Filmmaker returns to his roots
12:34pm Thursday 17th April 2008
DAVID Francis has recently returned from London, leaving a successful freelance career behind to realise an ambition he has nurtured most of his life.
When he left school in Ross-on-Wye in 1997 and moved on to Hereford College of Arts (then known as Herefordshire College of Art and Design), he knew exactly what it was he wanted to do.
“I wanted to do film-making, but the college didn’t have a video camera,” he recalls. “I had to source one myself and made a film as my final piece.
“Being raised in Herefordshire was hard when you harboured the dream of being the world’s greatest filmmaker, there was nothing going on here at all, no community of underground film fanatics, no Rural Media and no access to basic equipment.” After doing a degree course in film and TV production in Gloucestershire, David then found that he had no option but to leave the area in search of work.
“I went to London and worked for several different companies and charities, all to do with film-making, and ended up making documentaries,” he says.
“One of the projects I became involved in was making films with hard-to-reach kids, which led on to working with hard-to-reach young parents and prisoners, directing a range of documentaries about the British prison system and teaching film-making to offenders. There were moments when it was the most rewarding experience ever.” Now, after five years in London, working on television and advertising projects, among them an ad starring David Beckham and drama pilots for Sony, David has come home to make a feature film based in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire and, most importantly to him, featuring local talent.
David will be making the film, entitled The Point of Regret, with Simon Tate, an experienced TV commercials director and screenwriter, who, like David, has tired of life in London and returned to his Worcestershire roots. “I am sure there are very talented people around here,” he says. “They just need an opportunity.” “There is very little local production,” adds David. “Our goal is to make this a renewable programme year on year that will eventually fund itself. We firmly believe that this is a realistic goal, but it has to start with a small step, and that is to get this first film off the ground.” The Point of Regret is the story of a man given the opportunity of his life, an opportunity that will cost another man his life, and David and Simon are committed to making a film that shows no sign of being made on the limited budget they have.
“Right from the outset we didn’t want to make a film that looked ‘small’, or was just a few people in a room talking to each other.” Casting is almost complete and David said: “We managed to cast predominantly from this area, with the lead actor from Gloucestershire.” With a limited budget, David and Simon are looking for additional local support as well as local talent: “We have talented people giving their time and resources for free because they believe in the project,” says David. “There are, however, some costs associated with producing the film that cannot be deferred and we’re hoping that local businesses or people might be able to help, whether with providing a location or supplying food for the crew.
“And if anyone has any film-making experience, they are more than welcome to get in touch.” David and Simon plan to start their three-camera shoot in May, with filming complete by August. If you would like to be involved in any way, whether by offering expertise, practical help or as an extra, contact David at info@emanationfilms.net