Lights, Camera, Action: Historic backdrops bring student film to life in Whitehaven.
Lights, Camera, Action
Historic backdrops bring student film to life in Whitehaven.
by Danni Murphy
Last summer, when the weather decided to play nice, Whitehaven played host to El Galeon Andalusia, a replica of a 16th century Spanish Galleon which docked in Whitehaven harbour for a week.
And what a sight it was indeed; thousands of people came out to take photos, get up close and jump on board to explore the decks. It was spectacular.
One person in particular who was absolutely delighted to see her, was Film student Julia Raynor. The reason for the delight was because Julia was in the process of shooting her Film ‘Tyrant,’ her MA graduation film while studying directing at MetFilm School in Leeds. And Julia was given permission to shoot parts of her film onboard The El Galeon Andalusia.
The film ‘Tyrant’ was inspired by the life of King James II of England and set against the turbulent backdrop of 1688. The Catholic King James II has fled the battlefield as his Protestant daughter plots to usurp the throne. In disguise, he attempts to flee the country with surprising encounters. A 17th Century true tale of faith, power and ultimate succession… To have such an amazing opportunity was fortunate to say the least. To top everything off, the weather was superb during the shoot.
As well as using El Galeon and the backdrop of Whitehaven, Julia also managed to link up with Muncaster Castle for further filming. Perfect indeed for a film which needed a backdrop with age, and also coincided with the fortune of using El Galeon, tying everything in rather nicely.
Julia who wrote the script, directed and produced the film, said: “We were so fortunate all round, filming at Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass and onboard the El Galeon Andalusia was just perfect and these backdrops really elevated the overall look of ‘Tyrant’ – the area really is beautiful.
“We had so much support from the community which I am so grateful for. Many local actors participated in the film, from Whitehaven’s Town Crier, Marc Goodwin, to talented local child actor, Bobby Donald, to members of the Solway Shanty Crew have been involved.
“Behind the scenes, Alice Sage, a costume historian from Windermere was Head of Costume with her keen eye for period detail. Crew Rocks NW Ltd from Whitehaven provided essential stage management help and Andrew Carswell from Carlisle, a recent graduate, recorded the sound with Louisa Morton at Whitehaven’s Theatre Group who very kindly offered their rehearsal room.”
Julia is not new to the industry, an actor by trade, Julia has worked with a few well known folk such as Roman Polanski, Mike Leigh and Ricky Gervais, but now she’s a budding director and ‘Tyrant’ is her baby.
On the inspiration for creating ‘Tyrant’, Julia said “Even though I’m a Northern girl by heart, for a time, I lived in Kent, next door to the house where King James II was briefly held captive by local fishermen. I always thought this story would make a powerful film.
The amazing talent and support I have found in Whitehaven has enabled me to bring that long-held vision to life. Now, I’m dreaming of the feature film!”
Julia is now taking the short film across the world to a variety of Short Film Festivals, where la’al ol West Cumbria will be there for all to see and who knows, maybe entice more folk to our part of the world.
The ultimate dream is to take ‘Tyrant’ to other levels and create a feature film, but firstly she needs a little help.
There is a crowd funder in place, Julia said “Our short film ‘Tyrant’ is nearly finished! We are now raising £3000 for post-production costs inc some colour grading & film festival fees, so if anyone wants to help or contribute that would be fantastic and really appreciated”
Julia held a small screening in Muncaster for the incredible local cast and crew who helped bring the film to life. This gave them the opportunity to see Tyrant and allowed us to properly thank them for their invaluable contributions before the film begins its journey on the short film festival circuit.
People of note:
The Director of Photography: Reuben Janet Ellis
Lead editor & post-production producer: Tony O’Reilly
Casting Director for the Supporting Artists: Stephen ‘Spud’ Murphy (no couches were used – haha!)
To support Julia and or to see the Trailer, head to: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/tyrantpostproduction
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