Written, Directed & Produced by Thomas Edwards
Paul is a desperate father who knows he can't provide presents for his kids again this Christmas. But maybe he can at least provide Christmas dinner... and is willing go to extreme lengths to make this happen.
All the Trimmings is a true story inspired by director Tommy Edwards own upbringing, growing up with very little and having to find value in the small things.
In the current climate we live, where the disparity within the distribution of wealth is growing ever bigger and the expectation of consumerism is changing what we value, Tommy feels that this story has become ever more relevant, providing a vital voice to the stories of those living on the breadline and hopefully helping re-enforce the values of family and community.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE FILMMAKER
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR FILMMAKING BACKGROUND:
I am a Londoner, born and bred, with a keen interest in observing the margins of society and looking at the smaller stories that reveal big ideas.
Since graduating in 2010, I have worked with 1000's of young people from all over, devising and delivering creative programmes. Working with young people has always been massively important to me, giving them the opportunities to be creative and express themselves, developing resilience and empowering them to have a voice. This work has ran parallel with my own personal film-making pursuits, picking up side hustle jobs here and there, from writing and directing show reel scenes for actors, to location scouting to street casting, always trying to keep my toe in industry water. But some of the best training is actually making films with the young people. The varied ideas and range of young people has meant I have always had to be flexible, teaching myself how to do certain things so I can then pass that on effectively, often learning with them. When a group of young people with Autism wanted to make their own take on Dr Who, I had to deliver.
Right now, I am two self-funded short films deep, both produced and directed by myself and hoping to move into a position where I can be funded for my next project. Or at least have a producer to help. You can only dream.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR FILM?:
Christmas was the only time being poor was particularly hard. It was the only time any of the men in my family would cry.
It was the reminder that we had nothing…. So when one year, when we had no gas running, a pink plastic Christmas tree that I stole from Poundstrecher, the promise of an ‘I owe you’ to be left under the tree, and a Christmas hamper with the ‘All the Trimmings’ my Nan thought was appropriate to buy: my Dad refused to be beaten.
He took it upon himself to find a house to cook dinner and make sure we had something. The next day we were still poor but it demonstrated to me the value of family and as I reflect now, my Dad’s desire to the do best he could, despite the adversity, to be a good dad
This story is an evolution of a true-life event and provides a microcosm to a grander problem. Poverty and the growing gap between rich and poor. In a world where we are exposed to grandeur and pummelled with the expectations of consumerism, the pressure to provide has been become wholly different and with that our values of what is important, leaving a whole section of society left on the outside looking in, isolated and struggling to find hope.
POWERFUL STORY! ANY SECRET TIPS OR HACKS FOR MAKING AN AWESOME SHORT FILM?
Make a good treatment and visual stack. It helps articulate your ideas and sell your project to potential collaborators and good crew is the best possible currency you can have to make a short film. It can often help get great talent for affordable rates as well because they are invested in the world you are building.
Be willing to ask people for favours. People are often happy to help. When l went door knocking for the balcony shot in All the Trimmings, literally the first door I knocked on said yes
Shoot over the weekend. Kits houses will often give you reduced rates and will count a friday to monday as a two day rental.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY GETTING YOUR FILM TO AUDIENCES:
I went for the traditional festival route first. Added the project to the various different platforms such as FilmFreeway, Festhome and Shorts Depot. I researched the top end festivals, checking which ones were the BAFTA qualifiers and I started entering some of them. I wish I could say there was a great strategy to it but it was often decisions based on economics. Which entries were the best value for money ... or the cheapest. Once the inevitable rejections started coming, a hard thing at first to get used to, I spread my net further and began to reach out to more mid range festivals. I would research this a bit further. My criteria would often be previous selections/winners and how long the festival had been running. I would often be drawn into good website designs and events that demonstrated production value in their marketing material. There are a lot of festivals, many that have very little value and are borderline exploitative so it was important to do this due diligence and make sure it would get an audience. Spreading my net further bore success and I was grateful to have the film be part of a range of different festivals all around the world.
Post festival run, the online distribution was the next challenge. I had always wanted the film to service the needs of a charity that works with child poverty and be used by them as a resource and to support their cause. I approached the Childhood Trust and they were more than willing to take it on and share it on their platform. It now sits on their Youtube channel and I am proud that it has a valuable home and speaks to an important issue that is something I am very passionate about. It was released over Christmas and it is great to see it has over 11,000 views.
THAT VIEW COUNT IS GREAT! WHAT OTHER LANDMARKS HAVE YOU EXPERIENCE WITH “ALL THE TRIMMINGS”?
Despite many a BAFTA qualifying festival rejection, and there were many, I was very grateful to the 3 BAFTA qualifying festivals that did select it. It was something really special to go see the film at Curzon Shaftesbury avenue as part of the London Short Film Festival in 2020. To also be part of Aesthetica was massive for me too. I have been such a big fan of their ethos and programming so to have All the Trimmings screened as part of their 2020 festival was great.
Other notable selections was the American Premiere deadCentre Film Festival and the other BAFTA qualifying festival, Belfast Film Festival
All the Trimmings also had a couple wins. Best Drama at the Sunday Shorts 2020 awards. I can't speak highly enough of Sunday Shorts. An excellent smaller festival, brilliantly run with a real attention and love for film. I would recommend everyone to submit to them. The other award was Best Actor for the amazing Jimmy Gallagher at BELIFF Festival, another really great festival that had some great communication.
ANY FILM RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE CAN WATCH TO KEEP US BUSY WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING?:
Short film wise, I am a big fan of what Charlotte Regan is doing and excited as she goes into long form. Fry-up and Standby are excellent short films, simple ideas that are really elevated by sharp storytelling.
Feature wise, I have really been getting into Celine Sciamma's work. Tomboy is an extraordinary film, a captivating take on growing up and sexual identity. And from 2020, I can't recommend enough Sarah Gavron's 'Rocks'. Just stunning. For me, the most authentic portrait of growing up in inner city London. A must watch for anyone.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?