Written, produced, & Directed by Matthew Hopper
On a trip to his old family home in the Scottish Highlands, a troubled man argues on the phone with his stoic father, forcing him to confront a dark issue in their relationship.
ABOUT THE FILM
STONES won Best Low Budget Short Film at our BIFA qualifying short film festival earilier this year, where it was also nominated for Best Cinematography. Additional festival highlights include the BAFTA Qualifying Aesthetic Short Film Festival, and BIFA Qualifying Brighton Rocks International Film Festival, and Wimbledon Short Film Festival.
ABOUT THE FILMmakers
Matthew Hopper is a London based filmmaker. He has directed commercial/branded content for brands such as Qatar Tourism, The National Lottery and Booking.com.
In 2016 he wrote and directed “Rumble”, which screened internationally at festivals including Phoenix, Sao Paulo and Manchester. In 2018 he co-wrote and directed, “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”, which was part-funded by the BFI/Film London’s, London Calling Shorts Scheme.
In November 2018, his short western script, No Ordinary Stranger, was selected as one of the 3 winners of the Shore Scripts screenwriting competition.
His spec scripts have reached the semi-finals of several competitions such as Shore Scripts, The Golden Script Competition, and the Screencraft Fellowship.
His latest short, “Stones” won best low budget short film at Kino London festival and played at festivals such as Aesthetica, Brighton and Wimbledon. He has another short “Elephant” in the final stages of post-production.
Ludovic Hughes is a Scottish actor, producer and writer who began his career on the London stage. He has since starred in award winning short films Alegna, Miss Moneypenny and Man of the Hour. His film credits include Ride (2018) and Sacrifice (2020). His TV credits include Dune: Prophecy (2024), Belgravia: the Next Chapter (2023), Hotel Portofino (2023).
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW
Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
Where to start? I'm a bit of a country bumpkin at heart, having grown up in Somerset in the West Country.
My passion for filmmaking sparked early on as a hobby. I used to watch old war films and westerns with my dad, and I'd make copy-cat TV shows and ridiculous little films with my sister and cousins on my grandfather's camcorder.
That said, growing up I never really considered filmmaking to be an option for me. I thought it was something that happened far away in Hollywood and it wasn’t until I went to uni and started making short films and music videos in my spare time and making contacts in the industry in London that I thought I could actually make a stab of it.
Since then, I have been stabbing away and over the past 10 years I’ve worked for various production companies as a runner, an editor, a self-shooter and in production before I made the decision to focus on writing and directing around 5 years ago. I now work full time as a director, making narrative films in my spare time because I love them and branded stuff/commercials because I need to eat!
Tell us about the genesis of Stones and your motivation for making this film.
The origin of how Stones came to be is actually a long (albeit incredibly poignant!) story. The abridged version is that Ludo Hughes (the film’s co-writer and lead) and I were good friends at primary school in Somerset but drifted apart when he moved away. We randomly reconnected in London five or so years ago when I saw him act in a friend’s short film.
Even though I hadn’t seen him for 17ish years we picked up right where we left off as 10 year olds and once again became good mates. As we were catching up, Ludo shared with me that his father, Mark, had sadly taken his own life about 8 years prior, which was a huge shock as both our families were close growing up.
We talked a lot about mental health, having both struggled with imposter syndrome and depression brought on by bereavement.
A couple of years later, after some serious deliberation we decided to make a film about our personal experiences as men, and also pay tribute to Ludo’s father, Mark. Ultimately we decided that a fictional story with characters inspired by real events and our experiences was the way to go.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Stones and how did you overcome them?
The main hurdle we faced was, unsurprisingly, funding. We were rejected by every funding scheme we applied to. But rather than letting that stop us, Ludo and I decided to scrape together what we could and make it happen on as little as possible. We saved up diligently and committed to bringing Stones to life no matter what.
Just as we were about to start shooting, that pesky old virus that begins with C came along and put everything on pause. Initially, it felt like the worst timing ever, but it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We were originally set to shoot a different version of the script that involved brothers but were never fully happy with it. Being in lockdown gave us the time to really reflect and rewrite the story, honing in on what was truly important - the father-son relationship. This not only strengthened the narrative but also simplified the production, making it easier to shoot once restrictions lifted.
Shooting in a remote part of Scotland was another adventure altogether. It wasn't without its headaches, that's for sure. We filmed right up until the last light of day, then had to rush down the mountain in the dark to catch a local fishing boat I'd arranged to take us back to civilization. It was a bit of a race against time and quite the logistical challenge but it added a layer of excitement and camaraderie to the whole experience. In the end, overcoming these obstacles made the film all the more rewarding and fun. That along with AC Matt Farrant playing LOTR music on a speaker as we hiked for hours to get to shooting locations!
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights.
Getting a film seen is actually one of the hardest challenges. There are so many good films out there and the bar is incredibly high, but there's also so much noise. Festival rejections are a major part of the process and I have developed a thick skin over time!
We decided to focus mainly on UK festivals, and were lucky enough to be selected at several BAFTA and BIFA qualifying festivals such as Aesthetica, Brighton, Kino, and Wimbledon. All of them were well attended, which was fantastic to see. I've been to festivals in the past where it's just one man and his dog, so it was really gratifying to watch our film with a real audience.
The highlight for us was undoubtedly the incredible messages we received from the audiences. We were blown away by the response; so many people reached out to say how much they enjoyed the film and how it resonated with them, having either struggled with mental health themselves or knowing someone who has. Plus, it was absolutely awesome to pick up the award for Best Low Budget Short at Kino!
Overall we’re really pleased with our journey so far and incredibly proud of the film we have made. Shout out to the awesome crew and actors who helped make it happen! You are all godsends and thanks for giving 110% to our film.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
I have two, very cliched pieces of advice!
One is to make sure you have a good script. Take the time to iron out the kinks and make sure it says what you want to say. Get people to read it and feedback, as sometimes you get so close to a project that it is hard to see the wood from the trees.
The second is just make films with the resources you have available. Don’t wait for permission. Funding is a lottery. The odds are not in your favour. I have lost count of the number of times I have been rejected by funding schemes and festivals.
I now kinda live by Mark Duplass’ "The Calvary isn’t coming" philosophy. Save as much money as you can, persuade a bunch of filmmaker friends and get out and make stuff. You’d be surprised how many people are up for the ride.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
I was at Wimbledon Short Film Festival last week and saw a documentary short called ‘Blackstroke' and a comedy called 'Thanks for the Milk' that were fantastic!
Also, at Aesthetica and Kino, a short called ‘Terror’ which is such a cool idea and executed so well - again with not much money or means!
