including cancer, motor neurone disease, dementia, heart disease, lung disease, and neurological illness.

Here is an independent donation link for The Hospice of St Francis: https://thehospiceofstfrancis.formstack.com/forms/donate

Donation Rewards:

Any Donation would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your interest in this production.

For a £5 donation, you will get:

For a £10 donation, you will get:

For a £25 donation, you will get:

For a £50 donation, you will get:

For a £75 donation, you will get:

For a £150 donation, you will:

P.s. I hate being on camera, that's why I seem so awkward