I had decided to give up. Movies. Filmmaking. Writing. The lot. I was spent - in every sense of the word after a feature film that I had been working on passionately for several years as the writer/director crashed and burned 3 weeks before shooting was to start in the USA - leaving me broken and broke. Time passed and then I saw Chris Jones' post about 50 Kisses. Interesting concept. Hmmm. No. Even short films are tremendously hard work. Pass. I just couldn't.
01.00 AM and hours before the deadline. I looked again. Well, any film had to be done and dusted in 30 days - beginning to end - it had a deadline - and people might actually get to see the final results. That made a difference - I looked through the scripts - and crikey - some had been turned into films already! Watching them was very enjoyable. A spark was re-lighting within me. Because as every filmmaker knows; filmmaking is pain. It can be good pain. But it is still pain.... Fuck it. I contacted a producer friend, JM Steiger, and we agreed to split the budget - even with everyone working for free - it'd still cost: cast and crew food, travel, equipment hire, grade - it all adds up.
I picked the only script that had yet to be chosen by another director. I could see why. Other Peoples Kisses was bleak - not flashy or genre - but it was solid. I met up with the writer, Gabriella Apicella, and she was really open to a few ideas. 7 days later I'd cast, rehearsed and shot the film - ok it took another 3 months to actually finish the post - but hey - I got my mojo back. Thank you.
Simon Foster Director of ‘Other Peoples Kisses’
Read the script HERE
Read the Huffington Post Article by Gabriella Apicella HERE
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