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H3
Can you tell us about a film you have shown at the Electric Palace or at our film festival?
‘Reservations’, my first feature film.
It was shot in The Royal Victoria Hotel in St Leonards-on-Sea. It features performers from the arts community in Hastings and St Leonards. This film was an experiment, exploring the nature of performance.
I used non-actors who created characters over an intense period of rehearsal and development, before performing the improvised scenes chronologically for the first time while the cameras rolled.
The film was shot on two cameras simultaneously. ‘Reservations’ is about Five characters, alone in in a hotel over a long weekend. It follows the relationships that are formed and the consequences that follow as a result.
Do you remember a moment when your love for the moving image was sparked?
It was a means of escape when growing-up.
Is there something you try to subvert, avoid or rebel against in your work?
I rebel against the traditional narrative structure seen in much commercial filmmaking.
How do you plan your work – with a script, storyboard or another method?
I collaborate and try to find a collective voice and energy to grasp and distil into moving image.
Do you need to collaborate to make your work?
Filmmaking is a collaborative artform. It’s tricky to have perspective if you don’t collaborate.
Has living in Hastings influenced your work?
Hastings continues to inspire me. The location, the light, the people.
Have developments in camera technology changed the way you work?
It’s become more affordable.
Do live audiences in a cinema matter to you?
Yes. There’s nothing quite like the energy from an audience in front of a life-sized image and encompassing sound.
See examples of some of Nick's work:
Interference Trailer from Nick Pilton on Vimeo:
Summerlake from Nick Pilton on Vimeo.