This is Video of the Week from Wales Arts Review. We’ll be showcasing some of the best art in Wales with a new video shared every week. From music to drama and everything in between, videos will not be limited by medium. Today’s video is a Q&A about Frank, a short film by National Theatre Wales.
This week’s video is a Q&A with the co-creators of NTW’s short film Frank. It reveals the creative processes and struggles behind the making of the film, which explores a complex relationship between father and son. Whilst writer Frank Thomas says the original intention wasn’t to make a film about grief, it “organically worked itself into the project” after the passing of his father.
In the video, the Jones Collective and performer/writer Frank Thomas talk about their experience making their first short film together. On the making of the film, Buddug James Jones, a co-creator for the Jones Collective said: “The biggest thing was translating it from being a theatre show, which was supposed to be 60 to 70 minutes long and a live experience for everyone, into a 10-11 minute film. It was actually quite an interesting process because you had to go down to the bare bones of it.”
Writing on the film for Wales Arts Review, Gary Raymond said: “Frank is good. It’s very good. It’s well-written and well-realised, beautifully shot, and well-acted, and manages to create eleven minutes of depth and nuance; it is honestly moving, visually strong, and like all good short films, lingers like a flash in the darkness. […] It reminds us of the talents of directors Buddug James Jones and Jesse Britton, and of composer Sam Jones. As a film it would be worthy of entry to any of the world’s short film festivals and could even compete confidently for prizes.”
You can watch the Q&A with the co-creators of Frank below.
More information on Frank can be found here.
