The Fence

Spring 2005

During my journey I learned to write down all the cluttered thoughts in my head. Whenever I was going through something that I found difficult to deal with, I wrote it down.

At the time of writing the first short film "The Fence" I was just back to walking whilst my dad was beginning to die so we sort of crossed over on our journeys. I guess looking back "The Fence" maybe subconsciously was a tribute to him but also a way for me to come to terms with his illness. So as Hratch had taught me, I began to write about it and a few weeks later "The Fence" was born.

The script was written. Now what did I do? I need someone to shoot it so I put it out onto Shooting People, a film website and waited to see if any DOP's were interested. Unexpectedly I had a big response, so I thought great lets meet everyone so I set about interviewing people knowing absolutely nothing but hey if I could walk again I could learn this, so I progressed in interviewing people but my interviews were more like "So if I want to get this shot how do I go about that?" What is a dolly? What is a clapper board? Yes, I was really that bad. So I took the bull by the horns and learnt as much as I could from every person that walked through the door. I think some of them couldn't wait to escape; I was like a woman possessed.

Then one guy came in who was in his 40's, had shot a couple of features and said "I never do short films but I saw your script and liked it". We chatted about the script and he said "So you're going to direct it" my response "Oh no I'm not a director" he replied, "You are you have just talked me through the storyboard of this film, you know every shot. You have to direct this". I seriously didn't have any idea what I was doing only that I could see what I wanted to achieve and feel it, I'm a feeling person, I'm rubbish at explaining things but I know when something feels right. So that's how it began Jim Solan started my journey into film. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I saw my creation being born, something that I had no knowledge about, I was going into the unknown. I may fail I may succeed or I may just enjoy and learn and that's exactly what I did. I loved every minute of it and learnt so much and my passion for filmmaking had begun.

I have always been passionate about film, every type of film all my life but to actually create something was something so special for me and to be about my Dad, the person who was my inspiration was a true privilege. My dad was alive at the time and I shot it in his house so he saw someone create him actually in front of his eyes. The guy that played him is a guy called Arthur White who is David Jason's brother and was in Frost with him. My dad being a fan of Frost was bowled over that the sergeant was sitting in his living room. I had two established actresses Gwyneth Powell and Marjie Lawrence so I had a cast who knew what they were doing and me I knew nothing.

I remember the first day, timidly trying to direct them, scared to tell them anything, putting my head under the monitor hood with tears in my eyes thinking "Oh my god they think I'm stupid, I am stupid, I can't do this". That night was one of my worst. I got home and sat at the end of my bed and sobbed, then something came over me "I can do this. I've written it, I know it, I feel it, I have to believe" and so the next morning I went in there and took control and we all got on like a house on fire, they began to trust me and listen. After the first day I even managed to say "Action" as I didn't feel that I had a right to begin with and so we shot it over three days and it was born.

Now that I had shot a Comedy/Drama I thought what I needed to learn to really do this seriously, I need to do a static table scene and make it interesting and an action film so whilst editing "The Fence" I started on "Back to Life".