WAVELENGTH

Short Science-Fiction Family Film (COMING SOON)
The below stills are incomplete and do not necessarily represent the final product.

 
 

“You must have a pretty cool radio? I didn’t get your name?” - Quote from the film

‘Wavelength' was conceived as a follow up to ‘Sighting’, made as soon as the lapse of Covid-19 allowed. The film explores similar subject matter on the surface, but instead focuses on crafting a coming-of-age tale, where the passion and excitement many of us experienced for strange things in our late teens lead to the creation of personal connections, even if our interest in the passion itself may wax and wane.

The film is very much inspired by family sci-fi classics from the 80s, and seeks to bring some of that influence not only to the look (shooting on period lenses and leaning into bold colour choices), but also to the acting, with a brilliant larger than life performance from lead Nathan Rees, contrasting against the more grounded but also fantastic take from Isabelle Siegal.

‘Wavelength’ is also where Brass Button’s love of wide lenses was cemented, with almost the entire film shot at 28mm. The lens was actually damaged in repair shortly before the shoot, with subtle optical distortions evident throughout the film. This was a happy accident, as the stretched edges and glow enhance the overall atmosphere, giving the project more character.

 

  • A schoolboy, Art, uses his spare time to attempt communication with aliens via a homemade radio system. Finally, he receives an answer, but unbeknownst to him it’s from a girl down the road. The two spend all night communicating, before Art sets off to find his alien, buoyed by reports of a local meteor shower that night.

  • The film was made with an extremely small crew, with a maximum of 4 non-actors on set at once. Coupled with the tiny budget this required some smart planning, with pre-light and set dressing days coming in handy. Most of the crew were in unusual roles for them, and had to adapt, doing so admirably.

  • Aspect Ratio and Resolution:
    2.39:1, DCI 4K

    Camera:
    BMPCC4K- BRAW 5:1, Gen 5 Colour

    Lenses:
    Contax Zeiss Distagon 18mm F4, Distagon 28mm F2 (Misaligned Internals), Planar 50mm F1.4, Sonnar 135mm F2.8 (all converted to EF)

    Other Optics:
    Metabones EF to MFT XL 0.64x Speed Booster BMPCC4K version, RevoRing Variable ND, Tiffen Black ProMist 1/4

    Post all done in Resolve, graded using FilmConvert.

    Budget: <£900

  • Art: Nathan David Rees

    Art’s Gran: Penelope Maynard

    Kim: Isabelle Siegal

  • Writer/Director/DP/Colourist:
    Maximillian Newcombe

    1st AD: Zak Jaques

    Camera Operator: Bon Lie

    Sound Recordists: Tom Kirby, Natalie Phillips

    Additional Sound Design: Kerensa Newcombe

  • In post-production.

MINI TEASER