Casimir Effect started out as a short story idea Lydia Wood wrote for the NewCon Sci-Fi convention, but it was never finished and for many years it sat in the bottom of an electronic filing cabinet picking up virtual dust.

In November 2008, Gabriel Strange and Lydia Wood were driving back from university after watching a handful of third year films; they were good, but decided that for their film they needed to go that extra mile to put themselves on the film industry’s map.

By March 2009 they had their step outline and it sat around for a month or so while they thought about it. After the outline had gathered some real dust it was time to brush it off and start working on the treatment, which turned into a novella. To cut a long story short by November 2009 they were several months into development, had most of the key roles cast, half of the Heads of Departments and production was going very well indeed.

Our Aim is True

The Team’s aim was always to do something beyond what had been seen previously from UK short films. They looked at new technology, named actors and spectacular locations, for all this to work they needed a fantastic script which they now have. Aiming to write and develop a multi character storyline, where each character has their own wants and needs rather than the single character narrative, which is normally seen in short film. They knew the film would have to be longer than 20 minutes, but never thought they would get it close to 50 minutes. After many months of work condensing, rewriting, redrafting and breakdowns, a script baby was born, that actors want to love and help mature. The script that reflects what they want to do professionally rather than the product of social or political events, or problems we face in our everyday lives; they created a story that is a comment on the human condition.

“I got twenty pages into the script and realised this isn’t a student film.”
– John Jenner, 2009.

With a script under their belt they set out looking for the right actors, wanting to stay with local talent, but still go with someone who has been in the eye of the media recently. Gabriel & Lydia approached Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto in Torchwood) he came back wanting to be part of this film and offering advice from his work with other productions, in turn they offered him the role of Executive Producer.  Now the team had the foundation to create the film the script deserves and go beyond the scope they previously thought possible.

The Casimir Effect team looked into the latest CGI techniques and technologies, as well as guerrilla film making, to make the film and bring it in on a very low budget. Everyone who was on board at the start of pre production had offered their time for free, and the team hoped that the future would bring more people to the film who shared their vision.

Filming and Post Production

Casimir Effect was shot in two weeks last March, in the cold and wet south Wales weather. It was a huge undertaking, stressful, expensive (for the budget we had), but hopefully worthwhile. Now the film is firmly in post-production, a final edit is close to locked and the teaser trailers are bringing the film to life, as the special effects and motion graphics teams jump on board. The films score is also being developed alongside the edit.

The Future is Bright

The team will produce a high quality low budget film that draws the audience into the journey of Dr. Alice Sharpe. The end result will be finished in time to premiere at Cannes 2011, from there Casimir Effect will be taken around the international film circuit, building notoriety for all involved and promotion for all those who have helped the team along the way.

As per usual money is always the bear lurking behind the shirts in the closet.  At the moment the team are looking for sponsorship to get through post production, and everyone who helps will get mentioned at every opportunity the team has. So if you’re an individual or a company that wants to help support a bold and ambitious film, please visit the Fundraising Sections Section.

Please support us by donating, or check out the Fundraising section.
Donate £5	Donate £10	Donate £25	Donate £50	Other
Terms & Conditions