About | A Confident Man is a 2012 heist comedy written by Ludwik Benning and directed by Luis Ventura. The film stars Alex Rendall, Tom Benedict Knight, Catriona Toop, Claire Marlowe and Kye Loren and features an original motion picture soundtrack by Benjamin Gibert. The film released theatrically on October 2012 and set numerous regional box office records along with garnering a nomination for the YF Film Festival in 2012.

Synopsis | After Steve loses his job, his money, and his apartment, he drunkenly turns to a life of crime. Determined to rob a bank, Steve discovers he's not the only bank robber in town and certainly not the most dangerous. But when they mistake him for one of their own, Steve might just pull off the robbery of the century; unless corrupt cops, a dangerous lunatic, the mob, and a renegade bank robber with a dark secret catch him first.

Development

After the release of When Life Gives You Lemons Luis Ventura and his co-creator were able to bring a group of Switzerland-based investors on board for their follow up project: a high-concept zombie-horror short film titled Lockdown. The 15-page script was cast and ready to shoot when further investment was found and the decision was made to shift gears and attempt to produce a low-budget feature film in Switzerland.

The Lemons production team jumped at the idea and immediately got to work, starting to develop and heist-comedy around a case of mistaken identity following a bank heist. In the months leading up to production in the summer of 2011 Luis traveled between casting and rehearsal sessions in the UK and location scouting and preproduction in Switzerland while Ludwik Benning worked on the script.

Preproduction

In an effort to prepare for the challenge of a 6-week feature film shoot with an ensemble cast and numerous locations the production team put together two test-shoots. The short sequences featured characters (and cast members) from the still developing script and would allow the team to test equipment and film making practices. These short films were then used in finding further financing and securing locations.

The first test-shoot, focusing more on character and dialog, was shot on April 9-10th at ALRA in London, featuring an early version of Alex Rendall’s Steve Fisher, Tom Knight’s Jack and Catriona Toop’s Detective Sienna. The second, this time involving camera cranes, vehicles and multiple locations, was shot in Switzerland in May of 2011 where the filmmakers started honing on in the look, costuming and pace of the film.

Production

Cameras started rolling on August 1st, 2011 with a six-week schedule, over 20 locations and a rotating cast of actors flying in an out from the UK as necessary. The filming was blessed with excellent weather and a very hospitable environment, taking advantage of the stunning locations.

Making use of modern and compact equipment the production stayed on schedule and under budget with each crew member taking on multiple jobs. When production wrapped on September 12th, 2011 the decision was made for the team to relocate to Switzerland where they would finish and release the film.

Postproduction & Release

In the months following the wrap Redstone Productions set up a Studio in Switzerland where the film was edited and the cast returned for ADR. Post-production lasted from October 2011 to April 2012 where the 120-minute runtime was cut down to 88 minutes and the film was finished for a theatrical release with a 5.1 surround mix and a score by Benjamin Gibert.

A Confident Man released theatrically on October 18th, 2012 in Baden, Switzerland, where it went on to become the the highest grossing Swiss fiction film after only four days. During it’s five-week theatrical run the film was also nominated at the YF Film Festival and eventually release on DVD and VOD in April of 2013.