Introduction:
Unfolding in real time, Insulate is my first short film and is a 12-minute narrative drama. At its heart, the film is a modern-day tragedy that explores loneliness, connection and the moral complexities that exist beneath what on the outside appears as an ordinary moment in time.
Inspiration:
I was determined to make a film before I turned 50 (shhh don’t tell everyone), and I completed Insulate with 4 months to spare. The idea for Insulate had been niggling me for several years, and is a mixture of three veins of truth/personal experiences that I brought together into one story. Without a huge spoiler, the title Insulate plays around the idea of how we insulate ourselves and others from the harsh realities of life. For me, it questions what, if anything, we owe each other, and it was important for me to explore how connection, friendship and compassion (*open to debate) can still quietly exist even in the face of painful, challenging and complicated realities. One of the main characters, Teddy, is also an Energy Surveyor, so part of his job is to check the insulation within houses – see what I did there?!
The Process:
Filmmaking is one of the most terrifying yet exhilarating roller coaster rides anyone can go on, and for someone who hates roller coasters, I still look back and wonder how we completed the film. I’m sure other filmmakers will vouch too, but despite all the months of prep and trepidation, production passes in the blink of an eye, and then hopefully, when the dust settles, you have a film. We shot the film on location over two days in a small terrace house in Manchester, and when you watch the film you will notice that it is in a 5:4 aspect ratio, the idea being to mirror the intimacy/closeness of the set and bring the audience closer to the story. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong on set; however, the ‘dance scene ’ was the part of the film that worried me the most. We had not prepped the dance, so we decided to improvise with the brilliant David Fielder, who played Don, leading the way. For me, the dance is a moment of comedy, tragedy and hopelessness rolled into one, hummed to perfection and a sequence that still chokes me up even now.
What It Means to Be a Finalist:
To be recognised by WFF is a huge validation nod at the end of the long, arduous journey of making a film. Personally, being accepted at the festival is something I never take for granted, as for every acceptance there are other filmmakers that didn’t make it – I always take a moment to spare them a thought, as we all also know what rejection feels like. Moving forward, I hope to roll the confidence this has given me into my next project and stick to the mantra that all filmmakers should follow – “Keep going and tell your truth”.
Where to Watch / Follow:
Still doing the rounds, but please encourage/follow/collaborate @geekhustlehipster @bymarkparham
About The Author
