Armadillotown

Although I've been writing fiction for many many years, my thoughts have only occasionally turned to filmmaking, usually deciding that it's too complex a business to get into, and being wary of relinquishing editorial control. There was a period a couple of years ago, however, where it was more to the forefront of my mind, and I was trying to think of ways to bring a short film together with the minimum involvement of others. Not because that input wouldn't be valuable, simply because I wanted to attempt something that I wouldn't find too daunting. This came to a head when my partner, Sophie, bought a Mantelly brand kids instant print camera. This cute device thermal prints black and white images similar to receipts. I realised that if I took some pics and strung them together - similar to a montage - I could create a film not dissimilar in style to Chris Marker's "La Jetée" (1962), in which a voiceover narrates the story against a set of images. Using that as the central conceit, I began shooting images locally, mostly of brutalist buildings, interspersed with photographs of myself in a latex full head armadillo mask which I knew would come in useful someday (doesn't everyone have one of these at home?)

"Armadillotown" began life as a novel shortly after my partner bought me that mask one Christmas, however I never progressed beyond the first thousand words. I had an idea of an unlikely billionnaire wanting to create a utopia, a city where there is full employment, little crime, where everything is catered for - with one proviso: that the citizens have to wear an armadillo mask at all times except when completely alone. I would then have a detective from outside the town called to investigate a missing persons case, with the tagline being "The job was a missing persons case. But how do you find someone in a city where everyone looks the same." I can't recall why I never progressed with that novel, but those first thousand words subsequently formed the basis of the screenplay. As it turns out, having since made the film I've returned to the novel idea and written a thirty thousand word novella-isation, expanding the premise, but that's another story.

Taking photos with this child's camera brought the concept to life. The images are naturally grainy black and white, perfectly suited to a noir sensibility. Realising that it might be difficult writing a script and then shooting images to match it, I adopted a hybrid approach, capturing images that I thought would work in a film, writing the scenario around them, and having fleshed out the story then taking photos to order. This ensured I could remain within my capabilities. Armed with over three hundred photos and the script, I edited them in Photoshop where they became even more low-res as a result, and then I downloaded some editing software (Movavi Video Editor) which was free and would enable me to add effects, music and the voiceover, and for which I would only need to pay the minimum of one month's subscription once the film was completed and could then be downloaded into a viewable format. This method allowed me to keep any costs very low. The entire film comes in at less than £50. The film itself is just over fourteen minutes long.

Whilst editing, I recorded myself reading the script for pacing and collaging the images, but it was clear I needed someone professional in this role and so I approached Paul Robinson, an actor friend of mine who works under the name Sam Heydon. The addition of his voice greatly improved the rough draft I had. Another friend, Tom Jarvis, whose current band are The Widows, offered me some film music he'd been tinkering with, plus one song from the band which was mostly an instrumental. That song, "Crossfire", plays at the opening and end of the film. In both cases, these additions were incorporated by myself without either Paul or Tom seeing the film until it was completed. I was cautious of letting anyone see the film at all until I was happy with it, but through serendipity both their contributions fit perfectly.

"Armadillotown" falls into the category of an experimental art film, which was my intention, with a strong story pulling the viewer through to an existential ending. My PI doesn't resolve the case, but simply acknowledges that it would be redundant to do so. As commented by someone who has viewed the film, my PI goes into Armadillotown with the intention of finding someone, but ends up losing himself.

Once the film was completed and I received good feedback from a select audience I had to decide what to do with it. I could have simply thrown it up onto YouTube, but I wanted to do things properly and so began approaching film festivals via FilmFreeway. It soon became clear to me that submitting a film to a festival was no different than trying to place a short story or a novel. No matter how good (or bad) something is, the competition is fierce. However, persistence is everything and I've recently been notified that "Armadillotown" is a finalist in the Best Short film awards run by the Sykehouse Film Festival. There will be a screening as part of the festival - on Sunday 17th May - which I'm looking forward to attending.

Not being a filmmaker, as such, I sometimes have the feeling that showing my film to film folk is akin to proudly displaying a model made out of sticklebricks to a group of builders and architects, but as all feedback has been positive it does seem that "Armadillotown" has merit. What would be ideal would be for the project to gain traction, and perhaps for the novella-isation to be optioned for a larger picture. I can see a lot of potential in this idea, and hope to push it forwards. Either way, I've enjoyed applying my mind to something different, and hope once the festival circuit is exhausted that I can then release the film in some way to a larger audience.

For the moment, here's a very brief trailer.

Union City - signed 'cinema ticket' inserts

With publication of my monograph on the 1980 film, Union City, imminent, I thought I'd share a photograph about the signed 'cinema tickets' which will be included as inserts within the first 200 copies sold. I rattled through these last weekend and they have been returned to the publisher, so hopefully it won't be long before the books have been printed and will be posted with them inside. I'll update this when I receive my copies, but in the meantime feast your eyes on these little beauties.

Union City is available to pre-order exclusively from PS Publishing (via their Electric Dreamhouse imprint).

Union City

Exciting news! My monograph on the 1980 film, Union City, is available to pre-order from PS Publishing (via their Electric Dreamhouse imprint) from today.

The following is the official press release:

“Before Twin Peaks there was Union City” – Everett McGill

 

As soon as the first Electric Dreamhouse publications were announced back in 2018 I knew I wanted to write something for the imprint. Applying myself to an entire film seemed wondrously decadent. Devotion decided, the only decision required was what film I would write about. Many of my favourites (Mulholland Drive, Donnie Darko, Way Out West, El Topo) were too well-known and had plenty of existing coverage, and I felt that some other contenders (Pierrot le Fou, Sátántangó) wouldn’t fit the genre requirements for PS. I narrowed it down to three films: Spoorlos (English title, The Vanishing, directed by George Sluizer), The Exterminating Angel (Luis Buñuel), or Union City (Marcus Reichert) which starred Deborah Harry in her first starring role. Whilst I loved Spoorlos, I was wary of a language barrier when conducting interviews, and having already written a short pamphlet about the Buñuel film I decided to go for Union City. Chris Stein of Blondie had written the score, and I’d previously had interactions with him on Instagram. So I reached out and he agreed to be interviewed. Suddenly, the ball was rolling.

I’d first seen Union City on television almost thirty years ago, and had subsequently reviewed it for an online magazine when it appeared on DVD in 2006. I believe it to be a forgotten masterpiece. The plot is quite simple. Harlan (Dennis Lipscomb) and Lillian (Deborah Harry) rent an apartment in a tenement block in the eponymous city situated in the northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey. Their lives have become stale, the marriage mundane. Harlan becomes fixated by a ‘milk thief’ who drinks from their morning doorstep delivery. An unhealthy obsession develops and after a convoluted ploy to wake and catch the thief he does so. Assuming moral superiority backdropped against the impotency of his life, Harlan attacks and accidentally kills the man. The remainder of the film explores his paranoia and fear of being found out.

If this sounds like the plot of a simple noir thriller then indeed it is. The film is based on The Corpse Next Door, a short story by the crime writer Cornell Woolrich. I felt the film was ripe for examination, and as it happened my timing was perfect. Having contacted Chris Stein in November 2019, most of my initial interviews with the cast and crew were conducted during 2020, when the world was in lockdown. From my tiny terraced house in Norwich, UK, I conducted in-depth telephone conversations with some major film industry names in Hollywood, who were at home instead of on location and therefore had the time and inclination to chat, considering they could do little else! Most especially, I was able to cultivate a close friendship with Marcus Reichert (the director), which led to us talking regularly, reading each other’s work, and providing insights I hadn’t expected. Reichert had become completely disillusioned with the film industry following the release of Union City (for reasons which I discuss in the book). The writing of my book was to prove cathartic for him, enabling reconnections with those he had been involved with during that time, and a reassessment of that period of his life. He was very grateful for my efforts, and thankfully was able to read and offer approval (if not always agreement) over the finished draft, before he regretfully and suddenly passed away in 2022.

 

In addition to extensive interviews with Marcus, my book includes a scene by scene run through of the film together with chapters on film noir, colour, comedy, the hitherto unknown proposed sequels, and writer Cornell Woolrich; plus interviews with the following: Monty Montgomery (who went on to produce films with David Lynch and who also had an acting role as The Cowboy in Mulholland Drive), Ed Lachman (the cinematographer, who has also worked with directors Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders, and most recently with Todd Haynes), Stefan Czapsky (the gaffer, who since went on to work with Tim Burton, among others, as a cinematographer), Fred Caruso (the line producer who has also worked with Sergio Leone and David Lynch), Deborah Harry (lead singer of Blondie), Chris Stein (guitarist with Blondie who scored the film), Everett McGill (actor who went on to have a role in Twin Peaks and other Lynch films), Irina Maleeva (actor whose career started with Federico Fellini), and Sam McMurray (an actor now known for his US TV work).

 

For those who have seen the film, I feel this in-depth movie monograph will provide many surprising insights and fresh information. For those who have yet to watch the film, I hope my book will encourage them to seek it out. As a precursor of neo-noir and with several of the crew latterly working with David Lynch, it inhabits a pivotal role in cinematic history and remains – for me, certainly – an essential watch.

Union City can be pre-ordered direct from the publisher here.