An abstract Radlett film director is raising funds for a follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut film.
Mark Crane, who lives near Loom Lane, Radlett, released his debut short film, Heaven’s Rage, in 2017, which received much acclaim at film festivals across the world, such as the Taos Pride Film Fest, the Walkerville Film Festival and San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Short Film Festival.
After the film’s success, Mark, who was a special effects technician on Superman IV and Labyrinth, is now aiming to make a follow up called Violet, which follows characters Beth and James in their unconventional love story which stretches into the afterlife.
Both Heaven’s Rage and Violet are original novels by author Leslie Tate, but Mark likes to put his own spin on his films – in Violet, the characters will be portrayed predominantly by puppets.
Mark said: “Telling Leslie I wanted to recreate his novel with puppets was a hard sell – and there isn’t likely to be any talking in it, which probably isn’t what he had in mind when writing the book.
“But I wanted to tell this love story visually, and make a kind of visual poem about the unique love story of these two people.
“In general there’s a warm feeling towards puppets here – Punch and Judy were loved, The Muppets was filmed here for a while – I think people will really warm to the characters.”
Mark has been getting an equally ‘warm feeling’ from fans he’s gained across the world from his festival success, who have helped raise £1,300 for Violet so far.
He added: “It’s great to have so many incredibly supportive people encouraging me from all over the world.
“If anything, that means more than the awards. Having that sort of following is the most important thing for me.”
To donate to Mark’s fundraising page or to see more about his films, go to theatreonwax.com/
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