A promising date goes to poo…
Cocksure at the end of a successful first date, Scotty, goes to the bathroom and is haunted by an embarrassing childhood memory.
Writer /Director /Producer: LEE SQUIRES
Creative Producer: DAN TAMBLING
Executive Producer: PAUL THOMAS
Starring DAVE PERRY, LUCY-JANE QUINLAN, & ELLIE TANNER
Lee, who is originally from Essex, studied film at Ravensbourne where he began to accumulate over 20 writing credits on shorts spanning all styles and genres. He currently lives in Lisbon where he is focusing on writing feature scripts and runs Sunday Shorts Film Festival. Check out our interview with Lee below.
WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION TO WRITE DUMP?
Fortunately, it's not a personal story. I find the privacy of our visits to the bathroom very interesting – see how even that sentence is hiding the truth? - and I wanted to set a film there and see how far I could take it. Comically. Hopefully. Although I've been told it's quite disturbing. There were some 'poo stories' floating about in the news at the time, and although I didn't base “DUMP” on one, I was probably influenced by them.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BRING THE SCRIPT TO LIFE:
I really enjoyed the rehearsals. It would have been a shit show without them. On the day, it was very rushed and crowded (e.g. the sound recordist spent the whole day in the shower, and the focus puller on the stairs), but a lot of fun still. I have a love hate relationship with making comedies. I laugh a lot during the shoot, but it often ruins the best takes. As always, it was difficult to assemble the crew for expenses, but everyone who turned out was really thankful for the experience, which I find to be the most rewarding thing about these self-indulgent projects.
DID YOU HAVE ANY CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR CREATING QUALITY CONTENT ON A MINIMAL BUDGET:
To keep things 'simple', I actually used “This Is John” (Duplass Bros) as a starting point - one character, one location, and one goal. However, where I slipped up was not taking advantage of a location I had access to. We rented the bathroom, and all the 'set dressing' you see was bought for the film (because colour pallet). Quality content for me is just an engaging story well acted – so start with that and it costs nothing to practice.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE FILMMAKING PROCESS:
I like rehearsing and polishing scripts. I like to see and hear actors interpreting my made-up characters in a made-up situation, and together we try to make it feel real.
SCREENING RECOMENDATIONS FOR QUARANTINE:
I saw “Without A Trace” (Granik) while quarantining, and think it's not only one of the best films of recent years, but it also explores something I think a lot of us are feeling right now.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?