Luke Marley

Your project has entered our festival. What is your project about?
Henry VIII: The Shagger of History follows King Henry after he executes his fifth wife Catherine Howard, he realizes that he's now single and now attempting to shag all the woman possible and kill anyone that gets in his way. We agnoledge that he's famous for having six wives' but we decided to explore the woman that wasn't his wife. That way we can explore Henry the way we truly believe that he was.



What are your ambitions with your project?
Honestly, i don't know. This is my first festival submissions which i have submitted to several film festivals but i really wanted this project to showcase the style of comedy satire that i really love to explore. Aswell to have a project that allows everyone involved to laugh and have fun during the production process.

Tell us something about your shooting. What plesantly surprised you?
Well, this project was done completely in stop motion animation, I had to do the animation on my dining room table, i even had to borrow my girlfriends camera lens since the one for my camera made the colour seem really washed out. And then there was making all the cut outs and backgrounds which took weeks. but We really tried to make the art style unique to us which i feel we achieved. Along the journey of our 6-month production we kept finding new techniques to allow certain scenes with a quicker animation process like for example not really moving the characters arms but with this project it just became a part of what we tried to achieve from the beginning, Now seeing the final cut, i am incredibly proud of how it all looks.



For what group of spectators is your film targeted?
This film is defiantly aimed towards people with a similar sense of humor then i do, When you work in comedy you need to follow your sense of humor, there is no point in trying to make jokes that you think other people will find funny because you could be wrong. But if you find it funny you can count on that for sure.

Why should distributors buy this film?
Well, with this short, i always want to keep this project under the full ownership of my production company due to the plans we have in the future regarding The animation style and possibly Henry VIII himself. But i want to keep it open because it being my first festival release i have had ideas regarding a second one, assuming i have the patients for the process again.



How you specify your work, what characterizes your film?
I really love to working in Satire, i like looking for really any kind of issue and then take the other side of it. you know? I think with this film it really utilizes my comedic style as a writer and i think with the language used and even the music, we do push quite a few boundaries.

Why did you decide to become a filmmaker?
So, originally I started on YouTube, i was a gaming YouTuber and Twitch streamer for a very long time, and it did become my full-time job, Along that journey i started a little sketch comedy channel with my brothers that helped me learn the foundations of some writing, a bit of acting and some editing and that. We made a few sketches. Then few years later Me and My best friend who is also a YouTuber started a sketch comedy channel together called 'The 04 Clan' where by this point, all of my filmmaking skills had really improved due to when i was in college and me working on my individual channel and that. But all of these experiences prepared me for making movies and shorts.

Who is your role model?
So, I would think Monty Python has always been a big one, I always loved watching Flying Circus and Life of Brian when I was younger. But i really think that my biggest role moddles are Trey Parker and Matt Stone since i have always been a big fan of South Park and Book of Mormon and i really admired the comedy style which i think is the biggest inspiration for the comedy style I go for.

Which movies are your favorites? Why?
I would have to say Plaines Trains and Automobiles since it being an all-time comedy classic, John Candy was literally a comedy icon who helped make the movie what it is.

Where do you look for inspiration for your films?
Well, ideas seem to come to me at the wrong times, I've had ideas pop in my head when I'm the shower causing me to jump out and run around the house to find a pen to write the idea down. But i like to look at current events and see if there's anything there that could be funny for well... something.

Which topics interest you the most?
I'm sort of open to everything, I don't have anything specific that i want to tackle, i sort of sit at my desk or stand by the whiteboard and go "What could be funny? What could be the story?" But i will never take away the story for the comedy because I'm still a firm believer that story is everything, So if I've got a good story and its funny then anything goes.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your career?
At the moment I'm in production of my first ever movie called "Badass Incorporated" which I'm super stoked about. and I'm really proud of Henry VIII and I'm really proud of what I achieved on YouTube and Twitch but honestly, I think even though there's only a few videos and a few hundred subscribers, I'm most proud of the YouTube channel The 04 Clan. because that was focused on comedy sketches, because it's something i created with my best friend and i really hope we shoot more for it in the near future.

What do you consider most important about filming?
I think making sure everyone is having a good time and comfortable, I always want production to be a fun process for everyone involved although animation is very stressful. But I also think it's making sure the story makes sense and that all the dots are still connected and if there not, finding a way to adjust and change it.

Which film technique of shooting do you consider the best?
Honestly, I think that's hard to say, I don't think there is a best or anything. i think it depends on the moment like, what technique is best for this shot or this scene but not an overall best.

How would you rate/What is your opinion about current filmmaking?
I think it's too political, i think that filmmaking now isn't about 'what's the best story?' or 'what's the best film?' I think it's more now 'what has the best representation?' you know? There is too much politics in my opinion. I think representation is great but it should never be the top priority, the priority is the story.

What can disappoint you in a movie?
I think if the story is bad that's it for me, I'm done with the movie but. I'm very forgiving when it comes to CG or some bad jokes but having said that, I'm a huge comic book fan and enjoy comic book movies. I do hate when they try to make them into comedies, for example Thor Ragnarök and Thor Love and Thunder. The only exceptions for me is something like Deadpool.

Who supports you in your film career?
My family and friends all support me but certain people in my family Arnt exactly sure about the style of comedy that i do, they weren't exactly thrilled about Henry VIII when they saw it. But my biggest supporter is my girlfriend, she has supported every project i have worked on, every endeavor, me taking over the dining room table for 6 months to animated this project. She even went with me to look at offices when i was starting my production company.

What are the reactions to your film? (opinion of spectators, film critics, friends and family)
So far, very few people have seen it. My family all seem to like the style of animation and the story, but not sure about how far we push the boundaries and the language. Having said that a few family members really seem to enjoy it, and any friends who have seen it also seem to really enjoy it too. We have also shown crew and cast members who all seem to really love the project too.

Have you already visited any of the prestigious film festivals?
Not yet, if we're lucky enough, then I'm hoping with the release of Henry VIII then we will be able to.

What are your future plans in filmmaking carriere?
Currently like i mentioned, we're working on our first Movie. I am also currently writing 2 more unrelated Movies and a TV pilot. So hopefully soon, we will be making a lot more stuff.

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