The Goldman is a short abstract surrealist film which explores how a class-based society creates feelings of isolation in those who struggle to connect, even within their own community. It was created as a graduate film project for our three-year course at MetFilm Birmingham, with the core goal of trying to push the boundaries of what a student film could be.
Inspiration-
The original concept for The Goldman came into the mind of our writer during a semi-lucid dream he experienced. The abstract nature of the dream, combined with the strong feelings of empathy he later felt for the characters and their situation, fuelled the desire to bring these characters forward and allow them to live in the waking world. The Goldman encourages audiences to empathise with its outlandish, circus- and performance-driven dream world, capturing real, grounded emotions within a high-concept surrealist setting.
The Process-
Filming took place across three days with a core crew of seven. One of our core missions, and biggest challenges, was to find a location we felt fit the exotic nature of the film and would leave us isolated enough to be able to fill the area with circus performers. In a heavily built-up city, this became a massive challenge. However, this meant the locations we found were not well known and allowed us to show off the hidden beauty of Birmingham. We felt this would further pull local audiences into the setting of the film, as they would not be able to pinpoint exactly where in the city we had filmed, adding to the semi-lucid dreamscape we were looking to create.
What it means to be a Finalist-
Being selected as a finalist at Worcester Film Festival is an incredible honour and achievement for the crew. We are incredibly excited to be able to share this world of ours with other creatives, and to have it shown alongside other amazing independent films is something we are truly grateful for.
Where to follow-
You can follow The Goldman film @thegoldmanfilm for behind-the-scenes photos and updates on its festival journey, as well as follow me on Instagram @direct.dan for exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the film and updates on my next project.
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