Page 30 - Fujifilm Exposure_17 Africa_ok

DARKLY
DARKLY
THROUGH THE LENS
THROUGH THE LENS
First-time feature director Phil Claydon on Alone - a ‘rollercoaster’ of terror
You know you’re get- ting old when, as the old adage goes, policemen seem to be getting younger and younger. In the film industry, the same might be said about direc- tors - especially after a close encounter with one of the bright- est of a new British breed.
Phil Claydon was a fresh- faced 24-year-old when he direct- ed his first feature, Alone, on location in South Wales at the back end of last year. With the innovative horror film now in its final stages of post-production,
he’s just 25 – but actually looks five years younger.
Almost straight out of school, you might say. Which, in a sense, he was, as he enthusias- tically fills in the intriguing details not just about his startling feature debut but also about a job opportunity which ought to warm the cockles of any aspiring film-maker’s heart.
“I’m, like, the biggest film fan in the world,” says Claydon, with an all-purpose accent which veers colourfully between his native Suffolk, adopted Worcestershire and just a bit of Estuary. “My parents took me to
see The Empire Strikes Back when I was four. I remember sit- ting in that darkened room watching those big At At Walkers in the snow and being taken into new worlds.”
From the age of 16 he tried to get into film school but every attempt was usually met with something like, “There’s plenty of time... get a showreel.” Aged nine he had moved to Malvern where during his teens he became involved with the local Arts Workshop, especially its video group which had some funding from The Prince’s Trust.
Photos above (l-r): Director Phil Claydon and DP Peter Thornton; main (l-r): Producer John Davies, Laurel Holloman, Miriam Margolyes, Phil Claydon and Producer David Ball (seated)
EXPOSURE • 28 & 29