A Different Approach: The Journey of Room 515
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| [Above: The clapperbord on day two of the A Different Place shoot, still labelled up with its original title! Photo by our unit photographer, Shelley Richmond] |
Today marks exactly one year since cameras rolled on A Different Place, the beautiful short film made possible by BFI NETWORK and National Lottery funding - and one of the projects I'm most proud of.
For anyone who follows my work, it may have seemed like A Different Place came out of nowhere. From 2017 onwards, after my team and I completed Songbird, I focused my time predominantly on developing a larger-scale short film (which eventually fell through in 2021, as we were unable to secure enough funding to make it happen), and apart from that I only shot a couple of micro-budget shorts: Growing Shadows in 2018 and Lepidopterist in 2019. But in truth, A Different Place was a film I'd been lucky enough to have in my back pocket for quite a while, waiting for the right opportunity to bring it into the world...
THE SCREENPLAY
As most films do, it all started with a script. Tommy Draper and I have collaborated countless times now, he's my creative partner-in-crime, and yet when he sent me the first draft of the script, I was still surprised by how incredible it was. It was such a raw, honest piece, with a real element of Tommy's true voice coming through in his writing.
That was late 2018. At that point, the script was entitled 'Room 515', and the lead characters were then called Catherine and Bethany; yet the core message at the heart of the film rings as true now as it did the moment I first read that early draft. Whatever the names, it is a film about a middle-aged woman, no longer comfortable in her own body, who has kept her true sexuality a secret for the sake of keeping her family together. It hit me on an emotional level, and I could instantly picture how I'd shoot the scenes, so I begged Tommy for the rights straight away.
Even though subsequent drafts of the script have stayed faithful to the story we wanted to tell, that's not to say it didn't change along the way. We went through a lengthy script development process over the following years. Tommy was eventually joined by a co-writer, the wonderful Z. Igbe, who brought a fresh, modern perspective to the material (we had originally considered setting the film in the early 2000s), and paid particularly attention to the character of Bethany, who we then renamed Cleo. Later on, the script was put through its paces even further when we were lucky enough to be paired up with the legendary Script Editor Kate Leys (whose credits include Trainspotting, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Girl With A Pearl Earring, and many more). Once we shook off how star-struck we were feeling even talking to Kate, we took some invaluable advice on board.
(I could talk on length about the script development process for this film, as it was hefty, and I'm slightly fascinated by how we reached the final draft - but that, perhaps, is a blog post in itself).
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| [Above: The moment I met Denyce Blackman at a Flatpack Film Festival networking event, shortly after a BFI NETWORK Talent Lab] |
EARLY DEVELOPMENT
In Summer 2019, when I took part in a great Talent Lab at Flatpack Film Festival in Birmingham, I met the producer Denyce Blackman at a networking session. I took a huge liking to her straight away (she may be one of the coolest people I've met!), and I told her about the then-named 'Room 515'. Denyce agreed to come on board as producer, and we spent the next few months planning the shoot and applying for different funding pots. It was during that time that Michelle Darkin-Price was first attached to the project as Catherine (later renamed Evelyn); I'd loved working with her in smaller roles on my previous films, and I was eager to give her a lead role for a change. Plus Tommy had pictured her in the role when he was first writing the script, so it seemed meant to be.
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| [Above: Early development involved a shoot with a Hi-8 tape camcorder!] |
I even got my very first camcorder out of retirement to record the piece, to give it an authentic look! That 'dating tape' was shelved when we changed the time period of the film, and when Michelle's character stopped being called Catherine, but I want to find a way to release it at some point, as Michelle gave a fantastic performance. We even watched it together on the first day of filming 'A Different Place', to remind us of how we started, and how far the project had come since then.
We weren't able to secure funding by the end of 2019, but we were confident the project - being relatively small in scale - wouldn't take too much longer to go into production. Unfortunately, we all know what happened next: the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to a crashing stop. Obviously, Lockdown affected all productions, and almost all forms of work in general, but it caused two significant things to happen in relation to this project. Firstly, Denyce left England and went back to live with her family in Barbados. Secondly, the economic crisis caused by the pandemic meant that crowdfunding wouldn't be an option, and it also prompted me to shelve my 'big project', the main short film I had been developing, until there were more funding sources available.
With 'Room 515' then the main film on my slate, I was able to dedicate more time to it, and a new option presented itself...
PRE-PRODUCTION
After meeting with my local talent executive, Alexzandra Jackson (one of the nicest people you could possibly meet), in March 2021, I then put 'Room 515' forward for short film funding from BFI NETWORK and the National Lottery. I had been aware of their great work for years, and working with them was very much on my career bucket list, so I'm sure you can imagine my delight when we got the green light. Everyone at BFI NETWORK and Film Hub Midlands was a dream to collaborate with, and so supportive, from helping connect us to great talent (such as Kate Leys), to giving respectful, insightful notes during the edit stage.
In order to apply for funding, however, we needed a producer who was based in the UK. This was something Denyce supported; although she still loved the project, and was proactive from afar, she suggested that we needed someone 'on the ground' to visit locations and be on set with us. I knew that no one could replace Denyce, so it was more of a matter of expanding our team, creating a sort of relay effect between some brilliant women; you see, we ended up with not one English producer, but two - Katie Smith, who has some stunning short film work under her belt (as well a career as a food photographer; she sure can can multi-task!), and Charlie Clarke, one of my beloved regular collaborators. Charlie is usually my 1st AD (she also played the lead role in Lepidopterist), so having her step up to the role of producer on this special short film was quite an emotional moment for both of us.
The project was also supported by Associate Producer Bernadette Flynn, and with Rico Johnson-Sinclair acting as a Consultant Producer; I will forever be grateful for everything they both brought to the project, as it wouldn't be the film it is without either of them.
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| [Above: A sneaky glimpse at my storyboards from the film] |
With our above-the-line team assembled, we then dove deep into pre-production and started hiring the rest of our crew. Some collaborators were people myself or the producers had worked with before - such as composer Joni Fuller, Script Supervisor Erika Zeckser Owen, Sound Recordist Matthew Jones, Stills Photographer Shelley Richmond, make-up artist Katie Jane Ford, costume designer Sally Hodgson, and of course we still had Michelle Darkin Price on board (she was delighted the film was finally happening!) - but we also searched further afield for new voices to be brought on set. This was partly because of peoples' availability changing post-Covid, but also because of the film's subject matter, and our commitment to creating more diverse teams on all our productions moving forwards. Just some of these new faces included 1st AD Thomas Longstaff, DOP Luke J. Collins, Production Designer Danni Ebanks-Ingram, Editor Emmalie El Fadli, Gaffer Matt Glaz, Intimacy Coordinator Haley Muraleedharan, and Sound Editor Felix Waverley-Hudson, all of whom were a joy to work with. (For the record, everyone on this project was a joy to work with, whether or not I've named you in this single blog post).
[Note: I could also do a whole separate blog post about the cinematography planning Luke J. Collins and I did, as it involved some wonderfully creative techniques like using lamps for key lights, and we looked at some unlikely inspiration sources such as period dramas and the artwork of Jack Vetriano. Let me know if that's of interest to people, as there's too much for me to include here!]
And of course, Michelle was joined by a perfect co-star: Adaya Henry, who took the role of Cleo. Although we hadn't met Adaya before now, it was like her role had been written for her as well, and I was over the moon with our cast as a whole. It's worth noting that casting this film was the first and only time I've auditioned actors over Zoom, as the affects of the pandemic were still heavily felt at that stage, but the potential chemistry between Michelle and Adaya was still palpable, even when they were separated by tiny, pixelated windows.
By the start of 2022, we had our team, we had our location, we had our funding, and the script was on its final draft. This film, that we'd loved for so long, was finally about to become a reality. There was just one more thing to address before the cameras rolled - and it's something which I think is really important to share...
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| [Above: Some of the books I studied during pre-production] |
THE DIRECTOR'S PREP
All the way through pre-production, as is the nature of pre-production, things moved very fast; there was loads to get wrapped up ahead of the shoot, and many meetings to be had, so it was an adrenaline-fueled time. I even cleared the month in my calendar leading up to the shoot, as much as I could, so that I could give everything to the project (partly because I loved it, and also because I wanted to reward the BFI NETWORK's faith in us, to the best of my ability), which was a bit of a scary decision, as I knew I'd have to turn down work and tighten my belt a bit as a result.
Then, about a week or two before the shoot, something in me just felt a bit... off. I was unsettled, whereas before I'd just felt excited, and I couldn't figure out why my mood had suddenly switched. I knew it wasn't a lack of confidence in the project; I loved the story as much as I had done in 2018, and we'd hired a talented team who were at the top of their game, so I knew they were going to deliver. And I didn't necessarily doubt my own abilities; I had a little of the normal pre-shoot anxiety, but this was also going to be my ninth short as a director, and I'd certainly had long enough to know what I wanted to do with this film. I hadn't directed in two years, because of the pandemic, but that just made me desperate to get back on set again, more than it being a cause for concern.
Eventually, I realised what was making me so uncertain: it was the fact that the majority of the people who'd be on set had never worked with me as a director. Some of them I hadn't even met, beyond Zoom meetings and emails.
Until now, I had worked with pretty much the same group of people on my shorts, and they had become like a comfort blanket to me. I knew they trusted me and my work, they'd seen me deliver time and time again, and I rarely needed to explain my thought process to them. Now, all of a sudden, I had to prove myself to a new group of people, gain their respect and encourage them to do their best work. And that daunted the cr*p out of me.
Having figured out the problem, I spoke to Charlie about my concerns. In the past, as she'd been my 1st AD, she was usually my right-hand man on set; but this time round I knew she'd mostly be in the production office, so she wouldn't always be there to prove to my team that I'm not a massive fraud! I said to her, "Charlie, I've got to direct lots of new people, for the first time in years!" And her reply was so profound, so right, that it really stuck with me. She said, "Of course you do. Otherwise how will you ever grow?"
That shook me into action. I wanted to grow, and it was time for me to embrace this next challenge. So I decided to counteract my self-doubt by prepping harder than I've ever prepped before; I wanted to guarantee that, by the time I got to set, I would be the most prepared person in the room, even moreso than I already was, and that I would definitely have an answer for any question that might come my way. It was like cramming for an exam, and I maybe went beyond the call of duty, but it was enough to give me the confidence kick I needed.
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| [Above: How I formatted my shooting scripts] |
Here's all the actions I took in that final stage of pre-production (in addition to the general Zoom meetings/phone calls with crew, location visits, and storyboarding):
- I read a book on directing basics. Yes, even though this was my ninth short! It was a book that was first recommended to me back in Film School, nearly fifteen years ago. I did this partly to reassure myself that I knew what I was doing, but also to remind myself of any techniques I'd forgotten. I started re-reading some other directing books, too, but ran out of time to complete these.
- I drew out the script in multiple formats:
1) The regular version of the script with my general 'director's scrawl notes' in the margins, including my early ideas for blocking and the like.
2) The storyboards.
3) A version of the script which just focused on the shots, with shot lines drawn on so that I could be sure I was getting enough coverage for the edit.
4) A shooting script with a 'cheat sheet' type breakdown, summarising what each department needed to focus on in each scene, what the main 'theme' for each scene was, and how that scene would relate to any subsequent scenes and the story as a whole.
And 5), a breakdown of each character's thoughts at every stage of the script, in order, including their main motivation for each scene, and if they had any inciting incidents that could suddenly change their thought process. This fifth version of the script wasn't shown to anyone, as I like my actors to bring themselves into their roles and suggest their own thought processes, but I wrote it out so that I'd have an answer in case they wanted me to say what their character was thinking at any moment.
- Finally, when sitting with the script again just before the shoot (usually over breakfast, as I'd arrive on location early every day), I'd think about any parts of the script I'd 'misremembered'; because we'd been working on the film for so long, and because there had been so many iterations, there were times when I'd come to imagine moments differently to how they were on the page. I'd ask myself why I'd misremembered these parts, whilst also reminding myself of exactly what was written down, and keep the alternative options in the back of my mind in case we needed to try anything different during rehearsals.
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| [Above: With my crew - and displaying a rather intense but genuinely excited expression - on the set of A Different Place. Photo by Shelley Richmond] |
I put all of my research notes into a folder, and kept this with me at all times during the shoot. I didn't intend on looking at it on set - I wanted to 'go with the flow' and feel the moment, to a degree - but I wanted the reassurance of having it written down, and proving to myself that I had considered everything carefully. And, apart from one moment I can recall on set where I had to take a brief walk and figure out exactly what I was trying to say, I was able to feel very assured about all the directions I gave, both to my cast and my crew.
And actually, on reflection, I don't feel like I'd done 'too much' prep after all; I'd almost forgotten how intense and fast-paced life on set can be, so there often wasn't time to 'go with the flow' and try things, and it really helped me to have detailed notes and a clear plan of action to relay to my team when needed, particularly with complicated scenes like the film's opening montage.
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| [Above: Looking over the storyboards with DOP Luke J.Collins and actor Michelle Darkin Price. That folder also contained pages of written 'director prep'. Photo by Shelley Richmond.] |
THE SHOOT
So, after years of development, finally we were all together, on set, making the film we all felt so passionate about. It was a wonderful feeling, but it was also emotional - in no small part down to the beautiful rehearsal process we carried out at the start of Day One, aided by Haley, who helped us create an honest space where we could all safely share whatever we needed to. I've never worked with an Intimacy Coordinator before, and I suppose you could call that another challenge, as a director - but actually, Haley made the process so rewarding, I just wished I could go back in time and have her with me on my previous shorts!
The shoot felt bittersweet, too; not only had we come through a pandemic, so we were lucky to be there, and finally back working/making art again, but the war in Ukraine (a place very dear to my family) had just broken out a couple of days before the shoot, and our hearts were with all those affected. A nuclear threat had just been made, on a global scale, and so we didn't know what was going to happen next, but we all had to just throw ourselves into our work, living for the moment as much as we could.
Those three days went too quickly, as all good shoots do; and when we made our final speeches, taking everyone's hard work, all the years of waiting, and current world events into account, I could only express how grateful I was. Grateful to be standing there, alive, healthy, and doing what I loved most, surrounded by the best cast and crew I could've ever hoped for.
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| [Above: With my amazing crew at the end of the A Different Place shoot, taken shortly after some emotional speeches. Photo by Shelley Richmond.] |
THE RESULT
Because the project had been scheduled well, the film was turned around much more quickly than I'm used to. Some of my shorts have lingered in post-production for two years or more! That's not to say that it wasn't made to the best standard possible; editor Emmalie El Fadli, as I said before, was a new addition to the team, but her first rough cut is the best rough cut I've ever seen in my life (even Tommy's cat, Travis, got emotional when watching it!), and every subsequent cut just got better. Joni's score, too, more than met my expectations, as she took my inspirations - most of which was 1970s bluesy soft rock, blended with the sensual melodies of Cigarettes After Sex - but went beyond them to create something emotive, unique and brilliant.
I don't want to say too much about the finished film, as I want everyone to go out and watch it at their nearest convenience (in the meantime, you can see the trailer here), but I do want to highlight how incredible the actors performances are in it. Adaya is a revelation, definitely a star on the rise, and Michelle, after years of plugging away in this industry, may have just given the performance of her career - particularly in one of the final moments of the film, which still breaks me every time I see it.
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| [Above: Answering questions at Norwich Film Festival. We had such emotional responses from the audience that day, which really did mean everything to us. This film has an important message, and we want to ensure that it's reaching people in the right way.] |
The film, by this point officially renamed 'A Different Place', was completed in August 2022; and from that moment onwards, we started getting acceptances from festivals, in a way I've never seen with my films before. I honestly could not be more proud, not just for myself, but on behalf of the whole team. It means so much that the film is reaching people, and that we're able to share it in person with audiences again, let alone the fact that we get to do so at massive festivals like Vancouver International Film Festival and Norwich Film Festival!
And one of the most special moments of the festival run (so far) came early on, when BFI NETWORK invited us to show a work-in-progress version of the film at Flatpack Film Festival - the first place I met Denyce, nearly four years previously, and where the project first came to life as a result. It felt like everything had come full circle, in a really beautiful way.
You can next see A Different Place (on a HUGE screen) at the prestigious BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, at 13:45 on Saturday 25th March, which will be our London Premiere. The screening takes place at BFI Southbank, one of my favourite places in the world, so it makes it even more special to have a film shown there. Tickets are now on sale to the public via this link. I really hope you'll consider joining us there, and celebrate everything that has gone into making this special, beloved little film with an important message of accepting and embracing your truth.
Sophie
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