“The Neolith” By Daniel Boocock
Synopsis
A mysterious individual takes action against a pack of bloodthirsty outsiders whose thirst for dominance is thriving.
Directors statement
I will say it again, The Neolith is no ordinary short film, there is nothing ordinary about it. The Neolith stands apart from the stereotypical short film format which the majority of short film audiences are so conditioned to seeing. Particularly on the festival scene. So many times, I have seen other shorts, some of which have been celebrated and thought to myself, if these projects are ever expanded…the audiences those filmmakers seek will not be there. Most of those projects just don’t have that pulling power for the mainstream which all filmmakers’ quietly desire. Going forward I’m into creating projects that will make sure the crowds will be there and that’s why I feel The Neolith surpasses most other shorts regardless of convention, cultural trends, awards or engrained ‘short film’ preferences of what a short film ‘should typically be’. The Neolith is much more than that. It’s a bomb of a short which does away with convention. It’s very much its own thing and has both artistic expression and the ability to draw people in as they watch it. It’s also a teaser of what I am capable of creating in the long run, so by that measure the standard is now set. The response so far from both the critics and film fans alike has been tremendous. The more people who see it the better.
In terms of influences the majority of it came from certain things in ‘normal’ life that cause me a bit of tension and me exploring uncharted waters within myself. Basically, I brought together those things along with a couple more influences and transformed everything into an expression of something bigger which was related to my own creative instinct. It was like alchemy, metaphorically speaking. Making The Neolith and putting it all together from script, to shoot, to screen was like being in a dream only I was awake and making the dream for others to see. Utilizing all the things that were at my disposal was like creating a modern-day magic trick in a funny sort of way. I had a good time doing it even with the challenges. It gave me a huge buzz to watch it evolve during each part of the process and finally into what it has now become.
I know now from having the experience of making the film the way I did that I am ready to move forward and up the stakes once again. Secretly I have always known what I am capable of achieving but now The Neolith is the proof for others to see. I have taken what was useful from creating it and discarded what was not. I have a feeling that big things await even though there is lots of work to do and more risks to take to carve out the right kind of platforms and opportunities for my next pieces of work to be made. Though that being said The Neolith lights the way. When the time comes to take another shot at something, there is no way I’ll miss. The plans are already underway.
Credits
Starring:
Jak Corrie
Dan Boie Kratfeldt
Nanna Lyhne Andersen
Jacob Skyggebjerg
Jesper Møller
Lasse Voss
Macy & Bradley Weeder
Writer, Director & Producer: Daniel Boocock
Director of Photography: Andrew Schonfelder
Production Design: Caleb Rogers
Costume Design: Stephanie O’hara
Props Master: Simon Stubbs
Sound Design: Sam Auguste
Composer: Danhiem
Sound Recording: Phil Hartley
Production Coordinator: Shaun Barry
Editor: Daniel Boocock
Colorist & VFX: Andrew Schonfelder
VFX: Roman De Guili
Makeup & Prosthetic Design: Martin Hansen
Makeup Artist: Ainhoa Negro Puls
Prosthetics Assistant: Lilli Thavapee Tollerup
Prosthetics Assistant: Claudemyr Barata
Prosthetics Assistant: Lucia Katharina Kallan
Prosthetics Assistant: Freja Riise
1st AC: Kevin Grossett
2nd AC: Laura Buchanan
Drone & MOVI Operation: Martin Osborne
Additional Drone Footage: John Duncan
Vocal Coach: Helle Thun
Unit Transport: Peter Rosenfeld
Linguist: Tom Grant
Production Insurance: WK Film Insurance
“The Neolith” was submitted to us by Daniel Boocock. Have a film of your own you’d like us to check out? Click here!