A movie with real audience appeal

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By Victoria King BBC News The boys are in their final year at Aldenham School in Hertfordshire

When a movie comes to an end, most cinema-goers head for the door. But would they stick around if their own names were on the credits? And would they pay a pound for the privilege?

Three teenagers - Adrian Bliss, Benjamin Robbins and Toby Stubbs - hope so.

Their dream is to turn a little-known Jules Verne novel called Clovis Dardentor into a Hollywood movie - but to do it they need to raise £1m.

So they've set up a website - buyacredit.com - to ask members of the public to contribute as little as £1 and secure themselves a mention on the credits.

"Film-making is our passion - it's what we all want to do with our lives," says Adrian. "That's what this is all about - we just hope people will get involved."

So-called "crowd-funding" of movies isn't new.

Documentary director Franny Armstrong raised £450,000 for The Age of Stupid, a film on global warming released recently.

Another director in Canada is trying to raise money for a romantic comedy by selling individual frames from the film for $10 each.

It's quite funny, with lots of plot twists Adrian Bliss

And the idea isn't limited to cinema either. For example, a website called SellaBand.com lets music lovers buy $10 shares in unsigned artists.

But despite it having been tried before, Adrian and Ben, both 18, and Toby, 17, hope the novelty hasn't worn off.

So far they have raised almost £10,000 from about 7,000 donors worldwide.

A further £100,000 has also been given as pledges and investment, but it is the £1 credits they really want to sell.

That way as many people as possible will have a small vested interest in their success.

The plot

All but forgotten by literature, Clovis Dardentor hasn't been published in English since 1897, and the only copy the boys could get their hands on was in the British Library.

Clovis Dardentor was written by Jules Verne and published in 1897

They are sticking closely to the original story, but are bringing it forward to the modern day and swapping the original stars - two young Frenchmen - for two 20-something Londoners.

"They're hard up, their lives have been pretty bad and they're always looking for a quick fix," says Adrian.

"Then they meet this man in a restaurant, Clovis Dardentor, and he's a billionaire. They hear him say he'll give his entire fortune to any man who saves his life. Basically he's so confident about his own immortality that he thinks it'll never happen.

"So they go about trying to put his life in danger. They create situations where they have to save him to try to get his money. It's quite funny, with lots of plot twists."

Adrian, Ben and Toby, who attend Aldenham School near Elstree in Hertfordshire, have been making short films for years, but Clovis Dardentor is their first shot at the big time.

They have recruited a writer, Lizzie Hopley, who has turned the book into a screenplay - simply titled Dardentor.

They have also produced professional storyboards and set up an office at their school to help them work on the project around their studies.

Actress Joanna Lumley has even given them her backing, voicing a video clip promoting the project - said to be an Indiana Jones-style adventure, with a touch of British comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral thrown in.

Seeing stars?

The boys are about to start casting for Dardentor and say there are some exciting prospects in the pipeline - although they won't name any names.

Making the film is a better way to get into the industry than a degree in film production Adrian Bliss

"We're going to approach big international actors, but we've also got smaller stars in mind too as back-ups," Adrian says.

"Good characters appeal to actors of all levels, so we're keeping our fingers crossed."

The boys hope to start pre-production towards the end of this year and - funding permitted - begin filming next spring.

"Once our A-levels are over we're going to go full-time on the project and put university on hold.

"Everyone has said that making the film is a better way to get into the industry than a degree in film production."