What started as a New Year's resolution was turned into a script in just two weeks. Now Amit Tripuraneni's first feature is about to be completed.
On New Year's Eve the Northcote film-maker and tutor at South Seas Film School decided to move from short films and make a feature film. This was one resolution he kept. He wrote the script for Memories of Tomorrow within a fortnight.
Surely these are scary thoughts. That’s what a young director believes to be in store for mankind in his forthcoming movie, Memories of Tomorrow. |
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The finishing touches are being put on the film, billed as a psychological thriller. It follows two assasins who have escaped to New Zealand, and what happens when their old life catches up with them. There is already interest from overseas distributors.
The "fragementary shoot" was done on weekends at Bethells Beach, Rangitoto, Britomart, the Spencer on Byron Hotel in Takapuna and the studio at South Seas.
Amit did the South Seas Film course in 2003, and formed the independent film company Unkreative Artists with classmate Lance Wordsworth, director of photography and co-producer of Memories. When a job teaching editing came up at the school, Amit jumped at it. It offers him the best of both worlds - film-making and teaching.
"South Seas does support tutors doing their own work", says Amit, who was writer, director and co-producer of the feature. "It means we are in touch with industry practices, and know what we're teaching about it. You're constantly talking to people from the industry, forming friendships and relationships, getting contacts."
"Its been a good place to use as a production base, filming, meeting, editing. And we got help from the camera tutor."
It's also where the post production of Memories is being completed.
Amit hopes to have industry screenings from March, then he'll be preparing his next venture, a sci-fi film he hopes to begin next year.
He encourages budding film makers to have a go at their own films as the 'digital revolution' has made it possible to film with little to no budget.
"Now technology is so accessible that you can really get out and do it," he says, "If you have people who are passionate about what they're doing, at least you have an outlet to do it."
You can find trailers for Memories of Tomorrow on www.unkreative.com
