What would you give away for the perfect picture? Money? Time? Or something a bit more sinister? That’s the question in Rory Wood’s latest film The Killing Shot premiering at the ATVAs.
In The Killing Shot, a photographer keeps being met with disappointment until a mysterious stranger enters his life. Ahead of the ATVAs on May 8, Wood said: “He makes a deal with this hooded mischievous shaped figure, sort of like making a deal with the devil. He gets more and more confident, but at the cost of all these pictures.”
Despite being a third-year film and media student, this is Wood’s first time making an ATVA film. But, it is not the first time he has tried. His first idea was titled Tale of a Vampire Hunter, but much like his protagonist in The Killing Shot, luck just wasn’t going his way.
“It fell apart due to scheduling problems, No one’s fault but mine. It’s my own fault for not planning it out properly. When one actor was available, the other was not.”
With the deadline looming, Wood had to go back to the drawing board. The result was The Killing Shot, a psychological drama confined in the corridors of Pathfoot. It may be Wood’s second choice but it doesn’t make it any less intriguing.
“I just wanted something quick and clean and simple. So, what can I do? I remember writing down an idea about a haunted camera. A camera that when you used it, or you took a selfie with it would steal your soul.
“That’s how it sort of came about in the initial idea. Then when we brought in actors it just multiplied after that.” He said.
Nowadays it is becoming increasingly common to see muti-hyphenated filmmakers penning scripts alongside directing and producing credits. But as a director, Wood isn’t afraid to give credit where it’s due. He praised his cinematographer and fellow ATVA filmmaker, Daniel Fury, who helped him.
“I said to Daniel, I’m going to give you somewhat creative freedom. That’s sort of the thing I do when I direct films. If you see a shot, you take it. If you see an angle that looks good, if you have any ideas, go for it.”
Wood spoke at length about the collaboration he encourages on his sets, even at the cost of his ideas, whatever works best for the film.
“You have every right to come to me and say ‘Rory your ideas are completely bogus. Let’s do this instead.’”
The young filmmaker even extends this to his actors. SUDS member and star of The Killing Shot, George Hassall, has been a frequent collaborator on ATVA projects this year. Wood said that his input on The Killing Shot was invaluable.
“He supercharged my script. Small caveat, the script was never finished. I never actually finished the script. It’s only four pages yet the film is 8 minutes long. So, George added on an extra scene.”
However, this seamless teamwork could have been for naught without some final-hour heroes. After facing yet more unlucky technical issues, Wood turned to ATVA alums and directors of The Ballad of the Indispensable Walnut Man, Ben and Nathan McQuaid.
“We put one battery in, and it immediately died when it went into the filming camera. Put the second battery in and it had two bars out of four. It lasted 15 minutes. I was on the phone frantically trying to get a hold of people.
“Fortunately, the McQuaid’s had finished their shoot with somebody else early and they messaged me and said, ‘Do you want a hand with anything?’ I may have said, ‘Get your effing asses over here now.’”
Wood may want to rightly celebrate the brilliant crew that supported his project but it’s just as important to highlight how he managed to create something despite the odds. This is down to his understanding of his role, not just as a director, but as a filmmaker.
He said: “Directing works only if you know your film inside and out. That’s why it’s the director- you have the vision.”
The Killing Shot premieres on May 8 at Macrobert Arts Centre. Tickets for the ATVAs are available to buy here. To read more on this year’s ATVA entrants visit brignews.com
Featured image credit: Rory Wood