Interview with Alec Birkbeck

During my school years I spent a lot of time doodling cartoon characters and monsters. This didn’t help my grades at the time but it did help me to develop a creative streak. Regardless of that, I eventually got a great job designing and making things for the medical industry, which I have done for the last 17 years. That said, I’ve found myself wanting to create the characters and monsters again, so 4 years ago a purchased a basic camera and started on my journey.

Along the way I’ve experimented with ideas, made a whole bunch of mistakes, and broken some kit. But the important thing I’ve learned is to keep going because my stuff is getting better!

https://www.facebook.com/ReturnoftheHat

What are the films that you have made
My first short film ‘Make the Move’ was a simple experiment with characters or more accurately, one character, well kind of. What would happen if you met an evil version of yourself? I could only get one guy to commit the time [for no money] was fortunate as this was also pivotal to the story and through the chase dynamic in the film I learned a lot about movement and pace. The end result was picked up by a festival and was premiered in NYC and also London. Sure, the film had problems but this was a great start!

My next adventure ‘Stop the Dog’, was a short about a dog, more accurately a dog that may or may not be evil… [there is a theme running here]. Now everybody knows about the challenges of working with animals, but I knew a labrador called Harvey Waggington who, as an ex-special needs dog, was more than willing to take up the challenge. In actual fact he was easier to direct than some people! The film was given a six page profile in Digital Filmmaker magazine and it was also featured on Film School Rejects. This was also my first attempt at working with a composer and classical musicians to create an original soundtrack.

After this, I felt the need to push myself a little more, so I wrote a short about how life would be for X-men type characters as they reach their sunset years and are together [good & evil] in a care home. I imagined that they would use their powers to fight over the TV remote and who could get to the biscuits first! So as well as learning how to do all the effects myself, I also had to manage some enthusiastic elderly extras drafted in from a local community group. They enjoyed the process, especially the homemade cakes on offer. The final film was selected by three US festivals and also won a best story award. The process of making this film did teach me a lot about pre and post-production.

‘Make the Move’ from alec birkbeck on Vimeo.

Tell us about your concept on collaboration
I love to collaborate with different people! In my day-job as a medical product designer, I often work with other teams to craft new ideas, so developing film related content with the people around me is invaluable and something I try to do all the time.

How do you find the process of filmmaking as an indie filmmaker
Its sometimes hard to be sure which ideas have potential. Often they need to gestate in your mind for a while before they turn into something really interesting. That gestation period and then the writing, storyboarding and testing that follows can be a serious time investment, so having a clear vision of the final work is important. This is the part I enjoy the most. The post production work is also a pleasure, provided that the footage and sound is good enough. I guess the least enjoyable part of the process for me is the role of the producer. I currently self-produce my work, so it can become overwhelming when you need to focus on the directing but in the back of your mind you also need to consider the cast, crew and many other logistics

Stop the Dog from alec birkbeck on Vimeo.

Describe your recent work
My latest work “Return of the Hat” is a surreal short, about a flat-cap and a scarf that have spent their years in a charity shop watching all the old 80’s VHS tapes that have accumulated there. But when somebody buys the hat, it must do whatever is necessary to return. Currently doing the festival circuit, this is my first flurry into animatronics and puppetry to make the flat-cap talk and the scarf… well, be quite ferocious! This 11 minute long, comedy horror is packed full of cool 80’s film references, complete with a gripping, original soundtrack.

I began developing the animatronics last year to see if I could actually make the flat cap talk whilst on someone’s head. I worked with a professional puppeteer to fine-tune the operation of it and he also voiced the hat in the film. This is my biggest project to date and although I’m confident about its appeal to festivals, and so far it has been selected 5 times and it has also won a comedy award! Not only that, it has also been selected for VOD site Indieflix and should go live in two weeks time.

I’ve also built up a Facebook following for the film which should help promotion for this and future work when it’s published. Ultimately, this is just another effort to learn as much as I can by raising the bar on creativity, story, production etc.

What are your future goals
I’m moving away from shorts now to focus on developing a sketch show pilot. I can’t give too much away though except that it will be surreal, dark and very funny. I hope to build on the success of “Return of the Hat” and with it, raise some funds to support the making of the pilot. Initially it will be screened online, but if, after a few episodes, it builds a following I will pitch it for TV..

What does an indie filmmaker need in today’s world of filmmaking
Original thinking, determination and having courage to experiment are traits, I believe separate you from the masses. I personally wouldn’t get too hung up about using the latest kit or technology but instead focus on the storytelling and the how the viewer reacts. I try to watch a lot of films, both good and bad, and often find myself deconstructing scenes to better understand what works. I’d like to think some of that sticks in my brain and influences my future work.

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