A feature film from scratch. In ten days. In a prison...
...can’t be done? Red Rose Chain proves it can!
On the morning of Monday 1st March 2010, the Red Rose Chain team arrived at Hollesley Bay prison, with no script, no cast and no locations, but with the objective of making a full-length feature film in ten days.
The Ipswich-based film and theatre company has visited Hollesley Bay twice before, in February of 2008 and again in 2009. On those occasions, the intention was to spend five days working with inmates on drama and filmmaking skills, creating a 10-15 minute production by the end of the week. This time however, the project had a much more ambitious aim.
Things had to move quickly right from the off, and there was little time for holding back as the team and participants launched swiftly into roleplays and improvisations.
The story was put together in a very fluid manner, with the inmates’ own inspirations driving the creation of plot and characters. Director Joanna Carrick and her team then helped shape the ideas into a strong narrative structure. It was an exhilarating method of working for all concerned, and revealed some truly inspiring performances from the participants.
The limitation of shooting entirely within the prison limits forced the team to be incredibly creative in production design and location, with inmates lending a helping hand in all areas. The team also became aware of an abundance of musical talent amongst the group, and took time to record participants’ works for use in creating an original soundtrack for the film.
Shooting began at the end of the first week and continued through until lunchtime the following Friday – with the film being frantically put together by Editor Nick Woolgar right up until the last minute. “We were still assembling scenes until about 5 minutes before we screened the preview”, comments Nick. “So when the lights went out and we ran the film, it was the first time anybody had seen it from start to finish, including me!”
A rough cut of the film, which came in at an impressive 80 minutes, was screened at the prison on the final Friday afternoon, and met with great approval. Michael Linge, assistant producer at Red Rose Chain, commented: “The participants exceeded all expectations and were clearly extremely proud of their work. A cacophony of cheers and whoops went up at the end of the screening!”
The screening marked the culmination of a truly astonishing 10 days of dedication, enthusiasm, creativity and teamwork. Director Joanna Carrick summed up the feeling of the Red Rose Chain team: “The prisoners have shown insight, courage, subtlety and co-operation during this project. Of course they are people who have made big mistakes, but what we have seen in these ten days is that they are all looking for a way to change and to make a new positive future when they get outside.”
The project was supported by A4E, the training services company that runs much of Hollesley Bay’s education provision, along with Screen East, Interreg and the Big Lottery Fund. Archival film footage was also incorporated, supplied by the East Anglian Film Archive and used to inspire participants in some of the early improvisation work. A fully-mastered DVD edition of the film is currently back in post-production, set to be completed in the next few weeks.
