Introduction:
Town Owls is a feature length film that straddles the line between comedy and drama, while leaning more on the drama side. We tried to make their gruelling road trip reflect life, and the ups and downs and complexities that come with that: From the security of being young and feeling like you’re on the right path; to feeling lost in your twenties; to feeling like you’ve missed the boat. It was a personal project that grew into a therapeutic passion project.
Inspiration:
Town Owls was born out of a need to express and vent about how lost and frustrated I was feeling at the time. After getting out of the wedding videography world, I was feeling quite stuck and directionless, and I felt this was the only outlet that I had to process those feelings in a healthy manner. Through completing this film, I feel like I have started to process the feelings of being behind in life, and it has shaken me loose from the frozen state that I was in before making it.
The Process:
The film was self-funded, and it was shot all over Scotland, from Edinburgh all the way up to John O’Groats. It was captured in a very run-and-gun style with a skeleton crew of a few people. The main challenge was fighting against the weather, in the middle of a literal storm, whilst trying to get it all filmed in a very short time frame. As it was the middle of winter, we only had about 6 hrs of daylight every day, so 9 am-3 pm became our shooting days, which we did over 8 days. So we were really battling against the elements to get everything done in time! One of my favourite moments was filming on the ferry. The sun was just starting to set, and the light that was being cast made everything look amazing and warm, which worked really well narratively for what was going on at that part of the story.
What It Means to Be a Finalist:
Being selected as a finalist feels incredible; it’s such an amazing honour to have the recognition for all our hard work, especially at a festival like Worcester Film Festival. To know that the film resonates with people feels very validating and I can’t wait to be part of the festival.
Where to Watch / Follow:
Follow me on Instagram @townowlsfilm for updates and behind‑the‑scenes content.