! CREW CALL !
- Sound Recordist – Experience with dialogue-driven, intimate interiors essential.
- Gaffer / Lighting Technician – Sensitive, atmospheric or blunt avantgarde lighting to support a visually composed, painterly interior night aesthetic.
- Assistant Director (1st AD) – Small, contained shoot. Strong organisational skills and calm, collaborative presence.
- 2nd Camera / Camera Assistant – Supporting the Director, who will also serve as Director of Photography, or acting as a DoP - but following Film Director's instructions.
Shooting Dates – TBC in March-May 2026 in London and Oxford.
Project Overview
A short film inspired by “Rue Saint Denis”, a French arthouse film by Jean-Daniel Pollet from 1965, but our story is set in Soho, London, and we are deliberately vague about the time in which it is set.
The French original is only about 12,5 minutes long. We are aiming for 20, but definitely under 30 minutes. Just three actors (in the original, there are two), all filmed primarily at one indoor location (a flat). Some outdoor and bar scenes are brief and introductory and can be filmed relatively easily in Soho.
We have already filmed some establishing shots of Soho (at night when it rains), and some of the soundtrack is also written, though it may change by the time we edit the film.
Candidates for the main roles have been identified, but they will be confirmed after rehearsals.
While our adaptation bears some structural resemblance to the French original, as well as some lines and one of the character's names, we decided to move away from the too-French story of a prostitute from rue Saint Denis to a middle-aged English divorcee who is mistaken for a working girl and finds it amusing, embarking on a risky adventure bearing elements of a comedy of errors.
The whole story about sex without sex, built on changing background music narratives, interior colour schemes and painting-like shot compositions, while raising issues of love, loneliness, fate, and vulnerabilities, creates an ideal arthouse concept and environment.
Whilst it is relatively easy to film and produce, it nevertheless offers the actors a great opportunity to showcase their talents and potential, to experiment and perform in a truly artistic, unrestricted and original way.
We hope to raise funds to cover location hire and at least some of the basic fees for the cast and crew, travel expenses, F&D, and contingency. Possibly, some props.
We’d be very happy to acknowledge all supporters in the credits and, where possible, on IMDB.
Larger donations may be acknowledged by listing benefactors as Executive Producers in the film titles.