Magnetic Deviation is the story of two friends, Martin and Freddy, who watch their relationship deteriorate over the course of their final week of work at a closing warehouse. Their conflicting ways of dealing with their looming unemployment strain their bond, and as the week progresses, the question moves from “how will they pay rent?” to “how will they maintain a relationship that forces them to examine their own flaws a little too closely?” To be shot in the tradition of the chartacter-driven dramas of the 1970s, Magnetic Deviation is a film about moral values, real-world decisions, and the relationships caught in the crossfire.
The month before I started writing Magnetic Deviation, the distribution center at which I worked part time shut down. As it did, I was struck by the opportunity for compelling interpersonal conflict that the situation created, and I combined my experience there with a falling out I’d had with a friend that stemmed from what it became clear were irreconcilable moral differences. I was driven by a desire to explore those differences, and without judging one as right and one as wrong, show exactly how far each side of such a friendship could bend for the benefit of the other.
At the same time the script was developing, so was the team. I’d wanted to work for a long time with director John Robert Hammerer, ever since I’d seen his short The Frog and the Racecar in 2015. I’d sent JR several early drafts of the script through the writing process, and as it became more finished he almost organically transitioned to the director’s chair. Andreas Mansson, too, I had in mind for director of photography from an early stage. The two of us had worked together on a short last year and I’d been looking for the opportunity to do so again. A castmate of mine from another production introduced me to our fantastic producer Kevin Burns, who was then joined by associate producer Sarah Boneysteele, whom I’d originally met in school and who had also seen the script in its very early stages.
We chose to give a 1970s feel to the film largely because of that decade’s cinematic interest in similar topics, specifically in films such as Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, The American Friend, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle, among others. Enhancing this 70’s sensibility is our decision to shoot on 16mm film, whose natural grain, softness and ability to capture organic nuance fit perfectly with Magnetic Deviation’s roots in the human grey areas in which our moral decisions and friendships can lie.
To raise funds for the film, we’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign which is now in its final week, the link to which is here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/
For more information about the project, please visit www.magneticdeviationfilm.com, or follow us at @magneticdeviationfilm.
Thank you for your interest,
Daniel Kirby – writer/Martin
Website: www.magneticdeviationfilm.com
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