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About two years ago, my mate and fellow filmmaker, Hakan Besim, whose name is scattered throughout the
diary entries of this website, informed me he was making a movie by the name of
'Providence Tape'. My memory is a bit rough, but it seemed like one minute he was
discussing the idea with me, and the next I was there on set with him.
I have always been a big fan of filmmakers who get out there and get on with it,
instead of bitching about lack of funds. When you are an unknown filmmaker you have
to go prove yourself. Hakan had made numerous short films before this, including
the movie 'Bad Combination' - one of the most impressive feats I have ever seen - where
he engineered an entire movie from concept to product within three days. But with
Providence Tape, Hak was finally attempting to show he could be taken very seriosuly
as a director/producer. I would say this movie was a turning point for Hak.
I was in the middle of shooting 'Zombie Diaries' when Hak began production on
the film. I managed to get down one weekend and lend a hand in any way I could.
I've never had any arrogance about the sorts of jobs I do on a film set. We are
like a brotherhood on set, and we work for each other to achieve the overall goal
of making a successful motion picture. Hak had me help out with camera on the day,
and it was quite a good shoot. Hak's sister, Remz, is a good producer and made
sure everything ran smoothly. I also get on very well with Mark Grinham, and had
worked with Sophia Ellis before, so it wasn't really that daunting.
At the time Hak showed me his script, which I thought was OK. Kevin Gates,
the other director of Zombie Diaries, also expressed some concerns over the script.
I think it kind of went in a lot of directions at once and lost focus. When the
running time came in at around half an hour, both Kevin and I wasted no time in
being very brutal with Hak about his film, and suggested changes. I am in no way
suggesting Kev and I are filmmaking geniuses, but as a good friend, if I am asked
for my opinion I will give it. The same goes for Kev. Hak had shown a steady improvement
with his movies up until this point and we wanted the trend to continue.
This is one of the few areas that sets Hakan apart from a lot of other individuals
I know in the film industry. Hak knows how to take criticism. You wouldn't believe
the number of other directors or actors I have known that have thrown their
toys out of the pram because I criticised some aspect of their art. Hak really
listened to what Kev and I had to say, and it was definitely reflected in the final
product. I think overall the editing and the music really brought the creation to life.
When Hakan premiered the film at his Halloween Horror Challenge, I told him it
was the best film he had ever made, but there was still one bit that needed work - I
didn't exactly express myself in the most elegant of ways after getting a bit drunk,
but Hak still understood it was genuine criticism and made another reworking of the film.
Recently he gave it to Giles Edwards of FrightFest who was very impressed. Now you
know the back story, allow me to talk about the actual film, without spoilers!
The movie's premise is as follows: a young couple, James (Grinham) and Tina (Ellis) move into their
new house. When looking through an old box they find in the attic, an old VHS
tape is discovered. When James watches the tape it shows video footage of the two of
them in bed. It seems as if someone has been taping them! But the strange thing about
all of this is that the conversations are ones that they have not yet had.
To make matters even more sinister, when he plays the tape to Tina, the footage is no
longer there. "Ah!" we think, "Maybe he is hallucinating?". But you can tell from the
way the shots are composed and the story unfolds that this is not a character drama about
what is real and not real. This tape is very much real, and seems to have a mind of its
own. I won't go any further, but let's just say this film is a lovely little halloween
treat.
The strongest points of this film, in my mind, is the sound by Mouse Studios (Don't let
the cuddly rodent name fool you - Larry and Ennis raise the dead). They
completely brought this film to life. Sophia Ellis' performance is also rather good,
and I can tell you now, a good performance comes from two things: good direction, and
good editing, and hak did both very well on this film.
My quibbles with this movie are that, as I said earlier, it does meander a bit with its
themes, not sure if it is about the breakdown of a relationship, or a prankster ghost that
even I would be envious of. Miranda Magee's character, a 'temptress' as Hakan described
her, isn't really developed at all but her character is sufficient to drive the story
along. I also felt Grinham's acting, while good, could have been better. But to be
fair the whole team did a pretty decent job for what was another low-budget,
shot-on-digital short film. It's a heck of a lot better than most of the bollocks that
wins (or gets shortlisted) at the Raindance Film festival, and also - unlike those
movies - neither Hak or his movie is up their own arse.
Hak's mantra is 'positivity all the way', and by taking it on the chin from me and
Gates, and generally wanting to improve (instead of expecting praise and throwing a strop
when he's criticised like others I could name), Hak has done what few wannabe filmmakers
rarely do - progressed,
and progressed well. In the word's of the Hakster: "You've done well, son". Visit the
The Providence tape website to
learn more.
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