Concordia

Concordia Winter 2018 13 Concordia Winter 2018 12 Paul Raschid Paul Raschid (2006-2011) is a screenwriter, director and actor. He writes about his journey as an independent film-maker, including the background to his latest film, White Chamber. A fter finishing at MTS in 2011, I went on to read English Literature with Film Studies at King’s College London, graduating in 2014. The two subjects complemented each other brilliantly and really served to enrich my understanding of cinematic story-telling on an intellectual and academic level. It also propelled me to start writing screenplays; the culmination of my work within the film industry to that point. Since my early teens I had been shadowing my independent film producer father, Neville Raschid; so you could say I grew up on film sets, learning about the different roles and finding where I wanted to be. Together, my father and I now run indie film production company, Aviary Films. In the summer of 2014, my first produced screenplay, a teen supernatural thriller titled Unhallowed Ground, went into production. The film centres around six Sixth Form students who go on a CCF-esque overnight patrol of their school grounds only to encounter paranormal phenomena and a pair of burglars trying to ransack the school archive (three guesses where I got the inspiration from!). While I did not direct this feature, I acted as part of an ensemble cast featuring notable names such as Poppy Drayton (The Shannara Chronicles), Morgane Polanski (Vikings), Ameet Chana (Bend It Like Beckham), Will Thorp (Doctor Who), Thomas Law (Eastenders), Marcus Griffiths (Holby City) and Rachel Petladwala (MI High and St Helen’s alumni). Following its release in 2015, the film received various nominations and awards at the London Independent Film Festival and the British Independent Film Festival. It’s a fun film which you can seek out on iTunes if you fancy it (excuse the shameless promotion…). Later in 2015, principal photography began on my debut feature as writer-director; supernatural- psychological horror Servants’ Quarters (in which I also acted). The story follows a woman on the edge, who is forced into an isolated country home by her absent, controlling husband. She soon begins to obsess over the house’s mysterious history, awakening its demons as well as her own. The two leads are Jenna Harrison (My Brother Tom) and Tom Benedict Knight (Kingsman: The Golden Circle). In 2016, the film had its world premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London. Following a slight delay, it is set to be released in 2019 under a new title, which is yet to be decided. They say your first is always special and it is a project into which a lot of people’s passion went and I’ll always be very proud of it. The experience I gained from the film played a pivotal role in making my second film, White Chamber. White Chamber has certainly been a watershed project in my career thus far. It is a dystopian sci-fi horror-thriller set against the backdrop of a Britain in the midst of a violent civil war. A woman wakes up in a blindingly white cuboid cell. Using its sophisticated functionality, her captor tortures her for information; information she claims not to have – or does she? We shot the film in 12.5 action-packed days in April 2017 with a highly talented crew and a distinguished ensemble cast that includes Shauna Macdonald (The Descent), Oded Fehr (The Mummy, Resident Evil and Deuce Bigalow franchises), Amrita Acharia (Game of Thrones and The Good Karma Hospital), Nicholas Farrell (Chariots of Fire) and Sharon Maughan (Holby City). White Chamber has since been selected for ten film festivals all around the world. The global tour has, to date, taken me to wonderful festivals in Brussels, Edinburgh, Seoul, London, Utah, Barcelona, Osnabreuck, Mumbai and Kolkata. The experiences at these festivals deserve an article in themselves but in a nutshell, they have provided the invaluable first chance to showcase the film to discerning audiences of film fans and critics. Aside from getting to see new cities and cultures, the most special part of these festivals is the chance to meet other filmmakers. In what can be a very isolated profession, it is invigorating and inspirational to meet and interact with other creatives from around the world, some of whom I am a huge fan of – a couple of examples include Leigh Whannel (creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises) and Jeffrey Reddick (creator of the Final Destination franchise)! In addition to the nine festival selections, White Chamber won a FilmQuest Provo award for ‘Best Editing’ and Shauna Macdonald has won a prestigious BAFTA Scotland Best Actress Award for her tour de force performance in one of the film’s leading roles. It has gone far above and beyond the expectations I held when I started writing the film just after the Brexit vote and Trump’s election in 2016. As time has gone on, White Chamber’s themes in relation to socio-political tensions in Britain and beyond have become more and more topical so it has resonated with audiences. At 25, I am usually the youngest feature film director at the festivals it has screened at; a small statistic that has given me a lot of motivation to continue believing in myself in an industry that can be unforgivingly cruel regardless of talent. This year I also pushed myself creatively by venturing into the field of music videos. I was the lead actor in the music video for electronic act Bondax’s comeback single Real Thing. It is a truly visionary video which focuses on the pertinent issue of mental health in relation to society’s obsession with image and identity. I also wrote and directed my first music video – a song called Hero by Greek band, Ridder. Thematically, it focuses on the increasingly restrictive nature of a co-dependent relationship. More promotion incoming: both videos can be found on YouTube so please do check them out! The next step is pretty simple: make more stuff! With the two films I’ve written and directed set to release in the coming year, I hope to also go into production for my third. I am currently weighing up which project is the best next step for my creative trajectory. It is a pretty important decision following the bar being raised by White Chamber. We are in something of a golden era of OMTs in the film and TV world, with the success of the likes of Riz Ahmed, Vaughn Stein and Nigel Lindsay, providing ample inspiration for myself and others in the field. I’m still very much a part of the OMT network as a regular player for the OMT football team since its inception in 2014. It has been an amazing sporting and social outlet for me that has run parallel with my film career thus far. What has struck me most is how the camaraderie that this school instils in those who attend it lasts long after you leave. I am not exaggerating to say my experiences both at the school and within the OMT network have been a huge part of my life and always will be.