Directed by Elliot Taylor & Liam Francis
Produced by Lucy Hilton-Jones
An unsuspecting nanny is coerced into a game of make-believe. But when the stable doors close, she realises her playmate isn't horsing around.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH LUCY
Welcome back to our Short of the Week series. What have you been up to since we last featured your film A Present for a Good Girl?
Thanks so much for having me back! I've been up to all sorts. Lots of creative stuff but also lots of catching up on life stuff. I've been lucky enough to get some amazing theatre gigs, which took me away from film for a little bit. But I missed it way too much. I'm very glad to be back into the swing of making things myself.
Can you tell us about Greenfingers Films?
Greenfingers Film is a collective set up by four filmmaking pals. We've known each other for years and have always bounced off each other creatively, but only got the ball rolling as a team in Jan 2020. We call ourselves a collective as we feel it allows us more freedom to work collaboratively and with equality.
Tell us about the genesis of Nanny Neigh Neigh. What inspired this film?
The inception of Nanny Neigh Neigh is quite a straightforward one. I worked as a nanny all the way through the pandemic, often playing games of 'horsey'. That job was a lifeline for me in uncertain times, but I often recognised how interchangeable I was to such a wealthy family. How many nannies had come before me? And how many would come after? So this film was a daft little response to that feeling.
What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?
Finding the right kid to play Lavender was tricky. Because the film has some horror themes, we wanted to be extra careful in casting someone mature enough to handle the material but young enough looking to have a nanny. Ella (who plays Lavender) is the daughter of a theatre director I've worked with. When she mentioned Ella was obsessed with horror and wanted to get into acting, I knew she would be absolutely perfect for the role. She's a complete natural! Money was the other obstacle. It's a neverending obstacle. But we made it work with absolute pennies and to be honest, I think working like that has made us better filmmakers. Shout out to everyone that offered their time for free or at hugely discounted rates just for the love of it. We couldn't do it without people like that.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and why you decided to self-release online vs venturing into the festival circuit.
We went back and forth as to whether we'd do the festival circuit with Nanny Neigh Neigh, but eventually decided not to. That in part comes down to funding (or lack thereof) and in part because you have to keep projects hidden away for so long when they're doing the rounds at festivals. This film is short and sweet and gives a good indication of our style so we wanted to share it in the hope that it may drum up some interest for longer projects we have in the works.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
I think getting your work actually seen is the hardest part of breaking into the industry. I still feel like I haven't cracked it. Nowadays, you really have to invest time in creating an online presence, and 'hype' around each project. It's a full-time job in itself and one that none of us at Greenfingers enjoy that much. That's why short film platforms like yours are so important!
What can we expect upcoming from Greenfingers?
At the end of November, we managed to make three new short films in as many days. Not sure whose idea that was, but miraculously it paid off! So they're all in post-production now, and we'll be looking to submit to festivals in 2023. We may release the shortest one straight away like Nanny Neigh Neigh, so keep your eyes peeled on our socials.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
Titane has yet to be topped for me this year. My mouth was on the floor throughout. But in a completely opposing way, Banshees of Insherin gave it a good run for it's money. I'm gonna throw Hail Satan? in as a documentary recommendation. I just re-watched it and it's so much fun.