When the NZ Film Commission requested ideas for low budget feature films, our initial idea was to make a pseudo-documentary with hand-held cameras (shot on the Canon 5D MkII), with low production values, like “The Magician” or “Paranormal Activity”. But we thought that there would be a torrent of such low budget movies being made with the new, cheap HD cameras, and we wanted a point of differentiation.

We decided to go for a film that looked beautiful and has high production values, but with a limited number of characters in one, single location. A lot of time and money is spent moving cast and crew from one location to another and setting up each shot. If we could restrict ourselves to one location, with one set-up, then we could shoot the film in three to four weeks and save a lot of money.

But what’s an interesting location that could sustain an entire feature film? A space ship? Haunted house? We decided to go for the genre of “submarine movie”. Once we had decided on that idea, the story unfolded fairly naturally: a group of environmentalists on a mission to the Antarctic to sink Japanese whaling ships.

We explored a few variations on this story. Was it a comedy or a love story? Was it set in the present or in the future? We even explored the option of a “steam punk” film set in a parallel fantasy universe. And then there was the question of how a group of activists might obtain a submarine. Could they build one? Hijack an American military sub? Buy an old Russian submarine from a corrupt General of a break-away Soviet republic? In the end, we opted for the story that we are now presenting in this script: a psychological thriller set in the 1980s on a restored German uboat. This seemed to offer the most possibilities.

I think it’s fair to say that we are still exploring those possibilities and are still in the process of developing the script, applying the genre throughout the story, and honing the characters.

I am exceedingly fortunate to have Riwia Brown as a mentor and script consultant, and I have been able to talk over the story and develop the characters with her.

One of the reasons we decided to go for a "psychological thriller" is because it is a popular genre that has a ready-made audience. This is important because we want to make a film that people will see - ideally, a commercial, cinematic release. There seems no point in making a film that no one sees or that is shown once at a film festival. Our intention, then, is to make a film that has commercial appeal. I want to prove to the Film Commission that I am able to make a commercial feature film, so that I will be a good investment for future film projects. At the same time, I want to make an intelligent movie, not a mindless horror or slasher film. I would like to explore some issues in my film: NZ history, the nature of protest and the philosophical question about whether people are basically good or inherently bad. I think the idea of putting (more or less!) ordinary people in a situation of life and death is interesting. Ara is a dedicated pacifist who wants to love everyone and be at peace with the world. But even she ends up killing Mason and Gina to survive. This "Lord of the Flies" scenario has lots of potential, not only as a thrilling story, but also as a intelligent exploration of human nature.

I see this film as a stepping stone for my film career. For the last few years I have been working my way up the funding ladder. My brother and I received two lots of funding from the Screen Innovation Production Fund and we made two short animated films ("Pearl, Florrie and the Bull" and "The Paselode Story") which were well received by audiences. We then received $100,000 from the Film Commission to make a ten minute short film ("A Very Nice Honeymoon"). I am now ready to progress to the next stage - a low budget feature film. And after that, I very much hope to be able to progress to the next level of funding: a feature film with a multi-million dollar budget.

For me, then, this Escalator round of funding is strategically vital. It is an escalator up the funding chain and an essential step in my film career. As such, this film is a learning exercise in which I can acquire some important skills in order to progress to the next level. Working with some highly skilled people, such as Fred Renata and Debrah Kelleher, is going to be exceedingly helpful. I will be leaning heavily on their expertise and knowledge when I direct this film, and will surround myself with competent and experienced people who can help me make a great film.

I am aware of the truism that one should write about what one knows about. This is why I have chosen to write about activists. Many of my closest friends are in the protest movement and I have drawn heavily on them in creating my characters in this film. I am particularly informed by my friendship with the three Christian anarchists who deflated the spy dome at Waihopai and have incorporated conversations and people that were part of that protest action in my script.

The differences and conflicts within the protest movement which appear in the movie are real. For example, there are two peace groups in Wellington which do not attend each other's protests because they disagree with each other. This conflict between Christians and anarchists has been included in the film, as does the discussion about the legitimacy of violence in effecting change.

I am very committed to the idea of making a film that looks beautiful, and I am confident that Fred Renata and I, working with the art department, will be able to create a film that looks stunning. I always love long takes, and want to begin the film with a ten minute single shot that takes us from one end of the submarine to the other while we are introduced to each of the characters in turn. Such a shot will, of course, be difficult to achieve, especially as we have to pass through small doors and portholes, but I am confident that such an opening to the film will be worth the effort.

I also want to convey a sense of the claustrophobia of the submarine with close, tight shots. And, of course, I want to create a space that is frightening and creepy. One of the challenges of this story is to give the audience a sense of fear: they must feel the character's terror at being trapped in a metal coffin with no hope of escape, when the air is running out and they know they are about to die.

I am hoping that we will be successful in this funding application and that this is our escalator ride up to even bigger and better things. And in the process, I hope I can create a film which is a commercial success, critically acclaimed, and which makes the NZ Film Commission look good.