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Self Help

15 minutes | Teen | 2010 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Comedies / Dramas / Foreign / IndieFlix Official Selections

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Tagline

A short film about being yourself. And fake moustaches.

Synopsis

A lonely oddball, crippled by insecurity, attends a seminar given by his idol, brash motivational speaker John Power, in the hopes of changing his isolated life.

Director's Statement

For the longest time, like many people, I lacked the confidence to be who I really am. Also like many people I wasn’t exactly sure who I was. And that’s what resonated with me about this story; a man who is crippled by insecurity, who leads a double life, and is searching to be himself.

What i didn’t want to do was make a po-faced, melodramatic short. Humour is a big part of my life, and I wanted to incorporate that. The film has a lot going on; Its at once weird, creepy and sad, but also funny and beautiful. And its that combination of feelings that i feel in my life everyday that i wanted to get across on screen.

I am very proud of the film, particularly considering we had virtually no money to do it! Through force of will power we got the film made, and the film says what i wanted to say.

I hope people enjoy it, and perhaps it will give some people a little bit of weird, creepy comfort!

  • Directed by
    James Page
  • Written by
    James Page
    Kurt Brookes
  • Produced by
    James Page
  • Self Help Website
Directed by: James Page
Written by: James Page
Kurt Brookes
Produced by: James Page

Cast

Geoffrey: Peter Glover
The Girl: Chloe Mander
Natasha: Amelia Tyler
Sue the Receptionist: Andrea Cobham
Alan: Daniel James Lucas

Crew

Editor: James Page
Cinematographer: Peter Tainty
Sound Editor: Paul Darling
Music: MaryAnne Tedstone
Music: Michael Tedstone

"Beautifully shot, lovingly edited, written and pretty perfect all round" Mike Warner, BAFTA winning Producer & Director "I loved it; weird and oddly funny and poignant and the stylization was very intentional and intelligent. Not show-offish for it's own sake, as stylization can sometimes become, but all "of a piece," consistent with the heightened reality. While never losing emotional grounding and authenticity of feeling. Well done! " Janet Grillo, EMMY winning Producer & Director of upcoming feature "Fly Away"

"Beautifully shot, lovingly edited, written and pretty perfect all round" Mike Warner, BAFTA winning Producer & Director "I loved it; weird and oddly funny and poignant and the stylization was very intentional and intelligent. Not show-offish for it's own sake, as stylization can sometimes become, but all "of a piece," consistent with the heightened reality. While never losing emotional grounding and authenticity of feeling." Janet Grillo, EMMY winning Producer & Director of upcoming feature "Fly Away"

Late September 2009 and a small but dedicated crew descend upon Tamworth, in the heart of England.

For 3 weekends the crew worked tirelessly, shooting at various locations around the area; the Castle Hotel, the local park, and a local builders merchants, BuildBase.

Director James comments: “I knew the beginning of the story needed a desaturated, earthy, melancholy feel, whereas when we meet John Power for the first time, it was important for there to be a contrast, as if everywhere he went he warmed the room, so I collaborated with DoP Peter Tainty and Production Designer Amy Carroll to find the best ways to achieve this.

One location had a suprise instore for DoP Peter Tainty! recalls Peter ruefully: “We shot in a house that hadn’t been lived in for a while, and nobody knew that it was infested with fleas! You could almost hear the flea’s rejoicing when they saw me coming! on the last count I had been bitten 50 times!”.

On a more technical note, Pete mentions “Our equipment package was extremely limited. We had 4 lights, some battered old gels and diffusion, had one lense for the majority of the shoot, so it was a real challenge to achieve the look we were going for”

On his relationship with Director James Page, Lead Actor Pete Glover commented: “James knows what he wants and communicates very clearly and with patience. He understand the acting process very well and always shows a great respect for the actors work.

Pete continues: “On set, he is organised and focused, which gives the whole process an energy and momentum. I was also impressed with his ability to use humour to defuse the many stressful situations that always occur on set - it was work, but fun work! Most of all, I was so pleased to work alongside someone who cared about detail and worked hard to ensure that the ‘right’ shot was captured. I‘ve worked with too many ‘that’ll do’ directors - James is a perfectionist and it shows in the performance he drew from me and the end result.”

DoP Peter Tainty commented: “I think our team pulled together amazingly. When your trying to achieve the best with a tiny budget, it soon becomes obvious who can and cannot cope under pressure. This team of people who worked damn hard for pizza, tea and biscuits, definitely can.”

  • James Page

    Director

    James Page