The Wilding Opening
A Filmmaker's Journal
Tuesday 14th November 2023
Got up at 5am and got on the road. 3 hours drive to Scottow Enterprise Park in Norfolk for a full day of shooting on The Wilding. Lot of stuff gets shot there, apparently. It is a cool place. An old RAF Base, so it absolutely reminded me of where we shot A Reckoning all those years ago.
I had a small cameo as a hospital orderly so got dressed in scrubs and went down to the set. Was good to see director Adam Park and finally properly meet the producer Paul Williams. Had a good chat to him. He seems pretty confident about raising the rest of the money for the film. Actors Richard Brake and Laura Rollins arrived. Was great to see Laura. We’re good friends and speak a lot on the phone, but it’s been awhile since I’ve actually seen her. We talked about Doctors being cancelled and how sad that is for the East Midlands. The BBC really don’t give a shit about the Midlands. It’s a filmmaking wasteground. Even more so now.
I directed Laura in my short Shining Tor in 2018 and we’re always talking about working together again. It was me who brought her to the attention of Adam. What we were shooting today was the opening sequence to the film.
Richard Brake I’ve never met, but was very excited to. The man has worked with everyone, not to mention being directed by the likes of Rob Zombie, Christopher Nolan, Brian De Palma, and my idol, Mr Spielberg. He was nice, quiet, but holy shit, when the cameras turned, he became something else entirely. What a performer. I think he actually frightened Laura.
Adam shot a few weeks back in the wilds of Wales. He shot a sequence early in the film with the leads Tim Plester and Jördis Richter, so that, coupled with this opening with Brake and Rollins gives Adam the first ten minutes of the film. Hopefully, he can use that to raise more funding now. He did say he wants to cut a sizzle reel together and so forth. Whatever happens, filming isn’t to resume now until the spring.
Wrapped at half 5, home by half 8. A good day.
