Elfar Adalsteins'
The Academy Awards may seem like a long while off yet but Elfar Adalsteins' latest short movie Sailcloth is already a hot favourite to bag itself a nomination.
The movie has been praised left, right and centre on the festival circuit and I caught up with the filmmaker to talk about the film, working with John Hurt and what lies ahead.
- Your new film project is Sailcloth so can you tell me a bit about the short?
The short film was shot last year in Cornwall, the picturesque village of St Mawes, over the period of five days. It premiered in August at the Rhode Island Film Festival.
- You penned the story as well as directed the short so where did the idea for the film originally come from?
It's about a man who runs away from a nursing home and he packs his bed sheets and uses them to run away on his old sailboat; so they are his means of freedom.
The idea was born around that and it was quite easy, no easy is not the word, but it spun rather sort of effortlessly out of that.
- The film stars John Hurt so how did he get involved with the project? And how did you find working with him?
I wrote the script with him in mind and when I had completed it I sent the script, along with a personalised note, to John's agent stating my reason why I felt that John should do this.
A week later I got a call back from his about a week later saying that John wanted to meet me to discuss the script. I though blimey 'I am the one being auditioned here'.
So we met and we got on really well and at the end of the meeting he said 'Let's got and make a film' - and we did.
- And what were your reasons behind wanting John?
I had always admired him as an actor and I had grown up watching his films and, in my view, very few people could have carried this role as it is an non dialogue role so it's a lot about facial expressions and understanding what is at the heart of the story.
I felt that John's strengths played fantastically with that and towards that.
- You have touched on my next question really the movie has no dialogue so how difficult was it to portray the emotions that you wanted without words? And why did you chose to shoot a movie this way?
It wasn't really a choice it just happened that way - I starting writing and when I found myself at the end of the story I found that nobody had said anything in the film so it was unintentional.
It wasn't difficult at all because I story boarded the sequences before we went on set so we all knew what we were doing and how I wanted to visualise the story.
And that part I think John really enjoyed doing because he is usually hired for his distinctive, or at least his voice travels with him; but not this time. So it was something different for him.
- What was the biggest challenge that you faced as a filmmaker when shooting Sailcloth?
There were a few issues that we had - we had to release water from inside a building, we had to sail a small sailing boat that we had bought for £300; we had to sail that on bed sheets.
And at the end of the shoot there is a burning sequence as well and I wouldn't recommend putting any of these three into a short film (laughs) if you are an aspiring filmmaker.
It was tricky but we got great help from the local community from the fire department and the coast guard so that did make it easier.
- And how would you describe your directing style - do you work closely with actors or do you give them more freedom to develop character and ideas themselves?
I always develop the characters with the actors - but when an actor like John understands what is at the heart of the story he brings a lot to the role. I knew that and that is why I wanted to try and get him.
But when you are on set it's always a discourse between an actor and a director and you usually talk your way down to the best possible solution. So it's communication between the two it's never one of the other, it's an unofficial contract of collaboration.
- You mentioned that you shot the film in just five days which is an incredibly small amount of time, even for a short, so how do you find working under such tight time constraints?
I had a great crew and they really brought it home with me. But I didn't really mind because you don't think about it as you are just trying to get the shot and preparing everything for the next shoot and the next shoot after that.
But in hindsight it was a bit of a stretch and we managed to pull it off by working thirteen hour days.
- The movie has caused quite a stir on the festival circuit and there is plenty of Oscar talk about it - you must be delighted by the response that the film has had?
I am delighted, we won the first festival that it was screened at so that automatically qualified us for the OScar recommendation. It was very surprising but a very welcome surprise.
- So what have you personally found to be the response to the film?
I have had a really good response. That is what matters to me the most when you have people coming up to you and telling you what they liked - or didn’t like about your film - it touches on a controversial issue towards the end of the film.
But it definitely seems to move people in some way and, for me, that is why I am in this industry in the first place - be it if people agree of disagree - indifference is not a good thing.
- Sailcloth and Subculture are your first films as a director so how did you find the transition from producing into the director's chair?
I found it quite interesting and I love every aspect of it - it was always my secret plan to move into writing and directing.
So I just gained experience as a producer before making the lead - I had always written but I guess I thought it was the time for me to make the leap.
- Finally what's next for you? Any feature film plans?
Yes I have got a feature film in development and I am set to shoot that in 2012. The script is in the final stages and I have got some producers alongside me so it is looking good at the moment - I am pleased with the progression of the project.
- What have you learnt on shorts projects that you can take into a feature film?
Plan, plan, plan! 'A plan is worthless but planning is priceless'
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
The Academy Awards may seem like a long while off yet but Elfar Adalsteins' latest short movie Sailcloth is already a hot favourite to bag itself a nomination.
The movie has been praised left, right and centre on the festival circuit and I caught up with the filmmaker to talk about the film, working with John Hurt and what lies ahead.
- Your new film project is Sailcloth so can you tell me a bit about the short?
The short film was shot last year in Cornwall, the picturesque village of St Mawes, over the period of five days. It premiered in August at the Rhode Island Film Festival.
- You penned the story as well as directed the short so where did the idea for the film originally come from?
It's about a man who runs away from a nursing home and he packs his bed sheets and uses them to run away on his old sailboat; so they are his means of freedom.
The idea was born around that and it was quite easy, no easy is not the word, but it spun rather sort of effortlessly out of that.
- The film stars John Hurt so how did he get involved with the project? And how did you find working with him?
I wrote the script with him in mind and when I had completed it I sent the script, along with a personalised note, to John's agent stating my reason why I felt that John should do this.
A week later I got a call back from his about a week later saying that John wanted to meet me to discuss the script. I though blimey 'I am the one being auditioned here'.
So we met and we got on really well and at the end of the meeting he said 'Let's got and make a film' - and we did.
- And what were your reasons behind wanting John?
I had always admired him as an actor and I had grown up watching his films and, in my view, very few people could have carried this role as it is an non dialogue role so it's a lot about facial expressions and understanding what is at the heart of the story.
I felt that John's strengths played fantastically with that and towards that.
- You have touched on my next question really the movie has no dialogue so how difficult was it to portray the emotions that you wanted without words? And why did you chose to shoot a movie this way?
It wasn't really a choice it just happened that way - I starting writing and when I found myself at the end of the story I found that nobody had said anything in the film so it was unintentional.
It wasn't difficult at all because I story boarded the sequences before we went on set so we all knew what we were doing and how I wanted to visualise the story.
And that part I think John really enjoyed doing because he is usually hired for his distinctive, or at least his voice travels with him; but not this time. So it was something different for him.
- What was the biggest challenge that you faced as a filmmaker when shooting Sailcloth?
There were a few issues that we had - we had to release water from inside a building, we had to sail a small sailing boat that we had bought for £300; we had to sail that on bed sheets.
And at the end of the shoot there is a burning sequence as well and I wouldn't recommend putting any of these three into a short film (laughs) if you are an aspiring filmmaker.
It was tricky but we got great help from the local community from the fire department and the coast guard so that did make it easier.
- And how would you describe your directing style - do you work closely with actors or do you give them more freedom to develop character and ideas themselves?
I always develop the characters with the actors - but when an actor like John understands what is at the heart of the story he brings a lot to the role. I knew that and that is why I wanted to try and get him.
But when you are on set it's always a discourse between an actor and a director and you usually talk your way down to the best possible solution. So it's communication between the two it's never one of the other, it's an unofficial contract of collaboration.
- You mentioned that you shot the film in just five days which is an incredibly small amount of time, even for a short, so how do you find working under such tight time constraints?