Pencil Film Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Pencil directed by Simon Manley.

What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?

My film is called Pencil. I’ve been an actor for 12 years, and a lot of that time has been spent waiting to hear back about potential employment. When an actor gets short-listed for work, they have been ‘pencilled-in’ or are “on a pencil”.

Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.

For actors, being on a “pencil”  is where the mental tightrope walk gets a bit jittery, and hopes and dreams can be built and dashed depending on whether the job comes through, but for a lot of us, it’s just a pause in the search for work, and not the end product. So, applying this premise loosely to a couple of life events (potential new family, commitments etc) I came up with a short story/script about a couple who’s life was dictated to by the “pencil” effect. I wrote this short because I had been made redundant in the month that we had our first child (my second), and we live in a country where I don’t speak the language. I was/am fundamentally unemployable. I had to adapt skills that I have, and try and unearth new ones, so I gave myself this as a no-pressure one-shot attempt to see if I could write, produce, film and edit a short film, all on what I had at my disposal…. A mobile phone and my Christmas gimbal.

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

Not this film specifically, but Michael Mann, Paul Thomas Anderson and Steve McQueen are influences that I carry with me at all times. And Michael Bay.

What is the goal of the film for you?

The goal has been achieved. I wanted to see things through in their entirety, without losing hope, faith or interest, and prove to myself I could make this ‘work’. It is working, I have shot another short film in May, I have written a third and have an idea for a documentary in the pipeline.

What has the journey been like getting the film into production?

Fun, compact, not without problems, but the troubleshooting has been more fun than I thought it would be. There were disappointments and compromises along the way, but hey…….when isn’t there?

One thing you learned from this project?

You don’t need ‘all the kit’.

How can folks find you and your film online?

I am on Instagram simon77man and I’m on Facebook. My wife is my ‘executive producer’ and we have formed Sierra Juliet Productions, that is a film landing page with blog entries etc. https://simonmanley8.wixsite.com/film

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

I get that ideas don’t just appear, fully formed, and ready to go. You have to persevere with threads and snippets of ideas so that when you are ready and DO have time, you can expand on those. Or not.

Get your hands dirty and just film stuff. If you have a smartphone, that’s a good start, and trust me, there is a real world hack for the absence of almost any piece of kit you think you need.

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