The Bandit (2019)
Director: Carter Clarke
The Southend-on-Sea Film Festival will be returning for its 11th year from 23rd May to 27th May. In preparation for the event I got an opportunity to ask co-writer and actor Carter Clarke a few questions about what we can expect from his new short film The Bandit which has been selected to play at the festival.
Q. What can we expect from your new short film The Bandit?
A quick paced, action packed car chase with the sole purpose to entertain the viewer. No confusing plot points/ story line, what you see is what you get.
Q. How did you come up with the original concept for the film?
I am a huge fan of stop motion and I love to see everything come to life once it is done. As any kid, I loved to play with toy cars, so I thought trying to incorporate that into my film by making a car chase. But I came up with my main plot point/ character (in this case it is a car) when I heard the sad news of the passing of Burt Reynolds, I decided to make it as a bit of a tribute to him. Because I feel he was a huge fan of his films and in my opinion a legend in the film industry. Here I developed the idea of ‘The Bandit’ escaping from his box and getting chased from all the other toy cars.
Q. What were your influences for the look and style of the film?
It was influenced by 70’s and 80’s pop culture. I wanted it to have a nostalgic feel to it because of all the classic cars/ figures that you see throughout.
Q. Did you make any changes to the original script or story whilst filming?
I never had a real script for this short film as there is only one line of dialogue. So instead I drew a storyboard wrote down the events that will happen in the film. This was only a rough idea not final so it meant I could include different shots that I feel would fit better into the film if I needed to.
Q. Did you experience any challenges whist making the film?
One challenge I faced was getting the movements and speed of the cars just right. Obviously, I wanted the cars to move like you would expect a normal car to move. So, I had to try and get the frame rate, distance moved after each frame just right so I could pull off the effect that the cars are moving at speed.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
My favourite scene to film was the one with the train because there was a lot going on and I had to make sure I moved everything for each frame. But once it was done, I feel it payed off.
I loved looking around my house to find things I could use to be a part of the film. For instance, I used cotton wool to create the smoke from a car tire. That’s why I like stop motion because you can use anything to your advantage if you think creatively.
Q. Do you have any new projects which you are working on?
I am currently in the pre-production panning for a short film that I am hoping to film in the summer. It’s about a war veteran who suffers from PTSD and we see the mission that caused his suffering and how it affects him.
Q. If someone is looking to write and direct own film, what advice would you give them?
I would say to just go for it. It’s the most satisfying feeling once completing a film then watching it back to see what you have achieved. So, do all the right planning and preparation that suits you and your film. Then just go and make it because if it goes wrong it is not the end of the world.
The Southend-on-Sea Film Festival runs from Thursday 23rd May to Monday 27th May. You can find out more about the event and purchase tickets on the website https://www.southendfilmfestival.com
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
