Standstill | a story built on instinct

Despite its name, there’s movement in Jacob Saul’s short, tense thriller Standstill. The action might take place in a car, but the heat rises as relationships flux and emotions escalate. Jacob shares how the idea developed, plus the words of encouragement that put a spring in his step

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Your new film Standstill premiered at Two Short Nights, what can you tell us about it?

Standstill is a tense thriller set within the confines of a stationary car. The script initially came about from a challenge I set myself as a writer, at the time I’d planned so many scripts precisely to the T – knowing exactly what would happen that the actual process of typing felt more mandatory than a part of the creative process. So, I wanted a story to be built on instinct.

For the first draft at least, I was setting up mysteries and not knowing where it would be going, it was the first time I experienced characters saying/doing something that surprised me as I was typing. Which I’ve found from talking to people who don’t write, can sound mad, yet it feels so electric and alive. It’s that energy I’ve become addicted to, it’s changed how I write, even if I’ve planned out the main beats a story will hit, I still leave as much room as possible for the characters to guide it, moving from being a ‘planner’ to a ‘discovery’ writer (or at least somewhere in-between). Even if that changes what I originally had planned. I think this film marked a transition in my writing from the narratives being more plot-driven to character-focused.

Hullo...

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Oh yeah, sorry, the film is about three teenagers desperately trying to figure out where to go after reaching the end of the road.

What took Standstill five years to get made?

A number of things really, several times I’d have an amazing yet different cast and crew assembled to make it and then something would fall through. Primarily a pesky pandemic is the main culprit, as having three actors (and some well-hidden crew members) crammed into a closed car isn’t the perfect social distancing scenario. Although I suppose if we swapped out the coffee for champagne, we might have been alright.

Each time a shoot fell through, it would of course be incredibly gutting. When looking at a project both creatively and practically, it can be difficult to keep that creative passion alive to push forward. You’ve got to hold on and remember the creative spark you fell in love with and nurture that, protect it like an ice cream in the desert.

What are the similarities and differences with your other films, and do you have themes that you explore in your work?

Each creative endeavour defines itself, sometimes it’s more obvious what you go into a piece wanting to express, and other times it’s not as apparent. You can be too close to it, not realise what of yourself you’re putting into the work, certain stories I’ll adamantly think are unrelated to my life because it’s about an astronaut in space or the mist in a seaside town, then years later zooming out, you revisit the pieces and see it clear as day. “Oh, that’s what it was about”. I’ve only told a handful of collaborators who worked on Standstill my personal meaning behind it, the subtext, on one hand, I want the work to speak for itself, but I also don’t want to take other people’s readings of the film away from them. It’s not mine any more.

Speaking about my work more generally, often it’s difficult to pinpoint what makes someone’s work distinctly theirs, for some it’s more obvious than others. I’d like to think that a lot of my writing and film work is rather eclectic, experimenting with different forms/styles/genres, but it’s difficult to tell at the heart of the storm, sometimes you need someone outside to tell you what the weather is and it was actually a comment I had from a stranger on my YouTube channel that summed it up for me:

“Watching a few videos on your channel convinced me there is no god and we’re all condemned to rot in the ground when we die.”

Really, that’s why I get up in the morning. It’s words of encouragement like this that put a spring in my step and let me know I’m doing good work.

What’s your favourite aspect of filmmaking? The writing, the shooting or the editing? And where does working with actors fit with that?

Is it a cheat answer to say all of it? There are some bits which aren’t as exciting as others, I’d be lying if I said 15 pages into a risk assessment that it’s the most exhilarating thing in the world but with the creative stuff, there’s always such an energy to it. Each actor is marvellous in the film and was fantastic to collaborate with, they all brought something unique to their characters along with a different way of working. I always love those conversations, “Would my character say it like that? Can we try it like this?” As a writer for film, you can build the room and framework, but it’s the actor who makes the house a home.

As with any project in any line of work that starts to take some time to produce, when looking at certain details it can replay memories like reading a diary. Seeing certain props takes me back to pre-production meetings with the team, as well as particular camera angles remind me of when the incredible DP Alister Malcolm and I would be blocking the scenes, down to specific cuts and edits taking me back to the long fast food fuelled edit sessions with the fantastic editor Sinead O’Toole. Not to get too sentimental, or to highlight my unhealthy work/life balance, but I find that when the work weaves itself into your life it can’t help but enrich the piece and yourself, making it so much more special.

When and where will we be able to see your latest film?

‘Standstill’ is premiered at Exeter Phoenix’s Two Short Nights Festival. The film will also screen at The English Riviera Film Festival in Torquay on Saturday 15 March where it has been nominated for three awards (Best South West film, Best Actress ‘Alice Orlik’, & Best Script ‘Jacob Saul’).

Tickets are available.

Thank you, Jacob!

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