Students to Adapt Stephen King Novella “Stationary Bike” into Short Film

Three third year students from the Media Production course at Coventry University are about to start pre-production on a “Stephen King Dollar Baby” project.

The students, David Toms, James Colley and Michael Peace have just completed their short film, “The Gift of a Stranger” in Los Angeles and are ready to start a new project.

The group have been accepted on to the “Stephen King Dollar Baby Film” programme, the very programme that helped launch “Shawshank Redemption” Writer/Director, Frank Darabont.

“We will have to work hard to make sure the mind of Stephen King and this interesting story are done justice in this film,” said David Toms, the film’s Director, Writer and co-Producer.

I know I speak for the three of us when I say that we are looking for any opportunity we can, to get our names out there, which is evidenced by ‘The Gift of a Stranger’ and our participation in Coventry University’s/ZUMC China exchange.

The three students are now in China taking part in the much anticipated Zhejiang University of Media and Communications (ZUMC) exchange with Coventry University.

These guys like a challenge and this year will be a really challenging one for them”, said Steve Dawkins, Course Director, BA Media Production. “Making a film adaptation is difficult but adapting a story from a writer as skilled as Stephen King will really test their filmmaking skills. I have no doubt, though, that they will rise to the challenge.

“Stationary Bike” is a short story by best-selling fantasy and thriller author Stephen King. The story surrounds a widower artist, Richard Sifkitz, who spirals into insanity after becoming obsessed with his health and taking excursions from reality on an exercise bike.

After completing the pre-production process in China during the ZUMC exchange, the group who call themselves “Random Download Productions” will return in January to film the adaptation in early March. The project will be completed and ready to submit to film festivals by around May 2012.

You can keep up to date with the film on www.randomdownload.co.uk and can listen to their “RDP Film Production Diary” podcast on iTunes, where they will be discussing their process and offering tips to other media students.