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Title: FIRST REELS INTERVIEW: John Collin, Cherries

Reference number: 8095

Date: 1993

Sound: sound

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

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

Scottish Screen Archive does not currently hold the complete film (correct at February 2010)

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 John Collin]

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

Tape 1
Discusses: CHERRIES is a short animated film following a young woman in search of love - through various period of history. She eats a bowl of cherries, and spits out the stones to find out who she is going to marry. The story is based around the rhyme Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor . Each stone is a man from her life, it starts with the mans good points, and ends with his faults so she rejects him. "We follow a young woman as she eats the cherries of love and spits out the stones of disappointment" Film-maker speaks about lack of money to make the film, he tried to do everything himself to maintain control... and learnt a lesson! The film is about 6 mins long and took 6 months to make. Puppet animation, something that looked 'real. He tried and experimented with lots of things, but ran out of time ultimately. [continued on Tape 2]

Tape 2
[continued from Tape 1]

Discusses: Successes of the film - these are technical such as good lighting style, cutting style (getting faster and faster towards the end) Mentions that the BFI turned him down as he was too biased towards art direction. Structure of puppets let him down - pushed for time, building puppets etc. The link to the nursery rhyme is not obvious (advised by producer not to include it at end of film) People say the film has a 'European' feel to it (perhaps Eastern European?) Film-maker thinks this is more to do with music than the actual story.