You Found A Friend In Elvis
Writer / Director Statement from Janie Price
Inspired by a statement made by Roy Orbison Junior in the BBC documentary Love Hurts; "When Elvis died some of the fans stole his body and Roy started to get his gun...what he was thinking was there was only two directions these guys could have gone ..he was going to get his car and go wait on the highway.... he thought he could go out there and get Elvis from these people...and he was going to do it.." I wrote a song with famed guitarist from the band Texas - Ally McErlaine. The song has been well received and every time I play it live and I tell people the story, someone will ask if I think it's true. So as an award winning short film maker, I thought why not find out.. AND MAKE A SHORT DOCUMENTARY ABOUT IT?
I want to take the audience on a journey back to Nashville and Memphis Tennessee. To explore the possibility of this story actually being true and in the process hope to find more out about Roy Orbison the man. Ultimately I'd like this short documentary to be a celebration of Roy's enormous capacity for love and friendship despite having to survive so much tragedy...
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Wider Than The Sky
A Note From The Writer - Janie Price
I wanted to write a semi-autobiographical short film about a particular event from my childhood that I have in my other work as a song writer touched upon often, but never explored from a true story telling and more visual perspective. Despite the inevitable trauma associated with seeing a parent seriously unwell as a young child, it was during this period that I also discovered the power of my own imagination to help me cope with what would otherwise have been a terrifying time. After these difficult yeasrs of Covid that we have all inevitably been affected by, I wanted to give the world a little reminder that where there's imagination, there's hope and to some degree, even a little magic.
The imaginary shoe box worlds were a very important part of the film for me as they were something I actually made as a child. I love how our director Phil inspired by that concept chose to always film within a contained space; be it within a shoebox theatre, within a classroom, within a car or within a cafe. It never breaks free from this confinement. mirroring the thoughts going on inside our young girl’s head as she tries to work out in her own mind what is going on. I played with the same concept with the composition and recording of the soundtrack; I recorded many of the sound elements used in the shoe box scenes in an actual box we purpose constructed in the studio to further emphasise the feeling of being inside these imaginary worlds.
Whether by the power of imagination, medicine or a combination of both, my father against all odds recovered. This film is in part, a thank you to all the people whose science and dedication helped to cure him. It is also dedicated to the power of hope and imagination, super powers we all have within us....
A Note From The Director - Phil Taylor
I see this as a semi-autobiographical, the film based on Janie’s memories of her father’s illness with cancer 40 years ago. He had been told that his illness was terminal, only to then be miraculously cured when all hope was lost. 'Pure magic’ in the eyes of the young Janie. Her Dad is still alive to this today. I therefore saw the film as essentially the Wish of a young child being fulfilled.
We observe the isolation our young girl JENNY feels as the adults around her try to protect her from the truth about her father. The film will blur the line between reality and imagination JENNY has a simple wish... that her daddy can get better.
Drawing on these themes of reality, imagination and isolation and to emphasise this internal battle of thoughts going on inside her head the whole film is shot within contained spaces.
The camera visually records from within a shoebox theatre, within a classroom within a car and within a cafe.
Maybe the power of imagination is all she needs...
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