First Timer Casestudy by Hannah Kathryn Kelso

A film festival Casestudy

Narrative | Dramatic Features.
Film Name: First Timer.
Genre: Drama.
Date: September 2024.
Director: Hannah Kathryn Kelso.
Producer: Danielle Goff (Producer) and Karen Kelly (Co-Producer).
Writer: Hannah Kathryn Kelso.
Cinematographer: Alasdair Boyce.
Production Company: Lunar Pictures.
Budget: £30,000.
Financing: Short Circuit.
Shooting Format: 16mm film.
Screening Format: 1.37:1.
World Premiere: Norwich Film Festival 2024.
Website: @firsttimerfilm (Instagram).

The official trailer for Night of the Living Dread

Watch Trailer for Night of the Living Dread by Hannah Kathryn Kelso

A Short Bio of Filmmaker

Hannah Kathryn Kelso is a BAFTA and BIFA nominated writer from Alloa, Scotland. Hannah’s pilot Children of Iona is equally arresting – Catholicism and Paganism go head-to-head in this supernatural mystery. The Scottish Island of Iona is in shock, as nun Mari Adair (47) leaves The Order following the death of her sister.

Hannah co-wrote the standout short film Night of the Living Dread. It received the nomination for BAFTA Best British Short Animation 2022. Plus British Independent Film Awards Best Short 2022 and there is interest in it as a feature. It is on the short list for BAFTAs Rocliffe TV comedy writing competition for comedy pilot Mooncats. Hannah is a Warner Bros Creative Scholar and a Donald Dewar Arts Awardee.

The Filmmaker Interview

indieactivity: What is your film about?
Hannah Kathryn Kelso (HKL): First Timer is a drama in the East End of Glasgow about Meghan. A home career who’s persevering through her first week on the job. She is to care for Bonnie an elderly Glaswegian matriarch. Who has a challenging, yet refreshing approach to her personal care. The two are at odds until Meghan changes tact. What follows next is equal parts humorous, life-affirming and ultimately tragic.

The story was inspired to me by my lifelong friend Kim. Who as a student nurse who had a similar experience her first week working on a hospital ward. She was giving an elderly woman a bed bath when she took her last breath while still in Kim’s arms. This powerful story stuck with me. I knew the genesis of it could make a compelling film. Highlighting the emotional intensity and toll that accompanies caring for others.

Tell us more about shooting your first film on 16mm?
Hannah Kathryn Kelso (HKL): I had previously worked in the camera department before moving into screenwriting and finally directing. So shooting on film didn’t feel too challenging to me. I wouldn’t choose film for every project. But the light story and timeless quality of this particular story felt perfect for it.

I had full confidence in my incredible DOP Alastair Boyce, his team, and his vision for the piece. It was his choice to shoot on 16mm. I wanted to bring a warm, almost romantic palette to the film. I wanted to mimic the romantic lens I view the city of Glasgow through. Alasdair is a phenomenal cinematographer with a real eye for detail.

He’s also incredibly fast at setting up a shot having shot several high-end TV shows. He also has this wonderful calm, confidence that emanates throughout the set. He is a perfect choice of creative partner for a first-time director. Thank you to my mentor Peter Mackie Burns for creatively matching us.

The biggest challenge I faced was that I had very few takes for each set up. Alyth Ross, Anne Downie and Louise McCarth are collaborative actors. They are professionals, some of whom had shot on film plenty times over their career. I adore how disciplined crews are when shooting on film and how precise the shot list has to be. Each “good” take feels like a real, shared win. It’s a rare thing for people entering the industry to get this opportunity. So, I’m hopeful they found it illuminating.

I also owe being able to shoot ‘First Timer’ on film to my producer Danielle Goff. Watching her wheeling and dealing to get us kit and rolls of film on a shoestring budget was a sight to behold and one of my favourite memories from production.

Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
Hannah Kathryn Kelso (HKL): Personalities collide when inexperience home carer Meghan attends to the elderly Bonnie. An independent woman who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. As Meghan tries and fails to give Bonnie the care she needs, the two unexpectedly bond over a seemingly broken foot spa.

Development & Financing?
Hannah Kathryn Kelso (HKL): My incredible producer Danielle and I had worked together in the past; Danielle was the producer and I was the co-writer of the BAFTA nominated ‘Night of the Living Dread’. Screenwriting is my day-to-day job as a filmmaker, but I knew that I wanted to step into directing given my background in camera and I absolutely knew that I wanted to work with Danielle again. We developed the characters and story beats and added personal elements into the piece.

For example, it’s a small detail in the film, but the elderly Bonnie has Motown magnets on her fridge and gold records mounted on her walls, an homage to our grandparents and the sixties girl band music they enjoyed and introduced us to. We also used this motif in the featured song that is fundamentally crucial to the climax of the story. Once we had really worked into the piece structurally, we pitched for funding.

Thankfully, the project was selected and funded by Short Circuit, a Scottish film talent initiative that sadly no longer exists, though there is a new initiative ‘Take Three’ that will now fund the short films of six emerging Scottish filmmakers.

Production?
Hannah Kathryn Kelso (HKL): Danielle and I knew that we wanted to bring a co-producer on board and once we met Karen Kelly, we knew immediately she was right for the project and the team. As the piece is essentially a chamber piece, we opted for a three-day shoot and semi-continuous days which, in my experience, seem to be preferred by the Scottish crew. 

Unexpectedly, finding a location proved to be the most challenging part of pre-production, but eventually we found a great location with our unit base situated directly opposite which massively smoothed out a lot of logistical issues and improved communications and timing on set. The entire property was dressed by our incomparable art director Milly White and her team with 360 degree dressing which made shooting a dream. 

With the actors, we spent a little more time rehearsing and ensuring that everyone was comfortable before going for a shoot. I can never understand the ethos of “shooting the rehearsal” or “one more for luck”. I want the cast and crew to feel assured and confident so that they can all bring their best and be proud of the work they are contributing. 

Post-shoot, I breathed a sigh of relief when Kodak sent our rushes back to us and they were all perfect. I was nervous about the first assembly but our phenomenal editor Lesley Posso let me know it all cut together and the story was there before I watched it. It was just under twenty minutes long so our main goal was to whittle it down to around fifteen. What’s so great about the performances is that there is so much space and tension.

We had to play around with the breathing space and I found that so challenging as Alyth and Anne brought us gold and we were making tricky decisions that seemed slight but that had a profound effect on the relationship between the characters. Our colourist Nigel Tadyanehondo is a genuine genius at what he does. We were lucky to get him and as soon as he sprinkled his magic on the grade the film came alive in a way I hadn’t seen before.

Festival Preparation & Strategy?
Hannah Kathryn Kelso (HKL): We liaised with the programmer at Glasgow Short Film Festival to come up with a festival strategy that primarily focused on getting the film seen by UK audiences. It was hugely important for us to be strategic due to the budget of the film. Ideally we could have cast a wide net, but the funds were not there for us to do so which is sadly a reality for many working-class filmmakers working in independent cinema.

The film has screened in competition at Foyle Film Festival and Manchester Film Festival and I was nominated as Debut Director at WomenX Film Festival amongst other selections and screenings. On the PR front, we have recently brought Tom Brumpton on board to help us out. He’s the head of Polymath PR, a company based in Nottingham that are making a name for themselves on the scene. Tom isn’t just great at what he does, he’s a wonderful person and I would implore any new filmmakers considering PR to give him a call.

I am completely obsessed with our poster and have to thank Kirsten Kelso for her efforts and talent. Every time I see the poster on the wall of a cinema I’m so proud of it and it’s usually complimented. It captures the tone of the piece so well, is a great visual insight to the cinematography of the piece and an invaluable marketing tool for a low budget indie team to have in our arsenal.

The Release? Festival run and awards
Hannah Kathryn Kelso (HKL): I was working at the production company Working Title during production of the film and I was so lucky that the producers and projectionist there supported me and allowed me to use the cinema to screen the film and host pizza and drinks afterwards. We had a great response and even had to put on two different screenings to squeeze everyone in. 

Since then, we’ve been enjoying a successful festival run in the UK and the film has qualified for both BAFTA and BIFA which we are delighted with, especially as this is my first short film as writer director. ‘First Timer’ will soon be screening at HollyShorts London as part of their ‘Shot on Film’ programme at the Vue in Leicester Square. This screening feels particularly momentous to the team given the size of the cinema. We are thrilled to share the film with our largest audience to date.

Advice from the Filmmaker?
Hannah Kathryn Kelso (HKL): When it comes to indie shorts, being realistic about your resources at script level is imperative. When starting out as a director all your decisions should be made before you step on set, leaving you to spend quality time with your actors and get the best performances you can. There will be challenges beyond your control that you have to respond to, but if you’ve prepped well, it’s likely you can take these in your stride – and you might even catch a bit of magic along the way.

Don’t mourn the losses or the mistakes. They’re all a part of the process. More importantly, have fun! It’s a real privilege to work in film and TV and to share the stories that are important to you with an audience, so try to cherish the process and appreciate the creative people around you.

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