Introduction
All Change is a three-minute queer drama filmed in one take on a moving train. Two gay men in their fifties get on at one stop. By the time they’ve pulled into the next, Simon and Max have a completely different understanding of each other, themselves and what might have been. This all comes from a simple conversation about their friendship, which – years ago – nearly became something more.
Inspiration
I wanted to write about regret. It’s such a weird combination of nostalgia and shame, and has a way of cowing people. It stops us saying what we mean, which I think – hope – makes for an interesting film. You can’t rely on dialogue to learn what the characters are thinking, because they’re saying everything except the thing they really want to. Instead, they betray themselves with a smile or frown or off-hand comment that rankles them more than it should. If you can convey meaning in the small things like that as a filmmaker, you’re free to tell a story with much more subtlety (and, most importantly, less budget).
The Process
Filming on a train was tricky: we got it as empty as possible by doing it on a Saturday at 5am. I thought the cast and skeleton crew would mutiny when they saw the call sheet, but they were lovely about it. The line we shot on is above-ground, so we didn’t need to rent lighting equipment. You might think this was a cynical ploy to save money, but it was actually a very clever nod to cinema verite filmmaking, and anyone who tells you different is lying.
We went round the exact same four stops again and again: we needed the train to enter a tunnel at the end, which made for a lovely shift in the lighting (again, cinema verite).
In the end, we got about six useable takes. There was another one that was going really well until a member of train staff walked in front of the camera and said, “Hey guys, are you doing something?” He was very nice, which made it worse somehow.
What It Means to Be a Finalist
It’s really exciting to be a finalist at Worcester Film Festival. When you start making a film, you have no idea if anyone’s going to like it, or even care, so it’s always nice to be recognised like this. Festivals are also a great chance to engage with other filmmakers’ work, and see yours through their eyes.
Where to Watch/follow
You can follow me on Instagram at @joemolander, where you should also follow our amazing DOP @iamcharlygautier, sound recordist @goshia_adamo and rehearsal lead and script editor alexiachrysostomou. You should also book our two cast members, Shaun Dingwall and Alexi Kaye Campbell, for literally everything.
Written by Lena Molander.
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