Latest film a 'Condition of the Heart'.
The poster image for Condition of the Heart, the newest envisioned film by filmmakers Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas. The Riverdale-area filmmakers are looking for funding to get the project going.
Photo/COURTESY
They've envisioned an enchanting feature film about a middle-aged woman who fell in love with the creature from the lake.
Now they just need the financial backing to make it happen.
Riverdale-area filmmakers Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas run their own production company, C&Y. Their first feature film, Amy George, had its Canadian premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and Lewis and Thomas are now eager to begin filming their second major feature film, Condition of the Heart.
To do so, they've set up a page on Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects.
They must raise $12,000 by Feb. 16 at 4:09 p.m. As of Feb. 1, just under $5,000 had been pledged.
"It's an all-or-nothing funding model. It's a little nerve-wracking because you have to get it all or you get nothing," Lewis explained during a recent interview, adding this concept is to ensure backers get what they're expecting for their money.
"We have had good response and interest so far, but we're still less than halfway there."
Lewis and Thomas' produced, directed and edited Amy George on a micro-budget relying on a skeleton crew and the support of family and friends.
This time around, they're reaching out for support in a different way through Kickstarter. Those who pledge can receive different incentives like a postcard, a signed poster, a copy of Amy George, a copy of the music score signed by Amy George's composer Lev Lewis or even an executive producer credit.
For Condition of the Heart, Lewis and Thomas said they wanted to go in a different direction than they took with Amy George.
"We chose an older lead character, out of the city and a different storyline," Lewis said of the film, which is described as a winter tale of Lena, a middle-aged woman who has recently been diagnosed with a life-altering disease. In an attempt to come to terms with her transforming body, she leaves her home in the city and begins a new life at a remote cottage, where she falls in love with a creature from the lake.
Fell into place
Condition of the Heart came together in a matter of weeks and the first draft of the film's script was written in December.
"We were able to picture the entire thing very quickly," said Lewis. "We tend to get on a roll. It just all comes together. We work hard and hope it all falls into place."
They've also brought on Karen Harnish as a co-producer.
Lewis and Thomas met Harnisch, the co-producer of the short film We Ate the Children Last, this past September at TIFF, and will do the bulk of the shooting for Condition of the Heart at a cottage she has access to near Huntsville.
"We had an opportunity to meet a lot of really great people and collaborators (at TIFF). It's been a really great experience," Lewis said.
"We had a great time. TIFF was terrific and people are more interested in working with us now."
Lev Lewis is a writer, editor and composer for Condition of the Heart, while Nicole Dorsey is the film's casting director and Drew Lint is its production designer. Ian Carleton is handling camera and lighting, while Michael Walsh is in charge of creature effects.
So far, some pre-production work including location scouting has been done on Condition of the Heart. Casting is currently underway as is the fabrication of the "creature" the main character falls in love with.
The plan is to begin filming in March.