Journey In Darkness

Looking forwards inevitably leads to looking back. I just came across this short film I produced as an undergrad at uni. No budget, no training, no nothing. Watching it now, I'm proud to have helped make it happen. All artistic credit goes to writer and director Rahim Bagheri. At the time I think I found it hard to see the film beyond the director's requests for doves (seemingly not to be found in York) and non time or place specific looking prison cells (not many of these either). He (the director) thought I said 'not possible' too easily. I tried to remind him that quite a few others had tried to produce his film and given up. And besides, I never let my pragmatic explanations of the difficulties stop me from still trying to find ways round them. I do remember though, not liking being cast in the role of the 'no' person.

It was around this time that I thought that film production might be the right path for me - if only I could make sure that I worked with directors in as involved a way as I did on this. But that was no-budget filmmaking where you all 'get' to do everything. Watching this has in many ways reminded me that I'd like to make a film again. But it hasn't made me wish that I'd kept going down the path I set off on post graduation - and followed through on those first tentative footsteps into the 'real' filmmaking world (with money and big crews and the like). Nope, increasingly, 'getting to do everything', armed with a little digital camera and a laptop, is where it's at...

ps it's a slow film, and quite a long-short one at that. I recommend watching it in a quiet and calm place, not one where you're waiting for things to happen quickly. I'd be interested to know what you think though.

*NOTE 3/5/10: I've edited this since first posting. For various reasons. Mainly, I'm trying to cut out overly personal rambles from a blog that isn't actually meant to be about me.*