A WESTBURY film maker has scooped a nomination at the prestigious Portobello Film Festival, the UK’s largest independent film competition.
John Wheeler was recognised for his animated film “Final Thoughts” – an achievement he is particularly proud of as it is his first animated production.
The 16 minute film has what John describes as a “Westbury vibe”, even featuring the iconic White Horse. The film will also be shown in Westbury as part of the town’s current Westbury Music & Arts Festival.
John said, “I’m quite proud of it. It’s my first animation and I did it on my own – other films have 50 people working on them.”
“I went to the Portobello Film Festival with it and I was late for nominations, but because of public interest, I got a nomination!
“The film is quite philosophical. It’s the imaginations of someone at the end of their life. I wanted to make something that people would talk about – something that lots of people would like and lots of people would hate but ultimately something that would create discussion – films like that should have discussion.
“It’s got a Westbury vibe and some of the imagery is inspired by the essence of Westbury, and it’s got a shot of the White Horse in it.”
John’s love of film started when he was aged just 6. He has been making films professionally for years now but only decided to start teaching himself computer animation three years ago. “If you’re working on a low budget, you have to muck in and do everything,” he explained. “For the first two years I didn’t know what I was doing, I was just experimenting and finding out about the software. But I love the way you experiment and something forms.”
John, an ex-Matravers pupil, previously enjoyed success at the Portobello Film Festival back in 2002 with an award for Best Cinematography.
The Portobello Film Festival, which is the UK’s largest independent film competition, was created in 1996 to provide a forum for new film makers and give exposure to films in different formats. The festival has been dubbed both ‘the wild side of Brit Film’ (Metro) and ‘the biggest celebration of independent film in Europe’ (The Independent).
‘Final Thoughts’ will be shown in Westbury as part of the Westbury Music and Arts Festival at “The Live Session” on Friday 8th October from 7.30pm (tickets £6 in advance, £7 on the door). The evening will include a variety of music, art, poetry and comedy in a cabaret-style event.
