In 2016, I decided to leave my Dad's business, working in the motor trade since I left school after dropping out a year early, to go to London and pursue my dream of becoming a filmmaker at Ealing Studios. I decided to do a six-month practical filmmaking course because I thought it would be best to dive straight in and learn everything impacted into twenty-one weeks. I was the youngest of the students who attended, at 18 years old.
Before I went to study, I had read scripts over the last few years and taught myself the screenwriting format. Although, when I joined, I had no finished material to present. We were given a scenario and had to write a three-page scene. I was nervous when we presented it to the class for actors to read out loud, and it was the first time hearing words I had written coming to life. It was a magical moment, and the course leader told me I should carry on writing, which I have continued to do to this day.
After the Christmas break, we had to start thinking about our final projects, and the first idea that popped into my mind was how we see memories in our heads like it's shown to us on a projector, and the film canisters are our memories. My step-grandmother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease a year or so earlier, and I wanted to get a better understanding of it, so I began to research.
The scariest thing I found when I started writing the script was sitting at the computer with a blank page in front of me and where to begin. So, I put myself in the character's shoes, and that's when the inspiration of marking him a writer came to be. Although, when I did the auditions, the script still wasn't finished, and one of my tutors gave me the idea of making them improvise a scenario, so I could test their acting abilities to see if they were the right fit for the role. Luckily, the last audition of the day was when I found the actor, Grahame Edwards, to be a perfect choice.
We shot the film in three days, with a small crew of students, and we faced many obstacles to get the filming done in the required time frame. The boom mic broke on the last day, and because the kit room was closed over the weekend, we had to improvise and turn the sound mixer into a microphone, which is why the film might have a slight detectable echo sound during the first few minutes. Note to self, never walk across a three-door drain when someone tells you not to on the night before because it's considered bad luck.
A few weeks passed, and when the edit was complete, we showed our films at West London University, and to hear the positive comments from everyone made me realise filmmaking was something I should never give up. It's the first film I made, and one I am proud of as well. Somehow, it qualified for a BAFTA Award. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to present our film for their consideration, even though we didn't get past the first round.
The film is currently available on YouTube.
Lewis William Robinson.
