Dead Frequency

Debut film Dead Frequency on contest shortlist
Nov 13 2010
by Evening Chronicle

A VAMPIRE film set in Newcastle has got its teeth stuck into an international film festival.

Dead Frequency, dubbed a gritty love story with a vampire twist, has defied its independent roots and gone on to be shortlisted to screen at The Stepping Stone Festival in India.

Writer and director Rob Burrows, of Birtley, Gateshead, was bowled over after finding out his first ever film was selected as one of 21 finalists in the feature film category.

Rob said: "There’s only one other film from the UK and about nine from the USA. There’s quite a lot of competition."

But Rob, who works as an accident and emergency practitioner, has confidence in Dead Frequency, which took nearly a year to finish from writing to final editing.

"I wrote the script and I hadn’t done one before. I really wanted to have it made into a film but nobody wants to hire a writer – they usually have agents. So I formed a company called Solarus (CORR) Films and did it myself."

Rob made sure that the cast and crew were made up of local talent so there would be an authenticity to the Geordie script.

He said: "I found that there’s some very good talent here. You find that everything seems to work from London so that’s why I set this up here."

They filmed all over the North East from Newcastle to County Durham to Sunderland, including iconic locations such as Newcastle’s Central Station and Saltwell Park in Gateshead.

The film follows late-night radio talk show host Sam Stewart who is battling personal demons while also trying to hold down his job and a stable relationship with co-worker Emily.

But a new colleague at the station threatens to reveal their vampire tendencies to the world.

Leading lady Michaela Marshall said she enjoyed being involved with a film that was so close to her home.

The 21-year-old, from Sunderland, added: "It was nice because I felt secure and knew I wasn’t too far from home."

And she now has her sights set on the film taking off after The Stepping Stone Festival in December and is hoping her acting career will flourish as a result.

Rob is currently in the process of pulling together a cast for his next big screen venture, Entwinement. (CORR).

He’s hoping the psychological drama, which will begin filming in Newcastle next year, will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2010/11/13/debut-film-dead-frequency-on-contest-shortlist-72703-27652927/

For further news, check with: http://www.deadfrequency.co.uk/ and Twitter (details on the site) for details as they become available.

It should be receiving its UK Premiere at Cinewold Boldon in February (Cert.15) - so if you take your car, don't leave anything valuable in it.