This evening, the 2012 Witney Film Festival brought us a feature-length ‘English’ romcom that was written in, filmed in, produced in and made by a local village – Kingston Bagpuize (pron: Kings-tonn Bag-pewz).
The screening was introduced by the writer, director and local resident, Guy Browning.
Some facts and figures about the film, before we go on to discuss it.
Tortoise in Love took three years to deliver, from concept to film premiere. It was shot over six weeks in the village of Kingston Bagpuize. The film featured some paid lead actors who were supported, in the cast, by most of the village. The three primary roles are not professional actors, but local residents. Funding came from a variety of sources; grants, sponsorship and crowd-sourcing/donations. A total of £180,000 was raised to help make the film.
Tortoise in Love is a gentle romcom, broadly similar, in style and setting, as that of Love Actually and, to an extent, Bridget Jones.
This is a real film. From the opening title sequence to the conclusion of the end credits, Tortoise in Love clearly shows itself to be a film that has been artfully constructed, beautifully filmed, and painstakingly edited down to a final product, with an intricate level of attention to detail, that many bigger-budget films would wish they could achieve.
The writing and direction lack the outright manipulation of a Richard Curtis film, but the story is no less pleasant for that.
The score that sits behind the film is exemplary. The indoor lighting (and the consistency of the external lighting) is wonderful. And the editing was completed with such a light touch, that the sequencing seems completely natural. This is the hallmark of a truly talented film editor, obv.
From a technical aspect alone, this is an above average film, capable of rivalling Hollywood productions. It was completed on a budget that was approximately 2% the size of the budget of Love Actually. And it was made by, in, and for the residents of a small Oxfordshire village.
If a group of people in a village can get together and put something as skilful and as wonderful as this together, two things need to happen:
1. The Hollywood film industry needs to wake up, to see what can be produced for such a tiny amount of money, and
2. Film students from all over the world need to realise what can be achieved, with just a little help.
I find myself considering buying the DVD because, frankly, to not own this film would be daft.
It’s such a shame that all I can find is this really annoying trailer: