Shaun James Grant’s short film HOPE reflects on the grief of a couple whilst making a stop at a roadside diner.
Film And TV Now spoke with the film-maker about his project.
FILM AND TV NOW: The film is a heart-breaking story about a couple’s grief. Was this based on a true story?
SHAUN JAMES GRANT: It’s not based on a true story but it is inspired by my parental fears. The idea of losing something you love more than anything else in the world and not knowing if it’s lost forever.
FTVN: When you were developing the script, what were the key challenges in writing and how many drafts did you write?
SJG: We didn’t do a great deal of drafts. We had the plot points down verbally and built around those over the period of a week. It was more about constantly building on the foundation of the script than redrafting. Once a scene was in, it never went away.
FTVN: Tell us about your cast.
SJG: They were sourced by the lovely guys at LANE casting. We saw a lot of people for the leading roles. Jane initially auditioned for another role and we called her back to audition for HER. She blew me away instantly.
She understood where we were coming from and just really sunk herself into it. Yann we cast for HIM solely based on his reel and a Skype conversation as he was based in France. He was the only person who didn’t audition but we just felt he embodied so much of what we were looking for.
His energy and passion for the project really made me feel like the role was in safe hands. He equally did an incredible job and is going on to do some really exciting things.
FTVN: Tell us about your production team.
SJG: Co-writing the project with me was a dear friend of mine, Luke Shenton-Sharp.
I’ve known Luke for over 12 years, we made a student film together when I was finishing Uni. We’ve remained friends ever since and over the last few years formed a strong writing partnership. He was the first person I went to with the seeds of the idea for the film.
Producing the project was Morgan Faverty. I’ve known Morgan for a few years. We made a little branded project together, he always told me if I ever had something narrative I wanted to make I should reach out to him, which I did. He self-funded the project through his company Pavilion Work Originals, I’d say he was responsible for giving the whole thing life.
I’m eternally grateful for that. We also have Patrick Golan come over from New York to shoot it. I’ve been a fan of Pat’s work for some time. This felt like the right project to bring him over for. He did an incredible job.
FTVN: In terms of location work, how challenging was it to find the right diner setting for key moments in the film?
SJG: The diner was the first thing I knew before writing anything. It was somewhere I’d wanted to shoot for sometime. I always found the exterior intriguing. The interior however wasn’t ideal for various reasons but we were practical in our coverage and really took it’s strengths and made that work for us.
FTVN: How long did it take to shoot?
SJG: We shoot over 2 nights.
FTVN: How did you raise finance for the film?
SJG: I was very fortunate. It was all independently funded by Pavilion Works Originals, the producer Morgan Faverty’s company. Morgan and I had worked together on some branded stuff earlier in the year. He came to me and said if I ever have something narrative I was passionate about making I should hit him up. I remembered him saying this after we’d written the script. I did hit him up and he came onboard pretty quickly. We didn’t look back from there.
FTVN: We understand that your own life a decade ago reflects much of what some are going through in terms of a self-imposed solitude which led to your new journey to become a film-maker. What were the key lessons you learned during your solitude back then and what sort of films were you watching as part of it?
SJG: I think I’ve always in some part been someone that’s enjoyed keeping my own company for long stretches of time. I don;t know how healthy that is but it’s definitely allowed for me to reflect and process my thoughts and decisions. I would watch anything during these times, I mean literally anything. It’s all escapism right. The key lesson I think is don’t spend too much time on your own as it starts to be counter productive.
FTVN: You have worked in the commercial and music video sector for some time. What influence has this sort of work had on your development as a film-maker?
SJG: It’s taught me how to manage myself and lead a crew of people. Outside of that I think it’s difficult to say how much of an impact it’s had. What I would say is that making a film has had a huge impact on my writing and decision making for commercials and music videos going forward. I really got a sense of what I enjoy doing, the themes I like exploring, the humanity of the work. I want to do more of that in the commercial and music space.
FTVN: What issues and themes would you like to explore in future films?
SJG: I am currently doing a film on the psychological effects of domestic violence. Outside of that I wouldn’t say I’m actively pursuing issues as such. Thematically, the plight of humanity is what I find interesting. Coming up with impossible personal circumstances for people to navigate, exploring how someone would, could and do circumvent those situations and at what cost.
FTVN: How has the current global situation affected your development and evolution as a film-maker?
SJG: What it did for me is force me to ask a lot of questions about what my aspirations truly are and what I want for myself as a film-maker. I’ve pretty much just spent the last year solely writing. I’m seeing it more as an investment for the future rather than an immediate pay-off. In writing so much I think I’ve learnt so much about myself, what moves me and dug deeper to discover what my tastes are.
FTVN: Finally, what are you most proud of about the short?
SJG: That we did it. Making films isn’t easy at any level, especially independently. Although it’s far from perfect, it felt good to start something off my own back and see it all the way through and be proud of the finished result.
