Film Name: Protein
Directors: Tony Burke
Writers: Tony Burke, Mike Oughton
Starring: Craig Russell, Steve Meo, Kai Owen, Ross O’Hennessy, Richard Elis
A gym-obsessed serial killer murders and eats a local drug dealer for their protein, inadvertently
sparking a brutal and bloodthirsty turf war between rival gangs.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds ahead of the Dead And SudBuried Film Festival, I got a chance to ask Co-Writer/Director Tony Burke a few questions about his film ‘Protein‘
Q. Your film ‘Protein’ has been selected to play at the Dead And SudBuried Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. PROTEIN is a grim tale of cannibalism and redemption driven by an ensemble of incredible characters and a lot of heart. It’s about how people process trauma and the film will take you on an intense ride through horrific gore to comedy and leave you rooting for a central character who kills and eats people.
Q. You wrote the script with Mike Oughton. What was the process of you writing together and what were some of your influences when writing the script?
A. I’m a writer at heart, and I wrote several drafts of the film before giving it to Mike. He’s an old friend and wrote ‘Keeping Rosy’ starring Maxine Peake a few years ago. So I asked him to go through it and point out anything he didn’t like or felt there was detail missing. He’d send me notes, and I’d decide essentially if I agreed or disagreed. That was the process. I think as a writer sometimes you need that reassurance that you’re not just going mad or making a total mess of everything.
What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. I’ve always been a fan of social realism in film. An authentic under-produced raw look. That’s the spirit of the stories I tell and that’s how I wanted the film to come across visually. Low-fi. In camera special effects. Nothing too tricksy. When I’m watching a film I want to believe I’m there, that the world is real and it’s possible. As soon as the camera-work or SFX or even colours take me out of that the spell can be broken. I always cite films like Fish Tank, Tyrannosaur, Last Resort and Kill List. They are my kind of films.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. I’m a firm believer in handing control to actors. Showing their craft and process the respect it deserves. If they want to change something or try something I’m all for that. Things happen in the moment. Things work and don’t work. That becomes apparent very quickly. I was often feeding the actors new lines for things, and we also dropped a few scenes because of the schedule and cut a few scenes in the edit. You never stop re-writing a film until it’s locked. But there are some great lines in this film which I’m really proud of.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. So many great moments, so many difficult moments. We shot for twenty days and eight of those were night shoots. One whole week in the schedule – dubbed ‘Murder Week’ – was spent indoors at night watching people being killed, dismembered and eaten. That was hard after a while. Shooting in and around Llanelli was incredible. Shooting at Bay studios with a full set-build was a great experience. The whole Welsh experience was such a joy and because it was my first feature it became a bit of a life event. You have to live in the moment and savour that.
Our schedule was so full and so tight we were often shooting for a couple of hours then moving. Shooting then moving. And what made that achievable was the calibre of the people we had working on the film and the goodwill we had throughout the whole team. We really were a family for a month.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A: The biggest issue was COVID. We had no contingency or plan B. If anyone had tested positive we would have been closed down. So testing every morning was a nail biting experience. Looking back we were very very lucky to have done what we did in those conditions with so little money. We also lost Charlie Dale (who plays Detective Stanton) on one night shoot after he nipped to the loo and we all left the location. Luckily we found him again.
Q. What makes Protein stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. Because we didn’t set out to make a horror film. We set out to make a great film full of really well drawn characters, that happens to have ‘horror’ elements, and for that reason it doesn’t play by
horror rules. This film will appeal to film fans not just horror fans. And delight both hopefully.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. The film has a lot of depth and works on different levels. I want people to feel like they’ve been on a hugely emotional and physical journey. I want them to wake up with the broader societal message of the film, with the intensity and individuality of the characters etched in their memory. But mostly I just want people to feel entertained and that it was 99 minutes well spent.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I wrote a novel recently called ‘Hotel Ophelia’ (Available on Amazon) about a guy with object sexuality which means he falls in love with objects instead of people. On the run from a psychiatric unit he checks into a dilapidated guest house to kill himself. But then falls in love with the inside of the room. It’s a crazy but I love it. I also have a ghost story project called ‘Bunny’ about a young girl who’s being groomed and as a result is haunted by the ghost of a missing girl. Having now made PROTEIN I’m desperate to get back on set and put into practise everything I’ve learnt.
Q. If someone was looking to get into filmmaking what advice would you give them?
A. Start writing things, start making things. Learn craft and storytelling. Simple as that. I made my
first short film in 2011. If it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be here as a feature film director. You just have
to start. But also, be patient. If you want fame and fortune you’re in the wrong game. It’s a
wonderful magical slog, but a slog nonetheless.
You can find out more about Tony Burke on the following websites:
Director’s Reel: www.tonyburke.org
Advertising Folio: www.tonyburkecreative.com
You can find out more about the Dead And SudBuried Film Festival and purchase tickets here:
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!
