Stress-testing film projects before it’s too late

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Most films don’t fail at release.

They fail in development.

 

They fail because:

    •    The audience isn’t clear

    •    The positioning is confused

    •    The cast doesn’t align

    •    The budget doesn’t match the market

    •    The strategy is an afterthought

 

By the time this becomes obvious, money has already been spent.

 

We intervene early.

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WHAT WE DO

We assess your project from both sides of the industry:

 

🎬 Creative & Script Perspective

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    •    Script notes (structure, tone, clarity, commerciality)

    •    Genre integrity

    •    Character strength

    •    Directorial positioning

    •    Creative coherence

 

📊 Market & Commercial Perspective

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    •    Audience clarity

    •    Comparable titles & market viability

    •    Positioning & tone alignment

    •    Casting strategy

    •    Budget reality vs market appetite

    •    Festival strategy

    •    Distribution pathways

    •    Awards corridor potential

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WHAT YOU RECEIVE

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A structured development report covering:

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    •    Script & concept assessment

    •    Audience definition​ & Comp films

    •    Positioning & genre analysis

    •    Casting & talent strategy

    •    Budget viability check

    •    Sales & distribution outlook

    •    Risk assessment summary

    •    Strategic next steps

 

Plus:

    •    90-minute joint feedback session

    •    Practical commercial roadmap

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WHY THIS MATTERS

 

Many irreversible mistakes happen in early packaging.

 

Once you:

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    •    Cast the wrong actor or attach the wrong director

    •    Fix the wrong budget

    •    Choose the wrong tone

    •    Miss your audience

 

…it’s very hard to course-correct.

 

We stress-test the project before that happens.

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WHO THIS IS FOR

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    •    Producers in early development

    •    Filmmakers packaging their first feature

    •    Indie projects seeking finance

    •    Films preparing for market

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Before you spend the money, test the idea.

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💷 PRICING

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£3,000 Total.

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    •    Full script read (twice)

    •    Written structured report

    •    90-min feedback call

    •    Market analysis

    •    Comps research

    •    Strategy framing​

    •    Financial positioning guidance

    •    Sales comparables breakdown

    •    Deck review and polish

    •    2 follow-up sessions

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ABOUT SIMON HUNTER​

 

Simon started making films in his native Scotland at the age of eight, casting his dog and school friends in the title roles. Many years later …at the Cannes advertising festival in 2001 Simon’s debut feature film LIGHTHOUSE attracted the eye of Bob Isherwood, the creative director of Saatchi and Saatchi. Isherwood selected Hunter for the New Directors Showcase. This prestigious honour is awarded to the twenty-five most promising directors in the world. Isherwood greatly admired LIGHTHOUSE, saying, “Just a few films demonstrate so clearly how tension gets attention. The tension is dynamic.”

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While directing commercials, Simon started to specialise in visually arresting and emotive storytelling. Simon was then approached by American producer of “THE CROW and JUDGE DREAD” Edward R. Pressman to direct the stunningly visual steampunk sci-fi movie “MUTANT CHRONICLES” which starred John Malkovich, Thomas Jane, and Ron Perlman. The production process involved over 2000 visual effects shots, a British record, and took nearly two years to complete.

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In 2016, Simon completed his third feature film, his passion project, EDIE, which tells the tale of an old lady who heads to Scotland to climb a mountain. The movie starred BAFTA winning actress Sheila Hancock. EDIE premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2017. It subsequently played (and won many audience awards) at film festivals around the world, including Santa Barbara, Dublin, Victoria and HOF. The film earned a wide cinematic release in the UK, and that was followed with huge cinema releases around the world, including in the United States and across Europe. EDIE was one of the UK’s most successful independent films of 2019.

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In April 2022, Simon completed principal photography on his fourth feature film, the lavish World War One ghostly love story, CAN YOU HEAR ME? The movie stars TWILIGHT star Peter Facinelli and legendary actors, Sir John Standing and GAME OF THRONES star James Cosmo.

Simon’s next movie is the Scottish Vampire movie THREE IN THE DARK which will shoot in Scotland in late 2026. Simon is currently show-running and directing the pilot episode of a new tv crime drama, COLD MIND which will complete in 2026.

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Simon has recently shot commercials for the prestigious Raindance International Film Festival, Dyson and British Airways. He specialises in landscapes, travel, wilderness, people, and their place in nature. He brings a realistic, believable, and emotionally driven performance to complement his sweeping and cinematic visuals. Away from the camera, Simon loves traveling lightly, ideally with just a rucksack and a tent. In 2017, Simon spent four months trekking across the whole length of New Zealand on the Te Araroa Trail. Simon has two young children, Samuel and Isabel.

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Simon is represented by Undercranked Presents in London for feature films and television and at the United Talent Agency in Los Angeles.

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