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Your new movie Sunray:
Fallen Solder - in a few words, what's it about? On
its surface, Sunray:
Fallen Solder is a revenge story. We follow a
military veteran, Andy, struggling to find his way in the civilian world,
estranged from his wife and daughter. When his daughter has a fatal
encounter with drugs, Andy goes on a mission to hunt down that he deems
responsible for her death, with the help of some old friends from the
military. However, there is a deeper story at play. Amongst the
larger-than-life action, there lies a story about morality, and survivor's
guilt. Along the journey, Andy learns far more about himself than he had expected. What
were your sources of inspiration when writing Sunray:
Fallen Solder? It’s hard to put a finger on the inspiration for the film. We’re big fans of
the colourful lighting styles of films like John Wick, which inspired some
of the scenes in the film. We’ve heard the film be compared to a British
version of Taken, which we hadn’t really thought about at the time,
which we’re not upset about. It’s a great film! You've written Sunray:
Fallen Solder together with James Clarke and Sam Seeley - so what can you
tell us about them, and about the writing process?
Writing collaboratively was a really eye-opening process. Thankfully we were very
much on the same page for the direction of the film, and have similar
tastes in many areas. But it was a fun process being able to bounce ideas
off each other! A couple of rules we followed during writing was that no idea is too stupid
to bring to the table, and that no criticism is too harsh. Ego had to be
left at the door, and everything had to serve the story and the film
first. This worked incredibly well for us, but I think it helped with our
military backgrounds that we all spoke a similar sort of language.
Do talk about Sunray:
Fallen Solder's approach to the thriller genre!
We are huge thriller fans, and we wanted to make sure there was an element of
suspense and tension throughout the film. Some of that is the
cat-and-mouse chase between the protagonist and his target, but also as we
raise the stakes throughout the film as things get more dangerous for both
Echo Team and Cassius. We experimented with using camera placement, lighting and shot length or
editing to create a sense of unease and tension in some scenes, which was
really exciting for us as filmmakers. You
of course also have to talk about the stunt work in Sunray:
Fallen Solder, and how was it conceived?
We were lucky enough to have Adam Collins onboard as our stunt coordinator.
Adam is another former Royal Marine Commando, and has extensive stunt
experience in some big films. We only had a few stunt scenes, but he
helped to take them to the next level! The
approach to stunts in the film was to keep them grounded, without flashy
moves or over-the-top Hollywood action. We wanted people to get hurt and
tired, and for the fights to reflect the intensity and chaos of a real fight.
A few words about your directorial approach to your story at hand?
Our directorial approach was very collaborative. Not just amongst the
directing team, but with the rest of the cast and crew. We would soak up
ideas and comments from everyone on set. But of course, in the end there
has to be a decision made, and that’s when we’d step in and make the
call. Personally, I like to give the actors space, allow them to experiment and find their
characters. If we start drifting off, I’ll steer them back on course, if
they’re going in an interesting direction, I’ll encourage digging
deeper. All actors are different, and it helps to learn how they approach
their craft and learn to work with them. Do
talk about your collaboration with your co-director James Clarke while shooting Sunray:
Fallen Solder for a bit! It’s
hard to believe Sunray:
Fallen Solder was the first film that James and I worked on
together! Since we finished filming, we have gone on to work together on a
number of smaller projects. The experience of Sunray:
Fallen Solder has helped us both to
learn and grow rapidly. James is an incredibly talented director/DP who has
a real artistic eye for composition and light. We have similar creative
taste, so working together flows well.
What can you tell us about Sunray:
Fallen Solder's key cast, and why exactly these people?
Echo Team, which is our protagonist Andy and his three teammates in the film,
are all played by former Royal Marines Commandos. This was a decision made
early on in pre-production. We wanted to find talented actors who also had
military experience to help us to portray the action scenes well, but that
also personally understood the core ethos of the film.
One thing we learned through Sunray:
Fallen Solder is how many talented and creative people
there are in the Armed Forces. From the outside it seems very regimented,
with everyone just being told what to do, but when you come into an
environment like this you realise that’s not true at all.
A few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The
atmosphere on-set was electric. The cast and crew we had were amazing and
we all had a lot of fun making this film. Low budget films can be
notorious for long hours and hard graft, and don’t get me wrong, there
was plenty of that going around! But the morale on-set was incredible. I
think everyone knew we were making something special, and really got
behind the film. It was such an amazing feeling to be a part of that team.
Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of Sunray:
Fallen Solder? We’ve
been overwhelmed by the audience response to the film! With many enjoying
the action but we’ve also heard positive responses to the subject
matter, and the fact that the film addresses themes not often talked
about. We’ve had our critics too, but we remain proud of what we, and
the whole team involved, had created on such a small budget. Any future projects you'd like to
share? We’re currently writing our next feature film. We can’t share much right now
as it’s still early in development, but we look forward to bringing the
lessons we’ve learned through Sunray:
Fallen Solder into whatever comes
next! What got you into filmmaking in the first place? I’ve
always loved film, I loved watching films at home with my family, and
since I was young, I would always have a camera in my hand. When I joined
the military, I soon found myself making troop videos or taking photos of
my time on exercise and operations. Documenting the experiences of that
time of my life helped me to realise how you can find the most incredible
stories in the unlikeliest places. What
can you tell us about your filmwork prior to Sunray:
Fallen Solder?
Prior to Sunray:
Fallen Solder I have worked on many shorter films, primarily
commercial work and films for the military and defence sector
organisations. I’ve learned a lot about filmmaking doing this, but I
always felt that it didn’t scratch the creative itch in the same way.
Since creating Sunray:
Fallen Solder, I’ve been lucky enough to work on a few smaller,
more story-driven projects and it’s something I really enjoy doing. How would you describe yourself
as a director? I would say my approach is quite relaxed, but I like to visualise and see
the scene in my head before we shoot. Things always change on set, and
it’s important to have the flexibility to adapt to what’s in front of
you, or the performances your actors give you. It might not always be what
you envisioned perfectly, but that’s where the magic usually lives, so
you need to make room for it! Filmmakers who inspire you? I
am a huge fan of Denis Villeneuve and David Fincher as directors. For
cinematography I look to Roger Deakins and Greig Fraser. Their work has
been a huge inspiration for me as a filmmaker! Your
favourite movies? I would have to say, in no particular order, Arrival, Sicario, Children of
Men, Saving Private Ryan and Se7en. I love a lot of movies and genres, but
these are all films that really stayed with me. ... and of course, films you really deplore?
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To successfully bring any film to the screen is an incredible achievement. But films that just haven’t clicked with me include Dr Seuss films such
as The Cat in the Hat, they freak me out a little. Controversially, I
didn’t get on with La La Land, despite being a big fan of the director
and cast. I guess it just wasn’t for me!
Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?
www.sunrayfilm.com
@sunray.film on Instagram. Anything else you're dying to mention and
I have merely forgotten to ask? Our
film dishes out the action, but there are some deeper, darker themes that
form the bedrock of the film. We wanted people to be entertained by Sunray:
Fallen Solder, but we also wanted to highlight some very real
struggles that often go unnoticed. But beyond what is shown in the film,
we learned how creativity, and working as a team towards a greater goal,
is an incredible form of therapy in itself. Being a part of that and
seeing people explore and bring to life their own struggles in a safe
environment, all while crafting a film, was an experience I’ll cherish
forever. Thanks for the interview!
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