ASSASSIN: INDIE CRIME DRAMA. We open on scene from a movie.

A hit has been sanctioned by an anonymous voice at the end of a payphone at an isolated roadway Diner-Gas station. The hitman, a grizzled unforgiving soulless character, strikes with coldhearted clarity leaving pain and suffering in his wake. His unflinching ruthlessness continues as he hijacks a young cowboys pick up truck to make his getaway and the Viasat Action TV1000 logo is revealed on the gas station totem as he drives off into the distance.

Task:

Re-brand 3 Viasat film channels: TV1000, ACTION TV1000, & PYCCKOE KNHO TV1000. Deliver ‘day’ & ‘night’ films for each channel. Deliver 1 x 40", 5 x 30", 6 x 20" & 6 x 10" original films, not cutdowns.

Approach:

Create scenes that feel like they are from movies and show Viasat as the film-makers choice of channel. Shoot two executions a day over 3 x 11hour days (inc. prep/shoot/strike) in LA.

Challenges:

‘Venice’ - £70k budget approx; 7hrs inc. prep/strike. Day 1 of filming. Director often had to be content with 1 take on shots due to the time limits. Delays caused by no lock down allowed on Venice beach (state law), homeless and pedestrians/cars were part of our ‘live set’; Extra’s turning up late; Camera hadn’t been set for 100fps so had to adjust shotlist/shooting style on the day; Deep grooves along concrete pier causing tracking issues for rickshaw meaning each one had to be meticulously filled before we could film. Needed beach, harbour AND parks authority approvals to film – very challenging in the time.

Overall - Day 2 of filming (2 exterior hill locations) saw the worst rain storm in 3 years hit LA with more rain falling in 1 day than in the whole previous year (http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/28/local/la-me-rain-storm-20140301) We adapted our creative on the spot and still shot on brief and in an 11 hour day to deliver both executions that day. On Day 3 we faced shut down in the desert on a technicality in the location contract. Whilst negotiating/delaying with the authorities we managed, in under 45 minutes, to shoot a crane shot of the logo (1 take) and a full action run through on Assassin. Those shots are in the film we made.

Total Budget - £350k (including all cast/buyouts, post/audio) - massive ambition/crazy budget. Originally quoted £1 million.

Unique - ‘nothing like it in my 20 years of filming… shouldn’t have been possible’