Kate Rowles’ short film ‘My Wonderland’ (Home Video 8) received a Special Mention for the Anthony Minghella Award for Best UK Short 2011 at Glimmer: Hull International Short Film Festival. Here she talks all about her craft, importance of film festivals and the story behind how ‘My Wonderland’ came to be.
I did a BA in Theatre Studies at Lancaster University (2002-2005) and it was a very contemporary course that encouraged us to experiment with video in a performative way. I thought this was a really exciting approach to filmmaking. At the same time I also developed a love for the theatre of everyday life, and the overlap that this kind of work had with the documentary form. I love the fact that you can record people and places as they are in the present moment. I see film as a historical document and filmmaking as a way of making history, of preserving a version of our experience of life and ourselves. When I did my MA in Visual Performance at Dartington College of Arts, I started to develop The Home Video Series as a body of work that combined my interest in all of these ideas.
1. In October you visited Hull for Glimmer 2011 what did you make of the city and the festival in particular?
I loved the city and I really enjoyed the festival. Both were really friendly and down to earth, I felt extremely welcome and looked after! I was thrilled to see the Rigging exhibition in the Ferens gallery in particular, and the Straight 8 programme was fantastic. It’s so nice to attend festivals that place an emphasis on experimental work as this one seemed to do, I think it is very important to allow people to see different forms of film, and to give a public platform to this kind of work which is the non-commercial end of the film industry that keeps it fresh and new.
2. What was it that inspired your film My Wonderland?
I was very interested in the word ‘household’ and wanted to depict a strong image of this domain. I thought of it as a verb that could be a way of physically holding a house in your arms, and this was the start of the idea: a play on words. I wanted to equate it to a figurehead on a ship, a kind of guardian, but one that was alive and engaged and effective. After filming myself standing in front of the house a few times and watching the footage back, I realized it would be tricky to get the image as precise as I wanted, and knew I needed someone to literally point me in the right direction. My dad was the obvious choice, and he used to be a Joiner so his knowledge of all the different names for the different parts of the building comes across in the film which I love. Also, it is the house that he has spent his working life paying for so it felt like a special tribute to this that I was treasuring the house in this way.
3. My Wonderland was given a ‘Special Mention’ at Glimmer 2011, how did it feel to be first selected for the festival and what did the award/accolade mean for you and the film?
It meant a great deal indeed as it’s the first award the Home Video Series has ever received. My parents were extremely proud and none of us could believe it, especially as many of the other films had long lists of credits and expensive post-production, where as ours was just made by the 3 of us.
4. I have spoken about a magic moment that happens during the first minutes of the film that plays with the viewer’s sense of perspective? Was that a happy accident or did you know that was going to happen. Talk about that moment.
The whole film attempts to suspend the disbelief of the audience and to make them believe I am really a giant. I was surprised by how effective such a simple device could be, as we just filmed from below and positioned the camera at the right distance from the house. I think the zooms and the appearance of my mum who looks so small really help to make it convincing and effective. It was an experiment, and this is why it is worth experimenting, because the result might be even better than you had imagined.
5. What are you working on at present?
Another Home Video with my parents but I’m afraid I can’t reveal the idea! Let’s just say it continues the theme!
6. What benefits are there for filmmakers in submitting their work in to festivals and hopefully getting them screened?
Exposure is SO important, once you have some work that you are happy with you need to get it seen. I submit my films to so many festivals because it’s the only way I know to get it shown. The medium of film, even art film, seems to get the best exposure at film festivals because there are so many of them. If you can show in galleries that is also very important to do if you want to be known as an artist filmmaker like I do.
7. How has having your work seen at Glimmer benefited you?
Receiving a special mention was a great honour, and it is something that I can put on my website and people will take notice that will be of significant benefit to me when applying for exhibitions/screenings/funding etc. Meeting the people who run / attend the festival and are passionate about film was also very important to me because I need to feel like I am part of a community of people in this field, as it can be quite isolating otherwise.
8. Would you recommend Glimmer to other filmmakers and film fans?
Definitely. Glimmer might not be as well known as other film festivals, but that is because it supports fresh talent and experimental work rather than established names and conventional narrative film, so it is a really important festival to be part of for this reason.
The Jury said:
“An artist video, that we couldn’t help but be engaged and entertained by. The whole process of the creation of the film had a simplicity and charm to it, whilst at the same time allowing us to see the relationship within the family.”
michelledee
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