U.K. Horror Film Colin Get’s Wide Release

Here’s an example of living the American Dream…in the U.K. Over at BBC, they’ve posted an interesting article surrounding the Cinderella story of a budding filmmaker by the name of Marc Price. Price wrote, directed and produced a zombie based horror film entitled, Colin. You may think that there’s nothing special about that feat, since there are plenty of zombie flicks to choose from. Price’s story became a bit more complicated when he turned a project produced on a shoestring budget into a major film release.

Marc Price was a courier by day and a filmmaker by night. It took him 18 months to shoot and edit Colin, while balancing his full time job. The film is about a man who is bit by a zombie, dies, and awakens as a flesh eating creature himself. The film is shot from the perspective of the newly un-dead Colin as he hunts and eats his prey. Price produced the film with a measly £45 (about 70 dollars) budget, and used a cast and crew that consisted of mostly amateur actors and close friends. Here’s what the director had to say about working with such financial and professional constraints.

“It was important to find a way to tell the story without bankrupting ourselves, he said. The end of the world scenario lends itself to that. Apart from three large sequences the bulk of the movie is just me, Alastair and my cheap little camcorder – that is where the heart of the movie lies.”

Price’s little engine that could ended up landing a major distribution deal with Kaleidoscope Entertainment who are planning to release the film this Halloween. Price was understandably in shock when he was told that his movie would reach the masses. He thought it was a joke. “I’ve always had a huge interest in films and film making, he added. I hope that this will encourage others to go out with their video cameras and make films. It just goes to show you don’t need thousands and thousands of pounds.”

Mr. Price is literally on the money when it comes to not allowing lack of funds to dictate his success. There are plenty of cheap films made all over the world that somehow reach audiences and turn out to be classics down the line. It can be done.

Do you think guerrilla filmmakers can still produce quality films?