Filming wraps on Falmouth lecturer’s new folk horror film, crewed by students and staff
17 August 2023
Photo credit: Jake Cunliffe, Television BA(Hons) graduate
Photo credit: Jake Cunliffe, Television BA(Hons) graduate
Photo credit: Jake Cunliffe, Television BA(Hons) graduate
Photo credit: Jake Cunliffe, Television BA(Hons) graduate
Photo credit: Jake Cunliffe, Television BA(Hons) graduate
Images above by Jake Cunliffe, Television BA(Hons) graduate
Falmouth University’s emerging filmmakers have enjoyed the chance to develop their technical and production skills on new feature film, The Severed Sun.
Students and staff from the School of Film & Television have collaborated this summer on an indie British folk horror from writer/director and Falmouth lecturer Dean Puckett, crewing a variety of significant roles across the production, camera, sound, edit, locations and art departments.
With a cast led by rising star Emma Appleton (The Witcher, Everything I Know About Love), The Severed Sun centres around a mysterious death and the ensuing witch hunt, which threatens to tear apart an isolated religious community.
Through the Sound/Image Cinema Lab, current students on Film BA(Hons), Television BA(Hons), Post Production & Visual Effects BA(Hons) and Costume Design for Film & Television BA(Hons), as well as students from Film & Television MA and Prosthetic Effects MA, came together with professional heads of department and Falmouth graduates for the shoot on Cornwall’s Bodmin Moor.
“It was a wonderful experience to be part of a crew that worked so well together,” said second-year Film student Justine Robertson. “It was not only an invaluable opportunity to see professionals at work but also to feel included and valued in the contribution I made, which in turn has led to further opportunities.”
The team worked under the supervision of Dean and the Lab’s production lead Dr Laura Canning (course leader for Film BA(Hons)), who also served as second unit director with a student crew. As Dean points out “What the students lacked in experience they more than made up for with enthusiasm and fresh ideas. It was very satisfying to watch them grow into their roles by the end of the shoot.”
The Severed Sun was produced by Rebecca Wolff of Grasp the Nettle Films, along with Jude Goldrei of Lunar Lander Films, and developed as part of the BFI, BBC Films and Creative UK’s iFeatures programme.
“Working with the Falmouth University Sound/Image Cinema Lab gave us brilliant production support, during prep and filming,” said Rebecca. “Everyone commented on what a wonderful atmosphere there was on set and how well everything was organised. We could not have done this without the Falmouth students.”
The dramatic and distinct Cornish landscape also served as a backdrop for folk horror Enys Men, directed by Falmouth University’s Distinguished Professor of Film Practice Mark Jenkin and produced through the Sound/Image Cinema Lab for UK release earlier this year.
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