A bespectacled, bearded, middle-aged man, dressed in a neat white Oxford shirt, trousers and polished shoes, carefully lifts a glass of red wine to his lips and drinks. Savouring the rich flavour, he surveys the surroundings of the bathroom.


A pair of bare legs hangs over the edge of the bath, twitching, small lines of blood running down them. Shower curtains line the floor and bloody surgical tools are gathered in the sink. Swilling the wine around his mouth, he nods approvingly.

Reader, you have not just witnessed the aftermath of a murder. This is the start of a new film, Versus, Paul Johnstone is looking to create, through the help of crowdfunding website Kickstarter.

“Me and a few friends have wanted to make a film for a while, but this is the first time I’ve actually sat down and written something. This Versus project is my own push into film,“ the graphic designer, who art directs film campaigns for a day job, explains. “This is a short film, but with the idea that it could be developed further in the future.“

Versus, a dark crime thriller, tells the story of two killers whose destinies collide. One killer’s latest victim is the son of a crime overlord, and in retaliation he’s dispatched an aging experienced assassin to take him out. What will happen next?

“I’ll have to get the film made for the public to find out,“ laughs Paul, who is based in Walthamstow.

“But essentially, it’s a ten-minute slice out of a feature, the viewer is dropped right in the middle of an investigation.

“I first had the idea for it over a year ago, it was sparked from watching crime films such as Heat, and the central idea was of bad guys vs the worst bad guys. It was a tough ride in the sense of who do you root for, you try to pick out human things in the characters.“

Juggling his day job, fatherhood and writing in the evening, Paul managed to entice a couple of producers on board to help with the movie.

Setting himself a budget of £8,000 to finance the film, he has reached just over 60 per cent of his target, but needs to find the remainder of the cash by Saturday to make the film.

“If we don’t reach £8,000 by Saturday, 1.30pm, then that’s it, we don’t get a dime, all the money pledged will be refunded.

“We’re in a Catch-22 situation at the moment as we’re talking to some actors about the roles, but we can’t reveal who they are, which doesn’t help our campaign. People want to know if you’ve got any stars on board, it’s the selling point of the movie. But we’re not allowed to say as we’re still in talks.

“Unfortunately crowdfunding is a very competitive breeding ground, you tend to start with a great opening, but by the halfway point it thins out. We’ve got some great incentives, depending on cash donated, to get people to sign up – a mention in the closing credits, and an executive producer credit to name a few.

“We’re hoping in the next few days donations will pick up again. I’m a nervous wreck at the moment, it really is all or nothing.“

To find out about Paul Johnstone’s new film, visit: Twitter: @versusmovie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/versusmovie Kickstarter campaign link: kck.st/155Bceu