Into Film Clubs
Find out everything you need to know about starting an Into Film Club.
We are delighted to share our latest Film of the Month winner Missing!!!!, by the talented young filmmaker Holden, from Swindon. Our Special Mention this month goes to Scrambled, by Cooper, from West Kirby.
This hilarious silent comedy (engaging for 8+) follows a young man in his search to find his missing pet rock. Inspired by the works of Charlie Chaplin, this clever and engaging story incorporates classic silent film references and cliches to create a powerful ode to the era.
How does it feel to win Film of the Month?
It feels great!
What inspired you to make this film?
I really enjoyed Hundreds of Beavers and then bought a collection of Charlie Chaplin short films in the charity shop. After watching some of those, I decided I wanted to make something in that style.
Who/what are your filmmaking inspirations?
My filmmaking inspirations are the films of Christopher Nolan (especially The Dark Knight and Inception) and Gareth Edwards. However, my favourite film is La La Land.
What were the challenges (if any) in making this film, and how did you overcome them?
The shoot was relatively easy, however, some bad weather prevented me from filming it in the order I had planned. The most disastrous thing happened near the end of the shoot, when one of the rock's googly eyes fell off, so in some of the shots you may notice one of the eyes is balanced on top of the rock rather than being actually attached to it. Don't worry, I have glued it back on now.
What was your filmmaking process? How did you go about creating this film?
I really enjoyed the process of making this film. It began with the idea to make a silent film. I experimented with a few ideas, then wrote the first draft of the script, which was titled Search Party. After another draft, it became Missing!!!!, and I began to storyboard it. I shot the film over the course of a day, then I edited it on Davinci Resolve.* This took me about a week, where I changed the speed, colour edited and added vignettes.
* DaVinci Resolve is a free editing software for filmmakers.
What did you enjoy most about making the film?
There are two things I really enjoyed about this film. The first is the fact that one of the actors/props was a rock with googly eyes. I think I'll be putting it in the background of future films, so look out for it. The other is shooting in a different ratio to what you usually see in films these days, and I enjoyed the opportunities this presented in terms of framing shots.
What advice would you give to other young filmmakers?
If you have an idea, go for it. I would definitely say you should plan your film but always allow new ideas to emerge when you are shooting.
What message would you like audiences to take from watching this film?
There's not really a message in the film, but I think silent films are great! I hope this inspires people to watch some silent films, and maybe even make their own.
What are you working on next?
I am not sure yet what my next film will be, but I think it will involve a more interesting score, which I will compose myself, as I used only royalty free music on this one.
Special Mention
Each month, we select a film that we feel deserves to be celebrated alongside the winning film. This month, we are delighted to give our Special Mention to Scrambled, directed by Cooper from West Kirby. Hear what Cooper said about making Scrambled:
"Making the film was incredibly fun! I wrote the script myself, and I wanted to tell a story centred around a restaurant as my uncle is a head chef and owns a restaurant near our house. We used his staff as actors, as well as himself. I also wanted to build the tension in the interview scene by cutting between the kitchen."
