“A young neglected boy has one comfort in life; his beloved dog. When a deranged killer escapes from high security prison, the boy’s world is turned upside down.”
As a child, I would share ghost stories with friends. Urban myths, told and told again in an attempt to frighten. We used to tell a story about the young boy whose dog sleeps under his bed; when the boy got scared, he would reach down under the bed, the dog would lick his hand and reassure him that everything is going to be OK. Inevitably, these ghost stories didn’t have happy endings. It was only recently that I recalled this particular story and realised just how unpleasant it actually was. The thought that I used to tell it as a child and not fully understand or appreciate the twisted nature of the story made me feel uncomfortable. But it also made me realise the cinematic nature of the piece: the imagery of the boy, the dog, the broken home. It lent itself perfectly to a visual interpretation. As chance would have it, an opportunity to make the film presented itself, but in a very short timescale. With script in hand, I approached Mike Smith, a Producer who I’d worked with recently on another film. I said, “We have about a week and a half to put it together, what are the chances?” “I’ll see what we can do,” he said. A week and a half later we shot the film. The week prior to the shoot I went to a Leeds based child casting agency who run a drama workshop. I knew the film would hinge upon the performance of our young boy, but I had very little time for casting and nobody currently in mind. I sat in on a couple of classes. In the second class I picked out Rory and it later turned out that it was Rory’s first night at a drama class, ever. He looked perfect for the part and there was something about his responsiveness to the teacher that made it clear he was engaged with what he was doing. The following day I spoke to his mum and arranged to meet with her and Rory and later that evening they agreed to be involved. A week later, Rory was on his first ever film set.
As the old adage goes in show business, “Never work with children or animals.” Whilst DRIP wasn’t my first experience of working with animals, it was my first experience of working with children. The process wasn’t anywhere near as hard as I had originally anticipated, due largely in part to the fact that Rory was absolutely on point every single time. He learnt the process incredibly quickly and was receptive to direction. He was a pleasure to work with and should he decide to stick with performing arts, I see a very promising future for him. In creating the look and tone of the piece, I have benefitted enormously from being fortunate enough to surround myself with other talented, creative individuals who shared my passion for the story I wanted to tell. From the cinematography to the score, from the production design to the sound design, everything has come together in a disturbing alchemy that I hope will get under audiences’ skin in the same way the ghost story did mine.
00:00:45
00:02:12
00:00:56
00:03:29
Runtime Aspect Ratio Budget Print Details
00:06:34 1.78 (16x9 Video) £500.00 Colour Stereo
The film was shot in 3.5 days and took place over three separate blocks. The sets from ITV’s The Syndicate were redressed for the main house, the Producer’s friend’s bathroom was dressed down and Leeds Trinity University’s newsroom was the location for the news report. The production had four days to dress and shoot between The Syndicate wrapping and the sets being deconstructed. Drip marks Rory Kelly’s screen debut. He was chosen for the part at his first acting class. This is the second time Mark Trifunovic has worked with Megan the Dog.
The Newsreader The Mum The Dad The Boy The Dog The Man Voice Artists
Julie Fountain Cecily Barber Stuart Freestone Rory Kelly Megan Rik Garrad Laura O’Donoughue Christy Coysh
1st Assistant Director 3rd Assistant Director Director of Photography 1st Assistant Camera
Mike Howe Ashley Wilde Jenni Suitiala Tom Kirby
Gaffer Spark
Alice Wooldridge Stevens Mike Johnson
Art Director Standby Art Director Art Department Assistants
Rachel Barker Sacha Frampton Mike McNamee Paisley Boyd Jamie McLoughlin Alex Beahan
Graphic Design
Burden&Franc
Make-up Artist Make-up Assistants
Olivia Antemes Hanne Jackson Anna Stephenson
Stills Photographer
Tom Fenwick
Sound Recordist Standby Sound Sound Design Editor Original Score
Drew Bentham Dan Guest Rob Wingfield Ben Saffer Duncan Vaughan
Runners
Laura Adgie Caroline O’Connel
Dog Wrangler Stunt Driver & Catering
Angela Lowrie Liz Trifunovic
Rollem Pictures Kay Mellor Ken Lowe Len Holt Provision Leeds Greenville Horner Harvey Ascott Prime Studios Sarah Gallacher Constance Holden Mike Othic & Leeds Trinity University
Mark Trifunovic & Glow Films