About the film
Jockey follows a couple who get into their car after a party in the early hours of the morning and start to argue. What starts as a seemingly harmless spat soon reveals deep insecurities on the part of the nameless man, who can't seem to get a handle on the situation, or even drive away. When a mysterious second man slips into the backseat, reality itself is called into question, and notions of identity, gender, and love are turned on their head.
This film was born out of feelings of frustration and uncertainty. The idea of writing a comedy of errors set within one parked car had been knocking around in my head for a long time, but I always felt I lacked the talent to bring it to life - until, one day, I just sat down and wrote it. The resulting script was far angrier, gnarlier, and stranger than I could have predicted, and I knew I couldn't let it sit there. It had to be made, and quickly.
Luckily, I had some help. Talented friends and filmmakers gave me advice, trimmed the fat on the script, came on board to get it going. Jockey continued to develop based on the advice and inspiration provided by others, without ever compromising that vital anger at the heart of the script.
I wanted to write something that would foreground some of the insecurities that both myself and many men face, the ones that materialise in bitterness and weakness, and use these as a framework for directing a film that doesn't go anywhere, staying firmly in one place for no reason at all.
This is the first in a series of films that will focus specifically on the male experience as I have come to understand it. In Jockey, I focus specifically on emasculation and jealousy, though I hope not too seriously, as a lot of the ways in which these manifest are often quite funny.
Contributing to this project will directly fund a passion project that has, in its way, been years in the making. It'll allow me to prove to myself that I can do it and it will provide me with the assurance that what I'm doing is original, and worthwhile, and good, which will mean more to me than just about anything. It will give a platform to the work of an extraordinarily talented cast and crew, who have an opportunity to work with a unique space and really flaunt their abilities, push themselves to become better at what they do. It will mean the world to all of us.
Who We Are
This is me! I'm a 26 year old London-based poet and filmmaker. I studied film at King's College London and have written on film for various publications across the years. My debut poetry collection, Heron, will be out in the next week.
Jussi Ojansivu is a Finnish actor based in London who graduated from his East 15 BA Acting International course in 2020. Lately he has performed various roles in short films as well as video games, including The Security in “The Secret Ingredient”, the leading role Rasmus in “Birds” and motion-capture for multiple roles in an upcoming indie game, “Aris Arcanum''. He will be playing the lead in Jockey.
Charlie Mitchell is a writer and actress from Edinburgh, and is both the producer and the lead actress for Jockey. She has experience with both film and stage productions, and is an exceptional dilettante.
Ralph Prosser is an actor based in London. After graduating from RADA in 2018 Ralph has worked with directors Ari Folman and Andreas Prochaska, and will be playing the part of Man #2 in Jockey.
Olivia McDermott is an actress, singer, dancer & writer with more than 12 years of performance experience. She will be playing the part of Sasha in the film.
The Rest of the Crew:
Jack Ruthenberg - Director of Photography
Gabrielle Silvestre - 1st AD
Kit Ramsay - Script supervisor
Jeff Yeung- Gaffer
Barnaby Omar - Camera operator
Tom Boutwood - Sound operator
What We Need
Here's a handy visual breakdown of where your money will go.
For further information:
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Edit: This encompasses editing and sound mixing, which could range between £1200-1600. This is still a rough estimate based on costs for other short films of this scale.
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Kit: For Jockey, most of this will be going on the lighting setup. As it stands, we are building a black box around the car so we can create a controlled lighting environment for shooting in the daytime and emulating night time. Additional costs here include some elements of costume (i.e a wedding dress), and seats, tables etc for the crew.
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Sound: Refers to equipment hire for the sound operator, which will include a boom and lav mics.
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Transport/catering: Self-explanatory. We will be purchasing large kegs for storing hot food and drinks.
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Music: This is also a rough estimate. I've contacted various artists/those who own the rights to their songs about using specific songs in the film, but this estimate is for the alternative solution: that is, paying a friend's band to create an original song for the final scene of the film. Early days on this one!
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Additional costs: For all the stuff we don't know yet. Location could end up being far more than this, or we could get it entirely for free. We have a free backup option but we're still scouting for something closer to what we want, and this would make up the entirety of this 11% or more.
DV-mania
Jockey will be shot on the Canon XL1, a mini-DV camera, in primarily tight and static close-ups. The reasons for this are partially outlined in the introduction video (which was made prior to acquiring this camera, when I thought we'd be hiring a Sony PD150 instead) but handling this camera over the last few weeks and other mini DVs has really shaped the feel of the film, even in these early stages. The loss of quality, the flattened colours, and the somewhat eerie approximation that these images have to both film and digital will not only accentuate the amateurish nature of this production, but hopefully amplify the uncertainty and darkness within the frame.
Personally, I have little interest in using high-end cameras in these early stages of my career. There is something more personal and immediate about something that you just pick up and shoot with, and something more honest, too. I don't want to pick up every detail, I want to lose them and let the audience imagine them there. I'm confident that with these cameras we can give this film a distinctive look and feel that will make it feel different to so many other first-time productions.
Other ways you can help
Money's tight for everyone. It's a cost of living crisis! Why are we making this! But you can help. Share this with someone who might be interested, who you think the story might connect with. Promote it on your socials and tell the cool kids about it.