Poster for The New Hope unveiled

Beg Steal Borrow News, The New Hope

Beg Steal Borrow is excited and proud to reveal the new poster for The New Hope.

Designed by the talented Angela Faillace, the poster shows leading characters Dennis and Hadrian silhouetted against two suns as their shadows are cast over an expanse of grass.

The poster draws its inspiration from Star Wars and in particular one of the posters for The Phantom Menace, in which a young Anakin Skywalker casts the shadow of Darth Vader, thus suggesting his shadowy destiny.

Here, however, the shadows that Dennis and Hadrian cast are, respectively, of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza as in the 1955 sketch that Pablo Picasso created of the two characters for Les lettres françaises.

Blending Star Wars with Don Quixote, then, the poster conveys the key themes of the film, which is an adaptation of the first part of Miguel de Cervantes’ great novel – although in this updating of Cervantes’ story, the main character believes he is not a knight errant, but a Jedi knight.

Finally, the grassy expanse conveys the way in which the film takes place mainly in London’s Hyde Park, itself a common ground that is free for anyone to visit.

The setting in this way ties in with the democratic aspirations of the film. Not only is it a movie about a man who wishes to be a Jedi knight (thus proving that we can be whoever we want to be), but so is the movie’s zero budget a bit like tilting at the windmill of the mainstream film industry.

If one charges with enough conviction, though, maybe one can give hope to people, by showing that one does not need expensive equipment and flashy CGI to make a film, but that there is equally magic in a park, a Boris bike, a scooter, a stick and a dustbin lid.

Designer Angela Faillace is currently a student at the University of Roehampton, London, where director William Brown also teaches. She also designed the poster for Selfie, her work having caught William’s eye through the posters she designs for the Roehampton Film Society, which she also runs. Angela also worked as a crew member for Beg Steal Borrow’s video of Extradition Order’s ‘Boy in Uniform’ and can be seen in a couple of shots in Selfie.

Designed by the talented Angela Faillace.

Designed by the talented Angela Faillace.

Ur preview screening at the Olympic Studios, London

Beg Steal Borrow News, Screenings, Uncategorized, Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux

Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux enjoyed a preview screening at the prestigious Olympic Studios in Barnes, London, on 25 May 2014.

The film tells the story of six disaffected people who are on holiday in the south of France – and who do not realise that the zombie apocalypse is taking place all around them.

The preview screening garnered an enthusiastic crowd, who overcame technical difficulties to watch this first airing of Ur.

Leading zombie film scholar Stacey Abbott was on hand to lead a Q&A after the screening with stars Edward Chevasco, Dennis Chua and Laura Murray, cinematographer Tom Maine, assistant director Alexandra Brown (who was/is nine months pregnant!), and William Brown.

Rosie (played by Roseanna Frascona) says good bye to the world in Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tabeaux.

Rosie (played by Roseanna Frascona) says good bye to the world in Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tabeaux.

On Facebook, various of those in attendance commented on the film. One viewer described the film as an ‘excellent zombie apocalypse film yesterday – funny, engaging, astute and beautifully shot.’

Another commented on the ‘fine work’ from cast and crew.

And Stacey Abbott herself described Ur as ‘a most unusual and fascinating zombie (but not zombie) film.’

Many thanks should be given to Mairead Murray, Will Orpin and Rick Gould at the Olympic for all of their help.

It was particularly a thrill to have the preview at a cinema where Jean-Luc Godard shot the Rolling Stones for his 1968 film, Sympathy for the Devil. Godard was, of course, at the heart of the first Beg Steal Borrow film, En Attendant Godard.

Edward (Edward Chevasco) and Rosie (Roseanna Frascona) talk love in Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux.

Edward (Edward Chevasco) and Rosie (Roseanna Frascona) talk love in Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux.

 

Ur Kickstarter campaign a success!

Beg Steal Borrow News, Uncategorized

Beg Steal Borrow’s Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the production and post-production of Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux has been a success.

Within a week of launching the campaign, and thanks to the wonderfully generous pledges of numerous benefactors, £1,391 has been raised for Ur in just seven days.

A full list of benefactors will follow when the Kickstarter campaign reaches its close – in 24 days on 19 July (just before production for Ur begins in Monpazier, France).

But just because we have reached our target of £1,000, this does not mean that we cannot put to good use any money that further kind souls wish to pledge. Any money will be useful for the production of the film and/or for post-production costs like festival submission.

So if you are interested in donating, please do by following the link to the Kickstarter site here.

Ur is a film about six characters in search of a zombie apocalypse, a kind of art house zombie film set in the south of France. It features Beg Steal Borrow regulars Dennis Chua, Laura Murray and Alex Chevasco, as well as newcomers Edward Chevasco and Rosie Frascona.

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Roseanna Frascona joins Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux

Beg Steal Borrow News, Uncategorized, Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux

Talented young actress Roseanna Frascona has joined the cast for Ur: The End of Civilization in 90 Tableaux.

Rosie, who graduates this summer from LAMDA, will play… Rosie, a young lady taking time off in France after the end of a torrid relationship.

Rosie has appeared in numerous plays, and is starring in a growing number of short films and features, although Ur lays claim to being her most substantial feature role yet.

Rosie joins Beg Steal Borrow regulars Alex Chevasco, Dennis Chua and Laura Murray in the cast for Ur, which features six principle characters.

The other cast members are William Brown and Alex Chevasco’s brother, Edward Chevasco, who will make his Beg Steal Borrow début.

The film will be lensed by Beg Steal Borrow stalwart Tom Maine, with Common Ground AD Julia Poliak also returning. Alexandra Brown will also be helping out on the film.

Make-up will be done by Ella Chevasco, in particular work on the all-important zombies. And there may even be cameo roles from Berry and Charles Chevasco, thus ensuring participation from the whole Chevasco family…!

Ur tells the story of the zombie apocalypse, but not as you’d expect to see it. This will be a minimalist, art house zombie flick, in which the end of civilization takes us back to the beginnings of cinema.

Here’s an image of Rosie:

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