The Bridge
It’s always daunting taking on a project that’s totally outside your comfort zone. In truth I’ve never been asked to make a short film about ‘dealing with depression as unprocessed grief’ before and the idea of mourning our losses – personal, emotional and spiritual as well as physical, intrigued me. Sometimes photography is obvious but thinking up original images for concepts like loss of trust, of love, hope, purpose and lost opportunities was definitely challenging. Most of all I wanted to take the viewer on a visual journey of emotional connection. It takes courage to do something different and sometimes it scared the hell out of me but it takes more courage to face your inner demons and cross The Bridge.
The Actress Trailer 2012
It is the twilight of a grand old movie star’s life. Poor health and old age have robbed her of her glamour, her career and now -probably within hours – her life. The end is near. She arrives, surrounded by her parasitic entourage, at a cinema for a private showing of her greatest screen moments. Kicking the hangers-on out, she sits alone in the dark as the light of the projector illuminates the silver screen and her previous youth and beauty. In a daring escape from the inevitable, she enters the screen and is suddenly back in her movies – a star once more. She tumbles from genre to genre in scenes taking in the silent era, film noir, ’70s sci-fi sexploitation and ’90s sitcom land. It is a desperate attempt to outsmart and outrun the apparition of death itself, which pursues her through the scenes. Inevitable or not – this old movie diva isn’t going without a fight. This is the story of a shooting star who refuses to fade away or go gently into that good night.
Starring Sadie Frost, Perry Benson, Sally Phillips and Morgana Robinson.
Produced by Ben Charles Edwards/The Smalls.
Directed by Ben Charles Edwards.
Written by Al Joshua
Director of Photography John Hicks
The Actress (2012) Trailer from John Hicks on Vimeo.
Artists on the Block
There’s something about the faded glamour of a British seaside town – especially out of season, that has me captivated. Walking along the seafront in Swanage I chanced upon these amazing trompe l’oeil murals by local artist Nina Camplin and just had to snap, stand back in awe to appreciate and and then share them.
