Futile Attraction (2004)

Director:

Mark Prebble

Writers:

Mark Prebble (writer)
Benedict Reid (writer)

Release Date:

6 October 2005 (New Zealand)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Sometimes it just isn't meant to happen.

Plot:

A film crew are making a Reality TV show about a couple brought together by a dating agency. However, the couple are so incompatible that the crew must manipulate the relationship to get the footage they need. |

Plot Keywords:

Anti Romantic Comedy | Mockumentary

Cast

Michelle Ang	...	Violet McKenzie
Christopher Brougham	...	Head Waiter
Alistair Browning	...	Dudley Earnsworth
Richard Chapman	...	Scruffy Guy
Desiree Rose Cheer	...	Erina
Jemaine Clement	...	Editor
Taika Cohen	...	Waiter
Lee Donoghue	...	Mark
Adam Gardiner	...	Chef
Lauren Jackson	...	Elegant Lady
Bevin Linkhorn	...	Oscar
Danielle Mason	...	Germaine Douglas
Dra McKay	...	Becky
Bret McKenzie	...	Wickham
Paul McLaughlin	...	Pete
Jeremy Randerson	...	Ian
Peter Rutherford	...	Randal Fudhurst
Glenda Tuaine	...	Anne Rata

Directed by
Mark Prebble

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mark Prebble		writer
Benedict Reid		writer

Produced by
Hamish Balfour	....	associate producer
Lisa Cook	....	producer
Natalie Crane	....	producer
John Givins	....	executive producer
Megan Kitching	....	executive producer
Mark Prebble	....	producer
Benedict Reid	....	associate producer
Leonie Reynolds	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Mathew Knight

Film Editing by
Mark Prebble
Benedict Reid

Casting by
Dra McKay

Art Direction by
Sexy Nev Garven

Set Decoration by
Grace Millar
Esther Woodbury

Costume Design by
Emma Callesen

Makeup Department
Penny Harford	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Del Chatterton	....	first assistant director
Emily Ireland	....	second assistant director
James Manttan	....	third assistant director

Sound Department
Simon Adams	....	sound designer
Jo Fraser	....	sound recordist
Luke Goodwin	....	sound recordist
Kyle Griffiths	....	boom operator
Daniel Lovell	....	sound editor
Craig Matuschka	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Duncan Patterson	....	focus puller

Music Department
Vedat Kiyici	....	music mixer

Other crew
Enric Giró	....	publicist
Iain Hutton	....	armorer
Caleb Ross	....	unit assistant

Thanks
Hadleigh Aitken	....	special thanks
Tony and Sarah Alexander	....	special thanks
Douglas Ashby	....	special thanks
Leslie Bagnall	....	special thanks
Phil Bothamly	....	special thanks
Nick Brown	....	special thanks
Jason Carr	....	special thanks
Graeme Chicken	....	special thanks
Simon Claridge	....	special thanks
Tina Cleary	....	special thanks
H.R. Crystal	....	special thanks
Caterina De Nave	....	special thanks
Bas de Wit	....	special thanks
Matt Garven	....	special thanks
Chris Gregory	....	special thanks
Gareth Hall	....	special thanks
Ian Hatton	....	special thanks
Paul Henry	....	special thanks
Sam Hicks	....	special thanks
Jenna Holmes	....	special thanks
Denise Howse	....	special thanks
Ruth Jeffery	....	special thanks
Jean Johnston	....	special thanks
Bronwyn Kelly	....	special thanks
Jessica Kirbyshire	....	special thanks
Melissa Maples	....	special thanks
Gerald Morse	....	special thanks
Terry Mross	....	special thanks
Amy Murphy	....	special thanks
Paul Murphy	....	special thanks
Cath O'Brien	....	special thanks
Kevin O'Neill	....	special thanks
Emmielou Petallar	....	special thanks
Tony Peterson	....	special thanks
Antonia Prebble	....	special thanks
Doreen Prebble	....	special thanks
Edward Prebble	....	special thanks
John Prebble	....	special thanks
Mark Prebble	....	special thanks
Richard Prebble	....	special thanks
Sherrell Prebble	....	special thanks
Tom Prebble	....	special thanks
Zoe Prebble	....	special thanks
Nicki Riddiford	....	special thanks
Gus Salla	....	special thanks
Peter Salmon	....	special thanks
Dominic Sheehan	....	special thanks
Marion Shortt	....	special thanks
Aurelie Sicard	....	special thanks
Shabbir Sidat	....	special thanks
Tony Spear	....	special thanks
Charlie Littleton Taylor	....	special thanks
Peter Tonks	....	special thanks
Ben Usher	....	special thanks
Wayne Vinten	....	special thanks
Vance Vivian	....	special thanks
Amelia Walker	....	special thanks
Mark Westerby	....	special thanks
Lisa Williams	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Twilight Productions Ltd.

Distributors

• Arkles Entertainment (2005) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Roach's Realm Productions (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Singa Home Entertainment (2008) (worldwide) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Echelon Studios  sales agent

Runtime:

New Zealand:80 min

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

New Zealand:M | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Wellington, New Zealand

Company:

Twilight Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

The majority of the crew and many of the cast had worked together previously on "The Tribe" (1999).

Zero-budget comedy funded through internet donations

Futile Attraction is a zero-budget comedy funded through internet donations. It's a reasonably likable offbeat comedy about a film crew making a reality TV show. The crew follow a dating agency who bring an unlikely couple together - a kind of sci-fi geek guy with an incomprehensible passion for telephones and a somewhat irritating by-the-book hippie into every cause imaginable.

The film isn't very good though and the comedy is totally unsubtle and overstated. Overstated does work sometimes in comedy - but not with these actors or this particular script. I would commend some of the supporting cast and there are one or two funny bits with extras stealing the limelight in the background. The over-keen film crew guy, disinterested Asian boom girl and in particular the aging TV presenter at the end of his tether are all pretty good characters.

Getting a film funded via a website is quite a feat - and kudos to the filmmakers for it. This is probably the most impressive thing about the movie.