Arthur, a young boy with a wild imagination, develops a preoccupation with death and disease and begins to explore mortality in the vivid images he sees in the movies and through a strange visitor from the past.

Interview with Writer/Director Eddie White

Watch Upside Down Feeling here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I had only ever made animated short films but wanted to make the jump to live action so I spoke to the Adelaide Film Festival, who commission films for their festival and pitched them my idea and they came on board.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

I think everyone can related to be a child and how vivid the world is at that time and also most people can recall when they first encountered the idea of death for the first time and what sort of impact in had on them. I like to think that these universal themes mixed with some striking and vivid imagery make it something that people enjoy watching.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

These themes of childhood and mortality are key in my film and something that definitely stems from my own memories and experiences as a child. Growing up in the 1980s when news of AIDS and possible nuclear war was all around, really magnified the intensity of my discoveries about death and disease.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

The script came together quite quickly with this one and the majority of what appears on the screen was written and storyboarded. The original ending I wrote is probably the biggest difference. I changed it as it felt too hard to execute properly within the budget and time we had and also I wanted something that felt like it had 'flight' hence the new ending.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Good so far. Most people really think the young actor Sol who was acting for the first time, did a great job. He has a very transfixing face and quality that made me cast him. The cinematography by Jody Muston has also had a great response too and this pleases me as I wanted something that looked very unique and almost dream-like at times but with a darkness and light to it. The Elephant Man is the other thing people say they loved and I think the prosthetics guy Matt Johnsson did a fantastic job.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I think my own personal view of the film has. I know what appears to have worked and what maybe I could improve on next time. I felt I learned so much doing my first live action film and now I am hungry to make more and learn more.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Increasing the audience of a film is a great thing as that's why I make films, to make some sort of impact on people all around the world. This will help me share my story and hopefully start to build a base of people who will come and see my films in future.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I am open to anyone who the film has an effect on it be they a non-film industry person or film-industry person alike. I do hope to make feature films going forward so establishing creative relationships within the industry would be incredibly beneficial for me as a filmmaker.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I'd like to take people back, to their own childhoods and maybe for 10 minutes they feel they are too the little boy in the film, not an adult watching from afar. If I can make people think back to what impacted them at that age and maybe what vivid imaginations they had and how this shaped them then I'd be happy. it is also a bit of a love letter to films we see as children and I think we all have favourites that stick in our memories forever be they scary or strange or up lifting.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Should we talk openly with children about death and disease or shield them from it until as late as possible?

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm writing a live action feature film that hopefully I can make sometime in the near future. Odessa Young, the actress in the film, has just finished acting in a series for Hulu and a feature film in the U.S as well an upcoming series in Australia. Felix Riebl who did the score has just released a solo EP and is touring at the moment. As far as Sol Spry goes, he is doing auditions and learning about the life of an aspiring actor.

Interview: October 2016

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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UPSIDE DOWN FEELING

Arthur, a young boy with a wild imagination, develops a preoccupation with death and disease and begins to explore mortality in the vivid images he sees in the movies and through a strange visitor from the past.

Length: 10 minutes

Director: EDDIE WHITE

Producer: NICOLA TATE & EDDIE WHITE

Writer: EDDIE WHITE

About the writer, director and producer:

Eddie White has come from a background in directing animated shorts including The Cat Piano (2009).

Nicola Tate is a producer whose experiences ranges from tv commercials, music videos and cross-media projects.

Key cast: Sol Spry, Odessa Young, Charles Mayer

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): All

Funders: Adelaide Film Festival & South Australian Film Corporation

Made in association with: Adelaide Film Festival & South Australian Film Corporation

Release date: October 2015

Where will it screen in the next month? Boston Kids Film Festival