A Merton tennis-themed short film is competing in a London-wide competition for a chance to be screened on television next month.
By Maxim McDonald
A Merton tennis-themed short film is competing in a London-wide competition for a chance to be screened on television next month.
Timeless Fun won the region’s film competition and will now compete in Film London’s 90 seconds category against other winning borough films.
The co-directors and actors, Frances Bushe and Chris Sheridan, both 23, have already won £300 and, if successful, will have their work shown on ITV’s Best of Boroughs and at the BAFTA award ceremony on 12th July.
Frances said: “Timeless Fun is the first film we’ve ever made, so winning the Merton competition has really boosted our confidence and inspired us to make more.”
Frances’ mum saw the film competition advertised in a local paper, which stated entries must explore the theme of ‘bridging the gap in Merton’.
After toying with many ideas, Frances and Chris decided to shoot in stop motion animation a story of two tennis players from different generations playing a game in and around Merton.
Stop motion animation is made by arranging real objects and people, taking a picture of them, repositioning them slightly, then taking another picture and so on until a sequence is formed, as seen in the films of Wallace and Gromit.
Frances said: “It’s a slow process and needs a lot of patience but when it’s complete it looks as if objects are moving by magic.”
Frances and Chris are regularly acting and following their success are now planning a football-themed feature, while still entering more short film competitions.
“Work extremely hard and be an amazing storyteller,” says Frances to anyone keen on entering the industry.
“The entertainment business is incredibly competitive so it’s important to make your own work and keep creative! I’d advise people to always try and shoot you own scripts and put on your own plays!”
To watch Timeless Fun go to: http://www.merton.gov.uk/filmlondon
