Futile Attraction
Encyclopedia
Futile Attraction is a 2005 New Zealand
film directed by Mark Prebble. It is an anti-romantic comedy filmed in mockumentary
style. The movie attracted media attention for the fact that it was largely funded by web donations.
The movie was filmed in 2002 over 13 days, however due to technical problems post-production took two-and-a-half years.
The vital fundraising also took time. Having been rejected for funding by the New Zealand Film Commission
, Prebble set up a website to raise money internationally. In addition to the money raised in this way, he received numerous offers in kind, from professional advice to poster design and band music.
The movie is distributed internationally by Echelon Studios.
Randal (Peter Rutherford) is a telemarketer with a passion for telephones who has never quite broken away from his controlling mother; Germaine (Danielle Mason) is an activist who agrees to be filmed in order to publicise the threat a new dam poses to her favourite stream. During the filming, presenter Dudley (Alistair Browning
), who is willing to do anything to get himself looking good on camera, clashes with Anne (Glenda Tuaine), who prefers to ignore their boss's ever-changing scripting instructions in preference to a more objective look at the reality of the relationship.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
film directed by Mark Prebble. It is an anti-romantic comedy filmed in 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. The movie attracted media attention for the fact that it was largely funded by web donations.
Production
With limited resources available, the writers chose the mockumentary format for its combination of low budget requirements and comedic possibilities.The movie was filmed in 2002 over 13 days, however due to technical problems post-production took two-and-a-half years.
The vital fundraising also took time. Having been rejected for funding by the New Zealand Film Commission
New Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films...
, Prebble set up a website to raise money internationally. In addition to the money raised in this way, he received numerous offers in kind, from professional advice to poster design and band music.
The movie is distributed internationally by Echelon Studios.
Plot
Futile Attraction is about the filming of a reality dating show in which the main characters are so incompatible that the film crew have to manipulate and lie to them in order to keep them together.Randal (Peter Rutherford) is a telemarketer with a passion for telephones who has never quite broken away from his controlling mother; Germaine (Danielle Mason) is an activist who agrees to be filmed in order to publicise the threat a new dam poses to her favourite stream. During the filming, presenter Dudley (Alistair Browning
Alistair Browning
Alistair Browning is a New Zealand actor who played the role of Damrod, a soldier of Faramir’s Rangers, in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King....
), who is willing to do anything to get himself looking good on camera, clashes with Anne (Glenda Tuaine), who prefers to ignore their boss's ever-changing scripting instructions in preference to a more objective look at the reality of the relationship.