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Title: FIRST REELS INTERVIEW: Kenneth Simpson, Buzz

Reference number: 8092

Date: 1993

Sound: sound

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

Description: Raw interview footage with director Kenneth Simpson, concerning his short film BUZZ, made under the Scottish Film Council and Scottish Television's First Reels scheme.

See also ref. 7988 for complete film.

First Reels - a joint short film initiative from Scottish Screen (and its predecessor body the Scottish Film Council) and Scottish Television. First Reels was launched during 1991 by Scottish Film Council in response to a perceived need for small grants to help young and first time film-makers to make or complete their first film or video project. Scottish Television came in as co-sponsor at an early stage and as well as contributing to half the funds they have given the scheme a tremendous public relations boost by running three half hour documentaries showing excerpts from the First Reels. Applicants were invited to submit projects in any format and on any subject they chose. All entries were considered by a jury and thirty five projects were given grants varying from £50 to £2000. On show at the GFT are a representative selection of the best of the films and videos supported by the scheme. [Editorial from Scottish Film Council held in paper archives]

Credits: [interviewee Kenneth Simpson]

Shotlist: Raw interview footage with director Kenneth Simpson, concerning his short film BUZZ, made under the Scottish Film Council and Scottish Television's First Reels scheme.

Tape 1
Discusses: Short and surreal comedy of a man who goes to extreme lengths attempting to catch and kill a common house fly. At the beginning the man is just mildly irritated by the fly, which was preventing him from eating his dinner. As the film continues he becomes more and more extreme in trying to catch the fly and the fly becomes more ingenious in escape. It ends with a TOM AND JERRY style situation 'fight to the death'. Film has a simple structure and one actor. Film was shot on silent 16mm Black and White Bolex camera. Entire soundtrack recorded in post production. Small camera could be placed anywhere he wanted. Effects were not that expensive - used traditional techniques such as slo-mo; fast-mo; animation; printing back to front. Worked in the middle of Winter in a very cold flat in Leith, a small, deserted tenement block. Ideas for the film were created on set a lot of the time. Started out as a comedy but as the film developed it became a lot more scary. Stock was very grainy, intentionally. The similarity to Razorhead was coincidental! [continued on Tape 2]

Tape 2
[continued from Tape 1]
Discusses: Extremes in the film. The fly has to succeed and escape, the flycatcher is just an example of man's obsession with cleanliness and detail etc. He recommends keeping ideas simple, especially with short films.