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Title: FIRST REELS INTERVIEW: Peter Mullan, Close

Reference number: 8210

Date: 1993

Sound: sound

Colour: col

Fiction: non-fiction

Description: 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 Peter Mullan]

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

Discusses: Plot:- Vincent has recently become a father and is preparing the house for his newborn daughter’s homecoming. His joy and excitement, however, turn into something darker when one of his neighbours (a sad, drunken man whose own children have recently thrown him out of the house) suggests a sordid future for both Vincent and his child. Something inside him snaps and he embarks on a psychotic mission of ‘close cleansing’. Film-maker comments: - It brings out the paranoid, protective, ultimately psychotic masters of our country at the moment - and the SOAB gets away with it. There is some foul language in this film! Wrote the film in a day - no money. The cheapest way was to set it in my house and my close. Got an extremely talented cast and crew to work for nothing. Film was shot in four days. Mullan says he learnt to listen on one hand (to camera, editor) yet stick to idea and see it through - to somehow find the balance, take other people's ideas but still stick to main idea you had in the first place. Deep underlying theme - boundless hypocrisy of men, how they see themselves as fathers. How people can justify really horrific acts, they blame kids for their own cop-outs etc. Dreams can become really perverted, if the dream is just an excuse for self-advancement. Dark mood to film. Wanted to get away from 'jocko' productions - wooden type TV acting that is found in Scotland - "Thunderbird acting". Wanted something that was on the edge, moving towards OTT, in terms of acting style. Didn't get the chance to loosen it up as much as he wanted in the end. Film-maker chose to act and direct at the same time. Reason he did it was he felt more comfortable with acting. He was better with the time factor this way as he didn't have time. Acting was easier than directing. Let actors get on with it, guide them, he liked that. Didn't have chance to improvise as they didn't have enough footage. Acting style - influenced by Roman Cozac (?), worked with him at Tron, in play 'Cinzano'. Stylised form of acting, allows truth at the centre of it. No mannerisms. Has to be an integrity, truth through it. Mullan likes 'tricksy' parts which are probably the worst parts in it (eg. Slo motion shot, tricksy flashbacks, which he had to fight for) Language - swearing. Reason particularly the 'c' word. Propagating cleanliness and the way things should be, but as the film goes on his language gets worse and worse. Almost a vocalisation of main character's violence. With main character, swearing reveals some of his poison. Other language is quite a natural kind of swearing. Steal from Taxi Driver. If other actors came in, they'd feel it was natural to swear if they heard him (Peter Mullan) swearing.