The Litter Picker
An allegory of modern warfare.Watched by a sunbather, A litterpicker becomes obsessed with an illusive newspaper. Blowing in the wind, it attaches itself to the sunbather, blinding him temporarily. He is suddenly afraid for his life or is it paranoia. It isn't and he is quickly and quietly dispatched. By the end of the day the park is full of dead sunbathers.
My directing debut, I shot this film for under £300 over four months. During that time I ate very little. I didn't know much about realism, lenses or cinematography but was interested in surrealism, nonsense and 'real time' effects using string, tubing, gas burners and stage blood. . The shoot was happily chaotic. My actor refused to turn up on the first day ( locked in his house!) which meant I had to shoot them seperately. Two rolls of films got mashed in the camera and I had to re shoot summer in autumn. Many leaves were picked up. much of the original story was lost. Five years on and I was able to cut the film into its current manifestion. Thanks to Ruth Carter, Will Bone and Chris Perrins and The UN for protecting the safe areas so courageously in 1995. Thanks for starting the present war on nightmares and the swift end to terror in our souls.
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