Murphy 771

Plot

Ben Murphy receives a letter in the post informing him that he is in line to inherit a small fortune, all he has to do is call the number.

The film was based on an actual event—a case of identity fraud. A letter had been sent to a person, by a man claiming to be a representative of an Asian bank. In the letter, this representative claimed that he had a sum of money, "which needed to claimed". This letter also listed various personal details of this persons' deceased father.

Although the person, in this case, did not make the call, or take any further action, the writers decided to use his experiences and a number of other reported International Identity fraud cases to set up a "What if..." storyline.

Production

Matt McArdle took on the role of Ben Murphy, while Katie McStravick, the co-writer, played the role of Elisha Montgomery. This low-budget short film was shot within one day on location in the North of Ireland, using a small local crew.

Composer and graphic artist Martin Millar was commissioned to help the Director produce two commercials, which would appear in the film. The two faux-animated commercials SleepRight and Speed Junkie 4 were produced in two days on a zero budget.

Landmark

Murphy 771 was the first film to be produced under the Northern Ireland Film & Television Commission (now known as Northern Ireland Screen) MINI (Made In Northern Ireland) Individual Production Finance scheme. A scheme set up to stimulate the growth of film and television production in the North of Ireland.

Trivia

The film went into production 13 months later than it was originally intended. This was due to legal issues.

The film was accepted into the Seagate Foyle Film Festival (2006) but was then rejected at the 11th hour because the Producer/Director could not afford the 35 mm film print, which the festival demended. The print would have cost the same amount as the film's entire budget.

One scene is still missing from the finished film.

Jett Loe was brought in to add a voice over to the film. His voice, along with others, features at the end of the film.

Release

The film was released in early 2006, distributed by Syncretik and Northern Ireland Screen.