May 2008

Short Film Director Chris Dundon has recently completed his latest short film Somewhere, Anywhere, which he joins Marvin Belle at Directors Notes to discuss. Before embarking on his directing career, Chris took From Story To Screen In Eight Weeks at the Met Film School.

The following is an extract from the interview about Chris' experience at the Met:

Chris: After Graduating, I felt I wanted to go to a film school that lets you express your own ideas and work on your own films and that is why I chose the Met Film School, which is a fantastic film school at Ealing Studios that I'd recommend to anybody.

Marvin: When you started your course at the Met, were you already fixed on the role of director, because I know when you made your short at the Met you were writer, producer and director on it?

Chris: I just wanted to learn about all aspects of filmmaking, right from original concept. Take more of a producing/directing role. I felt the more I knew about producing as well would help me when I left. It was a case of yes I knew I was going there to produce and direct, and that is one of the reasons I chose it. Because it was a wide scope and I knew I'd get to work with professional crew - a small crew of one sound person and one camera operator - but the fact they're professional crew helped quite a lot as you're not relying on other students to turn up or hoping they know as much about the equipment, and that was another reason I chose the Met. Also, the insight they gave into the actual production of how to make a short film - information on budgeting, scheduling and so on - was something I had in mind when I chose the course.

Marvin: The short you made at the Met, was it similar to Somewhere, Anywhere, or were you trying out particular themes you know you'd pick up later on?

Chris: It was difficult because when we got there you had to keep your ideas small to fit it into the time-frame because it was an eight week course I did there. I turned up without an idea for a film, and I finished it with a film in eight weeks. It was quite an experience! The film I chose to make was called In Other Words, which is about a disabled man who falls for his carer. I like social realism and I like opening up a window on people's lives and telling a short moment of that. So I came up with that idea and I wrote it and they really enjoyed it. They were quite pleased with it and I was quite pleased with it and it inspired me, and I thought maybe I'm not that bad at making short films and I'd like to keep going all the way through.

To hear the full interview please visit www.directorsnotes.com

Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy
Site Map

Alex Tanner

(Story To Screen In Eight Weeks) went on from the Met to work at Ealing Studios production company Fragile Films as a runner on their recent feature I Want Candy. He worked for a while in their production department before taking a role in development at the UK Film Council. He is now working for Met Film sister company Slingshot in script development and production.