Cheltenham based filmmaker Christopher Stratton has high hopes for his latest production, a 1980s inspired cop drama that has been recorded in Gloucestershire.

Christopher has spent the last two years producing, directing and editing ‘Retro Grade Future’, an eight-minute science fiction trailer, inspired by 1980s movies and TV shows. With the trailer now complete, Christopher says he’s focused on trying to secure investment to create a full-length feature film or pilot episode. “It’s been a busy couple of years, we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved,” he said. “We’re at the stage now where we want to do a kickstarter campaign to try and secure funding for either a full feature length film or a pilot episode,” he added.

The project has been a long time in the making, filming started two years ago across various towns in Gloucestershire. Continued Christopher: “What started off as a bit of fun with friends quickly turned into something more serious as we realised we had a good team to pull this off. At the beginning my close friend Alex Thomson and I wanted to make a sci-fi cop show. Rob James, Martin Tucker and myself all work as freelance camera men and editors and were keen to use our skills to produce something we love.

“I met Mike Belshaw at the beginning of the production, and together we built on the concept and began to write a much bigger idea. My girlfriend Gwenefer Roskilly has been supporting me every step of the way with her production and acting skills. We saw how successful small budget television shows have been, especially those picked up by streaming sites. This inspired us to put extra effort in and go the distance. We formed a production company and have been very busy since then.

“It took over a year to shoot the whole trailer. We did so much without spending any money, we relied on social media for helping us get in touch with extras. Kat Walpole networked and organised people from all over Gloucestershire. So many people were generous with their time, we’re so grateful for that.

“The next twelve months were taken up by the exhaustive editing process and working on the graphics and special effects. We had to reach out for help with the special effects we were after, an up and coming Russian company got in touch and we’ve been working with them, which has gone amazingly well.”

The 1980s spawned several iconic films which Christopher and the team have drawn inspiration from. Added Christopher: “The trailer tells the story of two police officers. One is the best cop of the past, the other is the last cop of the future. Jake Retroski, who recently lost his wife and daughter, becomes a target for assassination by a criminal organisation from the future. When the hit fails he ends up going back to the future in the hitman’s place. There he joins forces with a cybernetically enhanced cop, the last remaining officer on duty after a civil war that left the police force decimated. Together they battle to bring back law and order to a city that is overrun by corruption. Think of Robocop mixed with Lethal Weapon with an awesome 80s soundtrack and you’ll get a good picture of what to expect.”

Christopher hopes to show the trailer to potential investors in the hope of catching their eye. “We have some friends working in the film industry and some very wonderful people who are going to help us put the trailer in the right hands. We may even be able to arrange some meetings with representatives from Netflix which is really exciting. It would be a dream come true to get funding to make a complete series or a feature length film. We’re confident in what we’ve produced, it’s just a case of keeping our fingers crossed now and hoping the right people see it.

“As well as this we are running a kickstarter campaign to try and achieve the funding from fans. Bill Francis, another member of the team, has created our website and is helping us pull this off. If people like what they see then they can personally become an investor, receive the rewards and be part of creating this movie feature.”