Shot in and around Tooting, a film that looked like never being made after funding efforts stalled, is in post production and could be on our screen before the end of the year.

Tooting-based writer and director Andrew Flynn and first time producer Chris Nials have overcome considerable odds to be on the verge of completing feature film Early Bird.

A bid to raise £13,000 in a month with a on-line Kickstarter campaign at the end of last year fell flat, threatening to derail the project, but the small team refused to be defeated.

Mr Nials, who is also founder of on-line horror film fan site London Horror Society, said: "As part of the Kickstarter campaign we had spoken to a lot of people and businesses who excited about the project we sat down and said we have to make this happen."

Through the support of businesses offering locations for free, colleagues Mr Nials knew through the London Horror Society, and by cutting costs the team shot the 80 minute film in 10 days in late January early February.

Mr Nials, 32, said: "It was pretty hectic. We did some re-writes pulled in a lot of favours. So many people were amazing in offering locations for free, or lending us equipment."

With the film now in the final stages of post production, the next stage is organising how it is distributed, with the team aiming to screen Early Bird somewhere in the area in autumn.

Based around the idea of a flat-share situation from hell, the majority of the film was shot in an apartment metres from Tooting Broadway, but viewers should also look out for scenes shot in Little Bar on Mitcham Road, and Fisher and Co coffee shop on Tooting High Street.

Mr Nials said: "We didn't originally have Tooting in mind, but the theme, worked so well as so many people living there are probably in some sort of flat share situation.

"It was not based on one specific person but we have taken a situation where 95 per cent of people find themselves in and maxed it up. There are definitely some elements of taking from real life."