We absolutely understand that choosing to work with micro-budgets you have to be mad on some level - hence we named our educational YouTube channel Micro-Budget Madness! Don't get us wrong, being a micro-budget filmmaker is not a bad thing, it just means that you have to approach filmmaking with a DIY mentality.
Though this channel we break down how to produce, shoot and distribute micro-budget films with examples from our own micro-budget films, as well as mainstream films with a micro-budget element. We share all our experiences, from festival tips, career advice, distribution, smart business practices and everything else in between!
Want to know how we shoot our improvised micro budget feature and short films with limited crew, budget and resources?
Then you must check out the channel, subscribe and don’t forget to hit the notification bell to get a heads up when we post a new video.
Our psychological horror film Machination has now landed on major streaming platform Amazon Prime Video in the US and UK.
We are excited by this as Amazon has great reach and puts the film in front of millions of potential people. Blu-ray and DVD copies of Machination, featuring behind the scenes interviews and footage, are also available to buy for the collectors out there.
Check our further viewing options on the Machination page here.
Steffi Thake in Machination.
The news just keeps on rolling on for our Psychological Horror Feature Machination. Last week the latest platform was Tubi TV and this week the film has landed on AppleTV. You can watch in most English speaking counties, such as Australia, /nZ, Malta the US and Canada.
The pre-sale for Machination on DVD and Blu-Ray is now on. July 5th is the release date for the title in these formats sold through Amazon. Included are a bunch of special features -- interviews with Steffi, BTS footage of the shoot, plus the trailer. Secure your own copy now.
We are pleased to say we have reached picture lock on our psychological horror / drama Machination. The film goes into sound design and colour grading now and we are thrilled to collaborate once again with Gerard Mack and Chris Tomkins respectively.
Gerard is a Melbourne based sound designer and composer who is our go-to man for all things sound. We have worked with him previously on In Corpore, Friends, Foes & Fireworks, Choir Girl and more and we are always impressed by the results.
Chris is also from Melbourne, an expert in colour grading, and another past collaborator on Friends, Foes & Fireworks. With both Chris and Gerard we know post production on Machination is in good hands.
We remain on track to release the film later this year. Stay tuned for more updates.
Last weekend we did a short pick-up shoot for our psychological drama / horror Machination, adding more characters to the story and more surreal dream scenes, including this stunning aerial shot (below) of Steffi Thake as Maria floating in the sea.
It was a great day on set, and these new scenes add extra depth to the edit, which is nearing picture lock. We can’t wait to bring Machination to you later this year.
If week one of filming Machination was a whirlwind, then week two was a hurricane with over 2kgs of worms, blood, moody neon lights, night shoots, early mornings finales and some wicked acting. But damn straight we had the best sleep deprived time of our lives in the process and came out the other end with a treasured film experience to add to our already unforgettable 2020.
Machination took four months of our lives to get from the outline writing to the wrap and we did it all with a minimal crew of no more than six on larger days and just a key cast of four people and had Maltese actor Steffi Thake featuring in 99% of the full-length feature. For those interested in our filmmaking process read how Ivan’s article From Writing to Wrap: Making a Feature in Four Months here.
After 10 days of filming Machination, we wrapped at Selmun Bay around 7am! Picture: Creative Creep Brand
Steffi may have had most of the screen time since the film is about her character Maria and her downward spiral as she deals with mental illness and her past demons during a global pandemic, but Steffi handled it like a champion. The lead actors performance was moving and sad to watch, at times her situation and reaction to what was happening around her was relatable, other times the absurdity of the situation bordered on dark humour.
So now Machination is now in the ‘to edit’ bucket, a task that Ivan Malekin will start taking on in the coming week, while also editing our documentary Cats of Malta simultaneously.
If you want to know more about Machination go to the films official page here and join our Creatively Connected Newsletter for news about the film exclusively here.
The full cast for Machination is now set, our improvised psychological drama filming this August in Malta. Steffi Thake is playing the lead role of Maria and she is joined by Rambert Attard as her brother Yorgen, Andrew Bonello as the overbearing landlord Peter, with Seán James Sutton rounding out the cast as her intrusive boss Ian. It is a talented cast, all based in Malta, but with international experience, and we can’t wait to roll cameras next month!
Pre-production is underway for our new feature Machination, an improvised psychological horror about a germaphobic woman struggling to cope in isolation as a pandemic sweeps the world, forcing her to confront dark conspiracies and sinister monsters. We are pleased to announce we have cast talented local actress Steffi Thake in the lead role of Maria.
For the last 10 years, Steffi has been acting in film, TV and theatre. She began with Christmas pantomimes and gradually made a name for herself in Malta with notable titles under her belt as Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, The Vagina Monologues, and Image of an Unkown Young Woman. In 2013 she was awarded Best Actress at the MADC's One Act Play Festival for her performance in Murder Play.
Steffi gravitated towards film, training specifically in film acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art as well as Identity School of Acting. She has featured in Michael Bay's 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Chris Zarb's Do Re Mi Fa, and starred in Take2's pilot Never After and, most recently, Stephanie Sant's Camilla.
