The dark side of filmmaking | The Husband

“Independent filmmaking is built on passion, teamwork, trust and people willing to turn up and create something together,” said director Keith Guppy no the eve of the premiere of Devon Films’ latest, The Husband.

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The Husband is a psychological short film about grief, memory, and emotional survival.

The film follows two different timelines and is more ambitious than his previous shorts, such as The Audition, which as a trial run with a bigger group of people.

“It’s definitely a launching pad for my future work,” said Keith. “I want to tell stories that are impactful. I’m drawn to the dark side of filmmaking, those uncomfortable types of stories that people often stray away from.

Cinematic, honest and engaging

“My wider aim is to continue creating films and documentaries that feel cinematic, honest, emotionally engaging, and meaningful,” Keith told D&CFilm.

“Through Devon Films, I am passionate about building a supportive creative platform for local actors, crew, and filmmakers. I want to create opportunities for people to gain experience, develop their skills, build showreel material, and collaborate on ambitious independent film projects.”

Performance, atmosphere, and storytelling

As well as the focus character-driven films with a strong focus on performance, atmosphere, and emotional storytelling, Keith has a background that covers narrative filmmaking, documentary production, directing, writing, producing, camera work, editing, casting, and post-production.

“I enjoy being involved in every stage of the filmmaking process, from developing the first idea through to the final cut,” he said.

Give a voice to people

“Alongside my drama work, I have produced documentary films for Exeter University C2, as well as various community groups and not-for-profit organisations. These documentaries have been seen by audiences across the world and have helped share important stories, highlight community projects, and give a voice to people and organisations making a real difference.”

It was a bug that he caught early.

“I’ve known since early on that I wanted to make films – I remember going to the cinema to watch ET with my parents, and that’s when I knew this was what I wanted to do,” he said.

Watch and re-watch

“I got a job at 13 and every paycheck, I would go out and buy films. I ended up with a collection of over 1000 films on VHS, Films that I would rewatch, over and over, looking at the scenes to see how they shot something.

“Watching all the making of documentaries, they usually came on at christmas time. When DVD came out It was even better, as the director’s commentaries’ and lots of bts and making of footage was available. Filmmaking is pretty much my whole life at this point. That moment watching ET with my parents at the cinema. It sparked something that never went away.”

The dark, distinctive visual style of Tim Burton is an influence, as is Christopher Nolan, especially his work on Batman. And M Night Shyamalan for his twist endings.

Grief, with a twist

“I like to tell stories that make audiences think and question what they would do in certain situations. With The Husband, I was playing with the idea of death and how it makes people feel and perceive things. We can all relate to losing someone at some point in our lives, and the film explores how that grief might make you think you can feel them, with a twist.”

There isn’t a genre he doesn’t enjoy.

“But if I’m being honest, horror is where my heart really is. That love of the dark, the uncomfortable, the unsettling – that’s what drives my own filmmaking.”

The Husband premieres on the Devon Films Facebook page on Friday 26 June at 7pm

Follow Devon Films on their website