Comic creator directs short film trilogy

sdcc December 13, 2011 Comics 60 Views

Santa Clarita, California – December 13, 2011: Santa Clarita-based comic book creator, Daniel Levitch, already has the talent, cast, and crew to turn three short films into a feature-length adventure; all he needs now are the funds to continue.

In 2009, Levitch, called upon his close friends to help bring his screenplay, SWINE, to life. Having a a background in the comic world, Levitch found the transition to filmmaking to be challenging. “It’s important to not limit your story to things you could actually photograph, but rather write what you’d like to see and then figure out how to make it happen,” says Levitch. After working with his crew on student films over ten years ago, Levitch and his crew enjoyed reuniting in a creative capacity. With day-jobs in the industry, the team pooled their resources and called in favors to get the project off the ground. Countless hours were dedicated to increasing the production value of the low-budget films, from scouting incredible locations to creating custom weapons and costumes.

A post-apocalyptic war story about a rebel faction on the brink of destroying themselves from within; the 45-minute trilogy focuses on the perspectives of three main characters, one film for each.

The project originally began as a 15-minute short film shot primarily in Santa Clarita, California over two weekends with actors that have worked with the filmmakers in previous productions. Upon completion of the first film, the drive and passion for their new pet-project compelled the crew to commit to two more films. The additional films were shot in 2010 with new locations, new costumes, new hand-crafted weapons, and fresh talent. The SWINE trilogy was a huge success, costing less than $5000 per film in cash and in-kind donations.

After two and a half years of hard work from a dedicated cast and crew, SWINE: The Complete Trilogy, premiered at an exclusive midnight screening in Old Town Pasadena. Cast and crew were present to view the two newest films for the first time.

But this team isn’t finished! They are hoping that with the premiere of the first three films, they will be able to attract fundraising to facilitate an additional two films, making SWINE a feature-length production. An IndieGoGo page has been set up by Executive Producer, Koren Young, in hopes of raising $18,000 by the end of the year. Through a 4-week campaign, the team will be working to raise the funds to pay for equipment rentals, props, costumes, and feeding the cast and crew. To raise their budget, this group of filmmakers is dependent on the support of family, friends, and other generous contributors.