How Joey swung it as Spidey on zero budget
WEB WONDER!
AN actor and director from Leicestershire has opened up about his experience creating fan-film Spiderman 2: Another World on a zero budget.
Joey Lever’s creativity was tested to the limit but he says he owes all his success to the county’s people and scenery.
The Loughborough-born director, left, as Spiderman, chose to shoot the film in Leicester and Loughborough because of the “sheer beauty”, even though the story is set in New York.
He said the film “showcases the best of Leicestershire’s beautiful scenery”.
Joey worked on the film for five years and with almost no budget, relying on the county for its contacts and backdrops. Queens Park in Loughborough was a prime shooting location and close to Joey’s heart.
He told the Mercury: “I grew up in Loughborough and always knew about the sheer beauty of the park.
“When writing scenes where a ‘park’ environment was needed, Queens was always the first that popped into my head.”
It was used as the backdrop for scenes like the “Venom’s Void” because of the way it was naturally lit at night.
“The park is surrounded by Loughborough town centre and we were able to shoot it at night. It had great natural light coming from the buildings so we could separate the two characters on screen.”
Having no budget, it was out of the question for the director to shoot the film in the United States so he decided to make his own “SpiderMan UK that was solely based in
Leicestershire”. He said: “With most of it being set in Leicester we were able to message various businesses across the city to see if we were able to film on their premises and if they wanted a small role in the film.
“We were so lucky in that area as so many companies were excited to be in the film.
“Companies like Firebug, Y theatre, 369 Filmstudios, City Rooms, 31 Coffee were absolutely amazing and without them this film would have been even harder to create. I extend my thanks forever.”
Coming from an acting background, Joey had to make good use of his actor friends when it came to casting the film.
“It would have been insanely hard to hold auditions or casting calls, so I used people that I had worked with before,” he said.
“Luckily I know so many talented actors that I hoped would help out. I am so fortunate to know so many wonderful people who helped me create this film.”
Joey remains passionate about film-making and is excited to release his new projects when lockdown restrictions ease.
He said: “We are currently editing a feature film called Phantim that we’re hoping to sell to any distributors as soon as we are out of lockdown.
“I’m also going to get started on my first ever horror film, Slash Lane, and start writing a musical with my buddy, Jak Beasley.”
After his Spider-Man film hit two million views on YouTube, Joey says a third one could be in the works.
He added: “People are now asking for a third Spidey film so we will see what happens. I’m super excited to keep creating in and around Leicestershire.”