With a Home

A few months ago I shot a project with the organisation, KCHT Moving Forward. The main priority of their work is to support and help young people find housing. I was approached by someone about the film of whom I knew from last year working with Connexions (a film about and with, asylum seekers). This series of short films were made with the intention that they would be shown in schools in Medway as a preventative measure for becoming homeless. One of the young persons wrote the 3 synopsis and I wrote the scenes. I was to shoot, direct and edit it.

During the shooting a few months ago, we were asked to stop. Difficulties with the Council. They were concerned they would be mis represented and frictions between Moving Forward and the Council manifested. We continued shooting anyway. We weren’t going to stop. The young people had turned up and put work into it. There was no way we were going to stop shooting.

It finally got finished and had a screening last Friday. What I or the Connexions P.A. (who managed the project and got me on board) didn’t realize was how many ‘important’ people were going to attend. ‘Important’ as in people who work in social care, housing and with young people. What we didn’t foresee at all was the response it mustered.

Right after the screening a woman whose job title escapes me now though I know has both knowledge and clout regarding housing young homeless people got up and, almost trying to find the words to describe how she felt about the film. Although I can’t recall exactly what she said, I will paraphrase. She said despite the outtakes being funny, it was the films that had weight. That they carried a strong message, that it was moving and poignant. At the end, she said it was ‘magic’.

It was good to see Mercedes and Katherine (two of the main young people involved with the project) who since, has had her baby who’s in the film while still inside Katherine! They got attention with the guests and I think got asked to consider going around with the film to schools.

The Chief Executive who had left emailed an hour later expressing that despite having his reservations about the film (he who told us to stop shooting) thought the film was brilliant. Apparently he has never given such humble graces to the staff at Moving Forward.

Catriona, the Connexions P.A. said that we all had a great time making the film and by now, it was supposedly finished, it’s actually just begun as support and ideas of distribution for the film gathered momentum among the guests who were truly moved by it. We said we couldn’t have wished or dreamed for such a response. The impact we saw it made reflected in the impact the audience thought it could make.

This has obviously raised the bar for making films to educate, Moving Forward’s importance, the potential of the film and for future projects.

For myself, I was incredibly fortunate to have been a part of making it and it’s piece of work I am very proud of. To have the praise of people who can take it places was a bonus. I felt proud that I produced a piece of work that initially seemed small yet has become important to so many people, to affect not only the young people involved and the organisation of Moving Forward, but other related agencies as well.

The film is on my website. It is a large file but have patience. The film was shot with available light (bar one shot) in 3 days with non professional actors.

http://www.busstrikeproductions.co.uk/pages/films/without_a_home.html

A talented song writer who is also one of the young persons involved was originally going to write a score for the three films but college work became too much and we ran out of time. I still home to make an original soundtrack but as for now, I have used pre recorded tracks.

- J