Village Day - The Movie & Interview with our own reporter
Over the decades there have been a number of Prisoner based amateur film productions; By Public Demand - A Little Knowledge - Village of the Damned - The Penny Farthing Mystery - Paddy In Wonderland - Prisoner Bear series. But the most ambitious film of this genre is Village day, produced in 1998, produced, directed and starring David A. Stimpson, with whom our own reporter caught up with recently.
113: “This might seem a stupid question, but what was the inspiration behind Village Day?”
David: “The Prisoner.”
113: “Just that, the Prisoner?”
David: “And the fact that I am a look-a-like for Patrick McGoohan, and having made the role of No.6 my own in Prisoner based re-enactments, this and the desire to produce a film.”
113: “You were Producer, director and star. How did this come about?”
David: “Quite unintentionally as a matter of fact. When the idea of making a Prisoner based film was put to me back in 1996, the idea was that I would play the role of No.6. I would then be given a copy of the script, learn my words, get into the character of No.6, something which I find extremely easy to do, and act the part in the film. However soon into the project the person with the original idea dropped out of the project, thus leaving me holding the baby so to speak.”
113: “So how did the film project progress from that point?”
David: “Well the intention was to make the film via a committee, which I knew would not work.”
113: Why not?”
David: “Well as producer using a committee meant that my hands were tied. There was not one decision I could make without first taking it up with the other nine members of the committee.”
113: “So what did you do?”
David: “I dissolved the committee!”
113: “And how did that go down with the committee members?”
David: “Fine, with one exception person. But at least it meant I could get down to work on pre-production of the film. Getting the people I needed, those who could act, others who could work behind the camera, and those who could make props and sets for the film. And of course a script was needed.”
113: “How did you arrive at the script for Village Day?”
David: “It was put to the people who were to work on the film, that anyone who would like to write a short synopsis could then submit their idea. Each synopsis would then go before a chosen number of people who would read each work and then vote upon each synopsis in turn. It just so happened that Village Day received the most votes.”
113: “Who wrote the screenplay for the film?”
David: “Stephen Mason. He came up with the screenplay from a short story written by Tony Elliott. Stephen Mason was also going to be the director of the film, as he had the experience having seen one of his film productions.”
113: “But he wasn't.”
David: “No it didn't work out the way I had desired, the director having been given the elbow so to speak So then I promoted the assistant director to director, another guy with experience in film directing.”
113: “And that apparently didn't work out either!”
David: “No. With the assistant director everything was fine, the script, the entire cast who he though could act very well. But then as soon as he was made director everything was wrong, the script which he was going to rewrite himself whether I like it or not. None of the cast could act, and we needed to use a professional film crew to make the film.”
113: “And you couldn't agree to any of this?”
David: “Well I read his rewriting of the script, as did others, and it was awful, he had totally ruined it. He upset everyone by saying they could not act, and I hadn't the funds to pay for a professional film crew. We also had a long shoot to complete at Portmeirion, over the weekend of a prisoner convention. Our director at the time said that we could complete the Portmeirion shoot over a day and a half, that he would provide the cameras. Well I knew this wouldn't work at all.”
113: “So what did you do?”
David: “The director wrote in a letter to me that if I didn't go with his plans he would resign. So I wrote back to him accepting his offer of resignation!”
113: “And how long did the Portmeirion shoot last?”
David: “Seven days, and we were lucky to complete the shoot on time. Over the Prisoner convention weekend which we filmed around on the Saturday, and Sunday it rained all day none stop, so we were reduced to filming interior shots in one of the cottages there.”
113: “So if you had gone along with the director the Portmeirion shoot would have been a complete disaster?”
David: “Absolutely. He was leaving Portmeirion on the Sunday afternoon and would have taken the cameras with him, leaving the project high and dry and me in the proverbial!”
113: “And duly appointed yourself as director. Was there no one else who could direct the film?”
David: No one with any experience. And by this time I was **++?! off with certain people who were doing nothing but letting me down, and so I wasn't prepared to be messed about with any more.”
113: “So you were hands on?”
David: “Totally hands on. Everything connected with the film came through me. But it wasn't all bad, there were certain people who I could give a task to and then leave them to it after I instructed them in what I wanted. Like the construction of the interior of the Green Dome. This was a tremendous achievement.”
113: “Why?”
David: “Well no other ‘Prisoner’ based film since the original ‘Prisoner’ series had had a full sized set built of the interior of the Green Dome, complete with working double doors, which it took 6 people to operate!”
113: “How was ‘Village Day’ funded?”
David: “Through my own money and that donated by members of Six of One: the Prisoner Appreciation Society, people were most generous. As well as by a good deal of good will from all sides. I was working with a shoestring budget.”
113: “Can you say something of the problems you encountered with the films production?”
David: “Well during pre-production problems were ten a penny. No sooner was one problem solved, then another was not slow in replacing it! One person even had the idea of controlling the film through me!”
113: “How?”
David: “By putting an amount of money of her own into the film project, but wanted to see the development of the script, to know how many women would be in front of the camera, and behind it. It would have to remain a secret the fact that she was putting in her own money, and secret meetings would have to take place between this person and myself and on neutral ground to discuss how the film was taking shape!”
113: “What did you do?”
David: “I told the person the keep the money!”
113: “And what was the question of women working on the film all about?”
David: “Well not only had I the ordinary everyday problems to cope with, but the feminists reared their head, wanting to know if there was going to be a female No.2 and if not why not?”
113: “And was there?”
David: “Obviously you haven't seen the film? There are two No.2's in the film, one male, one female, and that's nothing to do with the feminists!”
113: “And any particular production problems?”
David: “There are many I could mention, one was when we had to crash a Caterham Super Seven. This was to take place along a lonely country lane near Bracknell in Berkshire-England. I had been assured that no one, but no one hardly ever used this country lane. Well once we started to film the world and his wife came driving along this country lane. Then when we had finally managed to stage the car crash with the Caterham Super Seven a white van driver came along, stopped and asked if we needed help, an ambulance perhaps? Which was absolutely brilliant, because it showed just how realistic the crash looked.”
113: “And that was a satisfying moment for you all?”
David: “Absolutely satisfying, a brilliant moment, just like it was with the completion of the construction of the interior of the Green Dome. That took a good deal of hard work, and I could not have been more pleased with the result. Just as I was when we filmed at a golf course location, where we cut shots of undergrowth etc with that of the woodland at Portmeirion. Thing was no one noticed that some of the undergrowth and woodland was not that at Portmeirion!”
Continued next time
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