Filmmakers aim to reel in funding for new project

A NORTH county Dublin company is trying to raise in the region of

?¬10,000 to fund a new film.

Jump Films, a film and media production company, based in Balbriggan, is hoping to raise the money for its black comedy titled

‘Lost in Spanish’.

The film, which will comprise a cast of four, has been co-written by Gerard McKenzie and Alex Castano.

“It’s about a typical naive Irish guy,

? Gerard tells Northside People.

“He is unhappy in his relationship with his girlfriend and he’s missing his freedom. Then he gets a break when an old Spanish friend buys him a ticket to Madrid.

“However, all is not as he expects when he arrives in Spain. He meets a girl who doesn’t turn out to be what he expected and it all goes downhill from there.

?

Jump Films, which was formed in 2005, won TV Ad of the Month for their Insomnia Coffee advert in June 2009, and in November 2011, won Radio Ad of the Month for their MyBlinds.ie advert, which featured a puppet known as Morgan Freeman.

However, the company, which is headed by Gerard, has high hopes of making it into the world of film.

“We hope this project can pave the way for doing the work we love and aspire to do,

? says Gerard, who used his redundancy money when he lost his job at IBM to pursue a long-held ambition of starting a film production company.

“The idea for the campaign (which ends on February 19) is to raise the money needed to create a short film (15-20 minutes) based on a story we have written and want to produce.

“This project will be the first step in a new direction for our company, one which will mean we can begin to produce work that we are passionate about and that is close to our hearts.

“In turn we will be able to promote our company and show that we are capable of producing great work and over time make the move into filmmaking.

?

Gerard says that with the help of contributions they will be able to make the project a reality.

“We will be able to shoot on location, Madrid, which is best suited to telling our story,

? he explains.

“Payments for actors, accommodation for the cast and crew for the days we are shooting, equipment hire and a rental car will be among the expenses incurred.

“Finally, we will be able to have funding in place to help promote the finished film.

?
Gerard says that filmmaking is still an expensive business.

“Our aim is to use these funds to create the best possible end product,

? he states.

“We will spend every penny wisely in the pursuit of the perfect film.

“Contributors will become part of this great project from the word go.

“They will be credited with helping us to create this wonderful film, one that we believe will stand out from the crowd and not only get our company noticed, but show that Irish films can in general become more diverse and creative.

“At Jump Films we want to create original material and feel that with your help we can achieve that goal.

?

As well as their advert successes, Jump Films have also made 10 short films and are hoping this latest venture will lead to bigger things.

“Our plan is to enter the film into festivals and build up our profile,

? adds Gerard.

“It takes a while to get established in the business and we realise it won’t happen overnight.

?

If you would like to make a donation to the cost of funding Jump Films’s new film, visit www.Indiegogo.com/lostinspanish