Finding the truth doesn't always set you free...
The Lying Detective is a 10-minute Pilot following our fictional character Detective Inspector James Marks on his journey to avenge his murdered partner. It examines the worlds of grief, guilt and revenge, showing how these emotions can influence our actions and completely change us as people.
A crime story examining moral ambiguity...
This story is a Crime Mystery. It examines the psychological impact of death, revenge and abuse on a person, as well as what can drive a person to corruption. It delves deep into the mind of an individual you, as an audience member, can't quite put your finger on whether you like or not...
Our Director Muaaz Chowdhury has been developing this story for almost a year and at its heart, it seeks to show there is no Right or Wrong. The real world is filled with many grey areas. Not everyone is right and not everyone is good. The film really tries to dive into the darker themes of Human Nature and create a story and characters that make you question your own concepts of morality.
WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP!
With your donations we can bring a story to screen which really makes audiences think about their own sense of right and wrong - and where they stand with certain ideas.
More on the plot...
Detective Inspector James Marks is fighting for justice for his partner Detective Inspector Jerry Allens, murdered at the hands of ‘The Eternals’ - a drug ring the two had been trying to bring down for three years.
Disavowed by the system he has fought for, Marks takes matters into his own hands and vows to finish the biggest case of his career but he’s not alone. Aided by his former partner's final message to him, he’s given the clues he needs to take down ‘The Eternals’ once and for all.
He’ll do anything to solve the case but what will it cost him?
Who Are We?
You've read about the story, now it's time to meet the team:
Muaaz Chowdhury
Writer & Director
Muaaz is a 3rd Year Television Student, specialising in Directing and Writing. He's had many opportunities to showcase his writing skills having worked on many Television Studio Shows and has started branching out into his preferred field of Location Drama, working as a 1st Assistant Director, Camera Operator and Director. He is very excited the project has been 'Green-Lit' and is working extremely hard to get the ball rolling on this project.
Usaama Naji
Producer
Usaama is a hard working, committed team player who shines in his ability to fit into any situation and work to achieve what is best for the project at hand. Currently he is the Producer for both The Lying Detective and a multi-camera studio show that will be looking into racism within sports. He is very excited to be working on this project and will be pivotal to ensuring our sets and paperwork are finalised, and that all of our objectives are met.
The rest of the crew!
Ella Dawson - Gorton, Director of photography
Ella is a 3rd Year Film Student and specialises in Cinematography. Last year she took lead roles on a number of successful projects, including Double or Quits and The Tobacco Shop and will be crucial in bringing this story to life. She loves helping to make diverse and compelling projects. Ella is looking forward to bringing The Lying Detective to life and to creating an interesting and unique visual style for the film.
Matt Sewell, Camera operator
Matt Sewell is a Television Student who specialises in Camera and has a lot of experience in both Camera Operation for Personal Projects and as a Director for his own Short Film. Matt will be a very dynamic crew member in our production and key to ensuring we get the best shots for our film. He's very excited to be working on The Lying Detective and helping us achieve our vision.
Luke Hyde, 1st assistant Director
Luke Hyde is a 3rd year Television Production student specialising in Television Drama Direction and Post-Production. He has directed and shadow-directed a very successful University Multi-Studio and Single-Camera sitcom. On The Lying Detective, he will be the First Assistant Director, ensuring we stay on track during our intensive shoot days. He is looking forward to the role and both its challenges and opportunities!
Tosia Szarmach, Lighting director
Tosia Szarmach is a very talented Television Production Student who has spent the last three years honing her skills in Lighting in both a Multi-Camera Studio and Location Drama setting. Someone with an amazing eye for detail, she expressed her interest in getting involved in The Lying Detective due to her own passion for crime mysteries. She will be an amazing addition to the team and play a key role in giving the film a truly unique look.
Peter Charnock, POst-production editor
Peter Charnock is a very passionate Cinematographer and Post-Production Editor - two roles that go hand-in-hand when trying to craft together a story. He has worked many times as a Camera Operator and understands the craft of storytelling. This plays excellently into his post-production skills. Peter is very excited to be working on The Lying Detective and is looking forward to the challenge!
Our plan of action
Everyone on the project has a strong passion for their craft and what we are trying to achieve but if it's going to become a reality, we need to do it right!
That's why we need your help. We want this story to look the best it possibly can and to do this, we need to raise £2,000. You are the key to making that happen!
But where did this £2000 figure come from?
Well, let's take a look...
As our Director Muaaz says: "Filmmaking is an expensive form of art but with the help of a great community like YOU we can make this project a reality!"
Here's a bit more information on where your money will go:
- Locations: £500 - Our ambition is to film our first two scenes alongside a cliff on the South Coast of England, as well as in other locations such as a cafe setting and more. This part of the budget will ensure we secure locations that are not only stunning but make the film look as authentic as possible.
- Transport: £350 - As mentioned above, we wish to film in some places outside of London, so we will need to get our crew, cast and equipment to our locations and back again.
- Food: £300 - We are planning for a 4-5 day shoot. Making sure our cast and crew are properly fed on these intensive shoot days will be crucial to keeping our energy and morale up.
- Wardrobe: £200 - As the story is set around a Detective Inspector and many other intriguing characters, their costumes will be key to conveying who they are and giving the story a sense of realism.
- Art Direction: £150 - Much like the wardrobe, props and set dressings will help to create an extra sense of realism.
- Cast: £150 - This amount is a fair fixed value to secure our main actor for this demanding role so that he can give a really professional performance.
- Contingency: £200 - This might look like an odd one but filmmaking is always a very active world where anything can happen! This amount will enable us to cover any unexpected or additional costs. We're usually told to set aside 10% for Contingency and this is where this specific amount comes in.
- Others: £150 - This is for other production expenses including things like paperwork, the rental of an energy generator, etc.
If we hit our target, or more!
If we were to surpass our maximum, that would be absolutely amazing. We are already going to send the film to some festivals but there are others with higher entry fees, which we would then be able to enter. This would allow us to expose larger audiences to our film.
Additional funds would also allow for a more even flow of money across film departments to ensure every area runs as smoothly as possible.
Your rewards!
Every contribution and bit of support is massively appreciated! By supporting this film, it's as much your film as it is ours and we want to give you a huge heartfelt THANK YOU!
As well as this, you can also find a list of donor rewards on the right-hand side of this page.
I want to help but cannot donate?
If you really want to help us but are unable to donate, that's okay, there are still so many other ways you can help... one of the biggest ways is to spread the word about our project to others who might be interested in our project!
Get involved in the production:
We're always in need of talented artists, marketing experts, popular influencers, and skilled publishers. If you're a professional in your field and wish to give us some advice that would be fantastic too – as would any help with the shoot or feeding our cast/crew with your food!
Contact Us
Our inbox will always be open for you to offer suggestions and we're very happy to hear them. You'll be able to contact us via email as well as our social media channels below so be sure to follow them!
Follow Us
We'll be giving constant updates on our campaign and what your donations will be going towards on our social media channels, so be sure to check them out below!
We'll be constantly keeping our supporters and audience up to date on our social media channels so be sure to follow them if you want to track our campaign progress or find out more about our production journey, cast, crew, or the story itself. We'll also be sharing all the behind-the-scenes action on or social channels too! Just click on the links below:
Facebook: @TheLyingdetective
Instagram: @thelyingdetectiveshortfilm
Email: TheLYINGDETECTIVESHORTFILM@GMAIL.COM
Don't Forget...
You're the only ones who can make this a reality so we hope you'll consider donating. Be sure to spread the word about our project to as many people as possible! Let's make this film a reality!
