in association with
Presents
THE DARK MILE
Starring Rebecca Calder, Deirdre Mullins, Finlay Macmillan with Paul Brannigan & Sheila Hancock
RUNNING TIME: 88 minutes UK THEATRICAL RELEASE: TBC
PRESS CONTACT: To be confirmed.
The Bridge Films Melanie Dicks M: 07775 912955
Index
Logline 3
Synopsis 3
Long Synopsis 3
Production Story 4
What is The Dark Mile? 5
Q&A with Gary Love 6
Principle cast biographies 7
Production team biographies 8
Full cast & crew 10
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The Dark Mile Production Notes
Logline
Who’s out there…
Synopsis
“Deliverance” meets “Rosemary’s Baby” – The Dark Mile is a psychological thriller built around a strong central relationship of two very different yet sympathetic characters.
When London couple Louise and Clare book a boat trip to recover from personal tragedy - their trip of a lifetime through the Scottish Highlands soon descends into a hellish ordeal as they delve further into the wilds.
They’re confronted by layer upon layer of jeopardy from a variety of sources, but neither our heroes nor the audience can tell which threat will ultimately prove decisive. With many twists along the way - we’re kept guessing until the very end. Combining character driven storytelling with more conventional genre set pieces against the powerfully cinematic Highland backdrop.
Long Synopsis
Six months on from the tragic miscarriage that buried their unborn daughter, London couple Louise and Claire journey to the waterways of the Great Glen in the Scottish highlands for a boating holiday following a new attempt at IVF. For Louise it is a chance to rest and recuperate from her physical and mental ordeal, and for Claire it is a chance to patch their fragmenting relationship.
They are greeted by Kevin, a local running a small boat hire business from a dilapidated marina that also hosts some of the valley’s grubbier and more backwater residents. As the girls explore the new environment they meet more of the Great Glen’s mysterious denizens; Mary and Douglas, the odd herb-growing, fiddle-playing elderly couple, Kelly, a stalwart and avoidant barlady, and a weird and openly hostile family with a young pregnant daughter.
Night brings disturbing sounds from the forest, and the feeling that not all is as it seems keeps the girls on edge as much as they try to enjoy their holiday and appreciate each other’s company. Meanwhile a lover from Claire’s past reconnects with her via text messages, threatening to destroy Louise’s trust in her if discovered.
As the sights and sounds of The Dark Mile grow more sinister, and the actions of the locals more disturbing, Louise’s grip on her emotions and senses is pushed to breaking point while Claire struggles to handle her own fears and frustrations.
But the truth is more horrifying than anything either can imagine.
Production story:
3 I wanted to show the ramifications of loss. What happens when one loses a baby that’s nearly full term? The hope, the beguiling reactions of others the closeness one feels to the child inside…and then the fall out; the monumental moment when your trusting caring considerate doctor nonchalantly explains ‘the child your carrying is dead’; the child all your hopes and dreams are hanging on, is dead inside your womb. The cosy, comfortable bed Mum has internally given over to this child is ‘not good enough’ for its survival.
What happens to Mum then? What happens to Mum’s loving partner then?
I’ve unfortunately seen this disaster befall a number of close friends; friends who for a number of reasons really need this baby to make their families complete...staking their lives and lively hoods on ‘completing’ the family….then nothing. The coming to terms with the pain, sorrow, confusion, hate, heartbreak, all rolled into…’oh well, you’ll get over it….it was obviously not meant to be’... A Mothers mind just isn’t ready for plain, bald words at that time.
I find this dilemma intoxicating ….the Mothers only need is for emotional answers…she can only be satisfied with the love of the lost child, but that child and the reciprocating love will never arrive. That’s the unexplainable pain I wanted in this film. What tricks that can play on the mind, how that feeling of remorse/fault/blame can make all others seem irrelevant…only the lost child can put a band aid on the sore.
And then there are the ‘others’…others who live and breathe their cherished land and its history. That live and breathe their ancestor’s rituals…that believe a child is a gift from God and should, therefore, be gifted to their ancient forefathers – the ancient Gods…Theirs is not personal, theirs is a pastime, a pact with some form greater than themselves…their ways are the only ways and the traditions must remain or else the land and its riches won’t be replenished for future generations.
The Dark Mile is a film about pain and loss and the tentative joy that can follow when one is presented with a second chance. Its also about how quickly in the hands of others it can all be snatched away.
Actors:
It was important that they had a difference between them, yet a chemistry that could show their deep need and reliance for each other...a bond that had been ripped apart and sorely needed repair…but we didn’t want to use words to get this over to the audience…so the art in the casting was to get them to say less and react with clear honest emotions, something both Rebecca Calder (Louise) and Deirdre Mullins (Clare) had enormous pleasure in executing.
Having been an Actor for 25 years myself it was important to me that the Actors felt comfortable/in tune in their surroundings...but not too comfortable i.e. we needed Louise (Rebecca) to look like she could handle a boat of significant size, hoisting sails, tying it off on awkward jetty’s etc. in a manner that befitted a seasoned sailor, but our budgetary restraints meant we didn’t have a lot of time with the boat before we started shooting. Claire (Deirdre) had to look like a ‘fish out of London’ a complete novice….but as we know 3 days on any kind of ‘life’ contraption means you learn quick….so we had the Girls do extensive boat handling because there were a number of times when they had to sail the boat on their own in the middle of huge lochs and differing weathers and speak!…After only a few days with the brilliant help from our Skipper, they were accomplished and ready for open waters. True seaman…I think!
Given the film is set and entirely shot in the Highlands it was critically important to tell this story in
4 the most authentic way possible and with the same budgetary constraints in place we had to use whatever was available in the locations….and boats can be expensive! Ask the Producers of Waterworld.
“We rehearsed extensively not just on their characters and the emotional journey they each embark on, but whilst sailing; doing daily physical boat rigours, all work they’d encounter whilst lonesome in the middle of no-where. Both lead actors worked solidly on everything from tying off sails and knots to checking rudders etc. Not many things went wrong…..well no one that I can mention here and no animals, boats or humans were hurt in the making of this film!
Production team:
We were insistent that the ‘set’ and costumes were real…nothing fake and nothing new except for ‘Claires’ London garbs…She had to stand out as the real outsider even though Louise an outsider also understood; having sailed before knew how to fit in.
The visual impact of the film came from intensive collaboration with our brilliant Production Designer, Sarah Kane, Art Director, Tom Read and Director of Photography John Pardue. They and their teams worked tirelessly on every microscopic detail, dressing the ‘Workboat’ with the pennies we had available, delivering a cinematic animal that cruised through the vast waters of the Caledonian Canal with trepidation…..and all of it sitting under the serene yet powerful shadow of Ben Nevis. They and their teams delivered atmosphere and soul to this God given landscape realizing it’s unique beauty.
The Production team worked on extensive logistics with Scottish Canals so it could be shut to all water traffic during the filming period, giving the us a unique advantage in realizing the landscape’s foreboding quality.
What is The Dark Mile?
Deep in the Scottish Highlands, over the highest bevelled peaks, across the deep waters of Loch Lochy, a stream cuts a lonely pathway through one of the darkest forests in the world.
Flanked by ancient moss-covered stone walls and vanguarded by steep slopes of ferns, the area is a registered SSSI - Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The locals know this magical area by a single name; Mìle Dorcha. Gaelic for "The Dark Mile".
The valley is an aged and mysterious part of the Great Glen, famed for it's rich cultural identity and the legendary history of its ancient people, and the dark beauty of its natural landscape.
As The Bridge Films debut feature it was important to us that we were able to successfully reduce our environmental impact on the special area’s provided to us with the help of The Scottish Forestry Commission, Scenery Salvage, and the environmental and sustainability consultancy Greenshoot.
During production every care was taken to protect the natural environment of the locations used. The Dark Mile, was the first independent UK film, to successfully go through the environmental programme, Green Screen.
5 Q&A With Director Gary Love
Q: What appealed about the script and how did you go about the process of development?
A: We were looking for British script that had a twist yet felt real… The leading ladies relationship was definitely a positive influence and the idea we could create an up to date ‘Wicker Man’ – ‘Deliverance’ appealed. Our company remit is people stories… this film is more generic than we’ll be making in the future… but with our budgetary constraints…it got the tick!
Q: Or what were the origins of the project and what appealed to you?
A: The first 60 pages of the script were very interesting… Dorian [Healy] loved it and I went with him because he saw the light in the tunnel.
Q: How did you find logistics whilst filming in the highlands of Scotland and on water?
A: Actually brilliant the team we chose to help us up there couldn’t have been better. In fact the Scottish Gods were shining on us throughout the whole process of prep & shoot… And the friends we made on the canals there we’ll be forever grateful to. They really embraced the process even when it was clearly going awry at times. Shooting on boats and free running water (not a tank) are notoriously tricky but our Skippers- Mates and Bosuns really made it seem effortless….If only Kevin Costner had them on Waterworld!!!
Q: What did Rebecca Calder & Deirdre Mullins bring to the roles of Louise and Clare?
A: Serenity stillness complexity brashness and most of all 100% professionalism… they were both a joy… It was me who was the pain in the arse!!!
Q: How did Sheila Hancock come onboard?
A: A friend (Sheila’s agent) suggested her and I’d known Sheila socially for over 20 years and was rather annoyed with myself that I hadn’t thought of her first!
Q: How did Paul Brannigan come onboard, what qualities did he bring to the role of Kevin?
A: Paul again was suggested by his agent but I’d just seen him in the Ken Loach Film and loved him, so when he came in and gave ‘his’ Kevin we offered him the job there in the room…He brings a veraciousness that trained actors have to work hard to find….Paul’s work is instinctive and real…yet measured and in-tune with others… Believe me when I say the chemistry doesn’t always work that way.
Q: How did Finlay MacMillan come onboard, what qualities did he bring to the role of Kevin?
A: Same agent as Sheila….got to say…she’s a very smart agent!!! He’s a lamb in a fox’s body….powerful but strangely kind….scary but mesmerizing at the same time….Donny had to be someone you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley….but that’s a misunderstanding.
Principal Cast
6 Rebecca Calder, Louise
Rebecca is a British actress born in Country Durham and raised in Australia and New Zealand, who made her film breakthrough in 2014 with Love by Design and Altar and went on to star in Youth and Love Me Do the following year. For her role in Love Me Do she was awarded Best Actress at the 2016 ECU European Independent Film Festival.
Deirdre Mullins, Claire
Deirdre Mullins is an actor, director, comedy improviser, voiceover and activist. She studied English Lit at St Andrews University in Scotland and trained as an actor at The Bristol Old Vic. In the last few years she’s developed her comedy improvisation skills and regularly plays with her team, The Committee. She is a founding member of the campaign group ERA - Equal Representation for Actresses. Deirdre’s recent theatre roles include Jessie in The Silver Tassie at The National Theatre and Rosalind in As You Like It at The Globe. She was a regular in Greg Davies’ comedy series Man Down on C4 and The Frankenstein Chronicles opposite Sean Bean.
Most recently, she played Anne Shakespeare in TNT’s new series, Will, about the life of William Shakespeare, and directed and co-devised an experimental new play (there were no actors) last year, Infinity Pool, which was, amongst many five star reviews, short-listed for a Total Theatre Award at the Edinburgh Fringe and will tour to the BAC in June. In the meantime, she’s gently crushing politicians' balls to bring about gender policy change in our publicly funded arts institutions.
Finlay Macmillan, Donnie
Finlay was born in Govan, Glasgow in 1996 to an Irish-Scottish mother and a Malagasy-Moroccan father. He is best known for his work on Waterloo Road (2006) and Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016). He lives in Bridge Of Weir.
Paul Brannigan, Kevin
Paul Brannigan is a Scottish actor born in the rough working-class East End Barrowfield region of Glasgow. Both of his parents suffered from long-term drug addictions and much of Paul’s youth was spent drifting between homelessness and incarceration amidst gang violence and petty crime.
In 2012 he received his acting break by auditioning for the Ken Loach dark comedy film The Angels' Share, which is set largely in Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands, and was awarded the lead role of Robbie for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland award for Best Actor. Paul went on to star in Under The Skin in 2013 alongside Scarlett Johansson, also set in and around Glasgow.
Sheila Hancock, Mary
Sheila Hancock is an English actress, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before starting her career in repertory theatre. Hancock went on to perform in plays and musicals in London, and her Broadway debut in Entertaining Mr Sloane. (1966) earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in Play.
Sheila’s best known recent work includes The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Feather Boy. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1974 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours.
Production Team
7 Gary Love, Director
Gary has almost four decades of experience in the screen industries, both as an actor and as a director of films, TV series, serials and commercials. The Dark Mile is his second independent feature; he previously directed the Edinburgh Film Festival nominated British low budget urban thriller "Sugarhouse" (2007) starring Andy Serkis, Ashley Walters and Steven Mackintosh. He also project-led the Emmy award winning "Waking the Dead" for the BBC and directed an episode of the third season of "The Following" in 2015, a Warner Brothers drama series for the Fox network, starring Kevin Bacon.
Amongst many others he has directed John Thaw, Ray Winstone, Ewen Bremner, Matthew Rhys, Shawn Ashmore, Emily Lloyd, James Purefoy and Kevin Bacon. Gary has also directed in excess of 30 hours of prime time British & American drama.
Melanie Dicks, Producer
Melanie has been working in the independent film sector since 1992 and has over 45 international feature films to her name - from St. Trinian’s 1 & 2, to Mike Basset: England Manager, Run, Fat Boy, Run, plus U.S./UK productions, such as Kevin Costner’s Upside of Anger.
In 2002, she formed Handsome Films producing numerous commercials for clients including EA Games, Adidas and many others. In 2010, concerned by the lack of environmental best practice in the UK filming industries, Melanie co- founded Greenshoot, a Sustainability and Environmental Consultancy, the first of its kind in the world. To date the company has supported over 120 filming productions and in 2013, won Consultancy of the Year at the Green Leaders Business awards. Greenshoot are the sustainability partners of Film London.
Melanie has intimate knowledge of the entire production process from script to screen.
Dorian Healy, Producer
Dorian has been a leading actor in Film, Television and Theatre for over four decades and has been key in the development of Darling Hush. He is chiefly responsible for finding and developing screenplays, working closely with writers, Directors, Producers and literary agents and has had a long creative partnership with Gary Love, both as actors and as filmmakers, namely co writing and conceiving their ambitious short film Masculine Mescaline. His dual perspective as an actor and writer, 40 years of experience and his passion for film, music and story telling puts him in a uniquely strong position to find and make authored, relevant films.
Robert Stubbs, Executive Producer & Corporate Affairs
A Corporate Finance and Investment Banking professional who started his career with Schroders in 1985, Robert has a broad experience of business, especially in relation to start-ups and the funding of new ventures. He has board level experience in both private and public quoted companies and has held the positions of CEO and Chairman of AIM quoted companies, also chairing audit and remuneration committees.
Robert was a founding partner of Curzon Corporate Finance Ltd, which he and his partners sold in 2012. Since that date he has worked as a principal and consultant on various projects including media and film.
Sarah Kane, Production Designer
8 Sarah is known for the multi award winning film “Radiator” which premiered at the BFI’s London Film Festival and features the oldest, oddest couple by a very long chalk. It is a darkly comic examination of family life, marriage, age and love. The film was nominated at CineVision Award, won Best Film at London Critics Circle Film Awards and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize NFF.
John Pardue, Director of Photography
John is an Emmy nominated Director of photography with a world class slate of film productions to his name. Recent drama projects include “The Girl” (HBO/BBC) about the making of the Hitchcock film The Birds, with Sienna Miller and Toby Jones, directed by Julian Jarrold. The movie was Emmy- nominated for its cinematography; “An Adventure in Space and Time” about the creation of the first Doctor Who in 1963, directed by Terry Mcdonagh and nominated for a BSC Award for “Best Cinematography in a Drama”.
Full Cast and Crew
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DIRECTOR/PRODUCER GARY LOVE
WRITER GABY HULL
PRODUCER MELANIE DICKS
PRODUCER DORIAN HEALY
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ROBERT STUBBS, JAMES PUREFOY, SIRUS TAGHAN
PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR SARAH COWAN
1 st ASSISTANT DIRECTOR TONI STAPLES
2ND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AMY KING
SCRIPT SUPERVISOR GARIE KAN
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN PARDUE
FOCUS PULLER CLAIRE O’CONNOR
CLAPPER LOADER THOMAS SHAWCROFT
‘A’ CAMERA 1 st AC CLARE CONNOR
‘A’ CAMERA 2 nd AC THOMAS SHAWCROFT
DIT STEFAN LEE
PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER DAVID BOWTLE-MCMILLAN
BOOM OPERATOR MICHAEL KNEAFSEY
GRIP STEVE CURRAN
LIGHTING DEPARTMENT RUNNER CALUM HART
GAFFER MATHEW BUCHAN
ELECTRICAN DAVID MITCHELL
ELECTRICAN DAILIES DAVID BOYED
PRODUCTION DESIGNER SARAH KANE
ART DIRECTOR TOM READ
STAND BY ART DIRECTOR JAMES CROSS
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ART DEPARTMENT TRAINEE BLAISE DRUMMOND
COSTUME DESIGNER LISA DUNCAN
COSTUME TRAINEE/RUNNER STEPHANIE WEBB
HAIR AND MAKE-UP DESIGNER LAURA VIANA DA SILVA
HAIR AND MAKE-UP ARTIST MILLY MAY ROBERTS-SMITH
SUPERVISING SCRIPT CONSULTANT IRMA INNISS
CASTING DIRECTOR BELINDA NORCLIFFE
CASTING ASSOCIATE HEDIE LAWRY
PROP BUYER MIA SUMMERVILLE
GRAPHICS SUPPLIED BY JOHANNA VALEUR
UNIT MANAGER & SAFETY JOHN FILLINGHAM
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR SARAH COWAN
EDITOR DAVID HEAD
ASSISTANT EDITOR STEVEN FORRESTOR
LOCATION MANAGERS MARTIN BALCOMBE & JOHN FILLINGHAM
PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT IAN HALL
DRONE PILOT STEFANIE WILLIAMS
DRONE CAMERA OPERATOR PETER STANTON
BOAT FACILITY PROVIDER CALEDONIAN DISCOVERY
THE “ORCA” SKIPPER BRIAN WILLIAMSON
THE “KUNG FUTSE” SKIPPER CHARLIE MENZIES
THE “FINGAL OF CALEDONIA” SKIPPER DAVE ‘SWAMPY’ ROBERTS
THE “ROS CRANA” SKIPPER MARTIN BALCOMBE
THE “FINGAL OF CALEDONIAN’ BO’SUN STEVE SIM
‘ROS CRANA” BO’SUN LUCY MCGHEE
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‘ROS CRANA’ 1 ST MATE CHRIS ABSOLOM
CATERING BY CALEDONIAN DISCOVERY
HEAD CATERER “TREE” EDMONDS
CATERER DAVEY IRONS
CATERING ASSISTANT TRACY DAY
FINGAL CHEF KEVIN JOHNSTON
MINI BUS DRIVER/RUNNER ANDREW GALBRAITH
POST PRODUCTION TECHNICOLOR CREATIVE SERVICES LTD
DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE PRODUCER RACHAEL WATMOUGH
DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE COLOURIST JOHN CLAUDE
DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE EDITOR BEN MCLLVEEN
ASSISTANT EDITOR STEVEN FORRESTOR
MUSIC BY JIM WILLIAMS
SOUND DESIGN PAUL DAVIS
SENIOR POST PRODUCER MARIE VALENTINO
DIALOGUE EDITOR & RE RECORDING MIXER JENS PETERSEN
RE RECORDING MIXER SIMON HILLS
FOLEY MIXER SIMON TRUNDLE
FOLEY ARTIST PAUL HANKS
ADR MIXER NICK BALDOCK
PUBLICITY CONSULTANT CHARLES MCDONALD
INSURANCE SERVICES DAVID JOHNSTONE, WK MEDIA INSURANCE
LEGAL SERVICES SIMONS MUIRHEAD & BURTON
CAMERA & GRIP SUPPLIED BY TAKE 2 FILMS
DRONE SUPPLIED BY AERIALWORX
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RADIOS & COMMUNICATION GDS RADIOS
COSTUMIERS BRISTOL COSTUME SERVICES
SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANTS GREENSHOOT
For further information, please contact:
Melanie Dicks E: [email protected] M: 07775 912955
Gary Love E: [email protected]
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