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The Wanting Mare
Film poster
Directed byNicholas Ashe Bateman
Written byNicholas Ashe Bateman
Produced byNicholas Ashe Bateman, David A. Ross, Z. Scott Schaefer, Lawrence Inglee
StarringJordan Monaghan, Nicholas Ashe Bateman, Edmond Cofie, Christine Kellogg-Darrin, Josh Clark, Yasamin Keshtkar
CinematographyDavid A. Ross
Edited byNicholas Ashe Bateman
Music byAaron Boudreaux
Production
company
Distributed byGravitas Ventures
Release dates
Running time
89 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Wanting Mare is a 2020 science fiction fantasy film written and directed by Nicholas Ashe Bateman.

Plot

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

Development

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

In his review, Eric Kohn of Indiewire called the film 'The Most Intriguing World-Building since 'The Matrix'[18].

A behind-the-scenes still from the documentary 'Making The Wanting Mare'

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

  1. ^ Mack, Andrew (May 22, 2020). "Chattanooga 2020 Review: THE WANTING MARE, A Fantastical and Haunting Fable". ScreenAnarchy.
  2. ^ "Movie Review: The Wanting Mare". The Austin Chronicle. Feb 12, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "'The Wanting Mare' Review: A Visually Transporting Fable". Variety. Feb 5, 2021.
  4. ^ Turner, Alix (2022-02-02). "The Wanting Mare: An Interview with Writer-Director Nicholas Ashe Bateman". Film Obsessive. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  5. ^ "Eye For Film: Interview with Nicholas Ashe Bateman about The Wanting Mare". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ admin (2021-03-16). "VFX Voice - The Wanting Mare and the Dream that Became Reality". VFX Voice Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  8. ^ "the wanting mare making of - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  9. ^ "This Filmmaker Made a Fantasy Epic With No Major Studio Support | No Film School". nofilmschool.com. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  10. ^ Patches, Matt (May 19, 2020). "This futuristic fantasy was almost entirely shot in a storage unit". Polygon.
  11. ^ Feldberg, Isaac (Aug 24, 2020). "Nine Film Festival Favorites That Deserve a Home - Festivals & Awards". rogerebert.com.
  12. ^ a b "This indie film with more than 500 VFX shots took more than 5 years to make". befores & afters. Jan 20, 2021.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "About Us". MAERE STUDIOS. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  16. ^ Kohn, Eric (2020-05-22). "Shane Carruth Is Quitting Filmmaking and Using His Anger to Help a Young Director". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Kohn, Eric (2021-02-05). "'The Wanting Mare' Review: The Most Intriguing Sci-Fi World-Building Since 'The Matrix'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  19. ^ "THE WANTING MARE Is a Dreamy, Dazzling Fantasy Debut". Nerdist. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  20. ^ "Review: 'The Wanting Mare' Is the Most Visual Fantasy in Recent Memory". Wired. Feb 12, 2021.
  21. ^ Murray, Noel (2021-02-04). "Review: Persistence is required in the mythic land of 'The Wanting Mare'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  22. ^ "Nine Film Festival Favorites That Deserve a Home | Festivals & Awards | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. 2020-08-21. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  23. ^ "'The Wanting Mare' Review: Sci-Fi World is 'The Matrix' in Miniature". IndieWire. Feb 5, 2021.
  24. ^ Hadadi, Roxana (Feb 5, 2021). "The Wanting Mare movie review (2021)". rogerebert.com.
  25. ^ Hassenger, Jesse (Feb 4, 2021). "The Wanting Mare is a special-effects triumph for indie sci-fi". Polygon.
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