Science Meets Fiction

Last year, I reviewed Shadow of the Conqueror, the debut fantasy novel of medieval enthusiast Shad Brooks, also known as Shadiversity. I thought it was pretty good—a little rough around the edges, but with a lot of potential.

Well, it seems that I wasn’t the only one who thought so. A group of “Everfans” of The Chronicles of Everfall (the series to which the book belongs) at Diratia Productions have begun an effort to produce a 15-minute short film of selected scenes from the novel, and they’re asking for your help on Kickstarter.

Diratia Productions is a Montréal-based, independent video production company whose staff have professional experience in Hollywood studios, TV shows, and theater. They’re just getting started on the project, but I was impressed by their dedication. They have a YouTube channel, where you can see updates on the production, and in just a few weeks they’ve already made significant progress, including in casting, composing music, and test filming.

The team is working with experts in historical European martial arts (in simplistic terms, traditional swordfighting) to ensure the historical accuracy of the film (you know, aside from the magic). And crucially, they are working with Shad himself to produce a faithful adaptation of the book, so this is a serious effort. You can see Shad’s announcement video for the project here.

The next step for the team is securing funding, and today Diratia Productions began a Kickstarter to fund the project. They are looking for $65,000 Canadian to fund the short film, and they made one third of that in the first 12 hours, so they’re off to a pretty good start. They’re also prepared to expand the project with pretty much any level of support. The Kickstarter runs through July 8, so if you enjoy Shadow of the Conqueror, Shadaversity, or fantasy in general, consider donating.

Disclosure: this post was made at the request of Diratia Productions.