November 2019

September 2019

Co-writer & Director George Milton

Can you tell us a little bit about your film? What it’s about; where did the idea come from; how did you decide to approach the theme?

George Milton: The idea for A Bullet Wasted came out of a showing a contemporary (but somehow timeless) civil war scenario, where a community is turning in on itself, tragically pitting a family against each other. I came up with a story that makes the audience work hard to follow what’s actually happening – they’re behind the story, often trying to work out retrospectively what might have occurred. The audience has to fill in some of the gaps themselves, as if they’re glimpsing one small part of a bigger drama. I also wanted the camera to have a character, a decisive point of view. At the end the human characters in this drama are turning violently on each other, but the camera turns away from them – suggesting the universe is ultimately indifferent to all the terrible things humans do to each other.

What has the TRINITY shooting package allowed you to explore that you otherwise couldn’t have done, and what did being selected as a Challenge TRINITY filmmaker mean for you and your project?

GM: Shooting with the TRINITY allowed me to really push what a nine-minute take could express, in a fluid and expressive manner. It’s so versatile that one has to resist the director’s desire to show off, and rigorously stick to what the drama demands!

How much of a challenge was it to shoot the project in one shot, in such a short space of time?

GM: It was a big challenge. We were shooting in a forest, and the nature of being so exposed meant that the first shoot date was cancelled because of gales. The TRINITY couldn’t have coped with 60 mile an hour gusts! We finally got to shoot it three weeks later, and the weather was kinder to us this time.

Have you got any future plans for your Challenge TRINITY short?

GM: Being chosen for Challenge TRINITY has been very positive – I’ve been working almost exclusively in commercials and content for a decade, but it has kickstarted my desire to go back to where I started: drama. I’m hoping the film has a rich festival life.

Who were your collaborators on this project?

GM: For a while I’d wanted to collaborate with Mike Downs, who runs production company Electric Light Studios, so this seemed like the perfect project. We also brought on board my regular collaborators co-writer Mark Tilton, Casting Director Rosalie Clayton, Sound Recordist Lucy Pickering, and Make-up Designer Ameneh Mahloudji.

ARRI teamed us up with very experienced and skilful TRINITY Op Dominic Jackson, who was a very reassuring presence — and seemed genuinely excited by trying to meet our cinematic demands!

I’d always wanted to work with Director of Photography Robbie Ryan – he nearly shot a feature of mine a few years ago. He was excited by the script and by the prospect of playing with the ARRI TRINITY for the first time. It was great working with him, and he pushed me to be consistent, or even ‘pure’ with the camera’s point of view.

What advice would you give to others thinking of applying for next year’s Challenge TRINITY?

GM: My advice for those thinking of applying for a future Challenge TRINITY contest is: be ambitious! Make sure the story naturally comes out of a single piece of uncut time. You need a series of dramatic turns in the take, not just a beginning and an ending. Think about the camera’s POV – who’s POV is it, or are there shifts in the POV? Try to keep the audience ‘in’ the film, not ‘out of it’: the self-consciousness of a single uninterrupted take can easily distance the audience. This is the interesting tension for all ‘long take’ films – balancing the stylistic trick against suspension of disbelief… Personally, I think you’ll make a more interesting film if it’s more than a gimmick.