Blooded (film)
Encyclopedia
Blooded is a 2011
British
independent horror
/thriller film. Written by James Walker
, and produced by Magma Pictures
and Ptarmigan ACP, it is the directorial debut of Edward Boase. The film premiered at the Bradford International Film Festival on March 18, 2011.
The plot involves an animal rights action group calling themselves the "Real Animal League", which kidnaps five young deer hunters and then hunts them. It is filmed in a mockumentary
style, imitating a real documentary film
. As part of the promotion, distributor Revolver Entertainment
created a website, realanimalleague.com, for the fictional Real Animal League (RAL), which mentions the film. An email statement to the real animal rights group, Animal Liberation Front
(ALF), supposedly from the RAL claiming that the film misrepresented them, was reprinted on the ALF website. The Evening Standard
reported that the film "caused outrage after graphic scenes showing activists attacking five deer-stalkers were posted on the internet, in a viral publicity campaign," and the film's topic has provoked reactions from parties on both side of the hunting debate in the UK.
style, imitating a real documentary film
. It presents fictional events as though real, using interviews, and internet footage. The plot involves a group of five young deer hunters on a hunt in Scotland
. Eve Jourdan (Tracy Ifeachor
) bags a deer and is "blooded", a hunting ritual where the blood of a first kill is smeared on a hunter's face. The following morning, an extremist animal rights action group calling themselves the "Real Animal League", kidnaps the five, strips them to their underwear, and leaves each alone in different locations across the hills, setting them as prey of other hunters. The league films the events in first person
style as the five become the "game
" in a hunt, with the intention of using the footage as a warning to other hunters. It is their "documentary" footage that is the basis of the film.
created a website for the fictional Real Animal League (RAL), and a YouTube
channel for the RAL, which both mentioned the film. According to director Edward Boase, the production company created the appearance of a "fully-fledged animal rights website", with links to real organizations in order to make the fake organization appear authentic, but "not to the point where you couldn't find out that it wasn't real." As reported in First Post, the hunting incident in the film was fictional, there was no kidnapping, and there is no organization called the "Real Animal League". Revolver Entertainment's marketing department sent an email statement to the real animal rights group, Animal Liberation Front
(ALF), supposedly from the Real Animal League, claiming that the film misrepresented the RAL. The email was reprinted in its entirety on the ALF website. When the event and RAL were revealed as fictional, and after thousands of complaints, YouTube deemed the videos as inappropriate and removed the footage that had been posted under the guise of the Real Animal League of the film's protagonists being chased and forced into confessions, and subsequently deactivated the YouTube channel of the fictional RAL.
on April 1, 2011. A DVD release is planned for April 4, 2011, which will include extras such as commentary by film makers, extended interviews, the "making of Blooded", and the short film Home Video by Ed Boase.
" in any form, and "encourages debate".
The Evening Standard
wrote that the film "caused outrage after graphic scenes showing activists attacking five deer-stalkers were posted on the internet, in a viral publicity campaign."
The Independent
noted the film's controversial stance, and that as the film's asserted protagonists were a group of extreme animal activists, it generated "much chatter on the interweb" after clips appeared on Youtube. They wrote however, "it all has the whiff of a clever publicity stunt". This is a stance echoed in many other online reviews with suggestions that it is a mockumentary
that leaves the viewer with "no doubt that it is fabricated".. A website called Film Pilgrim. for example, noted that the project first began as an online viral video, but was expanded into a feature film, writing that the expanded footage "has many people debating about the authenticity of the footage." They praised the film's score, writing "The soundtrack for Blooded is one of its most rewarding elements", being "the bulk of the glue that holds the film together." They offered that the "idea of turning an internet viral video into a feature film/documentary is a pretty interesting concept", but that the film fell flat stylistically in that the "reconstructed footage feels like an actual film which detracts from the realism that the original virals created". They speculated in their review that there was in fact no such organization as the Real Animal League at all, and that the film was created as a hoax in the Blair Witch tradition.
The List classed it as an example of a "fantastic piece of filmmaking that shows what is achievable if you get creative within your budget".
-nominated composer Ilan Eshkeri
and Jeff Toyne
. The score was recorded by the London Metropolitan Orchestra
at British Grove Studios
and mixed by Steve McLaughlin
.
2011 in film
The year 2011 is notable for containing the release of the most film sequels in a single year, at 27 sequels. The following tables list films that are in production or have completed production and will be released in the United States and Canada at some point in 2011.- Highest-grossing films :...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
independent horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
/thriller film. Written by James Walker
James Walker (writer/filmmaker)
James Walker is a British writer and filmmaker. He lives in London and studied at Trinity College, Cambridge University where he read English and received a 1st Class Honors Degree. He is a director of Magma Pictures and the Young Film Academy His first feature film Blooded, had a UK cinema...
, and produced by Magma Pictures
Magma Pictures
Magma Pictures Ltd. is a film production company based in the United Kingdom, founded in 2004 by directors James Walker and Ed Boase who have been working together in the film industry for ten years. Magma Pictures is based in London...
and Ptarmigan ACP, it is the directorial debut of Edward Boase. The film premiered at the Bradford International Film Festival on March 18, 2011.
The plot involves an animal rights action group calling themselves the "Real Animal League", which kidnaps five young deer hunters and then hunts them. It is filmed in a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
style, imitating a real documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
. As part of the promotion, distributor Revolver Entertainment
Revolver Entertainment
Revolver Entertainment is a marketing-lead, all rights film distribution company. Founded in 1997, the company has operations in both London and Los Angeles....
created a website, realanimalleague.com, for the fictional Real Animal League (RAL), which mentions the film. An email statement to the real animal rights group, Animal Liberation Front
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
(ALF), supposedly from the RAL claiming that the film misrepresented them, was reprinted on the ALF website. The Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
reported that the film "caused outrage after graphic scenes showing activists attacking five deer-stalkers were posted on the internet, in a viral publicity campaign," and the film's topic has provoked reactions from parties on both side of the hunting debate in the UK.
Synopsis
Filming was completed in 2009, shot in a mockumentaryMockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
style, imitating a real documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
. It presents fictional events as though real, using interviews, and internet footage. The plot involves a group of five young deer hunters on a hunt in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Eve Jourdan (Tracy Ifeachor
Tracy Ifeachor
Tracy Ifeachor is a British television and theatre actress best known for playing the role of Abigail Naismith in both parts of the Doctor Who Christmas special, The End of Time.-Biography:...
) bags a deer and is "blooded", a hunting ritual where the blood of a first kill is smeared on a hunter's face. The following morning, an extremist animal rights action group calling themselves the "Real Animal League", kidnaps the five, strips them to their underwear, and leaves each alone in different locations across the hills, setting them as prey of other hunters. The league films the events in first person
First person
First person may refer to:* First-person narrative, a literary device* First-person interpretation, a museum technique* First Person , an interview-based television series created by Errol Morris...
style as the five become the "game
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
" in a hunt, with the intention of using the footage as a warning to other hunters. It is their "documentary" footage that is the basis of the film.
Cast
- Nick Ashdon as Lucas Bell
- Oliver Boot as Charlie Bell
- Sharon Duncan-Brewster
- Tracy IfeachorTracy IfeachorTracy Ifeachor is a British television and theatre actress best known for playing the role of Abigail Naismith in both parts of the Doctor Who Christmas special, The End of Time.-Biography:...
as Eve Jourdan - Joseph Kloska as Ben Fitzpatrick
- Jay Taylor as Activist
- Cicely Tennant as Liv Scott
- Adam BestAdam BestAdam Best is an Northern Irish actor who trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama for 3 years. He attended Donaghadee Primary School and Bangor Grammar School and gained experience with the Ulster Youth Theatre and Drama School.He is probably most famous for his role as Matt Parker on...
- Isabella Calthorpe
- Neil McDermottNeil McDermottNeil McDermott is a British stage and television actor who is best known for portraying Ryan Malloy in the BBC television soap opera EastEnders from April 2009 until 2011.-Career:...
- Mark Dexter
Promotion
As part of the film promotion, Revolver EntertainmentRevolver Entertainment
Revolver Entertainment is a marketing-lead, all rights film distribution company. Founded in 1997, the company has operations in both London and Los Angeles....
created a website for the fictional Real Animal League (RAL), and a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel for the RAL, which both mentioned the film. According to director Edward Boase, the production company created the appearance of a "fully-fledged animal rights website", with links to real organizations in order to make the fake organization appear authentic, but "not to the point where you couldn't find out that it wasn't real." As reported in First Post, the hunting incident in the film was fictional, there was no kidnapping, and there is no organization called the "Real Animal League". Revolver Entertainment's marketing department sent an email statement to the real animal rights group, Animal Liberation Front
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
(ALF), supposedly from the Real Animal League, claiming that the film misrepresented the RAL. The email was reprinted in its entirety on the ALF website. When the event and RAL were revealed as fictional, and after thousands of complaints, YouTube deemed the videos as inappropriate and removed the footage that had been posted under the guise of the Real Animal League of the film's protagonists being chased and forced into confessions, and subsequently deactivated the YouTube channel of the fictional RAL.
Release
Blooded premiered at the Bradford International Film Festival on March 18, 2011. It will have limited release in select theatres and on-demand servicesVideo on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
on April 1, 2011. A DVD release is planned for April 4, 2011, which will include extras such as commentary by film makers, extended interviews, the "making of Blooded", and the short film Home Video by Ed Boase.
Critical response
The film's topic has provoked reactions from parties on both side of the hunting debate in the UK. In promoting the film, its makers originally asserted that it was a re-creation of an actual event that occurred after the enactment of the 2005 hunting ban in England, maintaining that the film, rather than trying to make any political points, only investigates "the nature of extremismExtremism
Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards...
" in any form, and "encourages debate".
The Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
wrote that the film "caused outrage after graphic scenes showing activists attacking five deer-stalkers were posted on the internet, in a viral publicity campaign."
The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
noted the film's controversial stance, and that as the film's asserted protagonists were a group of extreme animal activists, it generated "much chatter on the interweb" after clips appeared on Youtube. They wrote however, "it all has the whiff of a clever publicity stunt". This is a stance echoed in many other online reviews with suggestions that it is a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
that leaves the viewer with "no doubt that it is fabricated".. A website called Film Pilgrim. for example, noted that the project first began as an online viral video, but was expanded into a feature film, writing that the expanded footage "has many people debating about the authenticity of the footage." They praised the film's score, writing "The soundtrack for Blooded is one of its most rewarding elements", being "the bulk of the glue that holds the film together." They offered that the "idea of turning an internet viral video into a feature film/documentary is a pretty interesting concept", but that the film fell flat stylistically in that the "reconstructed footage feels like an actual film which detracts from the realism that the original virals created". They speculated in their review that there was in fact no such organization as the Real Animal League at all, and that the film was created as a hoax in the Blair Witch tradition.
The List classed it as an example of a "fantastic piece of filmmaking that shows what is achievable if you get creative within your budget".
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was created by award-winning and Ivor NovelloIvor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
-nominated composer Ilan Eshkeri
Ilan Eshkeri
- Early life :Eshkeri was born in London. During his childhood, he learned to play the violin and guitar and later went on to play in a rock band. Eshkeri attended Leeds University where he studied music and English literature...
and Jeff Toyne
Jeff Toyne
Jeff Toyne is a Canadian film composer.-Early life and career:Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, Toyne earned a Bachelor’s degree in music composition from the University of Western Ontario. He pursued graduate studies in composition at the University of British Columbia , graduating with...
. The score was recorded by the London Metropolitan Orchestra
London Metropolitan Orchestra
London Metropolitan Orchestra , founded in 1994, is a London-based studio orchestra whose primary function is to record music for film, television, and other multimedia projects...
at British Grove Studios
British Grove Studios
British Grove Studios is a recording studio located at 20 British Grove in Chiswick, West London, owned by musician Mark Knopfler.British Grove Studios was built by Mark Knopfler as "a monument to past and future technology". It has two studios...
and mixed by Steve McLaughlin
Steve McLaughlin
Steve McLaughlin is a former American football player.-References:...
.