I had had an idea, months before I submitted to Random Acts, for a *series of still photographs where I dressed an Oak tree with loads of giant cardboard acorns. I had just made a micro film Duck Shoot using cardboard and really enjoyed working with the material. I like the fact that it's free, and I know I won’t run out! Cardboard is actually very versatile too and you can create lots of different textures by squashing, tearing or bending it. For this film the fact that I was taking a material that originates from trees to the woods (and bringing it back to life) appealed to me too.
Initially, I pitched the film to Channel 4 / Lupus as O.A.K. As well as the obvious reason behind the title, it was also to stand for the names of the three main characters i.e. Oscar, Albert and Kevin or something like that. In my original idea the discovery of the Oak tree was the ending, and there was no dramatic twist, so that title was more appropriate to the story at that stage.
Initially, I pitched the film to Channel 4 / Lupus as O.A.K. As well as the obvious reason behind the title, it was also to stand for the names of the three main characters i.e. Oscar, Albert and Kevin or something like that. In my original idea the discovery of the Oak tree was the ending, and there was no dramatic twist, so that title was more appropriate to the story at that stage.
This was the original synopsis:
A trio of cardboard creatures on a quest for the
perfect meal.
A squirrel, a pig and a bear travel the
countryside scavenging for food. They come across, and subsequently reject,
many synthetic things from a discarded hamburger to, a child’s birthday cake.
And just when they are on the verge of turning on each other they find their
holy grail…A huge tree full to bursting with oversized cardboard acorns and oak
leaves.
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| A piece of concept art that I submitted with the pitch |
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| An acorn that I made as a development piece for inclusion in the pitch |
(*I would like to create this original stills idea at some point too).
