Mab Hudel is my first short film as writer and director, and in true filmmaking fashion, is an experience I’ll never forget!
I wrote the film without ever thinking about budget or locations or cast, or anything logistical. To be honest, I may not work like that again (but you totally should!), but in Mab Hudel, I wanted to somewhat ambitiously tell a snapshot of a young Cornishman’s life. Drop in for a week, and get out again. I also wanted to hear and see people who may or may not speak Cornish in their day-to-day lives, and rugby players and farmers felt grounded in Cornish culture and history who are perhaps not the first people we think about when we consider Cornish language speakers. Without spoiling the film for you, this is a brief synopsis- Under the shadow of his deceased father, a young farmer and rugby player wrestles with his sexuality.
We therefore had three locations to the film- the beach, the farm and the rugby club. We shot over five and a half days right at the start of January 2022 and were blessed with the most stunning week of cold, glorious January sunshine. That helped!
What surprised me somewhat was that the most complex stage of film making was right around the corner- post production. The film was in the can, now all we had to do was piece it together. Editor Brett Harvey and I spent a couple of days chopping and changing bits around, and with his brilliant editing skills it wasn’t long before we had a rough cut. He made some brave decisions with one scene very early on, and after initially not loving it, I soon realised it was flipping genius and we went with it. The tone was set. Splann!
We shot an awful lot of stuff, and to my surprise, we dropped a big set piece on the farm that just didn’t work. A very elaborate scene that involved Enys cutting the hedge on his tractor and knocking down a power cable was consigned to the cutting room floor. Gutted. We found that the humour was a little lost, so once we cut one gag, they all went (don’t worry reader, I’ll use them another time).
A round of notes from producers and exec producers which I almost completely disagreed with and another cut, we were getting close! Checked in with a few supporters and after a great deal of time losing a logo or two that appeared from nowhere, we had a picture lock! Yipppeeee! Mab Hudel was officially in the can. Film Freeway (it’s like a cattle market of amazing film festivals all around the world) here we come!
10 things I learned along the way….
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Write the film you want to make.
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Stick to your guns.
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Shoots lots…
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…but not too much.
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As director, you are the heartbeat of the shoot. Appreciate everyone.
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Get good producers. Without them, it’s very tough.
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Make sure there’s plenty of cups of tea and biscuits for everyone.
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Making a film is incredibly collaborative. Share your ideas and you’ll make a better film.
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Pasties for dinner or tea on a Friday will ensure your popularity.
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Learn Cornish now.
With the future of Cornish language filmmaking in its glowing infancy, if I had one piece of advice to offer actors here in Cornwall, it would be start learning Cornish. To film makers making a film in Cornish, I’d say budget at least a day (8 hours) of lessons for your cast in pre production. I did, and it was invaluable.
Of course, the making of Mab Hudel could not have happened without the support from Screen Cornwall and their partners. Screen Cornwall brought together a tremendously experienced senior team (shout out to Exec Producer Laura Canning from School of Film and Television at Falmouth University) which helped sculpt the entire crew. Screen Cornwall were the backbone to the shoot and their guidance and support ensured that pre production, the shoot and post was all fairly smooth and most importantly, enjoyable.
We’re of course delighted to be in Encounters Film Festival in Bristol, and London Film Festival this Autumn. For all details on future showings in Kernow and beyond, check out www.paloresproductions.co.uk
