Project Detail

The Big Finish

Synopsis

An uncompromising black comedy about two social outcasts, The Big Finish is set at a college in Brighton on the last day of term. Misfit loners Gary (Gary Moreline) and Tom (Tom Woodman) decide to take their revenge on the bullying teachers and students who have made their school lives a misery. But what starts as a fairly harmless prank at the school dance soon escalates into bloody mayhem, all recorded on the twosome's camcorder.

The film marks the debut of the Heather brothers, who are best known for the musical Slice Of Saturday Night which had a three-year run in London's West End. Teaming up with their stage producer John Griffin, they set up Slice Films to develop feature films, focusing especially on digital video, on which they shot The Big Finish. "It's a fresh, young medium and that makes it very stimulating to work with," says Neil Heather. "We think that soon everything will be shot on digital because it's so fast and flexible and immediate."

It's also economical to work with and suited the brother's working methods. They began with a scripted narrative, then brought in their cast (including pupils from the Brighton college they were filming in) and went through a rigorous rehearsal process, whereby the actors learnt each scene, then improvised with their own dialogue for a more authentic teenage voice. The result was then filmed by Lea Heathers and the process would start again for the next scene.

The brothers are now making the follow-up, Sweet Dreams, again with a cast of newcomers. Meanwhile, they are shopping The Big Finish around the major international distributors.

Details

Year: 2000
Type of project: Features
Director: Lea Heather
Composer: Neil Heather, Lea Heather, John Heather.
Principal cast: Gary Moreline, Tom Woodman, Kevin Bishop, Barry McNicholl, Marcel McCalla, James Turnbull, Richard Freeman, Jane Peachey.

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

SLICE FILMS

35-37 William Road
London NW1 3ER
UK

T (44) 20 7388 3387

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