On Location

A Filmmaker's Journal

Thursday 10th October 2024

Well… The Wilding wraps today. I drove to Wales on Tuesday and visited the set and what an incredible experience it was. The set was Treberfydd House in Llangasty Tal-y-llyn. The website describes it as “… Treberfydd has been home to the Raikes family since it was built in 1852. The Grade I-listed gothic revival house, overlooking Llangorse lake, sits within 10 acres of private gardens and woodlands, offering the perfect backdrop for weddings, celebrations and holidays.” They also hire out to film productions - a few episodes of Doctor Who were shot there. It was quite an incredible place. It was like Wayne Manor, and the surrounding countryside and mountains were spectacular.

This was the location for the billionaires’ mansion, used predominantly in the 3rd act. They were still shooting out in the woods when I arrived, so I hung out with James Weston and Adam Hedelin, who were setting up the lights and cameras for the afternoon’s shooting. Once everyone started to arrive I got to meet the rest of the cast and crew.

The first man I hugged was Chris Wilson-Smith, the other co-writer of this film, who I’ve only ever spoken to over Zoom. He’s a Canadian journalist and flew over for the shoot. It was great to finally meet him in person. We get along well.

Then I saw my old mate Andre Pierre (who I directed in Baby on Board) and we hugged and caught up. He’s playing a sound recordist in the film called, err, Andre. Then I met Tim Plester, who also hugged me, and who seemed genuinely pleased to see me, which did feel good, I have to say. He’s a very cool guy. Then I met other cast members - Jördis Richter, playing the other main character, Emma, along with Tim’s character Richard, and also the collection of actors playing the billionaires: There was Edwin Flay, Elly Jordan, and the brilliantly named America, John Sharkman. I also met Tegen Short, a brilliant actress playing the role of Meryl, and finally, stand-up and actor, Zach Zucker, from LA, who was playing the Uriah Heep-like, Exec.

Adam Park arrived and looked tired but determined. After shooting with mainly Tim and Jördis in the woods for the first half of the shoot, he now had many characters and moving parts to direct, and an entire 3rd act, plus a few other bits, to shoot in 2 days.

Once we got started in the afternoon, we shot a scene from early in the film when Emma and Richard first arrive at the manor house and are greeted by the billionaires. Adam got me to play one of the security guards by the first doors. During this scene I got to chat a little with the great Richard Brake, playing the vampiric Parker. Me and Andre fanboyed a bit and got pictures with him.

Sorry if I’m being a bit vague on the plot of this film, but details of the story will get out in the world in 2025, when the rollout begins.

As darkness fell we shot a few scenes inside. One with Tegen and Andre in the library and one of me out in the gardens being a guard patrolling the gardens. Given the nature of the story, a lot of this stuff was framed to be picked up by CCTV cameras.

Around half seven I took Edwin and one of the editors, Jazz, back to the hotel where all the cast and crew were staying, and Adam stayed behind with the crew and a few of the other actors, including Richard Brake, and carried on shooting.

The hotel used for base camp was the decidedly odd Baskerville Hotel in Hay-on-Wye, Hereford. Named, of course, after Conan Doyle’s famous hellhound. An ominous-looking large plastic dog greeted me at the door. Me , Jazz, and Edwin headed for the bar and had a couple of pints. Lots of film talk. Edwin had some great stories from his years as an actor. He had some great Spielberg and Scorsese stories after working on both War Horse and Hugo. Dinner wasn’t until half ten to accommodate everyone still out shooting.

During dinner, I had a great conversation with Richard Brake and he really opened up to me about a few personal things, which I won’t go into here. He’s a quiet man, but I think once I gained his trust, we got on very well.

Adam got back at around quarter to 11 looking pretty haggard. He ate quickly and went straight to bed. He was to be shooting again by 9 am. I went up to bed. Had a small room to myself. Pretty major Shining vibes in that hotel.

The next morning I had breakfast with Richard Brake, and again had a very good chat, then shooting carried on. They shot a scene at the hotel, then went out to the woods to shoot another scene, before going back to Treberfydd House to shoot the billionaires’ party (expect Eye Wide Shut vibes!).

I, on the other hand, had the morning to kill before I was to drive some of the actors back to Treberfydd at midday, then I was going to get back on the road for home. I didn’t really want to leave, but family life and the day job demanded it.

However, as I had the morning to myself I went on a little pilgrimage. I’d messaged my mate Richard Albiston at some point to tell him where I was and what I was doing and he got back and said that the opening of An American Werewolf in London was shot very close to where I was. As it’s a film I love, I couldn’t resist.

I drove the 20 mins from the Baskerville Hotel to the tiny village of Crickadarn to the exterior location of The Slaughtered Lamb. Very strange to see the location of something I’ve watched throughout my entire life (I watched the film at a very, very young age).

After that, I went back to Baskerville, picked up a car full of actors, and took them back to Treberfydd. Then I said my goodbyes and reluctantly got on the road for home. It was amazing to see this film come together, to meet everyone working on it, to see actors performing lines I’d written back in 2023. Once it wraps this evening, I will be a screenwriter on a feature film.

From today it’ll go into post-production in view to heading out into the world in 2025. I cannot wait.

Just got The House on Lidderman Street to shoot now, so I can have two features in post-production.