ALL EYES ON YOU, 23min., UK
Directed by Ted Clarke
Paranoid couple Adam and Claire move to the peaceful countryside for a fresh start, but quickly become unsettled by a series of sinister interactions with their new neighbours, putting their trust - and relationship - to the test…

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I started out with a determination to make something longer than my previous shorts, wanting room for more plot and character development. But by the time I'd finished a draft and got excited about where the story was going, the runtime was an afterthought and I became much more focused on making this specific project work.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

I wrote my first draft in July of 2024, and started casting in the winter of that year; we shot the whole film in four days during April this year and after spending some months doing post it was finished in July, so it was a year-long process roughly.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Nosy neighbors.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

There was never any one great curveball that threatened the project, however as I began the pre-production I was also starting the final year of my university degree, which took up lots of my time and made it difficult to prioritise the film when I had essays or other projects due in. I managed to schedule production during my Easter break which was very convenient, but the editing process was pretty much simultaneous with my final hand-ins for the degree - on the day of the final deadline, I was staying at my DOP's house in London to complete the color grading.

5. There are 5 Stages of Filmmaking: 1) Development. 2) Pre-Production. 3) Production. 4) Post-Production. 5) Distribution.

What is your favorite stage of the process and why?

I think the production itself is the most exciting part of the process, being such a rewarding experience for the time spent preparing and getting to see everything come together (fingers crossed), and although it can be stressful, it's very thrilling. Also, having those moments where the whole cast and crew are gathered in one place all working together is pretty special, and that feeling can't be replicated by table reads or editing booths.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I have always been keen on storytelling, and as a kid my biggest ambition was to be an author, but that was from a perspective where I hadn't even considered filmmaking as an avenue you could go down. So I think deciding to make films came from a natural progression of wanting to tell stories in the most exciting ways possible, from playing with action figures to filming YouTube videos in my garden. I didn't truly consider it as a career aspiration until I was probably 14 or 15.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Probably A New Hope. I think there wasn't a week that went by in my childhood that I didn't watch at least one Star Wars film. One film that I've probably watched as consistently as an adult as I did as a child is Spirited Away, I feel like it can be watched from those two totally different perspectives and enjoyed the same amount - just universally incredible.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I think that the most important part of the festival experience is being able to interact with viewers and hear people's thoughts on your work - receiving awards or selections is great, but the rewarding part of the festival circuit should be sharing your films with as many audiences as possible. So festivals that screen films but without any communication or invitation extended to the filmmakers are quite disappointing. As a filmmaker I want to be a part of my film's success or failures so that I can reap its rewards, or learn how to improve. Being excluded from either is unsatisfying. However I'm happy to report this is far from the case with Thriller/Suspense - one of the most communicative and supportive festivals I have experienced!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

FilmFreeway is a very helpful tool for the whole process, it is incredibly easy to seek out the kind of festivals you're interested in and to research them before submissions. I also like the way they promote films towards festivals too - being approached by festival curators and receiving offers of discount codes etc is very convenient.

10. What is your favorite meal?

A great pizza is hard to top for me.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I'm currently studying a Master's degree in Film Production, so throughout I expect to direct at least two/three more shorts, as part of the course as well as independently. Once I'm finished, I plan to start developing a feature!