Film: Best Geezer
Director: James Smith
Writer: James Smith, Caroline Spence
Actors: Darren Tassell, Ryan Enever, Samantha Anderson, David Streames, Philip Rogers
Synopsis: Three hapless entrepreneurs join forces to make a geezer movie
With The Southend-on-Sea Film Festival will be returning once again from Thursday 8th June to Sunday 11th June, I got an opportunity to ask Writer/Director James Smith a few questions about the film ‘Best Geezer‘ which has been selected as the Closing Film for the festival and will have its world premiere on Sunday 11th June at 8pm
Q. What can we expect from the film Best Geezer?
A. Having been through the process of shooting the film and then going through the arduous task of editing together hundreds of clips into some form of intelligible structure makes for a mind full of jumbled images and reservations that are only natural in any creative process. Regardless, I think we have some comedy gold within this film, and it strikes me that there is a real charm about it. People will recognise that it wasn’t shot on a million dollars, yet the enthusiasm is palpable in the performances and I hope that people will buy into our bonkers ‘rags to riches’ geezer tale!
Q. How did the idea for the film come about?
A. Caroline Spence (screenwriter-producer) and I have traditionally exchanged quips about what we term ‘kick-your-head-in movies’, a label we have bestowed to that certain style of British gangster flick that literally holds no punches. I actually like the films and find them quite entertaining, whether they’re big budget Guy Richie-style productions or bargain bucket DVD fare. Caroline had the idea that we should do a comedic take on this genre and the fans who love a good geezer movie with plenty of punch ups and violence, all epitomised by the geezer awards and the ultimate Best Geezer accolade.
Q. Did you have anyone in mind for the characters when writing the script?
A. We didn’t have any sophisticated notions about the characters or how the film should play out. The three lead characters are just everyday guys you might meet at the local pub. Rather like The Full Monty, they’re a somewhat harmless outfit with unremarkable talents, but they have ambition to do something with their lives rather than just toe the line in monotonous jobs. In terms of who should play these characters, we leaned towards actors who understood the Only Fools and Horses type of mentality and who had a grasp of the East End and local Southend/Essex humour.
Q. What were some of the influences for the look and style of the film?
A. We had a very limited budget, a small crew, and just a few locations, and so we couldn’t throw caution to the wind and start dreaming up fancy photographic styles and elaborate set designs. So we adopted a nuts-and-bolts approach, constructing simple scenes, shooting quickly, and using natural light where possible. It’s ironic that our ‘shoot it on a shoestring’ philosophy is not too far removed from that adopted by the characters within the story!
Q. Were there any elements of the original script which were adapted during filming?
A. For the most part, the cast and crew could deliver what we wanted, but in many cases, the shooting script was adapted to the locations we had available to us. For example, in the original version, there was a preview screening of a geezer movie to be held in a cinema, however, this was ambitious and problematic to shoot on our tiny budget, and so we ended up shooting in a much smaller screening room at The Old Waterworks in Southend. This actually turned out to be better, since it had vintage projection equipment on hand, which can be seen operating in the film.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments whilst making the Film?
A. There were so many hysterical moments on the set of Best Geezer – it really was the funniest time I’ve had making a film, and everyone just seemed to bond. A fond moment was at Freesprite Media, a studio in Rochford. We were filming a nightclub scene and the actors and extras were on fire, an absolutely fabulous bunch of people, who simply bought into the whole idea and were bristling with enthusiasm and chanting what has become the theme of the shoot: Geezer, Geezer, Geezer!. It seems ridiculous now, but the amount of banter and swearing was outrageous – it was all good humoured stuff and had us in fits of laughter most days. There were other moments, out in the wind and rain, on the last day when everything was being thrown at us and we had to work like crazy to get any usable footage, but it was fun in every respect. A great team experience is how I remember this shoot.
Q. Did you experience any issues whilst making the film?
A. We had all manner of issues that we had to contend with in production. But it’s the nature of the beast at all levels, and we’ve made enough films now to know that you have to get on with it and fight the fires! We had continual scheduling problems with locations and actors’ availability – how we managed to piece it together, I don’t know. Well, actually I do know – it’s Caroline’s ability to juggle the spreadsheets and work her magic that got it done. There were also tech headaches and other hurdles to overcome. One day, during an exterior scene, we had radically changing light, wind, rain, intrusive noise from lorries, and a major camera failure. As a team, we worked hard to solve the problem and kept our cool – that’s down to experience I think.
Q. What do you hope people will take away from the film
A. I will be interested to gauge the audience response in the screening at the World Premiere at the Southend Film Festival, but I hope that people will just simply have a giggle at this light-hearted take on the world of British gangster films. Best Geezer drew a lot of people together as a superb little team, and I hope that audiences will feel that sense of togetherness when they watch the film.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are working on?
A. Best Geezer has been a major undertaking, and it came straight off the back of another big project Casting Kill, which is going great guns at the moment. So, it’s a case of taking stock, having a break, and then looking towards our next feature film project, a thriller called The Finca. Set in Spain, this is a much different project with a very small cast and just a few crew members. We’ve been a little ambitious in our past undertakings to say the least, and so this project is about resetting, working on our strengths, and using our experience gained over the last decade to best effect.
Q. If someone is looking to direct their first film, what advice would you give them?
A. Find good people to work with that you can wholeheartedly trust in your endeavour. They won’t be easy to find, but when you’ve got problems – the light’s fading, you’re behind schedule, it’s cold and wet, and everyone wants to go home – you’ll need those people by your side.
The Southend Film Festival will run from Thursday 8th June to Sunday 11th June
You can purchase tickets for Best Geezer here
You can find out more about the other films and purchase tickets for the Southend Film Festival 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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