Introduction:
God of Mischief is a 14-minute family coming-of-age comedy, created as a self-funded independent project, that follows ten-year-old Ed, a cheeky schoolboy who sets his sights on playing Loki in his school play. But when his overexcitement turns into arrogance, and he is stripped of the role, he hatches a mischievous plan to prove he really is the God of Mischief after all.
What makes the film particularly special to me is that it was shot at my old prep school, where I attended from age 3 to 13. We involved seventeen of the school’s current pupils, all aged nine and ten, many of whom were stepping onto a film set for the very first time. Watching them all act in the same classrooms and theatre where my love of acting and drama first began was an incredibly special, full-circle moment for me.
Inspiration:
When I was at school, we actually performed a Year 4 play called The Vikings. Thankfully, unlike Ed, I never made a little girl cry, although I did end up playing Viking 27 after desperately wanting to play Loki.
I really wanted to write a story about children who are quickly labelled as naughty before anybody takes the time to understand them, because that’s exactly how I felt growing up. I always wanted to be taken seriously, but I also wanted to stand out, and I don’t think I knew how to do that other than by being cheeky and subsequently getting into trouble.
So, getting to return to my old school years later to make a film there was really quite special. I’m really proud of this film because I honestly believe it’s a story that only I could have written. It’s incredibly personal to me, and the thing I’m proudest of is that I can now look back and feel like I’m no longer seen as that cheeky, naughty kid in the eyes of the school community, but as someone who has gone on to do something meaningful. In many ways, that’s exactly what God of Mischief is all about.
The Process:
We filmed over the August Bank Holiday weekend, and by far the biggest challenge was working with eighteen nine- and ten-year-olds, seventeen of whom were stepping onto a film set for the very first time. I had to obtain a Body of Persons Approval (BOPA), complete safeguarding training, and work within strict regulations on the hours they could spend on set. Time was our biggest enemy, and like every independent film, we always wished we had more!
Because there was a lot of downtime, to keep the young actors entertained between takes, I organised a giant game of Human Cluedo. One little girl kept bringing me a Mars Bar throughout the day, and I thought she was just being incredibly kind. It turned out she was actually trying to kill me in the game. On the very first take of the entire shoot, our lead actor, Bon Cooper, was meant to stop himself before saying a swear word. Instead, with everyone watching, he accidentally said the whole thing. It was a brilliant way to kick off filming and had the whole set in hysterics.
I also made the rookie mistake of leaving all the Haribo’s and Mars Bars under the tea table. Within seconds of the children arriving on the first morning, half the cast had disappeared underneath it, helping themselves to handfuls of Haribo’s and Mars Bars.
What It Means to Be a Finalist:
I am incredibly honoured and proud to be a finalist. When you’re scrolling through hundreds of festivals deciding where to submit your film, there are always a few that really stand out, and Worcester was one of those for me. There was just something about the festival that gave me a really warm feeling. Because God of Mischief is such a warm-hearted, feel-good film, I just really wanted it to screen there and be part of this year’s festival. So I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and hopefully being welcomed into the festival family!
I’m absolutely over the moon to have been selected as a finalist. I’m really, really proud of this film and, more than anything, I just want people to watch it, and so I can’t wait to share it with the Worcester audience this September. It’s the week of my birthday, so I will be celebrating my birthday in Worcester this year, and I honestly can’t wait.
Where to Watch / Follow:
God of Mischief is currently on its festival run, so it’s not available to watch online. You can keep up with the film’s journey and my other projects on Instagram @notthoughtthroughuk or on my personal Instagram @christian.stevens.
You can also visit www.notthoughtthrough.co.uk for the latest updates and to find out more about the film and our future projects
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