Lincoln filmmakers crowdfunding for new comedy film

A group of Lincoln School of Media graduates are appealing to fans and contributors to fund their next feature film about pick-up artists.

Award-winning film-maker Michael Henry needs £5,000 by October 20 to begin shooting Narcissist in November.

Narcissist, billed as an “anti-romantic comedy”, will be shot in Lincoln over five weeks and will focus upon the friendship of two aspiring actors as they use their former insecurities to become masters of picking up women.

The film, created by Quandary Productions, is being funded through crowdsourcing, where online users donate to the campaign and receive rewards including props, walk-on roles and handmade DVDs.

Contributors have so far raised £700 for the campaign from 31 backers, which is currently in its first week. The film’s three central actors, Michael, Tom Bridger and Charles Cromwell, all live in Lincoln, while artists from across the country will also play minor parts.

“As it stands we’re doing really well and we’ve had incredible support online from fellow filmmakers, actors, charities and people who have found the project by accident. A lot of people have fallen in love with the project, which really means a lot to us,” said Michael.

“The budget will be spent on simple things like travel expenses, costumes, props, DVD batch production and film festival application fees. There’s no bloated egos on our films. The actors get paid very little. Everyone agrees it’s about passion more than money.”

Michael Henry directed a micro-budget comedy feature film, I Work, released in August, which was also shot in Lincoln. I Work was self-financed and shot with a budget of £300.

“Crowd-funding is important because you retain control of your project, so there’s no outside intervention, allowing for more original, personal, heartfelt films. At Quandary Productions we aim to make original feature films about the things which interest us most.”

“It’s nerve-racking to think we may not make it, but I don’t see why we can’t.”

You can contribute to the film from Michael Henry’s website. Michael said using his own website for gathering the funds, and not crowd-funding websites such as Kickstarter, “is what’s setting us apart, as we hope to show you don’t need these sites to fund your film.”