“The Planet: A Dead World, Ten Survivors, One Last Chance”

You can read the full review here.

Stirton Productions - Their Background.

Stirton Productions, founded in 2003, is a privately owned digital film company based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company produces original screenplays and features, as well as documentaries, corporate videos and “on-demand” digital effects.

Stirton Productions CEO, Mark Stirton, has over 12 years experience in drama and television production; producing his first short horror film, Spooked, at the age of 25. Mark studied broadcast media at Aberdeen College and worked as a cameraman / vision mixer for a local television station before setting up his own company.

With The Planet, he hopes to show that a low budget film with good story and characters, can still be entertaining to an audience used to Hollywood ‘blockbusters’.

The Planet: Synopsis.

A group of mercenaries are forced to evacuate their dying spacecraft and find themselves stranded on a desolate, barren world. They discover that no signals can get through the atmosphere of the planet, the only option they have is to find a way to launch one of their escape craft into space and try and send an SOS.

Unfortunately, others have plans for the survivors and the group have to fight not only for their own survival, but for the safety of the entire universe. There is however one more problem on The Planet, the souls of the dead have their own agenda.

The Mercenaries’ Spaceship Is Attacked By Unidentified Fighters And Destroyed, Forcing Them To Evacuate.

Genre: SF / Horror

Year of Production: 2006

Budget: £8.000 GBP

Location: Aberdeenshire, Scotland (exteriors and interiors)

Original media: MiniDV digital

Camera: Canon XL-1

Presentation media: DVD region 2 PAL

Subtitles: English

Running time: 75 minutes

Sound: Dolby stereo

The Team Defend Themselves Against The Enemy.

Mike Mitchell (Lead Role as Captain Morgan)
Overall WFF Mr Universe and World Champion 2003, 2004, 2005/6 successfully defended World Title November 2003. Successfully defended the WFF Mr Universe and world Title 2005, and a competitive body builder for 15 years. Mike has appeared in several film productions, “The Planet,” is his first lead role.

As Captain Morgan, Mike quickly gained respect from the rest of the cast and crew with his intelligence, charm and huge gun.

Patrick Wight (MacNeal)
An entertainer and radio presenter in the North of Scotland for over 15 years, Patrick has appeared in several short films and documentaries. Although he is primarily known for stand-up comedy he is also a keen local historian and writer.

Patrick Plays MacNeal, the captain’s right hand man, a tough uncompromising character.

Scott Ironside (Vince)
A professional and very experienced actor, Scott has appeared on stage all over the UK as well as several short films. A trained swordsman and martial artist, he has run several stage fighting workshops and worked as a fight arranger in television and film.

Scott’s portrayal of Chief Engineer Vince is perfect, an unassuming, straight talking, mechanical genius.

Shawn Paul Hastings (Layton)
Shawn’s work includes the feature film Rosslyn (2004), regular appearances on BBC’s Monarch of the Glen and a growing number of high profile commercials.

Perhaps one of the more difficult characters to play, Shawn brought real empathy to Layton, a man who goes through some radical changes in the story.

Steve Tomas (Marsh)
A busy actor, Steve has appeared in many productions, recent work includes parts in the feature films The Last Rainbow (2005) and Worldliner (2006).

Steve gives the role of Marsh an ‘edgy’ quality, a soldier who sometimes works by his own rules.

Tim Branston (Mitch)
Now a respected Architect working in Aberdeen, Tim’s earlier life saw him as the lead in a 70’s ‘Glam Rock’ band and actor in many noted television productions, including Alan Bleasdale’s The Monocled Mutineer (1986).

Tim plays the part of Mitch, the disgruntled and weary medic for the mercenary group.

Michael G. Clark (Taylor)
As an actor, Michael has appeared in many of the Stirton Production films, including Removals (2004), which he also produced.

For the role of Security Chief Taylor, Michael played a character with more than a few surprises up his sleeve.

A Strange Signal Is Detected.

Daniel: Mark Stirton
Daak: Mark Wyness
Roberts (the Kid): Ashley Branston
Williams: Graham W. Robertson
The Prisoner: Colin Morrison
Computer Voice: Nicky Fraser

Crew.

Mark Stirton (Director / Writer / Cameraman / Editor / Digital and Character Effects)
Mark Stirton, Stirton Productions ceo, has over 12 years experience in drama and television production; producing his fi rst short film, Spooked, at the age of 25. Spooked, was nominated for an award at the 1996 Glasgow film festival. Mark studied broadcast media at Aberdeen College and worked as a cameraman / vision mixer for a local television station before setting up his own company in 2003. An experienced writer, Mark produces most of the material for Stirton Productions, as well as original screenplays for outside development.

Michael G. Clark (Producer / Art Director / Props / Animation)
A professional graphic designer and photographer, Michael has been involved in many of Mark Stirton’s projects over the years, both as an actor and crew. Michael created the designs, props and 3D textures for The Planet. As well as his commitments as a producer for Stirton Productions, Michael is responsible for all of Stirton Productions advertising output - from website to film posters.

Kerwin Robertson (Co- Producer / 3D Model Maker / Particle Effects)
Kerwin Robertson is a CAD Manager for an Architecture practice in Aberdeen, he has over 18 years experience in 3D modelling and 2D drafting on CAD systems. The 3D cad models for the movie were created by Kerwin, who also collaborated in their design process. Many of the computer hardware systems used to produce the film were also made by him.

Nicky Fraser (Composer / Sound Designer)
All the original music in ‘The Planet,’ was composed by Nicky Fraser, an Aberdeen based musician and DJ. Nicky was involved throughout the entire production process and many of her atmospherics and ambient sounds were used to enhance the mood of the movie. A good, powerful soundtrack is crucial for any action film, Nicky’s heavy tympanic beats and oppressive rhythms help get the audience to the edge of their seats - then the visuals push them over.

Contact Details.

Website: http://www.stirtonproductions.com/

Director : Mark Stirton
E-mail: mark@stirtonproductions.com
Mobile: +44 (0) 7784031818

Producer : Michael Clark
E-mail: mike@stirtonproductions.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 1224 748614
Mobile: +44 (0) 7720092934
Fax: +44 (0) 1224 746676

© Stirton Productions 2006

Read the full review here.