The Wanting Mare
The Wanting Mare | |
---|---|
Directed by | Nicholas Ashe Bateman |
Written by | Nicholas Ashe Bateman |
Produced by | Nicholas Ashe Bateman, David A. Ross, Z. Scott Schaefer, Lawrence Inglee |
Starring | Jordan Monaghan, Nicholas Ashe Bateman, Edmond Cofie, Christine Kellogg-Darrin, Josh Clark, Yasamin Keshtkar |
Cinematography | David A. Ross |
Edited by | Nicholas Ashe Bateman |
Music by | Aaron Boudreaux |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Gravitas Ventures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 89 minutes[2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Wanting Mare is a 2020 science fiction fantasy film written and directed by Nicholas Ashe Bateman.
Plot
[edit]In a post-apocalyptic realm called Anmaere, an annual drive ships wild horses from a rundown city called Whithren to another, far-off city, Levithen. Many denizens of Whithren hope to board the boat with the horses and travel to Levithen, which they believe holds a more promising future for them.
Cast
[edit]- Jordan Monaghan - Moira
- Ashleigh Nutt - young Moira
- Christine Kellogg-Darrin - old Moira
- Nicholas Ashe Bateman - young Lawrence
- Josh Clark - old Lawrence
- Yasamin Keshtkar - Eirah
- Edmond Cofie - Hadeon
- Maxine Muster - Elien
Development
[edit]The Wanting Mare is Bateman's first feature-length film; he did not attend film school, had no visual effects training, and worked independently on the film's development, part of which was funded through a campaign on the crowdsourcing website Indiegogo.[3] [4] Bateman credits the earliest inspirations of the film to be Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'[5][6]
The film took over five years to make, and has over 500 visual effects shots[7][8]. Cinematographer David A. Ross used a Sony A7SII with Anamorphic lenses[9]. Bateman shot much of the film in a storage unit in Paterson, New Jersey;[10][11] while other shots were filmed along the coast of the northeastern United States and in Nova Scotia, Canada.[12]
The film was largely shot on green-screen[13] and composited in After Effects and Blender[12]. The film utilizes many digital matte paintings done by the director[14].
During the five years of production, Bateman lived in the office space that was used to edit the film and create the visual effects[13]. During this time, the group of Bateman, David A. Ross, Z. Scott Schaefer, and Cassandra Louise Baker founded the visual effects company Maere Studios[15][14].
Shane Carruth was involved as an executive producer for a time, but he removed his name from the project in 2020 after accusations of abuse against him were made public.[16][3] [17]
Reception
[edit]In his review, Eric Kohn of Indiewire called the film 'The Most Intriguing World-Building since 'The Matrix'[18].
Nerdist called it a 'dreamy, dazzling debut[19]' and Variety's Mark Keizer said in his review: "the film’s one unmistakable thrill is knowing its expansive world is the brainchild of one person, a first-time director who dropped out of college, never went to film school and worked for more than five years to fulfill a vision."
The film received a positive review from Wired,[20] The Los Angeles Times[21], RogerEbert.com[22] and mixed reviews from IndieWire,[23] RogerEbert.com,[24] and Polygon.[25]
References
[edit]- ^ Mack, Andrew (May 22, 2020). "Chattanooga 2020 Review: THE WANTING MARE, A Fantastical and Haunting Fable". ScreenAnarchy.
- ^ "Movie Review: The Wanting Mare". The Austin Chronicle. Feb 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "'The Wanting Mare' Review: A Visually Transporting Fable". Variety. Feb 5, 2021.
- ^ Turner, Alix (2022-02-02). "The Wanting Mare: An Interview with Writer-Director Nicholas Ashe Bateman". Film Obsessive. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Eye For Film: Interview with Nicholas Ashe Bateman about The Wanting Mare". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Nicholas Ashe Bateman: "The only real piece of advice that I imagine I can have for anyone is to continue and continue at all costs"". CLAPPER. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ admin (2021-03-16). "VFX Voice - The Wanting Mare and the Dream that Became Reality". VFX Voice Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "the wanting mare making of - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "This Filmmaker Made a Fantasy Epic With No Major Studio Support | No Film School". nofilmschool.com. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Patches, Matt (May 19, 2020). "This futuristic fantasy was almost entirely shot in a storage unit". Polygon.
- ^ Feldberg, Isaac (Aug 24, 2020). "Nine Film Festival Favorites That Deserve a Home - Festivals & Awards". rogerebert.com.
- ^ a b "This indie film with more than 500 VFX shots took more than 5 years to make". befores & afters. Jan 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Failes, Ian (2021-01-20). "This indie film with more than 500 VFX shots took more than 5 years to make". befores & afters. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ a b thefilmmakerspodcast (2022-03-08). "Masterclass on VFX; Directing, Mental Health, and the Making of The Wanting Mare with writer/director Nicholas Ashe Bateman". The Filmmakers Podcast. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "About Us". MAERE STUDIOS. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Kohn, Eric (2020-05-22). "Shane Carruth Is Quitting Filmmaking and Using His Anger to Help a Young Director". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Daniels, Robert (2020-05-21). "Shane Carruth Discusses The World-Building In The New Indie Fable, 'The Wanting Mare' [Interview]". The Playlist. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ Kohn, Eric (2021-02-05). "'The Wanting Mare' Review: The Most Intriguing Sci-Fi World-Building Since 'The Matrix'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "THE WANTING MARE Is a Dreamy, Dazzling Fantasy Debut". Nerdist. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Review: 'The Wanting Mare' Is the Most Visual Fantasy in Recent Memory". Wired. Feb 12, 2021.
- ^ Murray, Noel (2021-02-04). "Review: Persistence is required in the mythic land of 'The Wanting Mare'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "Nine Film Festival Favorites That Deserve a Home | Festivals & Awards | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. 2020-08-21. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- ^ "'The Wanting Mare' Review: Sci-Fi World is 'The Matrix' in Miniature". IndieWire. Feb 5, 2021.
- ^ Hadadi, Roxana (Feb 5, 2021). "The Wanting Mare movie review (2021)". rogerebert.com.
- ^ Hassenger, Jesse (Feb 4, 2021). "The Wanting Mare is a special-effects triumph for indie sci-fi". Polygon.
External links
[edit]- The Wanting Mare at IMDb
- 'Making the Wanting Mare' a behind the scenes documentary on Youtube