How does the film relate to your past work, if at all? Was this film a natural next step or radical departure from your previous work?

It’s definitely in line with my previous film The Deal in that it’s a tense uncomfortable twisted tale played out in a relatively confined space where people’s true motives are only gradually revealed. The Deal was mostly set inside a car so something I really wanted to explore with this film was the chance to move the camera a lot more, which we managed to achieve nicely. Add to that working with guns, prosthetics and stunts and it definitely presented new and exciting challenges.

Apart from ‘It’s a masterpiece’ what would your ideal viewer response to the film be?

‘Let’s watch it again!’

Tell us about the music and sound design in the film. What style did you choose and why?

Sound and music are in many ways the hardest part of the puzzle. They are the hardest to pre-conceive and the hardest to brief but have the most incredible impact. I try to keep my initial briefs as simple as possible and Tristan and Tai (the composers) took that and came back with a rough from which we knew we were all on the same page. After that they really went to town and produced what I think is one of the best scores I’ve heard in a short film. They just got it! I’m a fan of the Coen brothers films and have always had a soft spot for Danny Elfman’s work and they managed to make nods in those directions and give it their feel as well. Livia Ruzic and Keith Thomas who did the sound design and mix respectively managed to weave an atmosphere, which helped enhance both the comedy and the tragedy of the piece. It’s a dense bit of sound design but every element from the breaths Livia added (her own) to the quack of the duck all add up to a rich experience.

What did you like / find challenging about making this film?

The time/ money/ quality equation as always. Even given what sounded like a decent budget we were so up against it for time and I’d set the bar very high in terms of shot composition, movement and the number of shots. Inevitably on the day I was throwing away shots and recutting the film in my head as we went while trying to direct at the same time. As time ran out the experience of the actors and cinematographer really helped pull us through. We had an amazingly fast and professional crew without whom the challenge would have been impossible to overcome.

Any other anecdotes/ stories?

A note on smashing fake bottles over actors’ heads. It’s just as shocking if not more so in real life even when you know it’s not real glass. I think the reactions in the wide shot, particularly Wendy’s, are priceless, absolutely real! That’s what makes the shot. Colette was shaking afterwards and poor old Stephen..!!! I’m not sure how you prepare to be hit like that without giving it away. Total surrender to the moment.