So So Gay
This week we launch our “Still To Come” column, giving a forum to LGBT filmmakers and their upcoming projects. Kicking it off we speak to Guido Lippe, writer and producer of short film Fall-Out which is currently at the end of their crowd funding stage, where you the public are asked to dig deep and contribute to the project. Launching on the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), the crowd funding closes at 6:59am tomorrow (27 June 2012)!
SSG: What is Fall-Out about?
Guido Lippe: Basically it’s about two guys locked in a bunker at the end of the world. Not just any two guys, but two exes with a lot of baggage. As the story unfolds it all boils to the surface and explodes.
What inspired you to make the film?
I didn’t really have any direct inspiration for it other than I was looking for a unique way to tell a story. Two people confined into a single space is always a good way to get emotions rolling. Its now quite a bit from the original idea of two straight people, but we’re trying to make it a little different from the stuff we’ve seen and things that would be obvious. I ultimately came to two gay guys locked in a bunker.
You have Doctor Who’s Andrew Hayden-Smith and Any Dream Will Do’s Daniel Boys on board as actors for the film, how pleased are you with this?
Very pleased. Hayden-Smith was kind of on the shortlist. He was the first guy we approached for the character Nate and he immediately said yes. I’ve kind of always wanted to do something with him in terms of him being in one of my films. I’m glad he’s going to be in the first one. Boys was a bit more of a search because we were looking for someone who would work well opposite Hayden-Smith – finding the right chemistry, finding the right balance. The thought suddenly struck me that Boys wouldn’t be the obvious choice, but would really suit the storyline, the character, and kind of bring that little bit of chemistry. We didn’t want to give the actors stuff that they’ve already been playing, therefore challenging the viewers, the actors, and ourselves. That’s kind of one of the themes for me across all the short films that I’m working on at the moment, challenging preconceptions in any shape or form, which I hope translates to the audience as well.
What have been the biggest challenges so far?
It’s kind of a difficult one because there’s a lot of challenges in process – first from getting the story written, then finding a director, finding your cast. I think the biggest challenge now is trying to persuade people to contribute to Fall-Out. These are hard difficult times economically and people are a bit more careful with their money, which is part of the reason why we’re have to now go the crowd funding because all the film funds etc. have dried up. Crowd funding is the best way to get not just people who want to invest but also get an audience on board, trying to get a more direct connection with them. Finding the approach for that is the biggest hurdle at the moment. Also, for me it’s been a challenge moving from writing and script editing, which has been kind of what I’ve been doing for the last 12 years. Suddenly seeing everything from the producer’s point of view has been a very great learning curve and a very great experience, but also very challenging and very stressful.
Are there any particular actors that you would like to work with?
Stephen Fry is an obvious choice because he’s such a big talent. I’m a big Doctor Who fan too, so basically anyone involved in that would be nice. But ultimately it depends on what I’m going to be writing and how well they’re suited to the part.
What advice would you give to anyone starting out making a short film of their own?
Know what you’re doing. Even though both director Dinkish Miesuria and I are pretty experienced in this field, a couple of times we’ve made, in hindsight, rather obvious mistakes where we went in before we had a proper plan. So be aware of all the steps you have to take to get the short film made. Take time to properly plan them out. I think that’s the best advice.
For more information about Fall-Out and their crowd funding campaign, visit www.crowdedpictures.co.uk. You can follow Guido Lippe on Twitter: @scriptcoach.
