What is the film about?

A film behind a horse. Obscuring the narrative. My act of self destruction.

What influenced it?

Paul Vester (especially his film Picnic)
Run Wrake
Philip Guston
Larry RIvers
Samuel Beckett

A little background information...

This was once an entirely different film. One in which the central character was a horse. This film developed, and the horse became side-lined, an obvious burden on the story. I’ve always found that part of film making – pre-production – to be a drag. To me at least, it’s restrictive and stifles spontaneity. As usual, I found myself frustrated with the process. A moment of self-doubt. I realised that what was important to me was the wider context of the film, and my own emotional response to it. Hiding the film was taking this horse character and letting him win – giving him centre stage in spite of the rest of the film. It was about taking out my frustration on the work itself and allowing those “self-destructive” habits to influence the film. It’s quite an antagonistic film, not just to annoy the audience but hopefully to inspire some conversations about narrative, and the relationship between film maker and audience. I think audiences deserve more agency and input. Any interpretation is as valid as my own.

How was the film made?

The film is paper cut out, shot on Clive Walley’s huge old multi-plane at the RCA. 2D elements were painted on cel and layered on top. The horse was painted on cel and added digitally afterwards for practical reasons. But I also wanted to have an “unhorsed” version so it at least exists somewhere.