TRAINEE heart medic Alistair Harris is used to dealing with the workings of the human body.
But, in his first foray into filmmaking, the 20-year-old is looking at the workings of the mind.
With the help of the Hayling community where he lives, Alistair has made a 30-minute short film on a budget of just £30 and a lot of generosity from friends.
The film Mindreader is shot on location around the island with much of it filmed at the Station Theatre.
It tells the tale of a professional stage mindreader and his crumbling love life through a series of flashbacks while he is performing on stage.
Alistair said: ‘It all started because my father is a photographer and I was always fascinated with his photography equipment.
‘I had an idea for a short film and it just grew.
‘I contacted the local theatre and they put out an advertisement for us asking for more people. We ended up with a main character and all sorts of cast members. A great deal of people helped out.
‘I’ve always had an interest in magic too, I dabbled at school and college.
‘Mindreader is a story about debunking. It’s from reading a lot of Richard Dawkins and pseudo-science.
‘I learned the techniques that are used in mindreading and tried to convey this in the film.’
Alistair has had help from Tom Lincoln, who acted as a technician, sound and lighting engineer, Sophie Butler who wrote the soundtrack and Liam Holden. It stars Daren Cooper as Tom.
Asked if he could choose between his busy job as a trainee heart technician at Southampton General Hospital and his burgeoning film career he said it would be a tough choice.
‘I wouldn’t want to give up either,’ said Alistair.
‘If I focused on film full-time it would be a lot to give up for something that might not work out. But it’s not an impossible dream.
‘I’m really grateful to everyone who has helped out in Hayling.
‘I couldn’t have done it without all the support.’
The film will be premiered at The Station Theatre on December 22 at 7.30pm. Tickets are free and available from the box office on (023) 9246 6363 or hayling-dramatics.hampshire.org.uk.
Comments