This playful piece follows Scrabble the dog as she retaliates against accusations made against her. She sits down with Focus News to share her side of the story in this mockumentary-style film.
This film is Phoebe Jenkin’s entry for AirTV’s annual awards, the ATVAs. The ATVAs showcase and celebrate Stirling’s filmmaking society’s best works. The ATVAs are being held at Macrobert Arts Centre at Stirling University on May 9. Tickets for the event are available here.
In an interview with Brig, Jenkin revealed her inspiration behind the film. Her own dog is the actor in this film and played a big part in the inspiration behind the idea:
“I’ve got my own dog living with me at the moment, so I wanted to do something about her,” Jenkin explained.
She said: “She’s one of those dogs that when you meet her you can’t quite believe how much of a menace she is.”
Jenkin said she was also inspired by the Prince Andrew interview. The Prince sat down to discuss his relationship with Jeffery Epstein. She commented that she found this interview “bizarre”, which weaved into the inspiration of ‘Bark’.
She said: “I just wanted to do something fun and light-hearted, but also [include] the dog.”
It’s clear that Jenkin cherishes her dog, Scrabble, and that’s something that made the filming process much more fun. However, like most students, Jenkin told Brig about feeling the pressure of the deadline:
“Scrabble was really good, I was quite worried about it because I filmed it the week before it was due […] so I was really cutting it fine on time, […] if Scrabble wasn’t as good as she was then I don’t know if I would’ve gotten it done.
“She was amazing, she sat on this little stool for hours being very nice and polite, and doing everything she was told. It was a really fun thing to do and lots of my friends got to meet Scrabble, and she got lots of treats.”
It certainly seems that Scrabble is a perfect actor to work with, not creating a fuss. Brig asked how Jenkin thinks Scrabble enjoyed the filming process:
“She loves people. It was a lot of fun and Scrabble really enjoyed meeting everyone.”
Scrabble wasn’t the only one having fun during filming, Jenkin tells Brig:
“One of the scenes is her ‘attacking’ her owner […] and my friend [said] ‘I’ll do it, I want to be attacked by a dog’”
This is Jenkin’s first time at the ATVAs, having missed last years. Brig asked her what can be expected from the night:
“I know it’s a lot of fun. We’ve got 18 films this year so it’s going to be a long night showcasing them all but I think everyone’s done really well from the bits I’ve seen. I helped out on quite a few [films] so I was able to be there, see the process, or just hear from people.
“I think it’s going to be a good mix of light-hearted, fun films, and others that are like ‘wow that’s actually really good.
“There’s a lot of fourth years leaving so this will be their last ATVAs, so it’s going to be a bit emotional as well.”
Speaking so highly of the ATVAs and other student’s work, it’s clear that Jenkins is looking forward to the big night. Brig asked her what film (other than her own) she is most excited about seeing on Tuesday:
“Changeling, by Zoey Thomas. I was in that one and she’s been filming that […] for a few months. Honestly, the bits I’ve seen of it I can’t quite get it in my head that it’s the same film. Let’s just say it’s a bit of a surprise towards the end.”
On a final note, Brig asked Jenkin what award she hopes to win on Tuesday:
“Honestly this is the first film I’ve ever made so I’d be amazed to win anything. I think Scrabble should win best actor but I’m slightly biased on that one. Anything would be great.
“Just being showcased at the same event as some of the other films by the fourth years […] is crazy to me.”
Featured Image Credit: Phoebe Jenkin
Second year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Writer for Brig and Discovery Music
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