Year 10 is one of those horror movies which takes a well-worn storyline and adds so much originality to it. Its a stunning and emotional movie so we chatted to its director Benjamin Goodger.
NYX: Did you know from a young age that you wanted to become a director?
BG: My father is a cinematographer so there were always cameras around the house and lots of home videos being made. We also had an extensive VHS and DVD library and I watched a lot of films. But I wasn't one of those kids that started making shorts on a Super 8. This may be because my dad’s cameras were of the Digibeta video variety and actually really heavy! It wasn’t until I was 16 that I started assisting for him over school holidays and got a taste for being on set. I learnt a lot about the mechanics of filming and really enjoyed the dynamism and creative process of the shoot. But I didn’t settle on directing until after university. I first took a degree in Anthropology, a subject I’m still interested in. I see this as a precursor to my film work, or an overlap of interests, as many of the films I’m drawn to and stories I want to tell deal with human nature and primal, universal themes. I started directing music videos and short films in my early 20s before applying to The National Film and Television School where I took an MA in Directing Fiction. Then followed some years of developing scripts before arriving at YEAR 10.
NYX: Where did the idea for Year 10 come from?
BG: Growing up with my three brothers in rural England fostered a strong affinity with nature. We spent a lot of time playing in the local woods,fishing and making camps. As we got older this developed into a deeper interest in survival and the great outdoors. As teenagers, camping trips expanded to Wales and Scotland exploring the few pockets of wilderness still left on the British Isles. Then in 2011 we chartered afloat-plane to a remote lake in Yukon, Canada where we built a shelter and lived off the land for five weeks. Subsequent trips have taken us to Norway, Finland and Patagonia.
Simultaneously, as I was making my first forays into directing we talked about making an action short film. My brother Charlie was starting out as a cinematographer, and it seemed a natural step to team up. With very limited resources we realized setting the film in woodland would offer ample locations with just a few additional sets needed to create the context of a post-apocalyptic world. My youngest brother Toby, already a survival aficionado seemed the obvious choice to play the hero. This short became COMING OF AGE, a story about a young boy who must retrieve the stolen medicine from his brother's murderers in order to save the girl he loves. It was well received on YouTube with over 300 thousand views to date.
I applied with COA to the UK's National Film and Television School where I spent two years on the Directing Fiction MA making three further short films. Charlie was also accepted onto the Cinematography course at the same time though we weren't allowed to work together! On graduation I began developing ideas for a feature film. Initially I didn't consider COA as a candidate as I didn't think the premise would stretch to 90 minutes. Later, when Covid hit I was afforded some more time to write. The pandemic got me thinking about post-apocalyptic scenarios and I decided to revisit the short as a potential concept for a full-length film.
NYX: There’s very little dialogue (if any) how did you “script” the movie and why did you choose it to be like this?
BG: I realised that with such a clear and high-stakes goal there was ample driving force for a filled out-story. I just needed to add barriers and complications to that quest and develop motivations for the antagonist that would give sufficient resistance for the hero. The feral dogs were added to give the story a bit more scale and to present a post-civilisation world where humans are no longer top predator.
I made the choice of no-dialogue to emphasize this return to a hunter-prey environment where it also makes sense to keep quiet, whether stalking as hunter or hiding as prey .The story deals with broad stroke themes of survival, love and revenge. Dialogue is always a poor substitute for action and I felt that removing it altogether would optimize these primal themes and sharpen the visceral impact.
NYX: It’s very intense with the actors delivering some incredible performances, did they have long to rehearse?
BG: The fight scenes were rehearsed in advance but generally we only had time to rehearse on set. Partly this was because Covid made pre-shoot rehearsals impractical. We shot the script chronologically which I felt was important to help the actors get into the headspace of their character at that particular point in the story. And we were fortunate to have some really talented and versatile actors who loved the project and arrived on set very well prepared. I also think the primal drama of the story is something that as humans we have an innate understanding of. I found I didn’t need to give the actors detailed notes about the scenes but rather minor adjustments on blocking as well as some input on the pitch of emotional intensity. I was able to spend some time with Toby in advance of the shoot, working through his emotional journey. A broad note I gave him was not to try to be macho and stoic but to instead access his character’s suffering. Heroism is about self-sacrifice and the greater the suffering the greater the empathy and connection from the audience.
NYX: Was it a tough shoot as the locations seemed very inhospitable?
BG: It was an intense, busy shoot with a tight schedule but that is par for the course in filmmaking. The locations were actually a lot more accessible than they look, we filmed almost all of our scenes on the grounds of a converted farmhouse in Somerset with most of our locations just a five minute walk from the breakfast table. Folly Farm is set in the middle of an idyllic nature park with great facilities and comfortable accommodation. Because we were shooting in daylight during winter, our shooting hours were limited and we hardly ran over which meant relaxing evenings without a commute. Luckily it never got really cold nor rained all day. We did have some mud to contend which made some of the chase scene more challenging...
NYX: Did any of the cast or crew complain?
BG: There was a really positive energy throughout the shoot. Partly this is because many of the crew were family or friends so there was already a camaraderie that everyone then became a part of. The location, accommodation and catering were fantastic which really helped keep morale up at the end of bleak winter days . We were in our covid bubble together for four weeks with evenings spent at the communal dining table and barbecues over the weekend. I think everyone appreciated the opportunity to get out of lockdown for a few weeks and mingle again.
We also had 200 acres of pristine forest to explore when in need of some personal space.
NYX: This is your first full length feature, were you nervous the first day of the shoot?
BG: I was a bit nervous initially and it took about a day for the crew to find its groove as many of us were working with each other for the first time. On the other hand one of my brothers was the cinematographer and another was the main actor so I also felt like I had my team with me. And my approach to shooting is to be very well prepared with a clear vision and storyboard of what I’m trying to achieve. Having a clear plan gives you confidence so even if the day’s schedule can feel daunting you just need to focus on what’s in front of you and take one step at a time. It’s important to be flexible and open to new ideas. There will be moments of uncertainty but with a top team behind you you can always find a solution.
NYX: What lessons in directing did you learn?
BG: The main lessons were things I already knew from previous shoots but am reminded of each time I start something new. Most obviously everything takes longer than you think it will. I suspect this is a fundamental principle of filming that all directors will be familiar with. You never have as much time as you would like so you have to approach the scenes economically and prioritise what’s most important. Having the discipline to pace yourself with a steady work flow rather than overindulging at the beginning of the day and rushing later. Knowing when a take is good enough or when it’s important to go again. The more takes you do the fewer shots you are likely to have time for so there’s always a trade-off to weigh up. A good 1st AD can help you with this but you also have to trust your gut and know what’s important for the scene. And there were smaller lessons particular to this film. Because we had no dialogue the motivations and reactions of the characters were conveyed through looks and expressions. In the edit I found I was often wishing I had a bit more footage of a particular look or action. For future actions scenes I’d like to shoot more footage at 50fps which would allow more flexibility in the edit. YEAR 10 was my first experience using two cameras for some scenes. It was a little disorientating initially but following this experience I feel I could make more use of this in future. Applied smartly it can save.
NYX: Will you be nervous when the movie has its world premiere at Fright Fest 2024?
BG: It’s very excited to have our premiere at Fright Fest, especially at such an iconic cinema in Leicester Square. I’m really pleased with the film, I hope people will connect with it and I’m looking forward to seeing how a public audience reacts. I will probably be a bit nervous before the interviews. I’m quite a private person by nature so tend to eschew the limelight.
NYX: So, what are you working on at the moment?
BG: I have another script written which I hope to get made next. It’s a prehistoric action film about early humans with similarities to YEAR 10. It also deals with survival in an apocalyptic scenario but is more ambitious in scale and scope. And I’m writing another action/horror script with a more modern, urban setting. I don’t want to say any more about that one until it’s finished as I have a small superstition for jinxing.
NYX: Benjamin Goodger, thank you very much.
