A simple film trailer could lead to big things for local film makers Gianna Isabella, Daniela Howard and Scott Sikma.
They entered the trailer into CineCoup’s competition, vying for a $1 million first prize to help them make their movie.
“It’s a full length feature film about a female detective who investigate a crime scene after she’s promoted only to find her lover has been murdered,” director/ writer Gianna Isabella summarized. It is an interesting twist on the traditional police thriller as the serial killer is targeting women in a gay support group.
“At the time I was in New York, I was surprised that homophobia was so rampant. So I thought it would be a real twist on the detective story,” she said of her inspiration for the new movie. The idea started to develop around 2008, but she didn’t begin the actual writing process until 2011.
The film takes place in the fictional city of Carnage, so they will be shooting it around Southern Alberta around Lethbridge and likely using Calgary as the skyline.
According to the Cinecoup.com website, The CineCoup Film Accelerator is a disruptive model for indie filmmakers to develop, market and finance their feature films. Filmmaking teams apply to CineCoup with a two-minute trailer then advance through a selection funnel that’s designed to package their projects and build fan support on the CineCoup social web platform.
All filmmakers who participate stand to gain valuable audience feedback, social media savvy and a professional online pitch package bolstered by fan support. The top 10 projects will be optioned for development. A jury of industry professionals and a CineCoup Superfan will select one project for up to $1 million (CDN) in production financing and guaranteed release in Cineplex theatres in January 2014.
The film makers submit their films and fans vote on their favourites through the Cinecoup site, which features trailers and “missions” from all of the film makers competing. Voters must sign up through Facebook or e-mail.
The 90 entrants will be whittled down to 60 during the second round of voting March 21-24, then down to 40, then 20 then the Top 10.
Isabella said so far Rosalind Revenge is consistently placing in the top 20, though it fluctuates daily.
Part of the CineCoup experience entails putting up brief behind the scenes videos. Their latest went up, March 20 about the cheap tricks they use to make independent films on a budget. It is something they are used to. Isabella has shot several shot films, plus commercials and other smaller projects, however, this is her first full length feature.
“ Some people had very large budgets for the their trailers. We had $26,” Isabella continued.
“And we’re up against people who have won Oscars for screenwriting,” she added.
The film will have a small principal cast of six or seven plus 30 smaller roles and extras. They have a solid cast in place including John Bowers as Sgt. Jack Kelly, plus Douglas MacArthur as the Mayor as well as New West Theatre veteran Kathy Zaborsky and Scott Sikma, who was immediately drawn to the story.
“It’s been exciting,” said Sikma a University of Lethbridge New Media student.
“ We’ve had great support from the community,” he added, noting businesses like Lethbridge Tactical Equipment have donated things like police uniforms.
“ So it is nice to see the community coming together.”
They officially released the trailer on Feb. 28.
They won’t know the final results until June. They just placed in the top 60 thanks to the most recent round of voting.
Check out the Rosalind Revenge trailer and missions on http://www.cinecoup.com/rosalindrevenge
A verison of this story appears in the March 27,2013 edition of the Lethbridge Sun Times
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
