Behind the Film: WORMHOLES - Worcester Film Festival

When a socially anxious quantum mechanics student, Daniel, is forced into a late-night conversation by the irrepressible Alice, he discovers that the universe has more to offer than he could ever have imagined.

I was very lucky that Jonathan Skinner approached me to produce and direct his script. I didn’t have to think twice. At its heart, the story is about a cripplingly shy young man who absolutely doesn’t want to fall in love, falling in love. Human connection, the power and the vulnerability of it, fascinates me, and the opportunity to dissect and explore that through Wormholes was completely irresistible.

I run a film festival, Richmond International Screenwriting & Film Festival, and we’d actually awarded the Wormholes script Best Short Script the previous year, so I already loved the premise and Jon’s writing. Following the RISFF award, Jon had gone on to win a script-to-screen grant from IMDb through Bath Film Festival, and so, armed with the script and now a modest but workable budget, we got to work!

I asked Jon to excise four pages from the script, which he skilfully and swiftly executed. We were then able to schedule a realistic two-day shoot, and we could budget to pay everyone a modest day rate.

Finding the sizzle

Wormholes is a two-hander and entirely reliant on chemistry.

One of the most exciting parts of filmmaking is handing the script to the actors and watching them bring their magic to the process. We had zero time for rehearsal, so it was all about trusting my gut with the casting and then hoping that I’d made the right decision on the day! I had seen Rosie’s (ALICE) work in a short film that screened at my festival, and I knew that I wanted to find an opportunity to work with her. James (DANIEL) was someone I immediately spotted and short-listed as I was looking through Spotlight, so I was absolutely stoked when his agent submitted him for the casting call. My fellow producer Henry organised and oversaw the casting process for me, making sure I received every tape. I watched every single one of dozens of excellent submissions, but it took me all of ten seconds to know that James was the right actor for the role; he just blew me away. Similarly, when Rosie’s tape came through, I knew instinctively that she was the right fit for James. I’m not a fan of rehearsing the script (though I do like a bit of backstory in place to help the actors find their feet in the story world and work out what it is they need from their journey), but I could sense that they would be a really good fit together on set. So knowing that they wouldn’t even have the chance to meet in person before the shoot, I just took the plunge and cast Rosie and Daniel. I am so grateful to have had the chance to work with two such wonderful actors, so magical, so playful and so easy to collaborate with. The film would not have worked without their partnership.

But the sizzle isn’t just the actors. From my amazing DP, Carla, through to hair & makeup design, costume design, production design, focus-pulling – everyone on set on the shoot shapes and adds layers to the overall magic of the story. And the catering, of course!

And then there’s post! And here’s where the Grand Wizard of movie magic steps in with his magic wand – the editor! Once again, the amazing Chris Frith carved out time from Hollywood blockbusters to help elevate the story. Pretty sure most filmmakers will resonate with that awful sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you see the rough cut land on your laptop. And that voice screaming in your head “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?” when you start to watch it. Luckily, Chris had made time to be on set for the shoot and having that security blanket for the edit is always a bit of a lifesaver. Having worked together on various projects for the last ten years, Chris and I also have a shorthand and a shared dry sense of humour which gets us through the edit, through post-production and into the light of the first screening! Having said that – following the premiere screening, I decided to make one final tweak to something that was still bothering me, and so Chris helped all of that happen smoothly. And still managed to joke about it. Chris takes my slightly chaotic, creative brushstrokes and elevates them beyond anything I could do by myself. He not only magically stitches together things that don’t actually fit, but he also elevates every aspect of the final product.

A quick special mention for our phenomenal composer Anthony for his exquisite score and his patience in the scoring process. During the scoring, I made the decision to hold back on the music until two-thirds of the way through the film. It always feels horrible cutting gorgeous music from a film, but Anthony was so understanding, and when we finally hear his wonderful theme tunes, they really hit home in a hugely powerful way.

Being part of the festival

Being Officially Selected for Worcester has been an incredible boost for our whole team. The festival circuit can be a discouraging as well as an exhilarating experience. But knowing that Worcester loved our film, knowing that our work will reach a new audience is absolutely wonderful. And being selected for a BIFA-qualifying festival is the icing on an already-sumptuous cake! We are so stoked to be able to share our film and join you at the festival.

We really hope the audience will want to dive into the Wormholes world and join Daniel and Alice as their chance encounter becomes a whole universe of discovery.