LOGLINE:
The Goldthorps’ are breaking every rule in no-budget filmmaking: big cast, multiple locations, period drama. Nevertheless, they are determined to make a faithful adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s final novel, The Well Beloved. This documentary follows the production, encouraging brave filmmakers to question their assumptions and get making!
HISTORY:
Originally, the Goldthorps approached me to see whether I was interested in co-producing The Well Beloved but I declined. I had been struggling to complete projects for a few years for a variety of reasons and I didn’t want to jeopardise someone else’s project. So I asked if I could follow them instead and make a documentary. I found the experience of being in a documentary while filmmaking quite enlightening (see I’ve Got This Idea For A Film) and I figured that it may be more valuable to Rose and Ann-Marie than me being a co-producer on their film.
I was also keen to get back to single-person shooting. For this project I went back to the handicams that I used for Saharan Diary, but this time with interchangeable lenses and a separate audio recorder to sync up a boom microphone. I was happy with the workflow and delighted to be making something again!
The final film ended up being just shy of 35 minutes. The Goldthorps were happy with it and so am I. It follows similar themes as the 72 Project and my PhD, and feels like a nice, related extension to those projects. The ‘Sketch of a Temperament’ title refers to the serialised version of the Well Beloved that Thomas Hardy had written before the novel itself.