We talk to local filmmaker Daniel Turner, whose new short film Dve Místa has been chosen to feature on indie platform NoBudge, about his inspiration for the project, Nottingham’s role in his moviemaking career and what he’s got planned for the future...
Tell us a bit about your project.
The film is about a young woman studying abroad who receives a letter from her mum. As she tries to work out how to reply to the letter, she finds that part of her is caught between her present life and her past back home.
What inspired you to make the film?
I’d had a rough idea for a couple of years and it had been evolving continuously. Eventually I felt it had clicked and it was the right time to make it.
It had also been nearly a year since the last film I’d made, which was a commission as a part of the Channel 4 Random Acts scheme, so it was a great opportunity to get back to working with Richard Lozberg, the film’s editor, and Will Price, director of photography, in a very relaxed and creatively-free environment.
How important was this project to you?
It was important. I felt that I was at a point where it was a little make-or-break for me as a director - not in terms of garnering attention for my work, but more for beginning to find the direction I wanted to pursue as a filmmaker moving forward.
How did you find the process of making the film?
I was putting a lot of pressure on myself in the preparation for the film, but it actually turned out to be the most relaxed and creatively fulfilling experience I’ve had while making films.
I came across NoBudge and I felt it would be a great place for the film to premiere online
The film is featured on indie filmmaking website NoBudge. How did this come about?
We’d just finished the edit and, as I was preparing to start sending the film to festivals, I decided that it would be great to get a sense of how people would respond to it. I came across NoBudge and they had such an eclectic mix of filmmaking styles and a focus on individual voices, so I felt it would be a great place for the film to premiere online.
I submitted it and got some really nice feedback from Kentucker Audley, who runs the site, and he said he’d like to screen the film whenever I chose to put it online.
How important was Nottingham for your personal and professional development?
I did a creative arts apprenticeship after my A-Levels, but it was the BFI Film Academy course at Broadway that really gave me my first taste of filmmaking. For me, Broadway has remained synonymous with filmmaking in Nottingham.
What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers in the city?
I’d highly recommend the BFI Film Academy course to any young person with a passion for film. It really is an amazing opportunity to develop your skills and is run by fantastic people who are truly invested in you as individuals and creatives.
What’s next for you?
We are just finishing the grade on two follow-up films to Dve Místa, which will follow the main character at two subsequent intervals in her life to form a loose trilogy. Then, in around a month's time, I will start shooting my next short, which is a World War Two drama that follows a young soldier as he comes face-to-face with his own mortality. It is by far the most ambitious project I've attempted so far.
Dve Místa is now available on NoBudge
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