Happy Slapping (film)

Happy Slapping is a 2011 Canadian drama film about disaffected youths, teen angst and bullying. Its title is derived from the "happy slapping" fad which began in Britain where teens assault strangers on the street, film the encounters on their smartphones and circulate them on mobile phones or post them on user-generated websites. Filmed in Montreal, the film was written and directed by Christos Sourligas and co-written by Andrew Farrar (aka Annakin Slayd)[1] and was shot by the actors on iPhones making it the world’s first feature film shot entirely on smartphones.[2][3]

Happy Slapping
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChistos Sourligas
Produced byDebra Kouri, Christos Sourligas
Written byAndrew Farrar, Christos Sourligas
Starring
  • Jesse Comancho
  • Alex Harrouch
  • Laurin Padolina
  • Jaa-Smith Johnson
  • Erica Deutschman
Music byTim Rideout, Annakin Slayd
CinematographyLuc Montpelier, CSC
Edited byJoseph Bohbot, Tony Asimakopoulos
Production
company
One Man Band Films
Distributed byVideo Services Corp, Cinemavault Releasing
Release date
  • August 2011 (2011-08) (Montreal World Film Festival)
  • September 2, 2014 (2014-09-02) (North America)
Running time
75 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$250,000

Plot

Five suburban youths embark on a night of violence in the city, attacking unsuspecting victims while recording the assaults on smartphones. They seek out fame by creating an evening so shocking that their camera phone footage will turn them into instant Internet celebrities. After they are rivaled by another gang and intimidated by their online idol, they are forced to take their mischief up a notch if they want to make a name for themselves.

Production

The film was directed by Canadian filmmaker Christos Sourligas, and written by Sourligas and Andrew Farrar (aka Montreal rapper Annakin Slayd),[4][5] who has a cameo in the film as one of the victims. Main production was in 2010, but some scenes were added in 2013 to accommodate the "selfie" craze.[6][7]

The actors acted as cameramen, resulting in a "run and gun" documentary feel. It was described by The Hollywood Reporter as a film that resembles The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity due to the shakiness of the shots;[8] filmmakers tell of crew members having to run behind walls and other items to avoid being caught on film.[9][10]

Reception

Happy Slapping had its world premiere at the 2011 Montreal World Film Festival.[11]

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References
  1. "Hab at Heart - Annakin Slayd". Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  2. "Happy Slapping: The Movie Shot Entirely on an iPhone". CBC Connects. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  3. Vlessing, Etan (August 26, 2011). "Canadian 'Happy Slapping' Feature Shot Solely By Actors Using iPhone4". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  4. Fontaine, Hugo. "Hab at Heart - Annakin Slayd". Canadiens.nhl.com. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  5. Kelly, Brendan. "Annakin Slayd back with another great hockey video/anthem, this one for Team Canada". Canada.com. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  6. Brownstein, Bill (August 29, 2014). "Filmmakers pick up the phone for an update of Happy Slapping". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  7. Dimonte, Terry. "Blog: Terry and Heather talk to Annakin Slayd and Christos Sourligas about the new film Happy Slapping!". Chom.com. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  8. Vlessing, Etan (August 26, 2011). "Canadian 'Happy Slapping' Feature Shot Solely By Actors Using iPhone4". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. Brownstein, Bill (August 24, 2011). "Montreal film proves the iPhone can do just about anything". National Post. News Media.
  10. Kemp, Stuart (September 9, 2011). "Screen Talk: Slap on the Back". The Independent (UK).
  11. Punter, Jennie (August 2, 2011). "Montreal fest sets its slate". Retrieved 25 February 2015. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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