Carlos R Savournin has joined forces with Kickstarter and Amazon.com to get “NEVES”, the feature film based on his horror novel, made! Here’s the best part; you can be a part of the process.
Kickstarter is a site where contributions are made by you, the public, to help aide in the development of projects such as music, books, video games, and feature films. Horror gems like “Absentia” were successfully funded with Kickstarter and it went on to win various awards at film festivals and is gaining popularity and critical acclaim through various networks like Netflix and instant streaming sites. Carlos hopes to achieve the same kind of success with “NEVES”, but he needs your help to do it.
“Every penny counts,” he says. “Money is tight – believe me, we all know it. You can still help, though! Get the word out there; email your friends about the project, pick up the digital copy of the book on Amazon where it’s only $0.99 and let others know you’re reading it. Post it on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, whatever you can think of. Money is great, but word of mouth is even better.”
And he’s making it worth your while with rewards for donation tiers; everything from your name on the credits, to a walk on or speaking role, to dinner with the cast and crew will be awarded to bidders, and Savournin, himself, promises to keep all donors in the loop. “Using various forms of social media (Facebook, Twitter, websites), I will keep everyone involved abreast of the project’s status. I hereby promise to not leave anyone in the dark or go for long periods of time without responding because, after all, without you, I would not be able to do this.”
Savournin says he’s not doing this for the fun of it; more so, it’s a labor of love. He’s tired of the sequels (“Paranormal Activity 4”), the remakes (“Carrie”) and the reboots (“Child’s Play – The Curse of Chucky”) and is vying to bring the genre back from the dead with this orignal piece. “This is not your run-of-the-mill slasher filled with pot-smoking teenagers,” he says. “It’s a smart psychological thriller that introduces a new kind of killer – the one inside all of us.”
The money donated will be used 100% for the production of the film, and Carlos plans to pump the money back into his hometown by hiring local cast and crew from universities and local playhouses. “My intention is to make this a project where fresh minds and hands can all be a part of and collaborate in,” he says. And though, as of right now, he plans on directing the film himself, he is not opposed to handing the baton to a more experienced person. “It would be amazing to do, but I’m not fooling myself in thinking I can do it myself. I will ask for help when I need it!”
This isn’t the first attempt to get “NEVES” to the big screen. Several years ago, a filmmaker who will rename nameless tried to adapt the novel for the screen and hired a screenwriter to pen what became titled “Septenary Kill”. Though the character’s names remained unchanged, the story did by becoming formulaic and all too familiar. Unsatisfied with the result, Carlos decided to do it himself and that’s when he discovered Kickstarter. “I’m excited and nervous,” he says. “And I’m just really hoping this happens.”
The goal for the film is $150,000; a small fee for a film. But, using the money efficiently, it will suffice. There will be no high tech special effects, drastic locations or big name stars. “That’s not what the story is about,” Carlos says. “I can scare someone without the benefit of a big studio’s backing.” Donations for the film will be open on September 10th and will last only one month. You can find out more by visiting the Kickstarter page at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1846912026/neves-the-movie. And if you’re hesitant to donate, Carlos makes contacting him easy with any questions you may have directly through the site. “Let’s make this happens,” he says. And for the sake of the genre, he’s hoping it does.
