THE FALL AND RISE OF MICKEY (A HEADCASE PREQUEL)

When a down on his luck boxer agrees to work as hired muscle for the mob, he discovers that his conscience might be his toughest opponent yet.

2010 | 20:25
Starring Isaac Visaretis, Brian Scott Carleton, Zorro, Frank Longo, Ola Kaminska
Cinematography by Alex Dacev
Dialogue by Tomas Street
Story by Ken Simpson
Produced, Directed & Edited by Ken Simpson

"Its professional, it's stylish, it's fun - it's a hell of a ride…You don't want it to end." - James Dubbeldam, Rouge Cinema.

"Jaw dropping work." - Chris Jones, Author, The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook

"Simpson seems to be a guy like me, someone who will go out and make something instead of sitting at home with a pile of scripts saying 'Damnit universe, magically make my stuff happen.'" - Mike "Muldoon" McCutchen, Ain't it Cool News

The Fall and Rise of Mickey came about specifically because of the 3rd ViewPoint film Challenge. I can't remember exactly how or why I decided to make this a prequel to my feature film, Headcase but I assume because I was so heavily steeped in the grind of making that film that the subject matter was constantly rattling around in my brain.

By the time of the third ViewPoint I had worked with Isaac Visaretis on several shorts and we got along really well, so I knew he'd be down for another shoot. I made a quick call to Brian Scott and he made it clear that he was extremely eager to work together again and was a big fan of the ViewPoint series in general. All I needed to do was to somehow convince Zorro to reprise his role as "Jack" from Headcase and I'd be set!

Well, easier said than done. Anyone who's seen the 12-part look inside series for Headcase knows that while Zorro loved the cast and crew of the film, he wasn't keen at all about the process of filmmaking. After a few reassurances regarding scheduling, Zorro was gracious enough to commit his time and talents to the film.

The final result is something I'm incredibly proud of. Considering that the crew consisted usually of only two people, it's amazing to think that this 20 minute short was conceived, shot, edited, vfx'd, sound designed, colour timed and screened within a month for a budget of $1,200.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Frame Grabs

Soundtrack

One aspect of the ViewPoint Film Challenges that I really love is experimenting with the musical selections. More often than not, I have a song or two stuck in my head that I think would be perfect for a credit sequence or montage of some sort. The soundtrack for the Fall and Rise of Mickey features an eclectic mix of adult contemporary, Country / Western, Motown and Brit pop.

Adapted ViewPoint Script

Although the script is just over eight pages, the resulting film runs over 20 minutes… Go figure. There are a few abandoned ideas worth checking out, including a slightly darker (maudlin?) ending.

Download a pdf version of ken's adapted viewpoint 3 script

Trailer

Poster

Poster designed & illustrated by Mark Ilkov

VFX Comaparisons

Select comparisons from the 20 odd vfx shots in TFAROM.

Behind the scenes raw footage (2:47)

Watch director Ken Simpson & cinematographer Alex Dacev as they break down the final scene for The Fall and Rise of Mickey. Footage shot by David E. Hollands

On Set Interview (1:41)

Filmmaker and ViewPoint Film Challenge Co-founder Russell Challenger visited the set of "The Fall and Rise of Mickey" to shoot promotional interviews for the VFC. This clip is a small segment from that interview.

The Fall and Rise of Mickey: A Look Inside

Coming soon...

This 20-minute making-of episode is modelled after the Headcase: A Look Inside series, and features behind the scenes footage and interviews from the cast and crew. It places TFAROM within the context of Headcase and its relation to the ViewPoint Film Challenge.

The Fall and Rise of Mickey