A Short Film by Jon Rosling

GEORGIA’S ANGEL
A Short Film by Jon Rosling
DVD of film, Electronic and Paper Press Kit
1 Georgia’s Angel
A Short Film by Jon Rosling
Introduction
“Georgia’s Angel” has been about nine months in the making – from the
initial scripting in January 2010, through filming in March of that year; and
then to the post-production and completion in January 2011. A large part in
helping complete the film was played by Larry Anderson and LIAP Media Inc.
who acts as Associate Producer on the film and also provided completion
funding, and for his assistance as filmmakers we are grateful.
The film is a familiar story, a combined retelling of several classic themes
updated and set in a modern context. Georgia, played by Sophie Platts, is a
young teenager who faces a turbulent life at home and chooses to leave,
hoping to run away to the bright lights of the big city. Clarence, played by
Wayne Russell, is the kindly, grandfatherly figure who it takes to point her
away from a possibly bleak and dark future. The dialogue between the two
characters explores themes of choice and destiny, with subtle allusions to
more spiritual and religious undertones. Forever on the edge of their
conversation is a dark shadowy figure, representing the “wrong” choice
Georgia could make, the one Clarence is tasked with turning her away from.
There has been a team of highly professional and talented people behind and
in front of the camera helping me bring this “little vision” to the screen. You
will find their biographies included in this kit, along with synopses of varying
length to help you explain the story in whatever level of detail you need to
for your own particular medium.
Also included is a FAQ section. This covers ten of what we think are the most
frequently asked questions of directors and film-makers when they release a
film. They can help you put together an article quickly and can be used for
quotes if you’re unable to contact me for whatever reason.
As is standard, there is also a wide selection of photos from both the film
itself and the production. We believe they show the professionalism and hard
work of all the people involved in making ‘The Secret’ and also give an idea
to the sense of fun it was to work together on what is very much “our” film
Jon Rosling, Writer / Director
2 Georgia’s Angel
Long Synopsis
Life at home is troubled for young Georgia. Constant arguments with family and a feeling of being
boxed in all drive her towards packing her bags and leaving for the bright lights of the big city.
Wandering the streets late at night she eventually finds herself vulnerable and alone at the railway
station, watched by a dark, shadowy figure one who offers an easy, tempting and yet sinister path.
Fortunately her guardian angel in the shape of a wise old gentleman called Clarence is on hand to
offer grandfatherly advice. He explains how his life was once not too dissimilar to hers and how the
choices he made have cast a long shadow over him. He warns her against taking a similar, easier
path but she is reticent and resistant to advice from a stranger.
Ultimately it takes a little magic and fantasy for Clarence to show her just how dark and desperate
her life could be if she makes the wrong choice. In showing her many possible futures, Clarence
departs with the words 'Make the right choice' - something Georgia has gather the emotional
strength to do for herself.
“We filmed Georgia’s Angel over three freezing cold days in March and for some of the locations we
were time limited and had to be offset by a certain time. Rob Yeomans (producer) worked hard on
the scheduling and on-set organisation to make sure we stuck to time, pushing that strong team
ethic so that we were done on time and on schedule every day.”
- Jon Rosling, Writer / Director
3 Georgia’s Angel
Medium Synopsis
Life at home is troubled for young Georgia. Constant arguments with family and a feeling of being
boxed in all drive her towards packing her bags and leaving for the bright lights of the big city.
Wandering the streets late at night she eventually finds herself vulnerable and alone at the railway
station, watched by a dark, shadowy figure one who offers an easy, tempting and yet sinister path.
Fortunately her guardian angel in the shape of a wise old gentleman called Clarence is on hand to
offer grandfatherly advice.
“We had to be offset by 6pm each day of the shoot, so the scheduling by producer Rob Yeomans had
to be really well organised. By really pushing a strong team ethic we were done on schedule every
day - that even includes the days we were filming outside in sub zero temperatures.”
- Jon Rosling, Writer / Director
4 Georgia’s Angel
Short Synopsis
“Georgia’s Angel” is a film about choice and destiny.
A vulnerable and troubled young teen leaves home and meets a grandfatherly old man on a railway
station before realising that choices have consequences and making the right one in life isn't always
easy.
“We were shooting overnight for most of the scenes, so the scheduling had to be really well
organised. I pushed strong team ethic and producer Rob Yeomans’ planning meant that we were
done on schedule every day!”
- Jon Rosling, Writer / Director
5 Cast and Crew Details
Cast
Georgia…
Sophie Platts
Clarence…
Wayne Russell
Shadowy figure…
Liam Senior
Chav boys…
Ben Roe
Matthew Brown
Dale Evans
Voice of Georgia’s mother…
Holli Wain
Drug Dealer…
Liam Sanderson
Man in Car…
Jon Rosling
Crew
Written & directed by…
Jon Rosling
Produced by…
Rob Yeomans
Associate Producer
Larry Anderson
Director of Photography…
Liam Sanderson
Sound Recordist…
Dave Walker
Music and sound design by…
Dave Walker
Make Up Artist…
Holli Wain
Continuity/Runner…
Andy O’Donnell
6 Film-maker Biographies
Jon Rosling
Writer / Director
Jon Rosling is an independent film-maker and
writer from South Yorkshire.
Having trained at Keele University in the 1990s,
Jon worked in the education sector developing
creative media with young people. In 2006 he
founded Eye Independent Films offering
consultancy, training and workshops to teachers
and pupils; and also as a front end company for
creative film-making.
He has directed music videos, corporate projects and documentary and archive
videos for local organisations and businesses, as well as running film education
projects for young people in Yorkshire.
In 2006 he directed a sixty five minute film which was reported on heavily in
local business, arts and news publications as well as on ITV news, and was
screened at Showroom in Sheffield. His short film ‘CELEBRATE?’ was an Orange
BAFTA Sixty Seconds of Fame regional finalist in February 2007.
In 2008 he wrote and directed the award winning short film ‘The Secret’. Since
then he has worked on documentaries, TV commercials and short films,
including working with A-list celebrities such as Ricky Gervais.
Jon is currently adapting a Stephen King short story called ‘Strawberry Spring’
as well as working on a number of feature length film ideas.
Rob Yeomans
Producer
Rob Yeomans is an independent
Producer/Director based in North Yorkshire.
Since graduating from Sheffield Hallam University in 2009; Rob has undertaken
a number of short film projects in both a directorial and production capacity.
‘Georgia's Angel’ is Rob's second short as producer and marks his first
collaboration with film-maker Jon Rosling.
Rob has directed and produced short films and music videos and has also
produced corporate material.
In 2009, Rob's short film 'The Keys' reached the 24 film shortlist for the Virgin
Media Shorts competition. In 2010, in addition to producing 'Georgia's Angel'
he wrote and directed a short horror entitled 'The Room' which will be
appearing at festivals internationally in the second half of 2011.
Currently, Rob is developing treatments for a number of short and feature film
projects with various collaborators.
Liam Sanderson
Director of Photography
Liam Sanderson graduated from Sheffield Hallam
University in 2000 with a BA (Hons) Degree in Film
Studies with Film Production.
He then completed a camera traineeship at
Panavision and pursued a freelance career
working in the camera department on various
productions.
His main passion is cinematography and he
worked on a number of low-budget productions as
Director of Photography. He’s shot a number of Screen Yorkshire funded
projects, including; ‘Night Train’, ‘What I Want To Be When I Grew Up’,
‘Ironwerkz’ and more recently, ‘Strange Digs’.
He’s also a qualified Steadicam Operator, having studied at the National Film &
Television School.
Wayne Russell
“Clarence”
Born in Brighton, Wayne moved to Derbyshire in 1972
where he has lived ever since with his wife Ruth whom
he married in 1980.
Wayne's route into acting may not be unique but it is
certainly unusual. For 31 years Wayne was a Detective with the Derbyshire
Police and even though during this time he was heavily involved with Sheffield
theatre it was only on completion of his police career that he was then able to
concentrate on becoming a full time actor. He has received numerous awards
for his performance, notably Best Actor at the 2010 Los Angeles Movie Awards
for the role of Len Garford in the film ‘Curio’ (2009).
Sophie Platts
“Georgia”
‘Georgia’s Angel’ is a first film role for Sophie Platts
although she has considerable previous experience
both dance and theatre.
in
She has danced from a young age, performing in
the
Yorkshire Young Ballet version of ‘The Nutcracker’ in 2006. In 2009 she won a
scholarship to the Northern Ballet, and is currently a member of the Yorkshire
Young Dancers, the centre for advanced training at the Northern
Contemporary School Of Dance.
Sophie recently auditioned for Northern Youth Theatre and wants to gain
much more experience in performing on screen and stage.
7 Ten Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the film about?
“Georgia’s Angel” is a very simple fantasy fiction story – young teenager has had enough at
home and decides to run away to the bright lights and the big city. Before she gets there she
meets a grandfatherly gentleman who uses magic to show her the many possible destinies that
await her.
Ultimately, it’s about him convincing her to make the right choice.
2. What are the story influences behind this film?
The film is a re-telling of some old classical stories. The most obvious allusion is “It’s A
Wonderful Life”, but there are elements of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in it too.
I wanted to bring the core theme in those kinds of stories into a modern setting, kind of
combine it with the filmic style of films such as “London To Brighton” and “Fish Tank”.
The children’s charity Barnardo’s made a palindrome TV advert a few years ago that had some
bearing on the style and theme of the film too.
3. How does the budget for this compare with other short films you’ve done?
From my experience, I know that other short films of this quality have cost considerably more. I
worked on a short a few years ago that cost ten times more than “Georgia’s Angel”. I know of
short film funding schemes that offer 3-5 times the amount of money we spent, which was just
under £3000.
The key was focusing the money on the important technical stuff that would add quality to the
production – make up effects, the music and sound design, camera facilities and an excellent
DoP and sound recordist.
4. How was the film financed?
The initial pre-production and production phase of the movie was funded by myself, privately.
For post-production we have been fortunate to be joined by Larry Anderson and LIAP Media
Inc. in Canada who have ensured that finance was in place to complete and promote the film.
Larry has been supportive in very many other ways, such as testing the film out and offering his
considerable expertise in marketing and promotion, as well as his knowledge of film-making.
He’s a great mentor.
5. What were the cast like to work with?
I’ve worked with Wayne Russell previously so it was more of a case of re-acquainting ourselves
than building up any new relationship. Wayne is a real professional and contributed to the work
shopping we did together with Sophie Platts in incredible ways. And he’s a smashing bloke.
We’re hoping to work together on something else I have planned in the near future.
Sophie Platts has been an absolute revelation. There were several deciding factors that
determined why she got the role – she seemed to understand the character and her motivation
like no one else in the audition space, and applied that understanding with a real method and
intelligence; she played both vulnerable and also bolshie and edgy which was needed for the
part. Georgia is in a confused emotional state, swinging between extremes of mood in the film.
Sophie hit that perfectly and showed real professionalism on set.
Sophie’s performance in the film is award worthy, in my opinion.
6. What would you do differently about the film if you made it again?
Larry Anderson asked me this recently. I think there are bits of the pre-production and
production management I’d do differently – systemic matters really.
In terms of the film, I’m very happy with it. People have commented in the test audience
feedback that the story is lacking originality, but when you consider that it’s a deliberate
retelling, an update if you like, then there’s nothing really I can do about that except maybe
make it clear to people from the outset.
7. What did you learn during the process of creating this film?
Elements of budget planning need to be tighter. Having a post-production plan that is clear and
where roles are laid out is probably the most important issue to come out of this.
8. How did you managed to put together the crew for this short, micro-budget movie?
Some people I had worked with previously. Liam Sanderson had been the DoP on “The Secret” in
2008 and had created some beautiful visuals for that. He was my first choice, really the only
choice for this film.
Holli Wain I met during a documentary shoot with her husband in October 2009. She was
modelling during that but had expressed interest in MUA work. This was her first “big job” on
film as far as I recall and she did a really pleasing job, especially in the flashback sequences at the
end.
I met Rob Yeomans at a South Yorkshire Filmmaker’s Network meeting in the Rutland Arms in
Sheffield at Christmas 2009. Rob had just graduated from Sheffield Hallam and was looking for
something to kick start his film-making so we met several times, discussed ideas and pretty
quickly agreed to work together. Since he produced “Georgia’s Angel” I’ve produced for him on
his short film “The Room”.
Rob brought a number of other people with him – Dave Walker the sound recordist, Nigel
McEnaney who shot stills for “Georgia’s Angel”. We’re building a nice crew.
9. Who do you regard as your influences in film?
I grew up in the late 1970s and 1980s and couldn’t fail to be influenced by people like George
Lucas and Steven Spielberg. I’m heavily into European cinema too – it’s focus on character draws
me.
Really it’s about filmmakers with some intelligence beyond pretty pictures and a linear
storytelling style. I like how Kubrick understood the need for an intellectual and philosophical
consistency in his films and stories, always searching for that deeper meaning and then having
found it trying to communicate it via film. Kristof Kieslowski is a big influence in that respect too,
and Darren Aronofsky is someone I really admire.
10. What do you see is the future of British film-making?
I don’t think my view has changed much from what I wrote in the FAQ for “The Secret” to be
honest.
A fork in the road: British films can move towards the Hollywood studio model of looking what
sells and churning out formulaic stories with name stars that make lots of money. Or they can
listen to people like Terence Davies who said we should stop trying to build our industry around
someone else’s market research. I do hope that that will involve moving away from “gritty” and
retro Northern Cinderella stories or London gangster movies though. I love “Billy Elliot” and
“Lock, Stock…” but the world’s got to move on, and those films have done it as well as it can be
done anyway.
The second part of the trick is doing it in Britain.
8 Contact Details
To contact the makers of ‘Georgia’s Angel” please write to
Eye Films
4 Waterside Drive
Rotherham
South Yorkshire S66 3ZW
UNITED KINGDOM
Alternatively, you may telephone
(01709) 545149
07411071194
If you require an electronic version of this press kit or any part of it (either
downloadable or of CD-R) please contact Eye Films via email please email
[email protected]
Eye Films can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.eyefilms.co.uk/