Honeytrap - Fierce Productions

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REBECCA JOHNSON FILM
A feature film
with a difference
honeytrap
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HONEYTRAP is award-winning writer and director Rebecca Johnson’s debut feature film.
This is a feature film with a difference, where the process is as vital as the product. It will
be made in Brixton together with local young people in front of and behind the camera.
Inspired by true events, it tells the story of fifteen-year-old Layla, who sets up the boy
who’s in love with her to be killed.
When eighteen-year-old rapper Troy picks
Layla out of the crowd, she is swept into a
romance that brings popularity, status and
sexual awakening…until Troy discards her
and she loses everything.
Layla vows to rebuild herself in Troy’s image
and becomes a heartless, hardened player.
But, despite her boasts that she’s just using
him, she also finds her first true friend in
sixteen-year-old Shaun.
A STORY OF F IRST
LOVE AND D E A DLY
B ET RAYAL
As the forces she’s set in motion start to
collide, Layla must choose: between the
two boys, between desire and friendship,
between power and connection to another
human being.
DIRECTOR ’S STATEMENT
Origins of the story and why I want to tell it
Girls in a man’s world
The starting point for the film is the case of
Samantha Joseph.
Layla’s world is tiny but it branches through
aspiration into celebrity and American hiphop culture.
In July 2008, Samantha led sixteen-year-old
Shakilus Townsend into an ambush, where
he was murdered by her boyfriend and his
gang. This took place in a South London
suburb in the early afternoon, in full sight of
residents.
Samantha Joseph on her arrest in 2008, aged
fifteen.
THE REALITY OF
A G I R L C AU GH T I N T H E
CROSSFIRE
HONEYTRAP is not a factual retelling of
this case. Instead it uses it as a point of
departure to delve into the mind of a young
girl like Samantha to find out how she could
arrive at such a place.
When such ‘senseless’ cases are reported,
almost weekly, in the media, the isolated
facts and blank-eyed mugshots paint a
picture of young people without emotions.
In my work with young people in South
London over the last ten years, I have seen
that the truth is much more complex and
tragic. Young people very often get involved
in violence as a way of trying to control
powerful conflicting emotions they don’t
know how to process or deal with.
Adult male role models here are scarce
and manhood has become idealised into
a caricature of invulnerability. Boys must
impersonate it, girls be desired by it - but to
be respected they must impersonate it too.
I explored the theme of girls negotiating
this double act in my short film TOP GIRL.
HONEYTRAP takes it to extremes, into a
perfect storm scenario with a momentum
outside any one person’s control.
Why tell this story now?
It shocks us when young people commit
senseless acts of violence – particularly
girls. But if we continue simply to fear and
judge them, how can we make changes for
the better?
HONEYTRAP brings us into the reality of a
girl caught in the crossfire and makes us see
the world through her eyes. A character like
Layla has not taken centre stage before and
it is time her story was told.
Rebecca Johnson
November 2012
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LOOK AND FEEL
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Screen fantasies
Screens will be a key element of the visual
world of HONEYTRAP; vortices to be sucked
inside, places to transform yourself and
where identity fragments.
Pace and tension
Layla’s screen self - her bit part in Troy’s
music video or the sexy photos she posts
- take on a parallel life. Her inner world
becomes a hyperreal dream space where
images collide and degrade until they lose
their meaning.
HONEYTRAP draws from influences including
A Prophet, Monster and City of God. It will
be deeply intimate - capturing the inner, mostly
unarticulated world of its characters - but will
also have pace, energy and tension.
The story takes place from spring to summer.
As tension rises, colours brighten and become
more intense. Girlish pastel hues turn to hot
pinks and oranges that burn up the screen.
This is a story about desire and obsession
spiralling rapidly out of control. Handheld
camerawork creates a sense of speed and a
momentum that makes your heart rise up in
your chest.
From top left: Rumbi Mautsi, Naomi J Lewis and Kerron
Derby in TOP GIRL.
des i r e and o bse ssio n
sp i r alling r a pidly o ut
of con trol
Red in tooth and claw
Layla’s desires take shape through modern
technology but they are primal and timeless.
Natural imagery, the teeming life that
surrounds us, shows the fight for life and
dominance that is nature; instinctive and
premoral.
DIRECTOR ’S BIOGRAPHY
REBECCA JOHNSON
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
2010 ELECTRIC
2009 TOP GIRL
2008 SW9GGA LIKE US
2008 HOME TURF
2005 BALLING FOR BRIXTON
2003 ONE MINUTE MIRACLES
2001 THAT SINKING FEELING
Rebecca Johnson started out making
installation films at art school before
moving into narrative filmmaking with
THAT SINKING FEELING in 2001. The
film featured an original score by Michael
Nyman, was nominated for a Kodak Award
and won Best Story prize at Reus Film
Festival.
Rebecca was featured as one of Screen
International’s Stars of Tomorrow 2009 and
selected for the prestigious Guiding Lights
programme, where she was mentored by
Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass.
Both Paul and his Oscar-winning editor Chris
Rouse continue to play mentoring roles in
Rebecca’s writing and career.
Since 2004, Rebecca has been making
films with young people in Brixton
through her not-for-profit company Fierce
Productions. Projects are run as training
and mentoring programmes as well as film
productions. This has shaped both Rebecca’s
writing and her working process.
In 2010, Rebecca was awarded
development funding from the UK Film
Council (now BFI) for HONEYTRAP. She
made her TV directing debut in 2011
on drama pilot Tatau (Touchpaper), a
backpacker murder-mystery shot in the
Cooke Islands, developed through drama
workshops and shot without a script.
In 2009, Rebecca’s short film TOP GIRL
screened at over 30 film festivals including
Berlin, Rotterdam, Clermont-Ferrand and Los
Angeles. It won widespread critical acclaim
and awards including:
• Jury Special Mention, Birds Eye View,
London.
• Black Talent Award, Supershorts, London
• Best Actress, Best Screenplay and Best
Cinematography, BFI Black Filmmakers
Festival
• Sales to broadcasters including Canal +
via sales agent Futureshorts
Watch TOPGIRL here
Rebecca’s other short films include
ELECTRIC, HOME TURF and BALLING FOR
BRIXTON. She is represented by agent Laura
Rourke at Independent Talent.
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PRODUCER ’S BIOGRAPHY
SARAH SULICK
CAST
Born and raised in the US, Sarah settled
in the UK in the late 90s and started her
film career working in acquisitions. She
produced the feature film The Waiting Room
(Roger Goldby), a contemporary South
London-set romance starring Anne-Marie
Duff, which premiered at the Edinburgh
Film Festival in 2007 and was selected for
Best of the Fest. The film sold to Lionsgate
for the UK, IFC Films for the US, and E1 for
Canada as well as 14 other international
territories through E1 International. Lionsgate
released the film in UK cinemas in 2008.
Rebecca’s trademark is the incredible
performances she brings out of young,
untrained actors. Intensive drama workshops
before shooting build strong bonds that
enable them to work with challenging
material.
HONEYTRAP will use the same casting
process as TOP GIRL – searching for young
people via agencies, theatres, schools,
community centres and street casting.
Amanda Tabak (Kidulthood) specialises in
this approach and is on board as Casting
Director.
Sarah was selected for the ACE network of
European producers in 2008 and continues
to be an active member.
www.candidcasting.co.uk
She is the primary producer and MD at her
production company Bright Pictures, which
has received development awards for its
slate of projects from the BFI, the European
MEDIA programme, and an eclectic mix
of private investors such as Oscar-winning
lyricist Sir Tim Rice and Quintessentially
founder Aaron Simpson. Bright Pictures’
mission is to produce feature films with
emerging filmmakers that have artistic,
social and commercial value.
As with US indies Kids or Winter’s Bone, we
intend HONEYTRAP to launch the careers of
a new wave of young British stars.
www.brightpictures.co.uk
HONEYTRAP will be made as a coproduction between Bright Pictures and
Fierce Productions.
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From top left: Darren Miller, Dee Johnson, Percy Ascott,
Andrea Damons and Marcus Noble in ELECTRIC.
PRODUCTION TEAM
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Director of Photography
David Raedeker
Editor
Tracy Granger
Community Liaison
Julie Fawcett
David’s signature style is his beautiful
handheld camerawork. Rebecca first
collaborated with David on TOP GIRL
and has worked with him since at every
available opportunity.
Best known for her work on Kimberly Peirce’s
Oscar-winning debut feature Boys Don’t Cry,
Tracy lives and breathes filmmaking and
her commitment to projects she works on is
legendary.
David won the Best Cinematographer Award
at the Sundance Film Festival 2012 for his
work on Sally El Hosaini’s feature debut My
Brother the Devil.
Rebecca worked with Tracy on ELECTRIC
where she created a tight, powerful multicharacter piece from an exhaustive amount
of improvised footage.
Julie Fawcett MBE has run the Community
Centre on Stockwell Park estate in the
heart of Brixton for more than thirty years.
Rebecca bases herself from the centre in a
production office where young people run
in and out and dogs and cats are frequent
visitors.
David was also selected for Guiding
Lights, where he was mentored by Paul
Greengrass’s DOP Barry Ackroyd –
alongside Rebecca’s mentorship by Paul.
Tracy is also lifelong friends with Rebecca’s
mentor, Oscar-winning editor Chris Rouse,
and his feedback will be a valuable
addition to the conversation in editing
HONEYTRAP.
www.davidraedeker.com
www.unitedagents.co.uk/tracy-granger
Julie helps support the young people taking
part in Fierce projects and is a first port of
call for advice or resources. Her backing
has paved the way to Rebecca’s trusted
position in the community, without which
none of her films could be made.
www.thetrust.org.uk
TRAINING AND
MENTORING PROGRAMME
CASE STUDIES
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Rebecca directing Rumbi Mautsi on the set of TOP GIRL.
HONEYTRAP will incorporate a training and mentoring programme as an integral part
of production. Young people will work alongside a professional crew and feed back on
every aspect of the film. They will feel a strong sense of ownership over the project –
something we will harness to help the film reach its audience.
Many young people Fierce work with have fallen through social safety nets. Fierce
provides media training but, just as importantly, its projects help young people acquire
transferable skills that lead them into social inclusion and integrate them into their
community.
pr ojects THAT he l p yo ung
peop le aCq u i r e
tranSferable skills
Geary Barnes
Liam Joseph
Rebecca first met Geary on Stockwell Park
estate in the run up to making TOP GIRL. He
had just been discharged from six years in the
army, having joined up aged fifteen. After six
months in Iraq, he was in a state of controlled
shock, unsure where he was going in his life.
Liam’s childhood was unsettled and he
became a father at sixteen. He was involved
in a minor way on two Fierce projects but
became a key drama workshop member on
ELECTRIC. Initially shy and reluctant, Liam was
supported by his peers and coaxed out of his
shell. He gives a wonderful performance in
the film, much of which was also shot in his
flat!
Geary’s military training meant he fitted
incredibly well into the filmmaking machine
and the respect he commanded meant he
implemented discipline down, turning younger
boys into valuable crew members.
Geary has become an essential part of
Rebecca’s team and has worked on every
film she has made over the last five years. He
played the central character ELECTRIC as well
as running the shoot as First Assistant Director.
David Raedeker then recommended him as
a paid Runner on US Studio feature Captain
America. On HONEYTRAP Geary will
continue his professional development working
with an experienced First AD.
Before the start of the project, Liam was on
the verge of leaving his construction course,
despondent over perceived rejections from
tutors and because he couldn’t afford to study.
After the project, Rebecca helped Liam secure
a grant from the Walcot Foundation and he
returned to college – and was chosen as
Student of the Year for his work. He has now
completed the three-year course and is in full
time employment.
MUSIC
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Music is integral to the world of
HONEYTRAP. Troy is a rapper and this
plays a big part in creating his street
celebrity status - and the reason Layla falls
for him so hard. We will be looking to
Skwilla, the rapper/producer who scored
TOP GIRL, to create the grime/gangsta
tracks Troy and his crew produce.
Rebecca has developed relationships with
a range of South London artists and we are
looking to extend this network by working
with our contacts at RWD, the UK’s biggest
urban music magazine. We are also
working with a Music Supervisor to source
more emerging talent – both signed and
unsigned.
In addition to Skwilla, artists on board so
far include new Polydor signing Russo and
critically acclaimed grime MC Killa P (ex
Roll Deep) – who all hail from Brixton.
The HONEYTRAP soundtrack album will be
compiled and produced with a company
like Bucks Music Group, who created the
soundtrack for the producer’s previous film.
www.russomusic.co.uk
Brixton born talent: From top Rapper/producer Skwilla,
Urban Music Award Winner/Ex-Roll Deep Grime MC
Killa P, Russo - newly signed to Polydor, her debut album
is released Spring 2013.
soundcloud.com/killa-p-music
uk.myspace.com/skwillasdg
www.rwdmag.com/music
www.bucksmusicgroup.com
MARKETING AND
DISTRIBUTION
Our audience will be:
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Festival Premiere and Sales
• Urban adults (25+), who seek out critically well-reviewed films
• Urban young people (15-25), both sexes, who relate to story and cast and listen to
soundtrack artists
Cultivating our Audience
Along with traditional marketing: posters, trailer, print ads, etc., social media will be key to
our marketing strategy. Our approach will be three-stage:
1. Fundraising
3. Festivals/run up to release
• create a profile and start to develop a
fan base
• recruit unit publicist/PR company
• crowdfunding promo sent to potential
donors and future audience, then
virally spread
2. Production
HONEYTRAP will premiere at a prestigious
international film festival where it will be
sold to independent distributors around the
world.
The producer achieved this on her previous
feature and is experienced in individual
festival programming preferences. Rebecca
has ties with Berlin, Rotterdam, and Los
Angeles, who selected TOP GIRL and will
be natural first ports of call.
• issue-led features in broadsheets as
well as reviews. Features and reviews
in film industry trades
• target film and urban music blogs
and magazines e.g. Grime Daily and
RWD
• dedicated film pages on facebook,
twitter and tumblr
• engage with networks focused on
young people/womens’ issues/knife
crime prevention
• cast, soundtrack artists and networks
of young people post content from
rehearsal, on-set etc.
• link TOP GIRL - more than 65,000
views and over 1000 views per week
- with HONEYTRAP trailer
• continues as the film is sold to
distributors
• use grassroots social networking to
spread all of the above content
• look at possible promotions with
WhatsApp, Blackberry Messenger
and other free message and
networking services used heavily by
young people.
Shanice Samuels in ELECTRIC.
PRODUCTION FINANCE
OUR MISSION
The production budget of HONEYTRAP is
under £1million, to be financed primarily
through donations via our crowdfunding
platform and grant/corporate social
responsibility funding. Sarah and Rebecca
both have strong track records in fundraising
and have secured an initial £20k grant from
the Walcot Foundation.
Our mission is to make the film we want
with freedom and speed, building on the
skills and relationships that have brought
us success and recognition so far. With
HONEYTRAP, we know we can create
a compelling, ground-breaking piece of
cinema which stands out very clearly from
the crowd.
We will cashflow the UK Film Tax Relief
through an established discounter and will
also seek further funding from the BFI, who
supported the script’s development, as we
near production.
Part of what will make it stand out will be
the way we make it: through a production
experience working together with young
people who are among those worst affected
by the issues in the story.
UK Broadcasters will be approached, as will
international sales companies and theatrical
distributors, after HONEYTRAP premieres at
a major film festival. The producer’s previous
film successfully used this strategy and
recouped its production budget.
Lambeth has the worst youth knife crime
statistics of any London borough. The
production of HONEYTRAP will provide a
summer-long activity in an area where there
is little else provided. It will directly involve
30-40 young people but will also have a
knock-on effect on the community around
them.
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HONEYTRAP will create an opportunity
for young people to prove themselves. It
will provide training, mentoring and work
experience for their CVs but it will also
create something the young people can be
immensely proud of – and their community
will be proud of them too.
Rather than tax-breaks and profitparticipation, HONEYTRAP offers
involvement in a grass-roots project for
social change. Any profits will be put
towards Fierce and Bright Pictures’ next
project and continuing to work with young
people from our community.
We welcome contributions of any size as
well as in-kind support and are happy to
discuss our plans in more detail. We hope
you are inspired by our vision and will be
part of it with us.
TIMELINE 2013-14
SPRING 2013 – CASTING & WORKSHOPS
SUMMER 2013 – PREP & PRODUCTION
AUTUMN 2013 – POST PRODUCTION
EARLY 2014 – BRIXTON CAST & CREW
SCREENING - ALL FUNDERS WILL BE
INVITED!
Sarah Sulick
Bright Pictures Ltd
52 Talbot Road
London N6 4QP
United Kingdom
Tel +44 (0) 208 341 4268
Mob +44 (0) 7808 768 994
www.brightpictures.co.uk
sarah.sulick@brightpictures.co.uk