Partner Article

Newcastle indie to develop transmedia franchise after signing deals

A NEWCASTLE production company has teamed up with a London based filmmaker to create a supernatural thriller franchise.

Indie New Black Films has partnered with Endemol backed Pure Grass Films to launch a transmedia project after receiving investment from Northern Film & Media.

The partnership will see the development of Shape Shifter – which will compromise three different platforms including: a feature film, motion comic and novel.

Tom Harvey, CEO, Northern Film & Media, said: “It’s fantastic to see a rising company like New Black Films strike a partnership that will create a highly commercial cross-platform product.

“Shape Shifter will create three distinctive user experiences and we’re delighted to be involved in a project that taps into consumer demand for content across a range of platforms.”

The story will focus on the seemingly sleepy fictitious Northumberland village of “Barrae”, where a 19-year-old trainee reporter is sent to search for her missing colleague.

When she begins to suspect the development of a new golf course has evoked an ancient Viking blood curse, she must quickly turn supernatural detective and attempt to stop the curse from tearing apart the remote community.

James Erskine, Director, New Black Films, added: “We are delighted to be working on such a distinctive project that we hope will become something of a poster for the North East as a destination for innovative filmmakers, tourists and supernatural thriller fans.’’

New Black and Pure Grass are currently casting for the feature and will shoot Shape Shifter on location in the North East in 2011.

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This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .