Better Life
After a truly beautiful life begins to crack and falter, an emotionally crippled man, Ben Peterson finds himself recalling memories that he had not yet experienced. After his mind becomes over run with visions beyond his comprehension, tragedy strikes. Ben is left with no option other than to seek peace. When faced with his end, he comes across an extraordinary reality in which everything he knows, is a lie.
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Lou HeritageProducer
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Kieran KavanaghProducer
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Dean HassellProducer
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Kieran J KavanaghWriter
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Kieran J KavanaghDirector
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Lou HeritageDOP
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Dean Hassell1st Assistant Director
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Lou HeritageVFX Supervisor
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Lloyd DodgeKey Cast"Ben"
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Turaya RoseKey Cast"Sophia"
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Connor DevlinKey Cast"Dr Reins"
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Shabazz St LeonceKey Cast"Eli?"
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Dean HassellKey Cast"The CEO"
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Lou HeritageKey Cast"Sigma"
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Kieran KavanaghKey Cast"Alpha"
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Lou HeritageCamera Operator
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Liam Cosgrove2nd Unit Camera Operator
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Mollie BrooksHair & Makeup
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Keely PassEPK
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Lucy HughesProps Coordinator
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Kieran KavanaghDrone Pilot
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Lou HeritageEditor
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Kieran KavanaghArt Director
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Dean HassellLocations
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Kieran KavanaghLocations
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Sci-Fi, Romance, Thriller, Dystopian, Fantasy, Suspense, Science Fiction, Mystery
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Runtime:23 minutes 3 seconds
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Completion Date:February 12, 2024
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Production Budget:600 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:No
A director & writer that takes pride in being different, Kieran Kavanagh has been inspired by the experiences of his past, turning them into creative fictional masterpieces. Working by any means to bring these ideas to life, using many practical skills and DIY techniques that are required when working on a tight budget to create other worldly set pieces and props to truly immerse his audience. Mainly focusing on dark stories that will provoke thought and take the audience on a wild journey. There are many adventures to come.
I would say my inspiration for creating a Sci-Fi piece stemmed from a core memory of my Father coming home one night and into mine and my Brothers room to show us what he had purchased that day, he was so excited. It was the original VHS box set of Episodes 4-6 of Star Wars! I had no idea what Star Wars was at this point! The golden box set too. I can’t recall how long after, but I shortly experienced what became one of the greatest stories I had set my eyes upon, I loved it! The vast worlds, characters, stories and, what once I could eventually understand, the practical effects, costumes, and sets, truly real filmmaking. I recall my second inspiration for Sci-Fi being Spielberg’s 2001 Artificial Intelligence. This demonstrated to me how adaptations of different worlds or even the future could leave you feeling unsettled and uneasy. With both these in mind, I was able to demonstrate my adaptation of how I feel humanity might one day become. A world defeated by consumerism, technology, and overstimulation. Better Life demonstrates the point in time where the simulation boom might take place and how tainted it could all become. A failing environment combined with over stimulated residents will lead to a need for something more.
In this Sci-Fi, the story takes rather a dramatic and quite emotional turn, unlike your usual Action Sci-Fi. I wanted to demonstrate loss and struggling mental health into this film as a bit of an outlet to a difficult time in my life that I faced. I find that writing these feelings into stories is a great coping mechanism for myself.
All in all, this film would not have been achieved by myself. This film was created by three friends, The Dukes of Cinema. We have demonstrated with the production of this film, that a big budget and big crew is not necessary to achieve a quality cinematic piece and that done right, VFX and practical effects work hand in hand. We aim to inspire others to get out there and create film. With great minds alike for brilliant new unique stories, we have a lot of heat to bring to the Cinema game.