Duncan Guymer Talks The Fields

Joyrider director Duncan Guymer recently shot this epic and ambitious short film, The Fields. Below he talks about the inspirations behind the story and why he's attracted to commercial filmmaking.

Tell us a little bit about The Fields and how the project came to be?

The Fields is a story that explores the act of revolution and whether it’s necessary. We follow the story of James - a man who has mysteriously escaped from the God-fearing world below, a place created and ruled by the corporation-fearing, real world above. We listen as James tells Mr. Weald, our ‘antagonist’, the tale of his ascension and of his plan to free the rest of his people. This concludes in a bloody showdown and a profound example of what it takes to start a revolution - lies and death. The question is, who actually wants a revolution and what are the motives of the individuals behind it?

The project came into being after a whiskey-fuelled discussion at the Joyrider Christmas gathering in 2011. Conversation had turned to the success of Matt Westrup’s short, The Gate. My Producer, Spencer Friend, encouraged me to put pen to paper regarding an idea I’d had for a short of my own. I wrote a first draft the following March and completed a final script in April 2012. Spencer got the ball rolling from there.

How did you fund the project?

Joyrider funded the whole project, as well as pulling in favours from some incredibly talented and passionate professionals. It really was a pleasure to work with everyone involved, especially Andy Norman and his team, famous of course for their outstanding fight choreography in the Batman films.

Is it an idea you’ve had for some time? What was your inspiration behind it?

I’d had the idea for a year or two but hadn’t fully explored it until I started writing the script. My initial inspiration came whilst watching a David Attenborough documentary. As I remember, it was a fairly short segment but spoke of a killer fungus named Cordyceps. We watched as an ant became infected by this fungus. Noticing this, the colony then removed the infected ant, taking it far away from the nest. This ant would then climb to the highest branch it could find and latch on with its mandibles. Once dead a seed would grow from its head and, as the scripts suggests, disperse spores, infecting any unfortunate ants below. Attenborough went on to describe how the fungus had evolved to specifically infect a singular species of insect within the rainforest. Local religion dictates this to be the way that God ensures an equilibrium amongst the insect kingdom - I simply transferred this idea to humans.

What was the overarching reason for making the film?

I really wanted to explore the ideas that surround the concept of revolution and uprising, all within the context of a futuristic sci-fi thriller. Equally, I was also keen to explore the notion of nano-technology which, if developed, could have a profound effect on future of the human race. When I set out to make The Fields, I really wanted to push the limits through a combination of performance, storytelling and VFX, to produce a visually stunning end product. By working alongside the incredibly talented team at The Mill, we’ve really been able to bring the film’s super high-tech vision of the future to life.

What was the most difficult part of making it?

Attempting to film a nineteen page script in two days without an assistant director was difficult! However, it was an enjoyable challenge. Thankfully we had an incredible cast and crew who worked tirelessly to get some great results.

Could it, or will it, become a feature length project?

The Fields was made with a feature length project in mind. I always looked at the short as a kind of trailer, a taster if you will. It was never designed to be a self contained short, as it has great scope and needs to be opened out and explored within a feature length framework. We are already in talks with several studios who are wanting to take on this project.

You’ve shot a lot of promos and shorts, what are your thoughts about working more in the commercials arena?

I’m very keen to work more in the commercials arena. The modern audience have an extraordinary ability to digest a fractured mise-en-scene. Therefore, in recent years commercials have taken on a more artistic and filmic approach. Some truly beautiful pieces have been made that are able to portray a wonderful story within 30 seconds. People now see a commercial on television and enjoy it so much they rush to the internet in order to re-watch. I consider the receptive and sophisticated nature of the modern commercial audience to be an exciting prospect.

Why did you become a film maker?

The usual cliché of filmmaker’s beginnings. I spent my youth at the cinema or watching and re-watching the vast collection of VHS tapes my brother and I had amassed. I would pull sick days off school just to escape into the Star Wars universe or the tombs of the Indiana Jones trilogy. It was creating these worlds to escape into that I found so appealing. My brother and I would make countless movies with our friends using his Video 8 camera, only he grew out of it and I never did!