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Shane Brar’s Atone: A voice, A Upheaval !
ATONE is a film with a unique story which represents a certain struggle individuals have in society. Based in a small rural town, you ‘ll see a fight between the common man vs. corporate greed. The story revolves around Mike, the protagonist, who’s actions make him become an anti-hero.
Shane Brar maker of Atone from Vancouver is an actor turned director. Shane says,
Full of energy, loves what I do, and I’m constantly learning. I have budgeted all my projects and I also multi-task when working on them. I have attention to detail on everything I film, it’s very important all things are in place when moving forward.
Atone quote,
“When People Start Moving…The World Shakes”
I started out as an Actor but realized Directing is what my real passion was. I’ve been working as a Director for about six years now directing shorts, commercials, and documentaries. Three of the five short films I’ve written myself, I never thought in my life I would become a writer but it has been a great learning experience. With, Acting, Directing and Writing all coming together it is helping me mold my films into what they are today. With everything I’ve done from meeting new people on sets and maintaining friendships, as well as learning from each individual on set has created great moments in my film career. I’m currently working on my next short film called The Doctrine, which will be my sixth short film.
In an Interview with Darren Wiesner, Shane gives us more insight into his talent!
What was the process of writing and producing this film?
Although it’s a short film, it took two years to make after the script was written. It all worked out however and I’m quite pleased about the timing of it. Pre-production took two months and I cast most of the six actors from an acting school I had previously attended. Most have been working in the industry for ten years and showed true commitment to the film. If they hadn’t believed in it, it wouldn’t have been as good as it is. They really came through for me. The seven man crew was small but talented. I went over my shot list with my cinematographer before each shot and we were always on the same page. I used three locations in and around Abbotsford and post took approx. four months.
Shane filmed for two days in November and was so impressed with the actors’ ability to shake off the cold weather to perform at their best. He utilized the natural lighting when filming outdoors and credits his cinematographer Athan Merrick. Parker Holmes carries the movie as Mike. His performance is stellar and sometimes shocking as the role of a very angry man with atonement on his mind.
Considering this is a short film slightly under eleven minutes, how did you go about financing it?
I crowd-funded through Indiegogo and didn’t raise our projected target but found a way to make the film and pay my crew anyways. I had a budget of 1250.00 to work with. I could’ve waited longer to raise more funds but I’m definitely pleased with the final product. I did have a tremendous amount of support and my old acting instructor even donated to the film. I’m the type of filmmaker that will make a movie regardless of whether I raise the projected budget or not. If the script has been written, I’ll find a way to make it with less money. If I waited for every last dollar, it probably wouldn’t get made. I love to make films and believe in the ten-year rule. If you’ve been working in the industry for ten years, you should have the door opened at this point. It’s then your choice to walk through or turn around.
I really enjoyed the music in the film. How and where did that come about?
I found that song on Public Domain. It’s an old John Lee Hooker tune from the 40’s. I sifted through music for three days before I came across it. I also found some great Robert Johnson music that fits well.
