Reflections & Resolutions 2018/2019

[Above: image from my photoshoot with I C Things Photography, which 
was one of the highlights of Autumn 2019. This photo was featured in
Derby Evening Telegraph's 'Photos of the Year' spread last weekend]

   Happy New Year to all of you!

   Regular followers of my blog will know that it's an annual tradition for me to write a post that summarises the year just gone, while looking forward to the future. 2018 has given me a lot to reflect on, so I have plenty to say this time round. 

   I think a lot of people will agree with me when I say that 2018 felt like an emotional Stretch Armstrong, pulled fully in two directions whilst always weakening the core. From a personal perspective, I can say that I worked damn hard this year, and I didn't get as much time to myself as I would've liked (I missed long walks and days out with my friends most of all). But, against all odds, and in spite of a traumatic December, I can say that my family is all alive and well, and for that I am thankful; we've just spent another Christmas together, and the gang is set to grow again in 2019. We only lost one beloved family pet (in May 2018), but as a result of this, myself and my partner Edward Harvey got two new baby guinea pigs, Alan and Ziggy. I apologise for all the cute photos that ended up on our Instagram pages as a result!

   I can also say that 2018 was a great year in the world of film. I went to the cinema more this year than I've been in a long time (and wrote this blog post about it), and there were so many films to root for during OSCAR season. The fact that a genre film - a fantasy film, no less - took home 'Best Picture' meant that I had high hopes for 2018, from the start, and I apologise to everyone from last year's OSCARs viewing party for my overly excitable and emotional reaction!

[My BAFTA Crew announcement, and BAFTA Guru Live photos from September 2018]

   In my own film career, what can I say about 2018? I think it's obvious what the highlight was. Yes, last year brought the usual sea of rejections (from film festivals, funding pots, mentoring applications, you name it), but there was one acceptance which blew my mind. I became a participant of the 2018 BFI Network x BAFTA Crew, as one of a fairly small number of film directors and producers, in early summer 2018; it was the next step I wanted to achieve in my career, and I am so, so thankful that it happened. 

   Due to my location, I've mostly logged into the crew's online seminars, but I did get to BAFTA HQ a couple of times last year, and it felt incredible every time I walked past one of those big gold masks. One of those visits even resulted in an unexpected reunion with Ashes star Adam Lannon, which was a wonderful, reflective moment for both of us. 

   My BAFTA Crew status expires in Spring 2019, and I'm in the process of adapting my work schedule so that I can attend more sessions before that happens. Training has been a big part of my plans over the last two years, and I want to continue with that mindset. In 2018, as well as the BAFTA Crew seminars, I attended BAFTA Guru Live and Underwire's Wired Women Weekender (alongside fellow Midlands filmmaker Kelly Webster), and I've already signed up for two Raindance seminars in 2019. I also joined the newly-formed Midlands branch of Cinesisters in 2018 (which is due to change its name soon), and I hope to become a member of the main Cinesisters collective in 2019.

[Robert Dukes and Aislinn De'Ath on the set of Poison Ivy in April 2018. Photo by Anna Lucia Sadler.]

  The other highlight of 2018 came early on. This time last year, I successfully completed my 10th crowdfunding campaign, and shot The Poison Ivy Fan Film as a result. I've loved the character of Poison Ivy since I was a child, and making this film was a dream come true. As well as the fact that we were dealing with Batman fan fiction, which is cool as hell, everyone on set was just so happy to be part of such a lovely crew. It was a talented bunch of filmmakers, all working so hard within the constraints of limited time and budget, but what we all took away from the shoot is how nice the atmosphere was, how open and honest (and chatty) everyone was with each other. We felt in sync with each other, in more ways than one. 

   I'll do a dedicated blog post for that shoot in due course; for now, I am so excited to complete the film. Post-production is taking slightly longer than expected, but with everyone working on this film for free, it does mean we have to fit it around our other commitments. Great work is still happening, constantly and steadily, and I'll try and release more behind-the-scenes content soon. Looking forward beyond Poison Ivy, Aislinn De'Ath and Robert Dukes know how much I'd like to keep working with them, as actors and as filmmakers, so hopefully there will be more from our little three-piece-team in the pipeline.

[Above left: The Performance Short Film Competition in London, where Songbird was shortlisted. Photo by Tommy Draper. Above Right: me with some of the Songbird crew at The Short Cinema, where Hidden also screened. Photo by Pamela Raith Photography]

   2018 was also the year when Songbird hit the big screen. Although we didn't quite get the festival run we worked and hoped for, the film did gain a decent seven laurels, with another screening to announce in January 2019; we were also shortlisted for the Performance Short Film Competition in October 2018, which was a truly exciting moment for the film, so we are grateful to have had that. 

   2019 will be the year when Songbird finishes its festival run, and it will be released online around November of this year. We're also going to make a small batch of DVDs available to the public this year, to meet the demand from fans (we're still getting constant requests, three years after the film's funding campaigns!). I'm not sure exactly when that limited batch will go on sale - producer Laura C. Cann and I are going to figure it out based on what's best for the film itself - but I also plan on releasing more behind-the-scenes content from Songbird on the run up to the main November launch.

   And of course, 2018 was the year when my little production studio, Triskelle Pictures Ltd., turned 10 years old. My heart still swells with pride and gratitude at the thought of it, and you can read more about that in this blog post from October 2018. I hope to release more online content in celebration of this anniversary, but only if I have the free time to do so. The best way to celebrate this milestone is to keep the company moving forward, to keep making magical realist shorts and to keep bringing in new clients, so that's my focus for the coming months.

[Speaking at the surprisingly emotional cast and crew premiere of Hidden in December 2018.
Photo by Matthew Cawrey Photography]

  There's one more film from 2018 to talk about. I wrote the first draft of a script which would later be called 'Hidden' in early 2017, before handing it over to the amazing young director Jess O'Brien, who was much more suited to the material than me. Alongside producer Keith Allot, Jess made Hidden in the space of a few months in 2018, and it's a beautiful little film full of some great debut performances. The film's premiere, right at the start of December 2018, was definitely a highlight; not only had something I'd written led to the first ever on-set experiences of many young filmmakers, but it led to some frank and emotional discussions about humanity's ability to accept diversity. I have no idea where such a deep discussion came from (apart from the fact that it came from a young voice), but I was honoured to be a part of it. There were a few teary eyes in the audience that night!

   Hidden is currently crowdfunding for its festival run, and there's only one day left of that campaign, if you want to support it. Knowing Jess' incredible talent and track record, I'm sure that Hidden will do amazingly at festivals in 2019 - I just can't wait to see that happen!

   So, what's next for me? Well, early in 2018, I announced to my colleagues that I was going to take a break from short filmmaking to focus on my paid film work, which was all-consuming (in a good way. 2018 was Triskelle Pictures' most profitable year to date, with a flurry of new and returning clients, including a music video shoot in a studio on one of the hottest days of the year!). But my plans changed, in the nicest way possible, due to a meeting from an executive figure in May 2018. I won't go into any detail here, but she inspired me so much, just by telling me that she wanted me to make more shorts, and by saying three words: "you're nearly there." This may not sound like much, and 'there' might seem like such a vague term, but to myself and millions of other filmmakers around the world, it's probably one of the most important words in the English language.

[Concept art for The Barn (working title) by the brilliant Qingling Zhang]

  It was enough to push me into development on The Barn (working title), an ambitious fantasy thriller that I've had in my head since finishing Ashes in 2013. After writing the initial drafts (mostly during commutes to jobs or training sessions), I passed the script over to my long time writing partner Tommy Draper, and we've been working on it ever since. The Barn is probably the film I've been the most excited about since Stop/Eject, and I hope that we can progress beyond the script stage soon. But, having done a first pass budget, it's clear that the scale of this film is bigger than anything we've done before, and it means we may have to wait a long time before we can raise the funds we need. That's the only reason I've turned my attention to other short films for 2019 - these are 'in the meantime' films, but The Barn is still a goal, and one that I'm excited to keep working towards.

   The first of the new shorts for 2019 is Lepidopterist, which is the working title for my entry into this year's Sci-Fi London 48hr Film Challenge. I've wanted to enter this competition for a while, but I only really feel ready to do so now, with a solid fledgling idea for the story and a great team at my side (including producer Owen Tooth, an established director in his own right. It's my first time collaborating with him, and I'm really enjoying it so far). 

   Lepidopterist will shoot in Spring this year, with the dates to be confirmed by Sci-Fi London closer to the time, and I'm currently developing the film around my client work (as well as my continued work at Dynomite Productions), which will take up most of my January and February. I also have two more wonderful screenplays on my slate - Room 515, a new script from Tommy, full of amazing dialogue and character development, and the period fantasy Her Song, written by Aislinn, which we've had in the back of our hearts for a few years now. I can't promise that both of those films will be made this year, but I'll certainly try and push both towards development status if I can.

   I've also started to turn my attention to the world of streaming (better late than never!), with both Stop/Eject and Night Owls due to hit Amazon Prime within the next few days. It's crazy to think that Night Owls only finished its festival run in late 2019, ending with London Lift Off Online Festival in December, and I plan on analysing that successful festival run in my next blog post.

   This is looking like a very full year. It's the year I turn 30, which makes me slightly apprehensive, but it's also given me a nudge to sit back and assess the challenging, creative, wonderful life I'm living. With the Christmas break over, I am refreshed, ready to dive back in, and ready to push myself again - but as long as I'm pushing myself in the right direction. On a personal and professional level, 2019 will be the year to say no as much as saying yes; yes to new projects and creative development, yes to experiences outside the office, and yes to making myself better at what I do; no to people and projects that don't make me happy and don't send me towards a greater goal. It's a filtration process, and it's hard to do in a sensible and productive way, but I hope you'll all join me in that mantra; 2019 is a year for saying yes, and saying yes often, but only when it's the right thing to do. May you all have a happy, loving and prosperous year as a result.

Sophie

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2018 - the year in stats

Countries visited: Just one: I didn't even leave England last year! But I've got my first trip to Ireland coming up in January 2019, and I'm considering going back to Cannes this year too.

House moves: None. I'm still completely in love with my little cottage. I plan on developing my mini allotment further this year.

Film Festivals Attended: Only 5, due to my busy schedule: Derby Film Festival (where my friends at Superfreak Media won the 24hr challenge!), Out of the Can Film Festival, The Short Cinema (where Songbird screened), Mayhem Film Festival, and Birmingham Film Festival. Must do better in 2019!

Gigs attended: Two, kind of. Myself and Tommy Draper attended a memorable Garbage gig in September 2018, and I saw a multitude of artists at Splendour Fest in August 2018, including Paloma Faith and Sophie Ellis Bextor. I hope to attend the festival of my client, Towersey Festival, in 2019.

Weddings attended: Invited to three, managed to go to two as well as two hen dos. That's a new record for me, and it resulted in some beautiful, treasured memories with my friends. I hope more of them can find such happiness in 2019.