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‘Panic Button’ to be a warning to all social network users

27th April 2010 Print
Panic Button

Panic Button, a new British feature film that highlights the many dangers lurking in the world of social networking, has gone into production.

The film taps into the current zeitgeist, which has seen many organisations campaigning for a ‘panic button’ to be incorporated onto the pages of social networks such as Facebook.

Panic Button is a cautionary tale which portrays social media as a double-edged sword; a world of unprecedented communication possibilities, but where heinous crimes can be committed by anyone with an internet connection.

The film touches upon many topical issues including social media crime, identity theft, cyber bullying, voyeurism, peer pressure, child abduction and terrorism. The filmmakers believe the themes and ideas behind Panic Button have a universal significance to the digital age.

The film is billed as a high-concept, dark and terrifying horror/thriller. It follows four young people who are trapped in a private jet, and are forced to play an online game - for their lives and the lives of their loved ones by an invisible captor, who seems to know all their most intimate secrets.

Played out in an intense, almost real-time situation, the film explores the dark consequences of posting too much personal information online and how in the world of the internet, nothing is quite what it seems.

Panic Button is the brainchild of Movie Mogul Ltd, a production company based in Wales, that has strong links with post-graduate training providers Skillset Screen Academy Wales (SSAW) and CYFLE. Movie Mogul films are committed to developing and promoting young British filmmakers, and operates an ‘open door’ to new talent.

Panic Button has a fantastic script and a first-rate production team, including Chris Crow, director of feature film Devil’s Bridge (Dogs of Annwn / Kraken Film And Motion), which is currently in post-production.

The filmmakers are now on the hunt for investors to help bring the project to fruition. Investors can purchase equity in the film’s special purpose company All2gethr Ltd and benefit from 20% tax relief on their investments through an HMRC approved Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). Once costs are recouped, film profits are tax free, and split on a 50/50 basis between investor and production company Movie Mogul Ltd.

Equity in the production is shifting very fast. The formula for success lies in the original, high-concept screenplay, micro-production budget and short shooting schedule. With less costs to recoup, investors will see a much quicker return on their investment as we anticipate UK DVD sales will exceed 300,000 units based on similar titles, explains the film’s producer John Shackleton.

Panic Button clearly demonstrates global sales appeal, which has been noticed by the film industry, gaining early interest from international sales agents and distributors, local film authorities and private investors.

SYNOPSIS: “Four young people win a trip of a lifetime to New York, courtesy of their favorite social-networking-website – All2gethr.com. As they board the private jet, they are asked to relinquish their mobile phones and take part in the in-flight entertainment – a new online gaming experience.

But this is no ordinary game. Trapped at 30,000 feet, they are forced to play for their lives and the lives of their loved ones by an invisible captor, who seems to know all their most intimate secrets.

With no escape and no one to trust, they are about to learn that putting your life on-line can have deadly offline consequences …”

Producer John Shackleton: “It is our intention that the situations and moral implications portrayed within the film will strike a chord with parents, young people and most users of internet technologies. It is sure to spark discussion amongst viewers by presenting a message that may even cause them to reassess their own online behaviour.”

More information on the film can be found at panicbuttonmovie.com.

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Panic Button