Spilt Milk
Spilt Milk - Camdyn Rowland fulfilling the role of Scarlett aged 10.
An unconventional love story between two teens, leading up to the night of their high school prom as they begin to understand the differences and similarities of love, sex and gender.
Interview with Director James Dunstan
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! … The reason I wanted to make this film was because of the script; the writer, Dillon Beagley, is a young talent who has his own voice and writes exceptionally well in terms of visual storytelling. As a filmmaker I like to provoke thought and propose questions to the audience (the right kind of questions), rather than spelling everything out to them, and so it seemed like a good pairing. Spilt Milk really shone for me in terms of character, especially when it came to Scarlett. I felt her story was an important one to tell – It’s a contemporary twist on a classic tale of unrequited love, intertwined with several important issues that I felt were important and that I personally wanted to explore as a filmmaker.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Over the course of twenty-three minutes we explore themes of gender, sexuality, love & abuse; some might argue that that’s quite a lot to address within the parameters of a short film, however the film harks back to a point in our lives when everything feels so difficult and complex – being a teenager is never easy – and Scarlett and Frankie are only just beginning their adult lives and finding out who they really are as people, and furthermore, as individuals. I feel in a way this film is universal, it’s for all audiences – because I’d like to think on some level everyone can relate back to a time when perhaps they weren’t sure of themselves, when you’re still figuring things out and exploring... that’s what we’re doing with these characters, exploring their boundaries and I find that really interesting. I hope others do too!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I’d consider ‘gender’ and ‘abuse’ to be the personal themes in this film; gender is actually Frankie’s main strand (although it something our protagonist Scarlett explores also); ‘abuse’ is something that is very much personal to Scarlett as we discover later in the film – these themes help to bring the main narrative together and move the story forward – that being Scarlett’s desire for Frankie and where we explore the universal themes of ‘Love’ and ‘sexuality’. But overall the themes are just that, the themes of Scarlett and Frankie’s story. I didn’t want to make a film where we were overtly stating; “look at what we’re addressing here, it’s important” …even though it is, I wanted the drama between the characters to be at the forefront of the film and for the audience to be engaged in them and their story.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The process of development for Spilt Milk is quite an interesting one … I’m not sure if we’ve got the time to talk about it entirely!... Spilt Milk is a university graduation film that had to go through a selection process in order to be made. When the script was first submitted it was a completely different story; it still had both characters however it was very much from Frankie’s perspective, exploring the different stages of him contracting HIV/AIDS, right from Frankie’s first sexual encounter up until the time of his death. The committee decided the timeline needed in order to tell Frankie’s story would be better suited to a feature film. After receiving this feedback Dillon changed the story to the version of Spilt Milk you see now, Scarlett’s story – her story is one that personally resonates with me. However there was still a considerable amount of development that the script had to undergo.
Freddie is the boy who Frankie meets at prom, we originally met him much earlier in a scene where he was bullying Frankie, however the character felt like we were drawing on a certain stereotype and we ultimately decided to get rid of him and those scenes. I really wanted Spilt Milk to be a film about Scarlett and Frankie; they are two people who are so dependent on each other – they’re each others worlds – this is something I wanted to convey from scene to scene and why for the most part you only see these two characters onscreen.
We actually wrote another scene in which Scarlett is walking home from school, passing a dress shop after Frankie has just invited her to prom. She notices a mother and daughter shopping for a prom dress; it’s a nice warm moment in which Scarlett is on the outside looking in. She realizes she’ll never be able to have this Kodak moment with her mother, further informing the audience of the mother’s non-presence and prompting Scarlett to dig out her dress in the next scene. In development this scene seemed necessary, however when it came to the edit we felt that the scene diverted somewhat from the main narrative, which I wanted always to be between Frankie and Scarlett.
Dialogue was something we struggled with when it came to Frankie inviting Scarlett to prom. We really had to get inside the characters heads and explore their motivations; we felt that both Scarlett and Frankie were the kind of outsiders who would usually mock prom, however Frankie really wants to go for his own reasons, which he chooses not to share with Scarlett. And so in this scene he has to ask her in a very roundabout way, it’s very much him trying to persuade Scarlett to go to the prom. Frankie’s kind of calculated in his approach as he wants to ensure he gets what he wants, however through Scarlett’s misreading she starts to build these expectations of how prom night will pan out for her.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
A few people have said they want to watch the film again because they feel there’s a lot to revisit, which there is – I don’t think that by first watch the point of the film is for the audience to “get it”- it’s more of a “feeling” film. As I mentioned earlier I don’t like to spell everything out to an audience, more than anything I wanted to evoke an emotional response – for them to feel invested in these characters and their story. I hope this was achieved as I’ve had people also say to me that they want to know more about the characters, and to watch more of them and their story – which can only be a good thing.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I don’t personally feel I have received any feedback that has either surprised or challenged my point of view in a profound way… I guess one thing that I have found quite interesting is that a couple of people have said that they thought that Frankie may have been a figment of Scarlett’s imagination, that she had constructed him in her head. I can understand these thought processes; the film itself has a dream like look with elements of magic realism… there are also two scenes in which Frankie seems to appear out of nowhere, from behind a curtain and through a window. But he’s definitely real, I can assure you that!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I think being able to get your work out there, and then being able to talk and elaborate on it in this way is such a wonderful communication tool. www.wearemovingstories.com enables you to reach out to the rest of the world… someone from the other side of the planet could be reading this very article, and now they know about my film, that it exists – and that’s all I can hope for. By being more visible we are reaching more people, people who are perhaps dealing with the very serious issues that we look at in Spilt Milk. What plays out for Scarlett and Frankie is very real, I know there are definitely others out there who may be experiencing one, or a number of the issues that these characters facing – and yet these people may feel alone and isolated in the place that they’re currently in. Hopefully we’re providing them with the reassurance that they’re not.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We’re currently still in process of submitting to film festivals; so far Spilt Milk has featured in four major film festivals and won two awards. I can only hope that our success continues and that we get the opportunity screen at more festivals. That is the goal, to be seen by as many audiences as possible – and people from all around the globe. Anything in addition to this would be a blessing. I personally feel the film has the potential to be made into a feature, whether there’s a producer out there who feels the same – I don’t know, but the fact that audience members want to watch more of Scarlett and Frankie is encouraging – and they each have an important story to tell.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I always said from the beginning of this process that I wanted to make a film where the audience felt emotionally invested in its characters. As far as its impact I hope that Spilt Milk is a film that the audience is left thinking about – even when they’ve left the screening. I think it’s a powerful thing when a film stays with you and leaves you contemplating past the credits.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
So, prom…?
Would you like to add anything else?
I’d just like to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone involved in the project, to those who contributed – in whatever capacity- and an extra special shout out to the crew who were truly amazing (especially considering they had to deal with me for eleven days straight). Spilt Milk is a project that is close to my heart, and always will be. It was our graduation film and we all put everything into it for us to be able to make the film we wanted to achieve – and I think we did it, making some great memories along the way.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
The writer (Dillon Beagley) is working on a couple of projects including a commission for Random Acts entitled 'Me, the elephant', a short film that details the connection between the writer’s father and his life's work, which explores self-harm and depression. Kate Priestman, the Director of Photography for Spilt Milk, will also be working on the project.
Hannah Cole, the producer, is currently taking some time out in South Africa, volunteering in orphanages and animal sanctuaries, while enjoying some well-deserved sunshine.
The editor, Matthew Cole, is working for Envy postproduction based in London’s Soho as an Edit Assistant for programmes such as Top Gear, Gogglebox and The Voice.
The Director has recently finished working as an assistant to a Unit Manager on a feature film, and is now hoping to make another short film.
Interview: November 2016
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Spilt Milk
An unconventional love story between two teens, leading up to the night of their high school prom as they begin to understand the differences and similarities of love, sex and gender.
Length: 22:49
Director: James Dunstan
Producer: Hannah Cole
Writer: Dillon Beagley
Key cast: Lucy Chappell, Tom Rhys Harries & Bobby Schofield
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): All the above
Funders: Rosemary Arnold, Will Carter, David Cole, Simon Dunstan (And all our Indiegogo backers)
Made in association with: University for the Creative Arts, Farnham
Release date: June 2016