CHASING COTARDS
"The biggest short film of ALL TIME"
At a time when film makers are exploring new and pioneering methods of bringing their stories to life on the big screen, two London mavericks set out to complete a project that - while only nine minutes in length - would be truly groundbreaking in its ambition.
And the result is Chasing Cotards, a stunningly beautiful short film that is as forward-thinking as James Cameron's Avatar.
Director Ed Dark said: "Chasing Cotards has been a labour of love. We were told by so many people that what we were doing wasn't possible."
Some of the finest names in the industry with blockbuster movies behind them have worked on this film, and yet there have been countless phone calls to equipment makers asking 'is this possible?'
And the answer we kept hearing was ‘we don’t know. But please let us know.'
Chasing Cotards is proof that it is.
With the backing of David Yates (director of the last four Harry Potter movies), Nik Korda (Lord of the Rings) and VFX legend Angus Bickerton (The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons), Chasing Cotards is set to be THE short film of 2010.
The beautiful tale of love and loss premieres at London's gargantuan IMAX theatre in April. And it was shot on a priceless piece of film memorabilia - the Vista Vision camera, which respected legends of cinema claimed was an impossible task.
Even the great Alfred Hitchcock struggled to use the Vista Vision camera, but persevered throughout his life due to the unmatchable on-screen beauty they create.
With just ten of these cameras left in the world, the Vista Vision is in itself a remarkable piece of cinematic history.
And the camera used for Chasing Cotards? Well, it's been about the block on little flicks like ALIEN.
But the camera isn't the only star of the film. It also features crew members who have worked on blockbusters including Harry Potter, Dark Knight, Robin Hood, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Braveheart, Band of Brothers, Casino, The Golden Compass and Lost in Space and actors who've graced the camera for Steven Spielberg in Saving Private Ryan, and movies like Band of Brothers, Mr Nice and Stardust.
The movie tells the touching story of former artist, Hart, who is consumed by a haunting portrait of his deceased wife.
The making of the film is worthy of a movie in itself, which is why the film-makers have captured the epic tale of triumph over adversity in a gripping documentary which will be shown alongside the film.
But above all, the film stands alone as a truly pioneering piece of cinematography that has to be experienced to be believed.
Would you be interested in interviewing the film-makers or the stars Olivia Grant (who has been interviewed for the current issue of Total Film) or Andrew Scott? They have a fantastic story to tell about this truly ground-breaking movie.
Most studios make films and then as an after thought think: 'Hey, wouldn't it be great if we could make some sections in 3D for the IMAX'. Both James Cameron and Ed Dark have started their projects with the intention of it being shown on the biggest screens in the world.
"To my knowledge, it will be a first that a short film has had that level of ambition"
- Gareth Lewis (Harry Potter)
"Chasing Cotards is Immense. The only justification for the insanity of taking on such a project, is the enterprise"
Kevin Aherne, Visual Effects Editor
"What makes Chasing Cotards so unique is not simply the audacity and scope of the project - which is vast in a very literal sense - but more specifically the level of professionalism and artistic flair with which the story has been rendered.
Chasing Cotards is a film conceptually imagined with an IMAX experience in mind: From the choice of camera and locations right down to the intimate storyline - Cotards is a project that breathes cinema on a magnitude only the IMAX could possibly capture. With this bold undertaking realized, Ed Dark and his team will have redefined the perceived limits of independent film"
Stuart Kershaw, Documentary filmmaker (The Virgin Trade: Sex, Lies and Trafficking)
