Film Name: Yellow
Director: Darren James King
Writer: Darren James King
Starring: Ayvianna Snow, Cameron Bell, Michelle MacRae
A troubled man, whose existence has led him to form an unorthodox friendship, fulfills his nightly needs
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival I got a chance to ask actor-producer Cameron Bell a few questions about the film ‘Yellow’
‘Yellow’ has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14h January at 10:00 am
Q. Your film Yellow has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. Well the only way I can answer this is to think back to when I first watched the final version of the film! Expect something that will grip you, expect something that from the outset will have you thinking ‘What’s going on here?’ Also, expect something that will make you feel uncomfortable from the beginning, for good reason!
Q. In addition to producing the film you also play the character Caisson. What attracted you to the film and the character Caisson?
A. I remember Darren talking to me about the idea of the film about 18 months before, I liked the ‘same but different’ nature of the story, the idea of an innocent bystander being completely unable to do anything about an unfolding event. To be honest I had no idea how the film would turn out until watching the final version which I find really exciting when you have the creative vision of a team like we had! In terms of Caisson I think that the totally unassuming nature of him was a big draw for me, Darren said to me when we were discussing the role, ‘Don’t change anything about YOU’ and that was it, that was the brief, no funny voice or walk, that was it, which I got excited by because I knew that there were ideas in the works that were going to bring the nature of the character forward!
Q. What preparation did you do for the role?
A. When I prepare for a role, I HAVE to have an emotional way in, something that grounds a character so that there’s truth in it because that’s when things get fun and the creativity grows in terms of prep. When it comes to these types of roles the most terrifying thing about them is the true belief inside them that they’re doing good, that they’re justified, it’s their purpose. I couldn’t believe it when I saw a Ted Bundy documentary, it was freaky how charming and nice of a person he was, which was a mask of course for his deep psychological issues, that’s where the prep started really.
All through the month or so leading up to the shoot (We’d shot a short film in mid-December and the shoot for ‘Yellow’ was at the end of January!) me and Darren talked about costume, which was all part of the preparation as well as the psychological side, definitely! I knew I had clothes which were suitable for the role which Darren was happy with and I had bought a few items to complete the look. I was looking in my full-length mirror in the costume, trousers, shirt, boots, cardigan etc. Darren had asked me to wear glasses for the role and I wanted to get away from my normal glasses because it would be too close to myself. I’d bought a pair of glasses the year before in the states just on a whim, they looked different, and I liked the style. I got the glasses and put them on and looked in the mirror and there….was…Caisson, it was a massive part of the prep work, I sent a picture to Darren and we both agreed that that was the look. Those glasses feel very different to me when I put them on nowadays!!
Q. Were there any changes from the original script during filming?
A. The script didn’t change a lot but what did change and what was very fluid on the day were the movements and actions, we blocked things for camera purposes obviously but me and Ayvianna were fairly free in moments. I love working with Darren because the chance to improvise is always there. There was a whole section of the film that was completely improvised in terms of movements, me and Ayvianna had the freedom to play which was great because you let the characters’ motivations drive you.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. One moment that really stands out for me on the day was doing the section that leads to the crescendo of the film in the kitchen (NO SPOILERS!!) It was towards the end of the day, and we had to get a big important part of the film done so Darren and Tom Laxton (our DoP who is great!) jumped into ‘Run ‘n’ Gun’ mode! Darren knew that whatever happened me and Ayvianna (that’s Ayvianna Snow who was brilliant the whole time!) wouldn’t break character, we knew where the action was going in the story, so Darren just had to call ‘Action’ and let us go, that whole section was a blur because me, Ayvianna AND Michelle MacRae (This was Michelle’s first acting job by the way!) were so in the moment! At one point I could see Darren directing me in my peripheral vision and it felt amazing to create in the moment without breaking focus, just great work from all!
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. You never really go through a shoot without something going slightly wrong. The biggest issue we had was when our Head of Makeup Tequila Carter caught Covid a day or two before the shoot, so it was Darren who did the makeup for the day! It was a huge shame Tequila couldn’t be there as she’s the one responsible for our amazing props in the film and for her to not be there to see those props on set on the day was a bit sad.
We also had a bit of a technical issue with the camera that, quite rightly, needed time to get fixed, a bit time consuming but these things happen.
Q. What makes Yellow stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I think looks wise ‘Yellow’ feels a lot different to other horror films that are out there, story wise it doesn’t stray too far from the norm but in terms of how colours are used to create deep discomfort is something that I haven’t really come across before, also the way in which the story is drip fed to the audience is something that I think an audience will find slightly outside of the norm.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. It’s interesting because an audience will take away things that you don’t have any say in at all. In terms of this film you might get people who are really into the aesthetics of the film and then you might get audiences who are engaged and drawn into the performances and THEN you might get people who think that it’s totally inappropriate which is completely alright, you can’t control what people think or feel.
To say I hope that people ‘enjoy’ the film is a bit odd but I do hope that people enjoy and appreciate the experience of what’s in front of them and the hard work that went into it, whether it be the performances, the lighting, the soundtrack or all of it together because I can sit back and watch it objectively now and say that it is an engaging watch.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. Recently I did a table read for a feature film that’s scheduled to go into production next year, which is very different for me, a ‘Top Boy’ inspired true story which was great to throw myself into in terms of the vernacular, a great amount of grit and heart to that story!
I’m also adding strings to my acting bow by going on firearms courses and also a horseback riding course. Other than that, I’m available for anything that appeals to me!
Q. If someone was looking to get into acting what advice would you give them?
A. One piece of advice I will always tell anyone who wants to get into acting is, enjoy it! There are peaks and troughs in the industry for sure and if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, don’t do it, life is too short to be doing things that you don’t enjoy!
‘Yellow’ has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Sunday 14h January at 10:00 am
You can find out more about the 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!
