I’m Cold
A short film
by Alex Thorn
A short film
by Alex Thorn
"When a confused, frightened girl is discovered hiding out in a barn during an infection outbreak, a policeman must discover if she is a danger or just a kid in need of help."
The idea for I’m Cold first came about when Alex Thorn, 20, was filming on a horror film near Birmingham called The Snarling back in February 2015. It was there that he met makeup artist, Amy Bayliss, whose makeup for the film he found really inspiring; so much so, an image popped into his head of a girl with some kind of infection that gave her frostbite-like injuries and left her feeling cold.
Alex says,“The makeup ended up being scaled back from those original ideas but it put me down the road of the character being cold as more of an emotional state than physically.” He continues, “I wrote the line ‘I’m cold, I’m so cold’ and there was something that emotionally engaged me with that film, drawing the parallels of her feelings and experiences with her symptoms of an infection which is what kick-starts the movie.”
Alex says,“The makeup ended up being scaled back from those original ideas but it put me down the road of the character being cold as more of an emotional state than physically.” He continues, “I wrote the line ‘I’m cold, I’m so cold’ and there was something that emotionally engaged me with that film, drawing the parallels of her feelings and experiences with her symptoms of an infection which is what kick-starts the movie.”
Alex, a former South East Essex College student and now studying Visual Effects at the University of Hertfordshire, invested a large chunk of his own money and ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise the last £350 needed for the film. The script went through over a dozen iterations and the preparations for filming went on for over 6 months.
He explains, “There is a huge amount of work that goes into even a simple short film like this as everything was precisely organised. Locations had to be sourced, equipment tested and hired, actors cast, shots and script planned and written and crew to be found. The crew came from all over the country, volunteering their time and effort over 3 extremely long days and nights of shooting. A hugely important member of the crew was Joe Kirby, my assistant Director, who did a huge amount and worked extremely hard to make this film happen.”
Alex has a lot of praise for his main actors Robin Berry and Mari Beaseley. He tells me, “Mari, being young, was fantastic to work with. She hadn’t been in a film before having done mostly theatre but she got the hang of it very quickly and we had a very easy relationship that allowed me to direct freely and draw out some fantastic performances, bouncing off the experience of Robin, who I have worked with on several productions before and am always hugely impressed with his performance.”
With a film like this that is so dialogue-heavy, and dependent on said dialogue, Alex admits that it is not always easy to pull off in terms of pacing and performance but, he says, reassuringly, “We had the time in the schedule to get it right, which is not always prioritised in low-budget productions as the budget causes you to race through the film without taking the time needed. On this film I knew that wouldn't be an option although there is still always limited time. I cannot stress enough how vital having the right actors is to the success of a film.”
“What I love about film-making and why I continue to make films, despite being a Visual Effects student at university, is that I love the collaboration; I love to work with new people. It’s always a learning curve to put trust in more and more people with each production I do but the more you do this, the more you realise how much artistic talent there is to work with!”
So, what would he say to anyone out there who wants to get into film-making?
“My biggest piece of advice to young film makers is to make as many films as you can and work with as many people as you can. Your network is vital to your success. You can be the best director in the world but without the right people around you, your films will not succeed. It takes a lot of time, investment and hard work to make even a 15-minute short like this.” He goes on to say, “I’ve learned a huge amount working on this production. It was a fantastic experience.”
It has been over a year since Alex wrote the first draft of I’m Cold and the film is just about to go to a final mix in the studio ready for the first screening on the 22nd of May in Rayleigh.
Alex confides, “The only people to have seen any of the film so far are myself and the few crew members involved with post production. I like to keep the film from being seen too much before it’s fully completed as any missing piece of the puzzle and the film will fall flat. I can’t wait for everyone to see it on the 22nd.”
Get your tickets, which are just £2.50 each, to see I'm Cold by clicking here
He explains, “There is a huge amount of work that goes into even a simple short film like this as everything was precisely organised. Locations had to be sourced, equipment tested and hired, actors cast, shots and script planned and written and crew to be found. The crew came from all over the country, volunteering their time and effort over 3 extremely long days and nights of shooting. A hugely important member of the crew was Joe Kirby, my assistant Director, who did a huge amount and worked extremely hard to make this film happen.”
Alex has a lot of praise for his main actors Robin Berry and Mari Beaseley. He tells me, “Mari, being young, was fantastic to work with. She hadn’t been in a film before having done mostly theatre but she got the hang of it very quickly and we had a very easy relationship that allowed me to direct freely and draw out some fantastic performances, bouncing off the experience of Robin, who I have worked with on several productions before and am always hugely impressed with his performance.”
With a film like this that is so dialogue-heavy, and dependent on said dialogue, Alex admits that it is not always easy to pull off in terms of pacing and performance but, he says, reassuringly, “We had the time in the schedule to get it right, which is not always prioritised in low-budget productions as the budget causes you to race through the film without taking the time needed. On this film I knew that wouldn't be an option although there is still always limited time. I cannot stress enough how vital having the right actors is to the success of a film.”
“What I love about film-making and why I continue to make films, despite being a Visual Effects student at university, is that I love the collaboration; I love to work with new people. It’s always a learning curve to put trust in more and more people with each production I do but the more you do this, the more you realise how much artistic talent there is to work with!”
So, what would he say to anyone out there who wants to get into film-making?
“My biggest piece of advice to young film makers is to make as many films as you can and work with as many people as you can. Your network is vital to your success. You can be the best director in the world but without the right people around you, your films will not succeed. It takes a lot of time, investment and hard work to make even a 15-minute short like this.” He goes on to say, “I’ve learned a huge amount working on this production. It was a fantastic experience.”
It has been over a year since Alex wrote the first draft of I’m Cold and the film is just about to go to a final mix in the studio ready for the first screening on the 22nd of May in Rayleigh.
Alex confides, “The only people to have seen any of the film so far are myself and the few crew members involved with post production. I like to keep the film from being seen too much before it’s fully completed as any missing piece of the puzzle and the film will fall flat. I can’t wait for everyone to see it on the 22nd.”
Get your tickets, which are just £2.50 each, to see I'm Cold by clicking here
Below: shots of the film being made
The screening for I’m Cold will take place on:
22nd of May 2016
Rayleigh, Essex
Rayleigh Megacentre
7pm start
Featuring performances by:
Hazy Days (band)
JADA (local acting school)
There will also be a brief talk about the making of the film and a performance of a song written during the writing of the film by the Director.
The film is 15 minutes long and will be screened with the Behind the Scenes video which is also 15 minutes.
Find the full amount of production stills at http://www.alexthorn.co.uk/blog/
And the kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2646929/im-cold-short-film
22nd of May 2016
Rayleigh, Essex
Rayleigh Megacentre
7pm start
Featuring performances by:
Hazy Days (band)
JADA (local acting school)
There will also be a brief talk about the making of the film and a performance of a song written during the writing of the film by the Director.
The film is 15 minutes long and will be screened with the Behind the Scenes video which is also 15 minutes.
Find the full amount of production stills at http://www.alexthorn.co.uk/blog/
And the kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2646929/im-cold-short-film