The RIVALS

A film of friendship, nostalgia and petty jealousy. When Connor comes to town, it sets William on a dark path of discovery.

A FIRST FILM - QUESTIONS TO THE DIRECTOR

Written almost three years ago, this script was always destined to be Front Row's first film. But how did it start?

"I'd had ideas around old friends meeting up and there being something hidden between them from their past, but it was only on driving home after a school run and a section of Mozart's requiem came on the radio which inspired me. It brought to mind the Salieri rivalry from Amadeus, and I couldn't wait to get back and start writing! Three days later I had what I thought was a polished script - yeah, it's gone through quite a lot of changes since!

"I have always been intrigued by status within relationships, and the theme of professional jealousy was one I personally needed to work through as I made my first steps at a late age into a new career. So, it ended up being quite therapeutic to write. William feeling like he's not been able to push on with a stop start career, and instead of looking inwards pushing the blame onto his more successful contempory provided that essential conflict from which everything else flourished."

Not only is this Front Row Film's pilot project, it is also your first experience of putting together a short film from conception to final cut. How has the experience been?

"This has been a fraught, yet amazing process. Early attempts to finance the film failed which has led to self-financing, and thankfully, a lot of very professional people giving me very friendly rates in oder to realise this film. A mad two and a half days filming in order to keep costs down were sandwiched between far more relaxing periods of planning and post.

I would obviously like to name-check everyone who helped put this together, but I'd particularly like to mention the importance of a great DP for an inexperienced film director. And in Benjamin Zadig, I had one. As I was one of the actors on set, my main contributions came in pre and post production. Special mention to Peter Hallin too, who not only knocked it out of the park with his performance in front of the camera, but also provided an incredibly supportive role in the film's development behind the scenes."

This film was a personal journey in more ways than one. Has that helped define a personal style?

"I don't necessarily want to pin down a style, especially so early in my development, but there is loads that defines me in this, not least in the dialogue. Though I've had to kill quite a few darlings, and a few jokes!, through rewrites and editing, it still feels like the essence is really to the fore now. Thematically, as I have already mentioned, I like exploring dynamics. Visually, I knew I wanted contrast between light and dark, indeed the orignal script called for black and white, and I like the wide screen format, but obviously I relied heavily on the experts around me to practically inform those tastes.

"I have also had the benefit of a wonderful original score from Björn Wennås, and I love music in film and theatre. It includes classical music (it's the type of music I listen to when I write), and the superb earworm '90s style track 'We Are Amazing'. I wanted an upbeat '90s style track (the '90s was 'my' decade for music) to contrast with the darkness of the film's themes. There we go, I mention contrast again. I suppose, ultimately, I see contrast in the world, which is what makes it so interesting but also so confusing. If that is what audiences remember, then I will have done my job.

"What else? I've mentioned that I enjoy dialogue, and I think it has a really important part to play in a largely visual medium. What we say to one another is everyone's 'civilised' way of interacting. Writing and showing these often clumsy interactions is a chance to humanise my characters, and I'll always look to give my creations chances to talk to each other."

Now it's completed, have you got any final reflections you'd like to share?

"It's been bonkers! There's been lots of ups and downs, but there is an overwhelming sense of achievement. I understand just how long these things take now, and perhaps I'm not quite as naive as I was when I started. But, though I will move on to new projects, this one will always have a place in my heart."

Challenged by 'That Film Festival' to create a new short from a short script for a competition, Fraser James MacLeod and Front Row Film, with support from FilmCentrum Syd, rose to the occasion.

The INTERVIEW

A man goes for an interview, but it's not just his career on the line...

ANOTHER STEP ON THE ROAD - QUESTIONS TO THE DIRECTOR

This one really is a short, isn't it?

"It is indeed. So, this one came about kind of by accident, but it is short by design. 'That Film Festival' provided a short script as inspiration for a competition. I wanted to make it my own, but I wanted to keep hold of the format. As quite a lot of general feedback on my writing has been that it is quite wordy, I wanted to go in the opposite direction and keep the dialogue to a minimum. I wanted the challenge of getting across important ideas with the minimum of fuss. As I was only going to be behind the camera on this film, it would give me a chance to develop myself more with the visual aspects of filmmaking."

Can you expand on that? You have experience as a theatre director, so how does the different medium translate?

"As a theatre director, I'm always thinking about the whole in my mind's eye. I'm always concerned by balance on the stage - whether it's breadth or depth - wheras with film it's about detail. Having said that, it's a similar mindset. I'm still concerned with balance, but the scope of a cinema shot expands the possibilities exponentially. There are no limits. Anyway, I was still able to use my preferences for light and dark contrast, but here, due to the unnatural bent of the film's subject matter, I could experiment with real character close-ups and strange angles. It was DoP Diego who suggested negative space behind the characters and that really worked. I liked to muck about with camera angles to differentiate status between the characters too.

"This is the first time I've really storyboarded every second of the film, and I learnt a lot about what I like, and I was able to find myself trusting my instincts - as I have grown accustomed as a theatre director. Making connections with visuals and story is a really rewarding experience, and great fun!"

What about the themes of 'The Interview'. What wanted to make it your own, so what have you wanted to say?

"Well, if I can get a little philosophical for a moment. There is so much that bothers me about where the world is heading right now, and ultimately I wanted to work through some of that angst. I find it increasingly difficult to look at things objectively and watch as families and communities are divided by hateful rhetoric. But I refuse to believe that we are all basically selfish. I mean, maybe on some level we are, but we are also kind-hearted and often act out of some sense of goodness - even when we do or say something awful. I have my main character Jonah, as a man who has lost his compassion because he has been pulled down a rabbit hole of fear. But instead of blaming him, I want us to understand that he started out down this road essentially because he wants to be protective of his family, his daughter. But, of course, I want him to understand his errors it too. We succumb to fear when the stakes are high."

You created this in such a short space of time. How do you compare this with your previous experience on The Rivals?

"So different! I think I enjoyed this more. Maybe that's because I wasn't acting and directing at the same time. It was easier to focus. But also maybe because I didn't have time to second guess myself at every turn. Regarding the tight time limit, four weeks, it meant there felt more of an inevitability about the film. We had decided to do it, so it just got done! Of course, I was lucky to get amazing people who were willing to give up their time to get it over the line. I'm not naturally someone who likes to take things slow, so this felt pretty good."