Local filmmaker gets 'the chop'

The official trailer for Chop

"When I got home from school I'd watch all the old classic black and white films on BBC2."

Filmmaker Martyn Chalk - writer and director of the upcoming short film 'Chop' - initially became obsessed with films as a means of escapism from his difficulties in school.

"I can basically write school off as I just didn't do very well and didn't really understand things.

"I sort of sank into films instead and everything else disappeared."

After a peripatetic childhood which included moves from Southampton to Newbury and Australia and eventually back to Newbury, Martyn suffered from an inability to fit in with his social peers and became the victim of regular bullying.

Having dropped out of school at the earliest opportunity with minimal qualifications, Martyn took a job selling cameras and harboured dreams of playing guitar professionally.

Passion

Eventually he fell into sales and the corporate world, an environment he describes as "a pretty horrible place to be." Nonetheless, he excelled and was amongst the top salesmen in his company, working his way up to the position of key account manager.

To offset the monotony of his work and to keep his passion for film alive, Martyn read a lot of books about filmaking and took a number of courses at OFVM (Oxford Film and Video Makers) which taught him the finer nuances of writing, editing and directing.

"I always liked telling stories. I'm not particularly comfortable being in front of the camera but I like being behind it" Martyn explains.

After the company which he worked for was taken over, his job became untenable and with the full support of his older brother Barrie, whom Martyn describes as his rock, he made the daunting decision to extricate himself from the corporate world and focus on filmmaking full-time.

Leaving his well-paid job to take up film making was a move fraught with risk and Martyn concedes: "I don't spend money like I used to. I appreciate money a lot more. Hopefully when I'm successful and making blockbusters, then I'll appreciate the money when I have it again!

"It's all been a huge learning curve. It takes a long time and a lot of patience. I think I was a bit arrogant when I first started but I've been brought down to earth with a bang by a lot of people who have much more experience than me."

'Big step'

Indeed, Martyn admits that all aspirant filmmakers initially suffer from naïve delusions of grandeur: "I'd imagined that I'd write, direct, film, produce, act in and do the music for the film. I've since thinned that out and I'm now content to be a writer and director."

Martyn rates this realisation that the process of making films is very much a combined team effort as the most important discovery in his early tentative steps: "Gelling with someone and finding out that I could write with someone and come out with an end product was probably the biggest step and a major moment of realisation.

"I'm the structural writer - beginning, journey and the end. My co-writer, Simon, who I call 'The Magician', tends to fill in the gaps. He's got a beautiful ability to use the English language which I don't have."

Martyn and his team have just released their first short film. 'Chop' was shot on a budget of £1000 and Martyn admits that they were heavily indebted to the goodwill of those who contributed their efforts either voluntarily or for expenses only, including the actors and the sound engineer.

"Short films are a vehicle to show that you have skill. You don't make money out of them though, unless you're very lucky. In order to promote the film you just enter it in as many film festivals as you can afford and then you invite people and the press down to view it and get some feedback."

In addition to 'Chop,' Martyn also has a number of other projects in the pipeline including a local feature, 'The Cowley Road Drinking Club,' the first episode of a TV series 'Nemesis '39' and a feature film entitled 'No Balls.'

"I'm at the start of my journey into filmmaking; I'm broke, threadbare, but not hungry. I'm also in the happiest and most fulfilled time of my life. If I don't make it then at least I know I tried."