Honorable Mention – “Blood Type C” (UK)

Title: Blood Type C 
Runtime: 10 min
Country: UK 
Director: Duncan Roe
Executive Producer: Mark Bernard
Placement: Honorable Mention
Competition: June, 2019

Synopsis: A strong and independent father, Gregory Surinder, caught after being on the run for months, struggles both internally and externally against government agencies to keep custody of his daughter, after she is discovered to have a rare blood type that can lead to a cure of a virus sweeping across the world. 

The moral dilemma he faces is: Will he keep his daughter? or Will he give her to medical science and save the world from a major crisis? 

FILMMAKER Q&A (Mark Bernard – Executive Producer):

OR: What was the inspiration for your film?

MB: I was moved by how much I have seen my parents do for me and my family growing up. Coming from a large family there were many challenges.

There was always so much sacrifice and putting family first by my parents. I often thought to myself that my parents would give anything to help us as I saw them trying to move the earth bringing us up. 

I came to the idea of altruism and sacrifice and the idea shifted towards the question, what if one had to give up the child they worked so hard to bring up, to then help others?

OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?

MB: I conceived the idea one summer shortly after losing my mother. There was a feeling of loss and having to give up a loved one. This was at the forefront of my mind. It was a matter of weeks when I kicked the whole idea into play and then forwarded the concepts. It was not long when the script was formulated and production plans were quick to fall into place.

OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?

MB: The biggest challenge was to tell the story in a short amount of time and keep up the pace and be true to the script without creating fake action to keep the audience engaged or shall we say entertained.

There was an edit challenge to know what finally went into the film narrative without affecting the overall content and impact on the audience.

OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?

MB: One of the most challenging aspects of the production was time.

This was due to getting into the venue, firming, and getting out at a certain time. Also, using the space in the most effective and productive way was a challenge.

OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?

MB: My advice for a first time film-makers is:

Remain focused on the story you want to tell, have strong faith in yourself and believe that you can produce the final product that you envisaged at the very start.

Put one foot in front of the other and there’s not telling where you may end up.

Producer Mark Bernard with his One-Reeler Winner Statuette. Congratulations, Mark!