Monday 12 December 2011

'The Last Man On Earth' at the 9th London Short Film Festival

There's less than a month to go before one of my favourite film festivals kicks off in the capital and if you're around then try and come along and catch my film 'The Last Man On Earth'. The film will be screening as part of the New Shorts 13: God's Lonely Men, part 2 - Against Adversity programme, on Tuesday 10th January, 2012 at 20:45 at Riverside Studios.



Apart from some great shorts the film festival also offers an exciting program of activities. Check them all out here.

Friday 2 December 2011

'The Man Who Stopped' now online

You can now watch my short film 'The Man Who Stopped' via Shootingpeople and if you're a member you can even 'like it'. So go on, spend fifteen minutes viewing my heartwarming comedy about death and grieving!




Monday 28 November 2011

Filming completed on 'Pretty Things'

It's been a busy weekend and that was due to the fact that I've been directing my latest short film 'Pretty Things' which has now wrapped and is poised to go into the editing suite. It was a great shoot and very smooth with a good bunch of people, many of whom I had not worked with before. 

'Pretty Things', which is a dark comedy about a lonely old man desperate for some attention from his relatives, was made possible thanks to  'Timothy Foxx', a very cool clothes design company so my thanks must go out to them especially. 

Production stills to follow shortly.

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Lightworks


I found out about this from Chris Jone's blog and felt I just had to share it with you as this could be quite exciting. Lightworks, an early NLE system that I remember from the early 1990s but which was soon surpassed by the likes of Avid and then FCP, is back on the block it seems and this time it's free. With such films as 'The King's Speech', 'The Departed' and 'Shutter Island' edited on it this is far from a basic editing software program which makes the fact that it's freely available all the more attactive.

Unfortunately it's not available to Mac users but if you have a PC then why not try it by downloading your free version here.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

'Timothy Foxx' to fund my next short

I'm pleased to announce I have secured funding for my next short, 'Pretty Things', which is a dark comedy about a lonely old man desperate for some attention from his relatives. 

Helping me realise the project is 'Timothy Foxx', an ambitious, innovative and exciting clothes design company currently making waves in the fashion world. The film is set to shoot in November with an exciting cast (who are all set to to wear some Timothy Foxx designs) and crew attached with the ambition to make a quality short and gain maximum exposure. 

Sunday 18 September 2011

Channel 4 Screenwriting Course

I saw the following post from Andy Conway on the Shootingpeople Screenwriters Bulletin and thought I'd share it with you verbatum:


Thought I'd flag this up for our UK writers with no broadcast credit.

Channel 4 will again be running their screenwriting course for Channel 4 drama, January-June 2012.

They are "looking for 12 talented, original and diverse writers who currently have no broadcast credit but wish to write for television drama.

"The course will give you a chance to find out how TV drama, particularly Channel 4 TV drama, works, and to write, over a 5 month period, your own 1 hour pilot script for an original series or serial, working with an experienced script editor."

Find out more at:

Friday 9 September 2011

'Big Society' and Nick Scott

It's not often I say 'I cried with laughter' without being really sarcastic but in the case of watching 'Big Society', directed by Nick Scott, I really did have to wipe the tears away. I caught this absolutely perfect short film at the Sunday Screenings at the Antelope a week or so ago and judging by the monumental round of applause the film got I think everyone else thought the same way. It's brilliant. So well done to Nick and actor/collaborator Jonathan Rhodes.

So watch the film below and then read the interview I did with Nick Scott, a really nice guy and very talented director.



So what is 'Big Society' about?
Big Society is about an officer in the British army who has developed a controversial new approach to tackle the anti-social behaviour he sees on the streets. It's a sort of Dirty Harry meets the Wombles. 

What themes does it explore?
It's a satire that (hopefully) explores the link between corporal punishment and anti-social behaviour. I also wanted people to think about the moral complexity that comes with life in the military. I grew up in Colchester which is a garrison town and always found it an incredible ask of soldiers to switch so quickly from one moral world to another when they come home after seeing conflict.  


How did the idea come about?
Jonathan Rhodes is a good friend of mine. We have developed several characters together through improvisation. We are both interested in black comedy and documentary real tone of films like Man bites Dog and wanted to do something in similar territory.

Describe your writing process?
Jon and I have quite a specific process. I write the structure of a scene and then we improvise within that. This allows us to find dialogue that suits Jon's natural delivery whilst still hitting the necessary dramatic beats in a scene.   

How do you prepare to direct a film?
I used to be obsessed with shot lists but things inevitably get in the way so now I like to keep things fairly flexible so you can use those obstacles to your advantage. When it comes to the shoot and you know where you are, I'll make a clear choice about how the scene will be handled.



What format was the film shot on and was this a creative or financial choice?
We shot on a mixture of Canon 7D and 5D mkII. It was a financial and creative choice, we wanted to make it look like a documentary and shot on slower zoom lenses to flatten the image.

What was its budget and how did you raise the finance?
We didn't have a budget but needed a few hundred quid to make the scenes work in Leicester. Jon and I put that in ourselves because we believed in the film.  

Describe the casting process?
The casting process for the kids was great. My friend Melissa runs an acting school in Leicester called Urban Young Actors (http://www.urbanyoungactors.com/). Most of the kids don't have formal training, which is great because they act intuitively which was essential for this. I ran a couple of sessions in their class and they responded brilliantly. They are super smart, got the concept straight away and brought loads of great ideas. I would have used all of them in the film if I could.

Are you a director who likes to rehearse a lot before shooting?
I love working with actors. It's my favourite part of the process, I wish I could do what they do! I'll rehearse if I can but only blocking or for tech, not with full performance. I like the actors to hold something back for the shoot.

Nick Scott

What approaches do you employ when working with actors?
Depends on the actor and the production. I've studied Meisner technique at the Actor's Temple, which is the framework I use, I found that actors usually respond well to you knowing technique. A lot of actors will tell you they can get on the money straight off, but it usually takes them a while to get into it and some are much quicker than others. You need a healthy dialogue with actors and crew so you can adapt circumstances to improve performance.

Did you storyboard/shot list every shot in pre-production?
No.

How long was the shoot?
Two days. One in Highbury in London. One in Leicester.

Which part of the production did you find most enjoyable?
All of it. It was a very enjoyable shoot. Faking the stuff on the streets was particularly rewarding as we'd worked on the blocking in the studio and we got all these reactions from people from strangers who thought it was real.

What lessons, if any, did you learn?
We were very lucky to have a very good editor work on the film. Gareth Scales pushed the material very hard to keep it as tight as possible. I was initially resistant to some changes but with time I saw that they were exceptionally good edits. It's important to keep your mind open and on the big picture.

Where has the film been screened so far?
We only recently finished the film and it's first public screening I went to was at the Sundays Screenings in Tooting, which was fantastic!
 
Future plans for the film?
The film has just been nominated for the Grand Prix at Encounters Film Festival, which we are all very excited about. It means the film is eligible for a BAFTA, which is amazing. We submit it to other festivals and keep our fingers crossed!  

What’s next for you?
Jon and I are working on two feature screenplays at the moment. Both are black comedies with political undertones, one is a fly on the wall documentary about a fly on the wall documentary, and the other is about a relationship termination agency that you can pay to dump your other half. I think there's some exciting and thought provoking films coming out of the UK at the moment and hopefully we can be part of that.

Thursday 8 September 2011

Air Castle Music Video

Air Castles
Been working on another music video. Not directing this time but helping out my good friend Robert Raby as 1AD and Online Editor. The video was for a track called 'Gold' for the band Air Castles. Check it out by clicking here. Enjoy. 

Tuesday 6 September 2011

DCMS Film Policy Review Panel

I thought this might be of interest to some of you. The DCMS has requested comments and suggestions about what should be the country's future film policy, to be sent to them by 9 September. Jon Williams, writer/producer of 'Diary of a Bad Lad', has some very interesting suggestions and comments and is asking for support from any film producer or director with feature film credits, or with a feature in pre-production; or if you are the director or programmer of a film festival, especially one in the North West.



His submission makes a case for:

a. The restoration of the film exhibition quotas revoked by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980's.
b. The introduction of quotas to ensure a greater representation of British films on broadcast television.
c. Increased support for film festivals which place their accent on British films.
d. Reform of the hopelessly out of date 1984 Video Recordings Act so as to allow independent filmmakers the same freedom as the American, Danish and other colleagues, i.e. to not just offer their films unrated as downloads, but also as "unrated-18" DVDs.

If you would like to add your support to this submission please send Jon your key credits/company details/etc + your email address so that he can cut an paste together the list.
Full details of the submission are available at: http://www.pleasedsheep.com/forums/blog/8/entry-122-jons-submission-to

Thursday 25 August 2011

Guy Ducker and comedy sketches

It was quite strange reading Guy Ducker's blog posting today. He's been posting for a short time now and his mini-essays on a variety of film topics are always a pleasure to read but today was especially interesting as he talked about a subject which seems to mirror my own recent work and thinking in a very spot on way. He chatted about the advantages and reasons of making online comedy as an alternative to filming longer, more expensive shorts and I couldn't agree more. 

So take a few minutes and check it out by clicking on my link above.

Wednesday 24 August 2011

'She Wore Black' - No More Navigators

No More Navigators

I took a foray into directing music videos recently when the band No More Navigators asked me to make a video for their new single 'She Wore Black'  which appears on their new EP 'Home' released by Tactal Hots on the 29th August. The video was a pleasure to make and great fun. Check it out and buy the EP if you can. No More Navigators are also playing a gig up in the Proud Camden on Monday 29th August as part of the launch.Click for details here.

Saturday 13 August 2011

'Clowning Around' Film Poster Competition


After reporting on Damien Cullen and his quest to raise the budget for his forthcoming short film 'Clowning Around' I just wanted to make you aware of a poster competition he and his team are running.


Rather than get a specific graphic designer on board Damien is inviting people from the online filmmaking and creative community to design a poster for the film, which will be seen far and wide and used for their festival exhibition and any published art for the distribution of the film. To be judged by Matthew Leyland of 'Total Film', Chris Jones and the Blaine brothers this really is worth getting involved with.


All the information is here:http://clowningaroundfilm.com/poster-competition/


If you want to help get the film off the ground then check out their IndieGoGo page here:www.indiegogo.com/clowningaroundfilm

Friday 5 August 2011

John Waters decides 'One Other Thing' is Film of The Month on Shooting People

It was a triple whammy really. Each month, members of shootingpeople can upload their films which are then viewed and 'liked' by their peers’, creating a Leaderboard. The three films at the top on the first day of the following month go through to the next round. Well my short film 'One Other Thing', which I uploaded last month, got through to the next round.


These films are sent to one of Shooting People’s high-profile patrons, who gives a personal review to each, and then chooses the Film of the Month. Well the judge this month was John Waters (very cool).  And he decided that 'One Other Thing' would be Film of the Month. Thank you and also thank you and well done to everyone in the cast and crew who made this possible!


John Waters

His comments were: "The hell of romantic break up told with a cringe invoking but recognizable-to-be-all sense of humor. Revenge is always embarrassing in hindsight and this film proves that point in a precise, punching way."


Thank you Mr Waters.


A warm round of applause should also go to the two other films in the running this month which were 'Side by Side', written and directed by Jamie Hooper and 'Small Gifts' directed by Brady Hood and written by Ronnie Mackintosh.


Read all the reviews here:http://tinyurl.com/ca6amd


If you didn't get to see 'One Other Thing' then you can either watch it via shootingpeople or directly via Vimeo below. 




Monday 25 July 2011

'Clowning Around' and Damien Cullen


Matthew Jure and Bill Thomas

In the past I've carried out interviews with directors about their completed films.  But not this time. This time I'm going to talk about a film that has yet to go into production because I hope that once you become aware of this project you'll do your bit to make sure this film gets made. 

So go on, read on.

Written and directed by the massively talented Damien Cullen, the budget for the film is being raised through crowdfunding, which, if you're not familiar with the term, is a way to raise public money to fund a private venture through an internet donation campaign. As traditional funding routes and opportunities dry up many innovative filmmakers have started to turn to crowdfunding to raise the money for their projects and Damien is one such filmmaker who needs your help.

I've known Damien a couple of years and we worked together on one of my own shorts, 'The Man Who Stopped', where Damien was a first class producer. Well, he's also a first class writer and director and I had a few words with him about 'Clowning Around'.

Damien Cullen

Hi Damien and thanks for having this chat. So first off, what's 'Clowning Around' about?
'Clowning Around' is essentially about one man’s struggle to overcome his addiction and get his life back on track. It follows the journey of an old school clown Bonzo, formerly the best in town, who after a few hard months finds himself at the bottom of a bottle. After a phone call from the union which threatens to expel him unless he gets his act together, he decides to get his business and self respect back, taking on his local rival, a younger, hipper clown called Mr. Fernelli. I describe it as a bittersweet comedy that has elements of slapstick, action and drama all thrown in too.

Can you tell me a bit about your background?
After originally wanting to be an actor, I first started wanting to make films when I was doing 'A' Levels at college and then went to University at UWCN to do a BA Hons in Film and Video. After graduating from there, I took my graduation film to a few festivals but couldn't seem to get regular work on anything other than for expenses, so worked in a few pubs whilst I figured out what to do. I then found a course at ARTTS in North Yorkshire whose motto was that it had "94% of graduates working in the industry" so studied Production in TV, Film, Theatre and Radio there for a year before being asked to stay and work there for a year as well, running studios, film shoots, theatre shows and helping sort anything technical, as well as schedule the course.

Since leaving ARTTS in 2005, I have worked at Talkback Thames, Prospect Pictures, North One Television and Endemol Sport as an asstistant producer, producer/director, camera operator and editor, all the while continuing to make short films of a very high quality and have over a dozen on my CV now, most prominently as director and producer, with the films being shown as a variety of festivals across Europe, Asia and The Americas and gaining distribution online and you can check them all out (as well as me!) at www.damiencullen.co.uk


What are your plans for the film?
The aim for the film is to create something very ambitious and visual around a very simple human story, that will be both very cinematic and highly engaging for an audience. Once the film is completed we want to get the film shown in festivals on each of the seven continents as it is globally appealing and I like to push to get the most out of every film I do to reward all the hard work everyone is putting into it. The last project I did for North One Television sent me all around the world and that, combined with our international crew, has made me determined to send this film as far and wide as possible so it can have the maximum impact a short film can have and showcase all the talent we have onboard.

Who's in the cast and crew?
We have a fantastically experienced cast and crew, starting with our lead actor Bill Thomas, who has been in pretty much every mainstream UK TV show there is! We then have Matthew Jure who appeared in 'Waking the Dead' and the 'Day. V. Lately' Yell.com ads so is becoming a recognisable face on TV screens as well and a great actor to work with. Crew wise we have producers Leilani Holmes and Graham Inman, who both worked on the Chris Jones short film 'Gone Fishing' as well Elsa O'Toole and Mike Baxter. The rest of the crew are a mix of new faces and people I have worked with on my previous projects, including the ridiculously talented DOP Azul Serra, Art Director Bianca Turner, costume designer Katerina Dipla, 1st AD Greer McNally and Makeup Designer Kirsty Phillips.



You're trying to raise the money via crowdfunding. Can you tell me about that?
The idea to crowd fund via IndieGoGo came from producer Leilani Holmes. After we had developed the script for a few years and as we were getting great feedback and enthusiasm from those who read it on the online forum at www.ottfilms.co.uk we thought it would be great to carry this collaborative element into the funding and production process. Leilani has a lot of experience in utilising social network tools and is a noticeable contributor to the online filmmaking community. 


By using IndieGoGo we have been able to speak directly to our audience and build a relationship with all the other filmmakers out there across the globe as well as helping us to create a strategy and improve our ‘selling’ skills as in this highly competitive industry, you have to be able to make your project stand out and show why people should want to see it. You can’t just have a great script and expect it to get made, you have to show the faith, commitment and enthusiasm (as well as think a little outside the box) you have for it to convince people to part with their hard-earned cash. 

We have had a fantastic start to our campaign (which launched on July 19th) and raised $1517 in the first five days so now need to keep our backers so far engaged in the process, as well as seek new ones to raise the rest of our funding which we have set at $7500 by August 23rd.

How can people get involved?
We have a number of ways people can get involved in the project, firstly by visiting our IndieGoGo page at www.indiegogo.com/clowningaroundfilm and checking out (and hopefully contributing to!) all we are doing. There is a main video there explaining the project as well as the various perks we have made available for people who want to be part of it and info about all those involved in the film and our goals. 


We also have a website at www.clowningaroundfilm.com which has more detailed background about all the cast and crew, plus videos and blogs all cast and crew have been contributing to and images we created on a stills shoot to publicise the film and show the visual and ambitious nature of it. From these stills we will also be running an online poster competition for people to enter and design the poster for us, judged by big hitters in the Indie Filmmaking community including Chris Jones, Ben and Chris Blaine and Chris Patmore, which will further raise the profile of the project. In order to really allow people to get involved, from contributing even just one dollar, you can become a part of our private online forum and get exclusive updates and info as well as discuss the film and your own projects as well. You can also follow us on Twitter @summit-nuthin

What are your plans for the future? 

My current plan is to make 'Clowning Around' my last short film before branching into feature filmmaking and so that is why we are trying to show how big it can be and make the most impact whilst showing how good we are at telling unique and compelling stories. By creating an audience interested in our work too, this will serve us well when looking for funding in the future and showing what we can do with little to no budget at our disposal. Saying that, I do have two other short scripts which are ready to be made, so I guess we will see how 'Clowning Around' goes and where I feel my next steps should be as I tend to take things one step at a time and life can change drastically in such a short space of time so I like to keep my options open.

Monday 18 July 2011

Short of the Week



If you haven't come across the site already then you really should check out 'Short of the Week' which reviews and shows some of the best short films around. It's a cracking place to find some real gems.

I've just been watching the deliciously mad 'Crazy Hands' which was written and directed by the talented Charlie Graley.

Friday 1 July 2011

'One Other Thing' on Shootingpeople.org

In case you're in need of a quick fix of comedy then why not treat yourself to watching my short film 'One Other Thing' which has recently been put up onto shootingpeople.org? Go on, it's only seven minutes long and if you're a member then you can also 'like it'. I like that.






Click on the link here.

Thursday 23 June 2011

FCPX


Final Cut Pro X has arrived along with a mixture of excitement, awe and distress.


If you're wondering what all the fuss is about then the reliable Ken Stone gives a clear and informative run through of the program, whilst over at Creative Cow, Gary Adcock voices a number of the growing concerns. Over at Fcp.co they are trying to allay your fears, although going by the comments below the article they don't seem to be doing a very good job. Some of the concerns include lack of XML support and the fact the new program is bereft of backward compatibility with previous versions of the software.




With accusation flying that the new program lacks adaquate professional elements and a lot of disgruntled editors making their feelings known, it is hoped and reported that the next version that Apple will soon be releasing will be much improved. Phew!

Friday 17 June 2011

Virgin Media Short Entry Uploaded

With three weeks to go until the deadline it was pleasing to upload our entry to the Virgin Media Shorts competition this evening.

I hope you enjoy it and thanks to everyone who was involved in making it.

Check it out here.

Friday 27 May 2011

'One Other Thing' complete

Things have been rather hectic it feels. Last night was rather satisfying though as we completed 'One Other Thing' which we filmed a couple of months ago. Take a peek below and see if you like it.


One Other Thing from carlo ortu on Vimeo.





It was a quick turnaround by normal standards and with 'The Man Who Stopped' also recently completed the phrase 'short films are like buses' comes to mind, although I admit it isn't a very common phrase on these shores. 
On top of that we filmed our entry for the Virgin Media Shorts contest last Sunday which was good fun although we all got somewhat wet. It was an early start and expecting a glorious sunny day it instead chucked it down just after dawn which didn't improve when we got locked out on a pub roof at 5am in the morning. How we laughed!

Tuesday 26 April 2011

60 Best Blogs for Aspiring Screenwriters

I just had to share this site I came across which, if you're a writer, you'll find really useful. As the name of the website suggests its basically a list of other sites and blogs.  As the site itself states:

"Staying on top of the latest people, places and pieces, opinions, and trends is almost as crucial to forging a career as completely understanding the narrative devices that make a script stand out. The internet, per usual, delivers on this front with a cascade of reading material poking and prodding every nook and cranny of the cinematic arts. While this list is by no means comprehensive — nor does it dismiss the contributions of other resources out there — it does provide a hopefully valuable and diverse starting point for anyone hoping to see their stories get told."

I'll second that.

Check it out here.

Monday 11 April 2011

Virgin Media Shorts, Encounters and Rushes




If you haven't heard already then you should know that Virgin Media Shorts is back for its 4th year and, as ever, they return with one of the most sought after prizes offered to shorts filmmakers in the UK. The winner of the competition, as chosen by their panel of judges - including The Bourne Ultimatum and United 93 director Paul Greengrass - will win up to £30,000 to make their next film as well as expert advice along the way. Not bad!

In addition to this, the winning film will be one of 12 that are selected to screen across the Picture House network and independent cinemas all over the UK for the next year, putting shorts back on the big screen where they belong! And, as well this theatrical screening, Virgin Media Shorts will facilitate a multi-platform showcase of your work through TV, online and mobile.

There’s also thousands of pounds worth of new film kit to be won, and there will also be prize incentives along the way so check the website (www.virginmediashorts.co.uk) regularly for updates.

Films need to be 2 mins 20 secs max. Head here for submission details.



Talking about festivals it should also be noted that the Encounters Short Film Festival has also just opened up for submissions and you can submit your short until the 30th June.



And if you're really keen then you have until the 21st April to get your film into the Rushes Soho Shorts Festival.

Sunday 10 April 2011

Sidney Lumet

It was sad to hear today about the passing of Sidney Lumet. The director received more than fifty Oscar nominations throughout his career and made his feature film debut with 12 Angry Men (1957). My two personal favourites are The Hill (1965) and Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and I highly recommend reading his book 'Making Movies'. For an informative summary of his life and work Philip French of the Observer has written a very good article.

Friday 8 April 2011

Matthew Jure and 'Waking The Dead'

Just thought I'd give a quick plug for my actor friend Matthew Jure who has starred in a number of my films. You can catch him on Monday night at 9pm on BBC One in Waking the Dead. It's a two parter so I'd advise watching the first part on Sunday evening at the same time.

Monday 4 April 2011

Tom Worsley and 'Forever'

Things have been pretty busy recently. ‘The Man Who Stopped’ was screened last night and went down really well, the sound mix is almost completed on ‘One Other Thing’ and I’m working with a new producer for my feature ‘Cut Loose’. But this hasn’t stopped me from seeing some fantastic short films and one of them was Tom Worsley’s ‘Forever’. It’s a very simple but very effecting film that is refreshingly poetic and has the confidence to challenge the normal narrative conventions we have become so used to. It’s a moving, intimate story with an almost unsettling atmosphere, an effect enhanced by minimal dialogue and a rich sound design. You can watch the film here and I recently has a chat with director Tom Worsley about his work.


How did you get started in filmmaking?
Acting was always my primary passion throughout childhood, but I developed an interest in filmmaking during my time at Bristol University, where I studied English and Drama: Theatre, Film and Television. I have always been a fanatical film-lover, but it was through dissecting and examining films as part of my course, and through involvement in various extra-curricular projects, that I developed a passion for filmmaking. Also, because I have always loved performing and writing, I realised that filmmaking would be a useful string to add to my bow, as rather than waiting for auditions and castings for other productions, I could create my own projects.

So what is 'Forever' about?
The plot is very simple. A young couple explore some beautiful churches, and discover how love can feel both momentary and eternal…


What themes does it explore?
The main question this film asks is, “What, if anything, is forever?”. Every scene in the film takes place in or around a rural church. Churches are so much more than just religious edifices (in fact, religion plays no part at all in this film). They are enduring symbols of togetherness and timelessness. Places of immense joy, true love, “the happiest day of your life”. Contemplation, hope and new life. Conversely, they are also places of immense grief, commemoration, eternal rest. Moments, memorials, and memories.

How did the idea come about?
I’m the youngest in my family by quite a long way, and I’ve noticed recently that I’m going to church more and more – weddings of friends, christenings of nephews and nieces, memorial services of grandparents. I realised what a wide spectrum of life is witnessed at these enduring, timeless buildings, and I wanted to explore that spectrum. Also, I’m from Worcestershire in the West Midlands, a beautiful part of the world. There are some beautiful churches near my home, and I always thought they’d make a wonderful setting for a film – nice and quiet too, which is helpful!

Describe your writing process?
It depends on the project, but generally I sway between two extremes. I love writers like Wes Anderson and Simon Pegg, writers who load their dialogue with detail, recurring jokes or motifs, not always entirely natural, but always with a real display of constructive flair and craft. So sometimes, especially with my shortest stories, I really get stuck in, choosing my words and syntax very carefully, and tying everything up together. However, my attention span is pretty bad. I frequently come up with ideas, but rarely get around to actually writing them down on paper. So often I just grab a notebook and write down the story as soon as I come up with it – I explore and develop it as I’m writing it down. And that becomes the source, from which we will just work with the actors and use improvisation to find the dialogue. In “Forever”, there are only three lines of scripted dialogue – they’re pretty important(!), but everything else just came organically during the shoot. That’s because the words aren’t what’s important in this film – it’s the performances, the characters, their relationship, and the themes that are explored.

How do you prepare to direct a film?
This was my biggest lesson on this project... I was pretty loose and carefree in preparation. There was no script, the plot was very simple, I had two great actors, and it was just them, our director of photography and myself, going around these beautiful churches around where I live, finding moments of truth, love and life, and shooting them. My main preparation was simply ringing church wardens and asking for permission to film at the churches! We did have an extensive shot list of moments we wanted to capture, things we wanted to film, but really it was more just a guideline so we didn’t miss anything on the day. I figured I could then just take everything into the edit and piece it all together. I think this approach ultimately worked in that in the end we produced a film that we couldn’t have made had we prepped and planned every moment and image. However, it took us a hell of a long time to get there! And that’s because we were so loose in the prep.


What format was the film shot on and was this a creative or financial choice?
We shot it on miniDV – the camera was our DP’s Canon XL2. This was mainly a financial decision, but despite only being a DV camera, the picture quality is absolutely fantastic. Also, we wanted the film to have an earthy, rural, raw visual style, and miniDV creates that.

What was its budget and how did you raise the finance?
It cost nothing, apart from the petrol is cost us to drive between the locations!

Describe the casting process?
I am very fortunate to know some very talented and inspirational people from my time at Bristol University, where there is a thriving drama scene. The cast was made up of two of my friends from there, Sarah Barratt, a fantastic actress, and Nick Blakeley, who has just graduated from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Are you a director who likes to rehearse a lot before shooting?
Again, depends on the project. The film I am currently in pre-production for, we are rehearsing a lot, because it is just going to be one long continuous shot, so the performance needs to be absolutely honed. With this however, I wanted to watch and capture the scenes as they developed organically.

What approaches do you employ when working with actors?
Generally my approach is one of encouragement. If I have cast them, it means that I believe they’re right for the role and the project. I know how I want the character to be, but I want the actor to bring their own attitude, ideas and experience to that character too – through this collaboration, more rounded, true, interesting characterisations are made. Then it’s a case of giving them the confidence, trust and freedom to give everything and explore the character and the situation.


Did you storyboard/shot list every shot in pre-production?
As I said earlier, we had a shot list, but having spent two years in post-production on this project (there were other reasons for this too, such as my time-consuming job etc), I will certainly be storyboarding future productions! Just so I can go into the edit with a bit more of a plan…

How and why did you decide on the visual style you employed for your film?
We wanted the visual style to reflect the themes and settings explored in the film. The scenes are all small, organic, real moments, so we filmed off the shoulder, to give it a more natural, authentic feel, rather than using a tripod and making it feel more set up and contrived. We shot a lot of extreme close ups, of the characters and of the architecture of their world, so we could really be in there with them, so that we could feel with them, the texture of the church walls, the grass, the skin on their hands.

How long was the shoot?
Just two days – over an Easter weekend. It was nice – unlike previous projects where we’ve had to film different scenes in different places at different types of day, we were in no rush on this one. Each scene is independent of the other, so light, weather and other continuity elements didn’t have to match.
Which part of the production did you find most enjoyable?
Shooting – I always do. I love the collaboration – everyone together, pulling in the same direction, to achieve a shared goal. Writing and editing can be a little lonely in comparison.

What lessons, if any, did you learn?
As I said, I believe our approach did work in the end for this project, but I’d certainly be wary of going in with that “let’s just film everything and sort it out in the edit” approach again!

Where has the film been screened so far?
Just at the brilliant Sunday Screenings event at The Antelope in Tooting – everyone should go, it’s great – first Sunday of every month.

Future plans for the film?
Currently in the process of submitting it to a few film festivals. I’m thinking I might send it to a few international places – there’s not much dialogue so nothing should get lost in translation, and I think the setting of the English countryside will be more even unknown and impressive in foreign countries!

What’s next for you?
Got a few acting jobs coming up, and in pre-production on a number of very short shorts that I’m hoping to get in the can before I go to America for three months this summer (part travelling, part filmmaking).


Saturday 26 March 2011

The Man Who Stopped Completed

Shot last July and funded via an innovative use of the National Lottery 'The Man Who Stopped', a short film that I wrote and directed, is at last complete. A free screening has been organised in conjunction with the Sunday Screenings at The Antelope so if you're free on Sunday 3rd April at around 7.45pm then why not pop along here.

Monday 14 March 2011

Deborah Haywood and 'Sis'

I was lucky enough recently to see Deborah Haywood's short film 'Sis' and I implore you to try and do the same. It really is a very well made, thoughtful and enjoyable film and I can't wait to see some of her other work as Deborah is certainly a talent to watch out for. The film is both funny and dark with impressive performances, especially from the very young cast members and a premise that cleverly hides the film's true message.

I recently chatted to Deborah about the film.


How did you get started in filmmaking?
I did creative writing as part of my degree and wanted to be a writer. Then I saw a call out for short scripts for EM Media's DV shorts scheme and sent in a script.  I assumed that if I got a commission I'd be paired with a director but they said I was going to direct it too. I said I had no idea what a director did and they said 'you're about to find out.'  That was Lady Margaret, my first short.  (you can see it here http://raindance.tv/watch/film/lady-margaret).

So what is ‘Sis’ about?  
It's about five year old Lauren, who hears there's a man who 'likes children' living in the area, so she and her little friend decide to track him down to show him their handstands.

What themes does it explore?  
Childhood innocence mostly, but there are a couple of other themes in there if you look hard enough. So I'm told anyway...

How did the idea come about?  
I was in the cinema and suddenly these images came to me.  I scrambled about for some paper and sat there in the dark, scribbling them out.  It tumbled out fully formed and I didn't make that many changes to it
in development.  I wish that would happen again!

Describe your writing process?   
Sis was an exception.  Usually I have an idea, usually an image or a character, and then I build a story around it.  I write an outline, then leave it.  Then I rewrite and leave it again.  Then I do a step outline, and leave that, and repeat until it works.  Then I write the script. I find the 'leaving' it bit really valuable.


How do you prepare to direct a film?   
I make notes on every scene, and hang out with the actors as much as possible.  I do a shot list that often isn't very articulate.  I talk to the crew as much as I can, and try and get everyone to understand what I'm trying to achieve. I've not mastered prep (or any of it) yet but I reckon the more you prep you do the less stressed you are, even if you throw everything away on the shoot.

The film was funded by the UK Film Council, which was recently closed
down. Could you describe how they came to be involved and a little about the process of working with them?   
A company called Lifesize based in Sheffield represented the Film Council on the shorts so the Film Council themselves weren't really directly involved. Lifesize commission the scripts along with your regional screen agency, and both feedback on the script and also on the edit.  This put me on the Film Council's radar and I was lucky enough to get onto the Film Council's First Feature Development Scheme.  They are hugely passionate about film and script and so supportive of the creative process. I've leant a lot from them.

What format was the film shot on and was this a creative or financial choice?
It was shot on the Red.  We were able to shoot on that because our cinematographer Gabi Norland was able to get us an amazing deal.

What was the film’s budget? 
£9,000.


Describe the casting process?
We put fliers in peoples doors and I put a call out on facebook.  At first I was looking for 6-9 year olds but when I met some of them I realised they knew too much, so we went younger and cast a five and three year old.  In the end they turned out to be my best friend's relatives, which was lucky because it meant the family was comfortable with me because they sort of knew me.

Are you a director who likes to rehearse a lot before shooting and what
approaches do you employ when working with actors? Did you change and adapt your methods to accommodate the two young leads?
I did a lot of game playing and impro's with the girls. They are too
young to read a script so I fed them the lines as we shot, and then we
took them out in post.  I don't really rehearse with actors. We'll
go through the script and talk about motivations and subtext and
stuff.   I find it more valuable to hang out with them so we feel
comfortable with each other.

Did you storyboard/shot list every shot in pre-production?  
I did a shot list that sometimes we forgot to look at.

How and why did you decide on the visual style you employed for your film? 
I sort of think the script shows you how to shoot it. I wanted it to be from the girls pov so I shot at their height and often had grown ups cut off at the waist etc.A bit like you get in Tom and Jerry.

How long was the shoot?
Six days.

Which part of the production did you find most enjoyable?  
The shoot, although the last time I was that knackered when I went potato picking, aged 14.

What lessons, if any, did you learn?   
To listen to my belly.  There were a couple of things that I knew weren't right on the shoot but I let them go because I was either too tired/stressed/time pressured. When I got in the edit those
were the things I regretted.

Where has the film been screened so far? 
We've been really lucky with festival screenings.  The full list is on the website, here http://sisfilm.co.uk/news/.  I'm very grateful to those two little girls!

Future plans for the film? 
It has more festival screenings coming up and has just been picked up by a NITV distributors, so I'm hoping it will have a life after it festival run too.

What’s next for you
I've just finished a new short called Biatch, and I'm working on two feature scripts.