“A Special Relationship”, a film made by members of Hayward’s Heath Movie Makers, was shown at our last Zoom meeting, but it seemed to have a rather mixed reception from our members. I personally thought it was extremely well made. Top among its attributes were the acting, the photography, the lighting and the sound...virtually everything you’d expect from a well-made film.
The three actors not only knew their lines, but their facial expressions, especially those of the two young women, reflected and matched instantly, their incredulity, surprise and sympathy - the whole spectrum of emotions being acted out as the story unfolded. Photographically speaking, carefully chosen camera angles, close-ups and focussing etc, were used with what seemed like natural ease, but very few amateurs who purport to know a bit about film making are actually knowledgeable in the art. The guys who made THIS film definitely had that special skill. Re the lighting in the film, it was excellent. Even in the car interior shot towards the end, take a look again at how carefully controlled it was. Sound in the film. I don’t think there was a single fault. Another point - the film’s story had been scripted by Christine Mc Cherry of the Lancashire Author’s Association.
As we are all aware, the script is everything. Remember “The Day of Reckoning” by Terry? Remember “Signed and Sealed” and “Flashback” by Roy McLeod and “Time’s Up” by Angie? “The Inventor”, too, which six members co-wrote, had a good story and good actors. But at the moment we seem to have lost the plot slightly, relying more on quick one-line stories.....let’s get back to some meaningful scripts. For inspiration, try reading Roald Dahl and Jeffrey Archer short stories. (Whether or not you’re a fan of either of their personalities), they are top notch writers of the ‘twist-in-the-tale’ genre. Now, back to “A Special Relationship”, try watching it again and see if your opinion alters. I believe it’s a very well-made example of a club production.
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