Film-makers from Bridport have shot a film at locations across west Dorset.
The Third Life is a romantic drama set in January 1916, during the First World War, which examines the relationship between a female landowner and a farmer from the perspective of her 12-year-old son.
It also explores whether or not love can be found between different classes at a time when the landscape of England is changing due to the war.
George Earwicker, the film's writer and director, said: "It is about whether the big romantic ideal can live in the real world which is dominated by economic and class structures and if it is possible to love within those.
"You have the twilight of land owning aristocracy and the growth of capitalist – or merchant classes really becoming the powerbrokers in England."
The film is produced by a like-minded group of creatives The Sandbagos, that are driven to stamp their mark on the movie industry.
George is joined by his university friends Jacob Mellers, one of the movie's actors, and Lewis Lenk, who scored the film, along with his sister Hetty Earwicker as assistant director, production designer Frances Robson and photography from Elliot Millson – whilst Rosie Frascona and Alfie Rose play the mother and son portrayed in the film.
Currently the group is promoting the production, which premiered at Bridport Arts Centre in September.
“We are trying to build up a bit of momentum. It’s selling well, which is a nice surprise,” says George. “We want to really push it we are very happy with how it has done so far.”
George has been in love with film-making since his days of growing up in Chideock and recounted the moment he was first struck by the power of movie making.
“I got into film making when I was quite young. I saw Jaws when I was 9 and it made me interested with what you could do with a camera,” he explained.
“It had a big effect on me, and I started making movies with my sister and friends.”
Now 24, George returned from studying filmmaking at university in Falmouth, where The Sandbagos were formed, and was inspired by the landscape of west Dorset to create The Third Life.
“I came back to visit my parents in late winter. It makes you think when you get away from something, it gives you a perspective and you see the beauty of the landscape and how it made me feel - that is why I chose Dorset,” he says.
“I wanted to capture the beauty of the landscape – the chilly atmosphere – that is why I chose it – the film could not exist outside of Dorset."
The most recent screening of The Sandbagos' romantic drama was at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester on January 18, but George sees this as the beginning of the journey he had his friends are embarking on.
The current film is only 40 minutes long as they were constrained to a budget and a larger production is already in the works.
George added: “We are in pre-production for the full movie.
“We all really love this story – it snuck up on us really and loved what we made – we need to come back and do the full version to see this through and get everything out of it we can.
“It’s a real passion of ours, making movies is my life, I want to do it the way we want. We love making movies and that’s why we do it – we haven’t made money out if this yet.”
Together they are forging a path of their own path into what is a traditionally tough industry to break into, but George believes that this is the best route for them to take.
“Right now, we want to do our own thing,” he explains. “Even if you had experience – it’s a hard industry to break into.
“If we are going to try and break into it, then let’s make our own movies, if it gets us somewhere it gets use somewhere.”
The next step for the Bridport-based production crew is to raise money for their full-scale production - whilst continuing to promote the current version and gain traction.
A Kickstarter fundraiser was used to generate the £3,000 needed for the short version of The Third Life, however, a longer movie will cost between £100,000 and £200,000 – although George is confident they can secure the funding.
George continued: “Screenings work as a great way to help people getting to know us.
“It’s early days but we are in contact with a few people who have expressed an interest and have the money we need, but you are fumbling around on the dark a lot – it’s difficult but we are really focused on this at moment.”
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