James Arden is a recent English graduate of the University of York whose short film, Scarecrow, just featured at the Aesthetica Film Festival. On top of that, it was also picked for the newly constructed No Gloss Film Festival in Leeds. We caught up with him to find out a bit more about his film, his time at Aesthetica and what it is which has made him so interested in film.
So, James – I apologise but this interview has got to start with a generic but important question: what originally got you into film-making?
This is probably a very boring answer, but watching films. Leaving the film school debate to one side, the best film-making education you can give yourself is watching as many as possible. When I was 17 I briefly worked in the props department at Pinewood Studios and that was my first proper production experience. After that I was hungry for it and worked on a few productions at the National Film and Television School. During my gap year, a friend and I made a number of ridiculous comedy sketch videos on a camcorder – it was silly stuff, but still great filming and editing experience. I went to university determined to teach myself more about independent film-making and improve as a writer, director and editor.
How long have you known you want to make films?
Since I was about 16 I’ve known I want to tell stories on the screen and make a living from it. I think for the vast majority of people it’s a long road to get to that point, but I’m enjoying it (so far) and slowly building confidence and experience along the way.
Who are your favourite directors and who do you draw the most inspiration from?
Among the many, many directors I admire, I have to pick out David Lynch, Lars von Trier and Werner Herzog. They’ve all made such different, distinctive films, yet retained auteur status. They tell their stories their way. I also love Wes Anderson, partly because everyone tries to be him but they never come close. For me, the most inspirational contemporary British directors are Steve McQueen and Ben Wheatley – they both make incredible, original films.
You did English at York, were you able to incorporate much film-making into that course?
Scarecrow was actually my ‘original work’ submission in my final year – an optional element open to those who want to show what else they can do. I got a small amount of funding through the English department. I also studied films critically when and where I could within each module.
What extra-curricular film-making opportunities did you find there were at York?
2009-2012 was a really interesting time for film-making at York. The TFTV department was brand new with all this amazing equipment, but they weren’t very keen to open up to students not on their courses. I think that attitude has started to change now, but it was very frustrating at the time. When I joined UYFS (Film-making Society) not much was happening. It was up to the more enthusiastic members to create our own opportunities. I worked as Video Editor at The
Yorker for a year; filming student marches, interviews, events etc. I also did several trailers for productions at the Drama Barn. It was all really helpful experience. I became Vice Chair of UYFS in my second year, working with Tom Martin (Chair). I think we gave the society a boost and encouraged students to make more films, no matter how small. We were lucky to have a lovely committee, many of whom are still involved. I also looked off campus, getting to know people in the York Filmmakers Coalition, getting involved with production companies such as Parashoots, and founding my own music video project ‘York Acoustic.’ I never joined YSTV – I’ll forever regret that I didn’t work on Checkmate.
Moving on to the festival – what was your personal highlight of Aesthetica?
Chris Thomas from Raindance gave an absolutely fantastic talk for aspiring filmmakers – a lot of useful information, a lot of common sense. It was great to chat with people at ‘Meet the Filmmakers’ and hear more about their work. Also, hearing two people talk about my film was fantastic. One loved it, one hated it – I hope it stuck in their minds either way!
What were your top 5 films at Aesthetica?
Red, Cockatoo, Rhinos, Hollow, Glick’s Last Tour. Tumbleweed was another comedy highlight.
Tell us a bit about your film at Aesthetica – Scarecrow.
My film is about a lonely farmer who is haunted by a scarecrow on his barren land. In its own simple ways it explores decay, isolation, madness and a farmer’s connection to his land.
Where did you get the idea from?
The original idea came to me after hearing the chorus to Beck’s song, ‘Scarecrow’. The line is “The scarecrow’s only scarin’ himself” and this is quoted as the start of the film. I became interested in what scarecrows can be said to represent, and more importantly the relationship between a farmer and this figure he has built. These concerns influenced much of the imagery; they both wear the same clothes, for example. I also researched why the modern European representation of the scarecrow provokes horror and fear. All in all, it’s very pretentious.
How did you film and, more importantly, fund it?
We worked with a super-low budget, partly funded through the English Department at York. The rest came through Indiegogo (crowd funding is the future; I’m using Kickstarter for my next project). We shot the film over two days. My
friend James Moss, who’s studying drama at Portsmouth, agreed to play the role of the farmer. I destroyed my parents’ bedroom for the interior scenes, literally stuffing their clothes drawers with hay and bringing in farm equipment. The exterior shots are on my friend’s farm in Windlesham. I then edited the film over two days. It was a very fast process.
And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring film-makers at York who may not know where to start?
If your friends are in TFTV, ask to get involved with their shoots. Join societies and get comfortable with cameras or editing software or script software depending on what you want to do. Seek out experience, it all adds up no matter how small. Be realistic with your film ideas: come up with stories that can be told with the resources you already have. Perhaps most importantly, set goals. I went to the first Aesthetica Short Film Festival at the start of my third year and told myself I wanted to enter a film the following year. Follow your dreams as much as you can while you’re at York – there’s no place quite like it.
And there you have it – if you are interested in getting involved in film at University there are plenty of ways to do so. I really recommend checking out the trailer for Scarecrow, as well of some of James’ other work which you can find on his website and Facebook page. Also, make sure to follow him on Twitter to keep up to date with future projects, which we have no doubt will be great.
Twitter: @jnarden
Website: www.jamesarden.co.uk
Scarecrow Facebook: www.facebook.com/ScarecrowUK
Want more coverage of Aesthetica Film Festival? Check out the links below:
Our Top 5 films at Aesthetica Film Festival
Our blog from Days 3 & 4
Our blog from Day 2
Our blog from Day 1