Short Films

Oh Elephant!

Filmed on location in Kenya by Peter Frow and Caroline Spooner OH ELEPHANT! Tells the story of four orphan elephants, Dika. Ndume, Malaika and Edo. their parents being victims of poachers and the Ivory trade. The film was made for Elefriends a project of Zoo Check which would become the Born Free Foundation and narrated by it’s founder the award winning actress Dame Virginia McKenna.

We first meet the elephants at Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s DBE nursery in Nairobi National Park and join them at their early morning walk into the bush, then at the mudwallow where they learn to play again. We then travelled 12 hours by road to Tesco East National Park where orphans are introduced to Eleanor the matriarch who will eventually introduce the orphans to a wild herd who takes them under their wing and will return them back to the wild.

The film was sponsored with equipment from Ikegami, Sony, Vinten, Canon, Lee Filters PAG Lighting and Kenya Airways to whom the producers are eternally grateful for their support and to Cloud 9 Television where the film was edited.

OH ELEPHANT! Had a star studded charity premiere at the Odeon West End Leicester Square alongside the film Babar the Movie and to celebrate Dame Daphne Sheldrick’ receiving an DBE from the Queen. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures.

Oh Elephant! was rated U by the British Board of Film Classification.

According To Colin

Synopsis

Love, life and Scotch eggs! After his world collapsed around him, Kenneth takes refuge on a park bench and watches life pass him by whilst attempting to rationalize his own. Funny, moving and a whole life discovered in fifteen minutes. ACCORDING TO COLIN explores the workings of a troubled mind on any one day in three hundred and sixty five.

Director’s Statement

Even in the most affluent of counties in Great Britain, amongst the plush four bed houses in it’s ordered dormitory towns, between the affluence and comfort exists a safe haven for the dispossessed, the alcoholic, the lonely, the lovers, the lunatics and the losers This place of safety, this hallowed ground can be found on every street, shopping centre, park and public place, it is a truly public convenience, it is called the bench.

Starring Robert Daws ACCORDING TO COLIN, examines the angst of one such bench dweller, who, unable to comes to terms with both the collapse of his business and his marriage disappears into a world of his own, or rather Kenneth’s world, the dead man to whom his bench is dedicated to. Trading identities and propped up by alcohol, Colin dissects his problems and attempts to justify his life, from the safe distance afforded by living in denial. ACORDING TO COLIN was edited and associate produced by Matt Coyde. Sound was by Graham Potter and Pete Bruin who also did the sound for AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES and YOGA FOR HEALTHY MOTHER AND CHILD.

ACORDING TO COLIN was screened at Edinburgh and Chichester Film Festivals.

Away With The Fairies

AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES stars award winning actress Virginia McKenna, Robert Daws, Amanda Waring, David Simeon and introduces Emma Frow and Hugo Maudsley.

AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES is a short family film about an eccentric Grandmother, who after being missing for months turns up in hospital apparently having been to Fairyland. Her daughter and son in law take her home to her woodland cottage where the truth of her disappearance unfolds. Away With The Fairies is a tale of wonder, mischief and fairies at the bottom of the garden – It’s not where you look, it’s how you look!

AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES was edited and co-produced by Matt Coyde.

DAME VIRGINIA McKENNA OBE – Vicky

Virginia McKenna trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and then went to the Dundee Rep. Her career took off with stage appearances in The River Line, I Capture the Castle, Love’s Labours Lost and in the film The Second Mrs. Tanqueray. She quickly became established as one of the country’s best loved actresses and received numerous awards including the BBC Best Actress Award for Juliet in the TV production of Romeo and Juliet, A BAFTA for her role opposite Peter Finch in the film A Town Like Alice, another Best Actress Award for the film Carve Her Name With Pride and The Variety Club’s Award for Best Actress for her performance in Born Free opposite her husband Bill Travers. After Born Free she and her husband became active campaigners to protect both wild animals and their habitat An Elephant Called Slowly and Ring of Bright Water followed and in 1984, with their son Will, they founded Zoo Check which later became the Born Free Foundation. Virginia continued to appear in TV dramas, films and on stage including A Little Night Music and winning the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a musical in The King and I with Yul Brynner and with the RSC in Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet. She returned to the screen with two cameos in the films Staggered and Sliding Doors and most recently on television in Marple: A Murder Is Announced. In 2004, she was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List for services to the arts and animal conservation and the Born Free Foundation celebrate their 21st Anniversary in 2005.

ROBERT DAWS – James

Accomplished character actor Robert recently appeared in the feature film Arthur’s Dyke and the short ACCORDING TO COLIN in which he plays the title role. Having completed a successful run in London’s West End in the hit comedy Caught in the Net,

Robert is currently filming a new series of The Royal for Granada in which he stars as Dr. Gordon Ormerod and is now the most popular drama on television outside the soaps. His many television appearances include Jeeves and Wooster, Outside Edge,

Roger Roger and Office Gossip to name but a few. Robert has just completed the feature film, Land of the Blind alongside Ralph Fiennes and Donald Sutherland, a political thriller.

AMANDA WARING – Amabel

Amanda Waring starred as Gigi in the acclaimed West End musical. Other leading theatrical roles include Cathy in Wuthering Heights and the title role in Mary Rose at Greenwich and Watford. She opened Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre playing Juliet and

Celia, and has twice played Ophelia in world tours of Hamlet and most recently starred in the musical Love Off The Shelf. Amanda’s television appearances include episodes of Sherlock Holmes, Casualty, All Creatures Great & Small and the role of Sophie in Outside Edge. Other leading roles have been in television dramas Clarissa, The Father and A Month in the Country. She is about to be seen in two films, she plays the leading role of the Princess in the Oscar nominated The Princess and The Pea and as Amabel in AWAY WITH FAIRIES. In August 2003 she appeared at the Edinburgh Festival in her acclaimed one woman show For The Love of Chocolate, and has just completed a successful run at the Jermyn St. theatre in London. In 2004 Amanda directed her first short film, What Do You See?

DAVID SIMEON – Doctor Taylerson

David won the gold medal at the Guildhall School in 1964 and was a resident actor at the Salisbury Playhouse for four years. He has worked in countless theatres in England including playing the lead in Mr Whatnot for Alan Ayckbourn in Scarborough. In

1967 he made his first television appearance in Sexton Blake and went on to make over 200 television appearances including leading roles in Hunter’s Walk, Angels, Jury, End of Part One and Lucky Jim. David has also made notable cameos in Dr Who, Fawlty Towers, Casualty and Coronation Street. Recent television appearances include Silent Witness, Ken Kennedy in Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married and Tipping The Velvet. David’s films include Connecting Rooms (with Bette Davis), The Shell Seekers and A Fish Called Wanda. David has also played an 180 year old pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean 2.

LARRY BLANDFORD – Director of Photography

American cinematographer, Larry worked with Steven Spielberg on the film Minority Report, as Second Unit Director of Photography. Amongst his many credits, Larry was also the Third Unit Director/Director of Photography for Rob Cohen’s thriller

Triple X, solely responsible for shooting the film’s many exciting stunt and action sequences. Larry was second unit director of photography on Fantastic Four due out this summer, whilst some of his other notable work includes, Taxi, Along Came Polly, Paycheck, Tears of the Sun, Armageddon, The Rock, Broken Arrow, Fly Away Home and Top Gun as an aerial camera operator. Additionally Larry was the Director of Photography on Peter Frow’s short film ACCORDING TO COLIN.