Film: The Man That I Wave At
Director: Ben S. Hyland
Writer: Ben S. Hyland
Starring: Sam Pamphilon, Rebecca Shorrocks, Marek Larwood, Jessica Fostekew and Matt Skillington
Synopsis – A man experiences an existential crisis as he tries to unravel the identity of the man that he waves at. Who is the man? Why does he wave? Who was the instigator of the first wave? Why does he haunt his dreams?
The Man That I Wave At will be playing at Dead and Sudburied on Friday, 17th October at 6:45 pm.
Q. Your film The Man That I Wave At has been selected for Dead and Sudburied. Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect from the film?
A. It’s an exploration of everyday horrors. Not the usual severed heads and blood-splattered walls. Both of which I love to watch. Hopefully, it’ll keep audiences guessing all the way to the end.
Q. How did the idea for the film come about, and what were your inspirations when writing the script?
A. Initially (and I must stress initially), the film was based on a true story. At least the opening few scenes. I find that my best entry points into writing a story are personal experiences and observations. I think if I find something I can relate to, then ultimately the right audience will find the same.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. Probably elements of Black Mirror (2011 – Present).
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. The only change came because we ran out of time shooting, so we dropped an entire scene. The majority was pretty much the same as the script. We had a voice-over that was recorded a week before the actual shoot, so we couldn’t really deviate too far from the script.
Q. What were some of your favourite memories of making the Film?
A. It was just a great team of people. Dream cast and crew. I really enjoyed shooting a particular bedroom scene where one character had to float above another, so we shot the scene virtually, the mattress against the wall and had the actors standing up. It was fun to dress the set and create that effect in camera.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. It was just running out of time and dropping the scene, but even then, we have to adapt and think of our feet to ensure the edit will work.
Q. What makes The Man That I Wave At stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I don’t think it’s a traditional horror. It’s a spiralling, everyday anxiety. It’s a simple moment that runs away with you.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I hope they’ll laugh, I hope they’ll be surprised, I hope they’ll relate.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. There are quite a few projects in the horror/comedy space. None that takes priority. It’s just a case of seeing which one comes to the boil first.
Q. If someone was looking to get into filmmaking what advice would you give them?
A. Spend the most amount of time on the script and then just get out there and make something, but make it for yourself, and you’ll find an audience.
The Man That I Wave At will be playing at Dead and Sudburied on Friday, 17th October at 6:45 pm.
Find out more about the festival and purchase tickets for The Man That I Wave At 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!
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