Surrey’s Ashvin Dayal has added his name to the growing list of “fan-made” filmmakers.
The Queen Elizabeth Secondary graduate, 21, focused on the Batman character to write and direct “Rise of the Bat,” an 18-minute movie.
The dark, dramatic short has close to 1,600 views since it was first posted to Youtube on March 27.
Dayal says he’s been into movies and filming since he was a kid, creating little short films with his sister.
“I think I started getting serious in high school, pushing my limits of what I can film and produce,” Dayal told the Now-Leader. “I’ve always loved the action and adventure type of films so mainly I pursed that genre. This Batman film that I created was my first ever real film.”
The film leads with a disclaimer that “Chrash Productions and the following presentation are in no way affiliated with DC Comics or Warner Bros.” and that “‘Rise of the Bat’ is a non-profit film and is free to all. Enjoy.”
The plot: “With Gotham’s criminal rate rising through the roof, Commissioner Gordon investigates a continuous chain of murders all having a strange symbol carved into them. This is Gordon’s last straw as he needs help from a mask vigilante known as Batman.”
On Youtube, “Rise of the Bat” is posted to a True Junior channel that also features “Champion,” a 39-minute documentary about boxing that shows him “starting from nothing and becoming champion.”
Dayal contacted the Now-Leader after reading about a Star Wars fan film “Bucketheads” being shot in South Surrey.
“The reason I chose Batman as my first film was because everyone has an opinion of him,” Dayal explained. “There’s no right and wrong way we look at this character, and that was perfect for me, because it gave a chance to show people how I saw him.”
Creating the script was challenging, he said, with “so many rewrites I thought I would be writing forever.
“Once I created the script, my partner and I wanted to find some local talents,” Dayal explained. “Since the pandemic was upon us, I wanted to reach out to local businesses and ask if I can film in their area. This would benefit them because if the film did well then it would be promoting their business. After five days of shooting we finally edited the movie and had a live premiere on YouTube for everyone that was excited to see it.”
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