Rats Film Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Rats directed by Matthew Summer.

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

‘Rats’ I remember trying to come up with something clever for the title and in the mean time I would nickname the script ‘Rats’. It turned out that it was the only thing appropriate for a film about a rat infestation.

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

The story itself is about a rat infestation in a home that’s just been bought and settled in by a young couple in the UK. Due to financial restraints placed on them by owning property and the imbalance of wages to property value in the UK the couple try to sort the problem out themselves which starts to create a divide between them.

‘Rats’ grew from frustration. I was frustrated with this pursuit that we have in the UK to own a property. For me, I felt and still feel a pressure to shape my life around owning a property. I then wanted to explore this, I wanted to see what it means to own a property especially in your mid-twenties, the pressure you can put upon yourself financially, physically and within a relationship.

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

Definitely! For me I had two filmmakers, three films. I will always be inspired by these two filmmakers and in fact whenever I write, make and edit a film I always watch these three films:

– Leviathan by Andrey Zvyagintsev
– Loveless by Andrey Zvyagintsev
– A White, White Day by Hlynur Pálmason

The way they shoot films are unique and bold and beautiful. They showed me I could make the type of films I want to make. By this I mean that the films seem to search for something more than what’s on the surface. They can sometimes point the camera and create images without explanation or scenes without little to no dialogue. This would create an ambiguity that in my opinion elevates the film to something special. This inspired me to make something close to this, to try and search for something more than what is just on the surface. I think ‘Rats’ is the start of this search.

What is the goal of the film for you?

My goal first and foremost is to make a good film. And by that I mean, I hope for it to be relevant to the viewer and maybe leave them with something that isn’t altogether easy to digest. Secondly, for the people on the film to be proud of the film. Everyone on the film gave all they could during the shooting of the film, working long hours and pushing themselves with new skills. All I hope then is that their efforts are rewarded with a film they are proud to show off on their showreels and CV’s.

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

Tough. Really tough. We spent six months trying to find the right location. We had important members of the team drop out for various reasons. We had five days to shoot sixty one scenes, thirty five pages. We did not have any external funding. But it was all worth it. It was hard but we got to work with some really great talent, good people and ultimately we have a film we are very proud of.

One thing you learned from this project?

I think it further increased my love for the process. All the hard work and the rejections are worth it because there is no greater feeling than working on a film.

How can folks find you and your film online?

INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/greyhound_films?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

WEBSITE: https://www.greyhoundfilmproductions.co.uk/
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16980898/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Rats-110614361710463
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRHS5QYczkAiqD7o-Mh-9Ag

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

Just keep making films.

For more reviews and content stick with To Tony Productions and don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to stay up to date!