SILENT NIGHT will be in UK Cinemas from 11th December, on Digital Download from 14th December and on DVD from 28th December.
BritFlicks talks with Will Thorne about his debut feature, British crime film SILENT NIGHT.
Will Thorne in a sentence tell us about the film?
Silent Night is a British Crime film, set in London at Christmas time, about an ex-con trying to redeem himself with his young family but is blackmailed into doing one last job when he meets an old cell mate.
Where did the idea come from?
Myself and Bradley Taylor had been talking about doing something where we follow a killer on the road. I was looking for a way to make him likeable while also giving us a reason to be on the road. I thought making him a hit man would help us plot out a journey, give him a job but also weirdly we all seem to think hit men are cool, and overlook the fact they’re serial killers! Once that was set it was about how do we do this low budget, which is when I thought what if the hit men were white van men, driving around London with dead bodies in the back. The fact its set at Christmas is just because I love watching movies at Christmas, so thought it could be a good extra selling point and a way to have some fun with the darker elements but in the end it really helped the daughter story which is the heart of the film.
Q) It’s a brilliant cast with all characters nailing it, how did you tackle the casting process?
Most of the main cast are actually just my mates! I’ve made separate short films with Brad, Cary, Nat and Joel and we all go way back as have lived around the same areas, been trying to do the same things and make films so this has felt like a real graduation if you like, Cary was calling it our Avengers movie. Outside of that I always had Frank in mind for Caddy and about two months before shooting we contacted his agent and crossed our fingers, luckily he liked the script. Everyone else came through Mandy and casting callouts like that, I think we were really lucky as the performances were great all round.
What is your favourite scene and why?
Tough one, there’s a few that came out pretty much as I’d hoped, which is surprising. The café scene with Ted works well and my Mum is in it playing the café owner so that’s kinda jokes. The Christmas dinner scene/sequence is as scripted and mostly how I’d visualised it but I suppose the one shot introduction of Hassan, played perfectly by Badr Luqman is really satisfying and a bit of a favourite. It plays out as a scene and was maybe one of the craziest things/days we did, we shot all day and then went to do this big set up but by the time we were ready, we had really limited time to get it in the can. The vibe on set for each take was a pure adrenaline, so when I watch it I get that same feeling. The fact we even pulled it off on the day still amazes me.
Q) What British crime film has inspired you the most?
There are so many that I can’t just say one. I also have to be honest, and say from a director’s point of view, I was very inspired by American crime films like Goodfellas (see above!), Blood Simple, and movies by David Fincher. However, I was intent on making a really British film, that leans into some of our iconic cultural references like the white van, crackers at Christmas, cups of tea etc. Which actually reminds me of that scene in London to Brighton, which is a great British Crime film. When I wrote the visual treatment I referenced Shane Meadows: he portrays the UK on screen in a way that I recognise, he was definitely a big inspiration growing up so I’ll give a shout out to Dead Mans Shoes.
You are also in the film?
Ha ha that sounds like a leading question – like why are you in the film?! I thought it would be cool to make a cameo, everyone else including my mum is in the film so I thought why not, plus it meant one less person to find and get there. As my editor said, it wasn’t much of a stretch playing a grumpy foreman! It was actually a mad experience because of scheduling we had to shoot that the first day, we were well behind after a slow first morning and so with the pressure on to get everything, I’m suddenly on the other side of the monitor, trying to direct myself. The whole crew, who I’d only just met, were staring at me ready to say action and I couldn’t remember the lines for toffee, I was just thinking “this was a really bad idea” haha! That’s on top of the feeling of dread in case I was just shit, and ruined the scene. After the first take I looked at everyone behind the monitor, they all nodded, shrugged and said “you’re selling it” so I don’t think we even reviewed it other than for coverage, we didn’t have time.
Frank Harper hasn’t been seen in a film for a while, how did you get him onboard to play Caddy?
I think with all things it’s a matter of luck and timing, perhaps it just landed on his desk at the right time. When I was writing that character, I’d often look him up on IMDB probably just to procrastinate, but every time I thought “Yeah, that’s Caddy”. When it came to pre production I called his agent and said I’d written a script with him in mind, would he read it and take a look at the visual document. I’d referenced Shane Meadows in that and I think I even included a still from him in A Room for Romeo Brass. When I met him for the first time on set, I asked him the same thing and he said he liked the script and that Shane Meadows reference caught his attention but who knows, if we’d approached him 6 months earlier perhaps he would have passed. Either way I was really happy to meet and work with him, he’s a true gent and he delivered Caddy just as I thought.
This is your debut feature as a director, what has been the biggest learning curve?
My composer asked me this and I couldn’t put my finger on one thing. I feel like I’ve learnt a million little details that will serve me right on other films, the next time I’m in a situation it will pop in my head and help steer me. I think as I’d written it and produced it, I knew it all back to front, and knew ahead of time most of the things that I wasn’t going to be able to pull off because of budget or time. I would think twice about filming in smaller locations again, and definitely not again in my Dads flat! I think the thing that I was able to learn most from by making a feature, was working with an edit of that size. It’s just so much bigger and things like pacing come in to play. I’ve been directing a while so I’m used to killing babies in the edit but I really needed an audience test screening to help me cut another 15mins from the film confidently
You have just been Long-Listed for a BIFA 2020 ‘Breakthrough Producer’ Award, for ONE MAN AND HIS SHOES, how does that feel?
I’m chuffed! After I found out I emailed Elliot Grove, and told him how I’d been on a Raindance course 15 years ago and dropped things off to their office as a runner! They’ve been a corner stone for indie filmmaking in London for years, they really are the organisation for true indie filmmakers in the UK so it’s cool to have come full circle. Producing is a pretty lonely and thankless job at times so when someone notices you or pats you on the back it feels good. I’m happy for everyone that worked on it, we all share these moments in the sun but I also take it with a pinch of salt, getting to make a film feels like winning an award to be honest.
What’s next?
A lie down followed by World domination, followed by an even longer lie down. I’m producing Yemi Bamiro’s follow up to OMAHS, which we haven’t announced yet but I believe could capture the same lighting in a bottle so that’s super exciting. Apart from that I’ve got about 5 feature ideas in various stages of development(!), I’ve written an underdog comedy about a roadie from Leicester, there’s a coming-of-age film I’d love to make but I need a proper soundtrack for that so there’s a bit of plotting involved to get that one off the ground. There’s another film I wanted to make before SN that’s in a similar vein but I quickly realised it was too expensive for a first feature. That’s a bit of a love letter to London and it’s seedy underbelly, which I’m writing. I’m itching to direct again so I’m also open to working with producers if they have a script or project ready to go, that I can connect with or do a good job of, I just want to keep making films.
Thank you Will Thorne, for taking the time to talk with BritFlicks.
Cheers BritFlicks!
SILENT NIGHT will be in UK Cinemas from 11th December, on Digital Download from 14th December and on DVD from 28th December.
Buy from Amazon►https://amzn.to/3eYNo8s
