November 2002
One For The Road - Chris Cooke interview |
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| Chris Cooke on the set of his
first full feature One For The Road |
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Is Chris Cooke Nottingham's next big director?
Can he go one step further than Shane Meadows?
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Chris Cooke is currently editing his first feature
film One For The Road.
He used to be a familiar sight at the 麻豆社 in Nottingham
where he was a studio cameraman for East Midlands Today.
But his first love is films. Cooke's been working
with DV technology for the last 10 years and makes full use of crew
and cast from the region.
He took time out to talk to us about his first
major feature.
| Chris
Cooke - Film Director |
How
did you get started in film making?
I was taking a fine arts course in Stoke. A friend was doing
a degree at Nottingham Trent University, film making. I got
fed up with my course and thought I'd hang out in Nottingham.
I ended up doing lots of camerawork. |
What's
the history behind One For The Road?
I've been working on it for quite a while. Two years of
writing. Film 4 are behind the project and are honouring the
deal despite their problems. I had a five week shoot. |
Is
that different to how you normally operate?
I'm used to filming shorts over 5-10 days. With a full feature
the number of crew increases, you have to manage people. I've
always done single character lead pieces, now it's an ensemble. |
Has
that meant you compromising your film style?
I tend to experiment. I'm still doing it but I have to adapt
now. |
But
it won't be a straightforward film?
It'll be a story told from three perspectives - straight,
different and experimental. So on the one level there'll be
a straight narrative. But this is almost an anti-story; there'll
be no beginning, no end. It'll be a mix of drama and improvisation. |
Sounds
a bit heavy?
I don't want you to just sit back and let it wash over you.
It's comic and engaging. It's not cynical but satirical. All
foibles of humanity are on display in the four drunks. |
What
about the cast?
I like to work with local cast members and it's been good
having people like Greg Chisholm on board, he's destined for
great things. Having said that Hywel Bennett taught me a lot.
He brings a different dynamic. |
What
techniques do you use in your film making?
Most of the filming is hand held with little lighting. I
like to let the camera go everywhere, let it move. If you've
seen 28 Days Later you'll have an idea, although I'm less slick
and like my actors to improvise more. |
How
soon before we see One For The Road?
I should finish the edit by February/March 2003. I want
to take it out to the festivals, certainly Edinburgh, who knows,
maybe Cannes. It should be out before the summer although I
still need a distributor. It'll definitely be on Film 4 though. |
What
next?
I hope I'll be able to follow this up but I'll probably
make another short next. We'll just see how this goes. |
Read more about One
For The Road.
See production
shots from Chris Cooke's One For The Road >>
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