In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds, I got a chance to ask actress Samantha Anderson a few questions about the new Short ‘See What She Did’ which will be available online for a limited time this Halloween.
Q. How did you get into filmmaking and was it something you always wanted to do?
I have always been an actor but about 15 years ago I had an idea to write and make a short film. I was completely out of my depth though and had no idea of the amount of work that goes into it! It ended up fizzling out but last year I decided to give it another shot – this time I called on Alice Ryan and Daniel Keeble – both already professionals in the industry and we formed a very strong, dedicated team.
Q. SEE WHAT SHE DID is based on your original story. What were some of your influences for writing the original story?
I had a meeting with Daniel just as we came out of lockdown about wanting to make something – we’d all been sat dormant for months feeling frustrated (like most people!). Dan suggested I come up with something quick and simple using resources that I had access to, like for example the woods where we’d shot our last film “The Woods Near Jacobs Farm”. Daniel left the meeting and within half an hour I had come up with the story line. So I guess the woods itself inspired me – there’s so much you can do with a setting like that and I hope we get more opportunities to film there.
Q. Are there any changes in Dan Keeble’s script from the original story?
Yes – first of all, Daniel tidied up some loose ends – I had an ending but it was hazy, as was one of the crucial moments in the film with so he smoothed those bits out. When he offered to take what I had and re-write it as his own I was more than happy to hand it over and was very excited about what he developed it into. He came up with the title – which has a subtle hidden meaning in it, very clever…. Also – I had visualised filming from one characters point of view – so as though the camera was a person and the other character referred to it and interacted with it – like a Prodigy’s music video. I thought it would give a gritty and intimate feel but we soon realised this was going to be quite problematic and restrictive to film so Daniel wrote another character into the film which worked better.
Q. You play the lead character Cassie in the film. Having written the original story, did you want to play Cassie when you found out the story would be adapted in to a short?
I wrote the story with me in mind for Cassie as the plan always was to make it into a short film – it’s a role I wanted to take on as I thought it was full of interesting layers that I could get my teeth stuck into and push a few boundaries
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
Fortunately we have a very strong team led by Alice who is meticulously organised and on the ball so we hardly had any problems at all under her watch! However, we did really want to shoot a scene during sunset when the light is very specific and atmospheric but we were running behind and missed it!
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
This was my favourite out of the three shorts that Ark Indie has produced, I feel like we are a strong team and know what we’re all doing. It would be very difficult for me to select a specific moment, when from start to finish I felt immensely proud on set of what we’ve all achieved. Acting is my favourite thing in the world so I am at my happiest when “Action!” is called and I have an interesting scene to crack on with
Q. What makes SEE WHAT SHE DID stand out as something different in the horror genre?
The film is only about 7 minutes long but in that time, quite a few issues are brought to light – I’m afraid I cant say too much in terms of the story line as I don’t want to give anything away! But certainly some mental health and drug taking issues feature heavily. I’m sure this has been done within the horror genre but not in the way that we have done it.
Q. What do you hope people will take away after watching the film?
I’m hoping that the audience will be a bit shocked and disturbed at first but then want to watch it again!
Q. Do you have any other projects that you are working on at the moment
Ark Indie is currently involved in two projects which are both at the early stages. I wanted to try and write for a completely different genre and so I have started creating a comedy series with the help of my husband and a friend. It’s a lot of fun and I am hoping to film the pilot for this in spring 2021. The other project is still in the ideas stages and hasn’t been written yet but its already gaining a lot of interest from some named actors, writers and directors!
Q. If someone was looking to get into acting what advice would you give them?
Act. Sounds simple but its true, don’t wait for an opportunity to find you; create, chase, hound and get involved with whatever you can for experience and contacts. Be nice to everyone you meet as you never know who knows who. Put opportunities that aren’t right for you in other peoples way – I will try to help people but I will always try to help people first, that have helped me.
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!
