Many of you locally may know me as a producer / director, but I am also a massive campaigner for and supporter of local indie film.
In this Director Series I hope to introduce you to some of the key people involved in film locally and bring you news on local productions as well.
The first interviewee is film producer/writer Diana Townsend, who is based in Dawlish. She tells us about her new film Deadly Intent and what support she has had making film in Devon .
Tell me about yourself and how you became involved in filmmaking?
I have always loved writing and have had several plays produced by schools and community groups, but some years ago I decided to try my hand at script writing.
I began with short films and started making them with the help of my family and friends. From there it seemed a natural step to move on to a feature film.
Tell us more about Deadly Intent?
Deadly Intent is a paranormal thriller about a widow and her young son who are terrorised when supernatural events start to centre around the boy. Our biggest problem was finding a boy who was mature enough it cope with an intense storyline but could also appear young and vulnerable.
We held lots of auditions and were lucky enough to find Gus Barry who was perfect. Gus is certainly a young actor to watch. Since filming Deadly Intent he has played David Tennant’s son in the BBC series The Escape Artist and is soon to appear in Black Sea with Jude Law.
What made you shoot in Devon ? Why do you think there has been an explosion of creative film making in Devon ?
I have always lived in Devon and love the fabulous scenery so it seemed an obvious choice to film here. When I started making Deadly Intent I knew very few other film makers but I soon discovered there is an amazing wealth of talent here, everyone from superb actors and directors to experienced technicians and stunning visual effects artists. Sadly, many of them have to travel to London or Bristol to find work so I am determined to create more opportunities locally.
What can we look forward to in the future?
My next project is a horror-comedy called Scareycrows which is part way through filming and I am working on a script for an action film which I’m hoping to shoot in Exeter next year.
Check out up-to-date news on the film via the Deadly Intent Facebook page