In Vitro - Work in Progress Cut
Natalie and Lucas have almost everything; a stable and comfortable income, a beautiful home and a close circle of friends. Yet there’s one piece left to complete their jigsaw. A child. One negative pregnancy test after another results in the gradual breakdown in the relationship between the couple. Individually, they begin to question whether their hope for a child is the only thing that’s keeping them together.
Due to the Covid-related lockdown, our filming was cut short by one shoot day. However, we have produced an animatic [00:12:44-00:13:11] to display the missing scene, which will be shot and completed very soon!
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Mackenzie ThomsonDirector
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Mackenzie ThomsonWriter
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Dylan FreemanProducer
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Yemisi OyinloyeKey Cast"Natalie"Bancroft, Cold Feet
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Sean WardKey Cast"Lucas"Coronation Street, Our Girl
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Liam LyallDirector of Photography
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Brianna SmithProduction/Costume Designer
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Alfie Gadsby KaneEditor
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Eimear DohertyFirst Assistant Director
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Molly Mae WhittickMakeup Artist
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Jac Salisbury1st AC
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:Drama, Romance
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Runtime:17 minutes 44 seconds
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Completion Date:May 22, 2020
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Production Budget:2,230 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:2.35:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes
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IndieX Film Festival
Official Selection
Mackenzie Thomson grew up in Leicestershire, UK. He is 21 years of age and awaiting results for his degree at the University of Salford, Manchester, where he read Film Production BA (Hons). Currently he has written and directed three independent short films, one of which was recently selected for the Royal Television Society North West Student Awards 2020.
Mackenzie’s first interest was animation. However, after realising his passion for all forms of cinema during Secondary School, he swiftly targeted his career towards the world of film.
Writing and directing 'In Vitro' is my proudest achievement yet. The story is loosely based around my own parent's struggle to conceive a child naturally. After eight years of trying, they were fortunate enough to have had successful IVF treatment twice, resulting in myself and my younger sister!
Since my parents first taught me about how I came into the world, I was absolutely fascinated at the thought of a child starting their journey in a test tube. The older I became, the more I learned about the process of IVF. I also began to realise the emotional burden that trying for a child carries. This is something that all couples must go through, even ones who aren’t trying for IVF. This subject rarely seems to be spoken about, or maybe it’s that I’m still too young to have heard these conversations.
As a young adult the thought crosses my mind now and again; What if I decide to have children? Am I phyiscally able to have a child? I can’t begin to imagine what goes through a person’s head when they’re trying for a baby, let alone the pressure it puts on a relationship. Hence why I developed a short script to try and conceptualise what my parents must have gone through almost thirty years ago.