A Fitting Tribute

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A Fitting Tribute
Directed byDaniel Cormack
Written byBen Clover
Produced byDaniel Cormack
Will Briggs
StarringSally Bretton
Thomas Nelstrop
April Nicholson
CinematographySam Osborne
Daniel Cormack
Edited byGareth Davies
Andy Morrison
Music byAndy Simms
Production
companies
Actaeon Films
UK Film Council
Maya Vision International
Lifesize Pictures
Lewisham Film Initiative
Distributed byDazzle Films
Release date
  • 20 August 2007 (2007-08-20) (EIFF)
Running time
13 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

A Fitting Tribute is a 2007 British short film comedy-drama film directed by Daniel Cormack and starring Sally Bretton, Thomas Nelstrop and April Nicholson.

In 2010, A Fitting Tribute was selected for preservation by the British Film Institute's National Archive[1] and in 2012, the film was acquired by the British Library's Moving Image Collection.[2][3]

Plot[edit]

In flashback, Niall (Thomas Nelstrop), a local news reporter, recalls visiting his mother's grave, as he smartens up in a toilet mirror. His colleague Tammy (Sally Bretton) knocks on the toilet door to hurry him up and as they walk to the car she instructs him on the art of the 'death knock': knocking on the doors of the recently bereaved to obtain quotes and pictures of the deceased for the newspaper. Niall's poor track record has put his job on the line and Tammy has been detailed to improve his hit-rate. When they reach the house of Mrs Wright, who has lost her son in a car accident, Niall goes in first while Tammy waits outside. Before Niall can introduce himself and launch into his spiel that Tammy has prepared for him, Mrs Wright (April Nicholson) interrupts him – "I know who you are" – and ushers him into the house. There she ropes him into unstacking the dishwasher as Niall tries in vain to broach the subject of the bereavement against the sound of a fire alarm which has been set off by the cigarette Mrs Wright is smoking. Mrs Wright appears baffled by Niall's requests for pictures and instead offers him some soup telling him they will look at some pictures "in the morning", much to Niall's surprise. She then leads him upstairs to the bedroom and encourages him to get some rest. Trapped in the bedroom, Niall examines the dead boy's belongings and finds himself playing with his toys. Meanwhile, Tammy waits outside taking a phone call from her boss at the newspaper, to whom she explains that Niall "is still in there, so he must be doing alright". Whilst playing with a light sabre, Niall knocks off a shelf-load of items and as he picks them up, he finds a photo of the dead boy. Mrs Wright, alerted by the noise, appears behind him and embracing Niall, she tells him: "it's been a long day: time for bed." Tammy knocks at the door and attempts to talk to Mrs Wright about the accident in which her son was killed, but Mrs Wright replies that her son is in his room and that there must be some mistake. Closing the door, she is nonetheless shaken by Tammy's insistence that her son is dead and she climbs the stairs to the bedroom where she finds Niall tucked up fast asleep in her son's bed. She kisses him on the cheek and switches out the light.

Cast[edit]

Sally Bretton was cast as 'Tammy' after the director saw her performance in BBC TV series The Office and A Fitting Tribute was the first short film she had agreed to appear in since leaving drama school:[4] ""The script was really intriguing and the writing flowed very well, plus I knew that Daniel's previous short film (Amelia and Michael) had been really well-received".[5] Bretton was cast alongside "rising star" Thomas Nelstrop[6] with April Nicholson completing the cast after returning to acting following a career break.[7]

Production[edit]

April Nicholson (Mrs Wright) prepares for a take on A Fitting Tribute. Photo: Marianne I. van Abbe

The screenplay for the film was partly based on Ben Clover's real-life experiences of death-knocks as a reporter for the South London Press[4] and production started after the project won a funding award from the Lewisham Film Initiative[8] with Will Briggs, stepson of the comedian Malcolm Hardee,[9] acting as co-producer.[4][10]

Filming was completed on the day of the deadline for the UK Film Council Completion Fund which "provides finance and support for short films that show outstanding potential but lack the funds to finish."[11] Despite being only a rough assembly, the film won a completion funding award: "the completion fund was what we wanted the most really...it's actually, apart from Cinema Extreme, the only nationwide UK Film Council short film funding scheme. It has a massive profile here at Edinburgh...It's a brilliant scheme to get on."[12]

A Super 8mm intro sequence, self-shot by the director Daniel Cormack on the then recently discontinued Kodachrome film stock, was added subsequent to principal photography.[13]

Release[edit]

Festivals[edit]

In addition to a short theatrical run before the feature presentations at the Broadway Theatre and the First Past the Post screenings at the Curzon Mayfair,[14] A Fitting Tribute screened on the festival circuit from its world première at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, US première at the Palm Springs Shorts Fest and European première at the A-list Warsaw International Film Festival in 2007 through to 2009 having been selected for the British Council's International Short Film Festival Support Scheme.[15]

Edition Festival Programme title Venue Date Time Country Première status
61st Edinburgh International Film Festival First Past the Post Cameo cinema,
Screen 1 		20 August 2007 (2007-08-20) 14:00 UK World[16]
13th Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films Showdown Camelot Theaters,
Theater 2 		28 August 2007 (2007-08-28) 14:30 USA USA[17]
23rd Warsaw International Film Festival Short Films 1 Palace of Culture and Science,
Kinoteka 7 		18 October 2007 (2007-10-18)
20 October 2007 (2007-10-20) 		11:00
13:30 		Poland Polish[18]
8th X'08 International Disability Film Festival Director's Showcase: Daniel Cormack BFI Southbank,
Studio 		15 February 2008 (2008-02-15) 15:50 UK [19][20][21]
2nd Shooting People Split Focus at the BFI Split Focus: Daniel Cormack / Kara Miller BFI Southbank,
Studio 		10 March 2008 (2008-03-10) 18:00 UK [22]
14th Bradford Film Festival New British Filmmakers National Media Museum,
Pictureville Cinema 		14 March 2008 (2008-03-14) 16:00 UK [23]
6th Wood Green International Short Film Festival Drama Session One Cineworld Wood Green,
Screen 3 		18 April 2008 (2008-04-18) 21:30 UK [24]
5th The End of the Pier International Film Festival Short Drama Competition: Director's Special Mention Regis Centre,
Alexandra Theatre 		3 May 2008 (2008-05-03) 14:00 UK [25]
8th Nickel Independent Film Festival Film Screening LSPU Hall,
Theatre 		24 June 2008 (2008-06-24) 19:30 Canada Canadian[26]
1st Swale Film Festival Industry Q&A Session Avenue Theatre,
Cinema 		11 July 2008 (2008-07-11) 18:00 UK [27]
13th Portobello Film Festival London Filmmakers Convention – Day 2 Paradise Bar,
Private Dining Room 		3 September 2008 (2008-09-03) 18:00 UK [28]
4th Busho Budapest Short Film Festival Informational Screening 1 4 September 2008 (2008-09-04) 12:00 Hungary Hungarian[29]
16th Raindance Film Festival Prior to the feature presentation of Goliath Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue,
Screen 7 		5 October 2008 (2008-10-05) 19:00 UK [30]
9th HDFest NYC Prior to the feature presentation of Foreign Devils Sony Wonder Technology Lab 19 October 2008 (2008-10-19) 19:30 USA [31]
9th Filmstock International Film Festival Short Film Weekend 10 The hat Factory, Screen One
The hat Factory, Basement 		9 November 2008 (2008-11-09)
9 November 2008 (2008-11-09) 		16:00
18:10 		UK [32]
7th Notting Hill Film Festival Short Films Six Odeon Kensington,
Screen 2 		12 July 2009 (2009-07-12)
13 July 2009 (2009-07-13)
16 July 2009 (2009-07-16) 		19:00
11:00
11:00 		UK [33]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

Natascha Kaufman of Time Out London reviewed the First Past the Post theatrical screening of the UK Film Council Completion Fund slate at the Curzon Mayfair:

"A gripping collection of nine short films that all project an effective message with a shower of creativity and originality. Each film possesses a unique quality to touch and captivate with a lasting impression in no more than 15 minutes...'A Fitting Tribute' is a satirical story about a young journalist who is confronted with an unusual circumstance when he meets a grieving mother. Akin to the standard of directing the acting too is a far cry from amateur; nine little gems that all twinkle with artistic imagination."[34]

Accolades[edit]

Rank Award Awarding body Nominee Year
Winner Emerging Filmmaker Award Nickel Independent Film Festival Daniel Cormack 2008[35]
Winner Best Story / Screenplay Award Nickel Independent Film Festival Ben Clover 2008[35]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "A Fitting Tribute (2007)". BFI – Film & TV Database. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009.
  2. ^ "The British Library Sound & Moving Image catalogue". British Library.
  3. ^ "A fitting tribute". British Library.
  4. ^ a b c "A Fitting Tribute". BBC Film Network.
  5. ^ "A Fitting Tribute". Actaeon Films. Archived from the original on 21 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  6. ^ "Split Focus #2". Ben's Blog.
  7. ^ "April Nicholson". Actaeon Films. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  8. ^ "Actaeon Films – Daniel Cormack". Lewisham Film Initiative. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  9. ^ "Bill Bailey headlines Greenwich Comedy Festival". Spoonfed. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  10. ^ "Will Briggs". Actaeon Films. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  11. ^ "The Short Film Completion Fund". MayaVision. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009.
  12. ^ "Daniel Cormack interviewed by Channel 4's Podcast from the Edinburgh Film Festival (1:32)" – via YouTube.
  13. ^ "A Fitting Tribute (Video)". BBC Film Network.
  14. ^ "Actaeon Films Oscar hopes". Your Local Guardian.
  15. ^ "British Council Film: A Fitting Tribute". British Council.
  16. ^ "UKFC First Past the Post". Edinburgh International Film Festival.
  17. ^ "A Fitting Tribute". Palm Springs International Film Society. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  18. ^ "A Fitting Tribute". Warsaw Film Festival.
  19. ^ "Director's Showcase: Daniel Cormack". Film London.
  20. ^ "Director's Showcase: Daniel Cormack". Remote Goat. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  21. ^ "Film Preview". The Guardian. London. 9 February 2008.
  22. ^ "Split Focus #2". Shooting People.
  23. ^ "A Fitting Tribute". National Media Museum. 16 November 2008. Archived from the original on 16 November 2008.
  24. ^ "Wood Green International Short Film Festival". ScriptFirst.
  25. ^ "2008 Winners And Awards". End of the Pier Film Festival. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011.
  26. ^ "2008 Schedule". Nickel Film Festival. 13 June 2008. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008.
  27. ^ "Swale Film Festival 2008 Report". 21 November 2008. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008.
  28. ^ "London Film Makers Convention". Portobello Film Festival.
  29. ^ "Program – informational screening". BUSHO film festival.
  30. ^ "A Fitting Tribute". Raindance. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  31. ^ "A Fitting Tribute (video)". HDFest. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  32. ^ "A Fitting Tribute". Short Film Central. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  33. ^ "A Fitting Tribute". Notting Hill Film Festival. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  34. ^ Natascha Kaufman (10 October 2007). "First Past the Post: UK Film Council New Cinema Completion Fund Shorts", Time Out (London), Issue 1938, p. 89-90, ISSN 1479-7054. Time Out Group Ltd
  35. ^ a b "2008 Tokens of Recognition". Nickel Film Festival. 13 October 2008. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008.

External links[edit]

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