Sonorous Films
Film fans have had plenty of chances to spot Glasgow on the big screen in recent years, from superhero blockbusters to futuristic sci-fi thrillers.
Now the city is to star in cinemas once again – but the difference is that it won’t be doubling for another location. It is actually set in the city.
Romantic comedy Premature is out in cinemas next Friday, despite a microscopic budget that is the fraction of Hollywood productions like Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The indie film – by writer and director Kevin Walls – was shot across the city, meaning landmarks such as Kelvingrove Art Gallery pop up – a well as the less obvious location of an east end flat.
The film stars James Rottger and Elle Watson as Cameron and Eilidh – mismatched flatmates who face the prospect of parenthood after a one-night stand.
“We shot quite a bit in a flat in the east end, maybe about nine days there,” Walls said.
“There is a key scene we did in a close there. It is not necessarily the most romantic location you would think of for a romcom, but in real life that’s exactly where these things happen.
“Why can’t we set a romcom in a flat in the east end? It looks really beautiful on the big screen.”
Thomas Buchmann
That vibe is something the film’s leading lady agrees with, despite Glasgow’s film appearances often being due to it looking Gothic.
“We are so used to Glasgow being this dark and gritty place, but that’s not reflective of the city overall”, Watson said.
“It’s great having it on screen as a bright and funny place, with people falling in love there. Shooting in locations I’ve grown up around was great too, as I’ve been going to Kelvingrove since I was a little kid.
“Part of me wanted to run around the building when it was all quiet. But when you see it on the screen it looks beautiful. Being from Glasgow you are so used to it that you almost become immune to the spectacle of the building, and how grand it is.”
John Sanger
Walls admitted to BBC Scotland News that some of the choices were made through necessity.
“The locations were tricky because we didn’t have any money,” she said. “So we were begging – I’d usually go down and speak to people about what I was trying to do. I explained I wasn’t going to tear up their space or anything like that.”
Premature is the first feature film Kevin has directed, having worked on short films and adverts in the past.
He has also juggled other jobs, including lecturing and editing highlights of football matches for YouTube channels, with money raised going back into Premature.
A Kickstarter campaign helped secure funding needed for a cinema release.
“Cinema-going is really important to me, and through sheer determination I was going to get this on a cinema screen too, as it deserves to be seen there”, Walls said.
Lewis Brown
Watson’s character Eilidh harbours dreams of being an artist, but is frustrated that life is not going to plan. Her flatmate Cameron is meticulous and career driven, but everything changes for both of them when they drunkenly sleep together.
“This whole film is about two people being chucked out of any sense of control they thought they had,” said James Rottger, who plays the leading man.
“Particularly for Cameron, that’s the point of the film – I leaned into the bit of me that’s a control freak and likes to do things a certain way, and then brought that out in the character.”
Like his co-star, he was delighted to see so much of Glasgow on screen, and being presented in a bright light.
“It’s brilliant big productions are coming here and using Glasgow as a double, but it’s important we see Scotland on the big screen as itself,” he said.
“The film Kevin has written shows Glasgow in a warm light, literally and figuratively. The red sandstone flats, Kelvingrove, the pubs – it’s all there.”
Sonorous Films
Premature marks Scotstoun native Watson’s big screen debut, after mostly working in theatre and short films or adverts.
Unlike his co-star, Rottger has a fair number of screen credits, including roles in Gary: Tank Commander and a couple of rom-coms regarded as a bit cheesy – Irish Wish with Lindsay Lohan and festive TV film A Hot Cocoa Christmas.
However, for this film both stars say they could relate to their characters.
“I’m probably closer to where Cameron ends up than where he starts off,” said Rottger, who has two young daughters.
“As a dad waiting for a baby to be born, you are out of having any control. The nerves you feel knowing you will be a parent is terrifying for the first time.”
For Watson, the relatability came in a different way.
“Any woman in her late 20s or 30s will have thought about children, it’s omnipresent,” she said.
“You feel you need to be confident about your choice as it will soon be taken away from you as you get older.
“But it was important the film is not just about Eilidh being pregnant – it’s using that for her to discover who she is and what she wants from life.”
Sonorous Films
Walls admits he had to overcome his own doubts during the creative process, having put so much effort in.
“There were so many times you’d think ‘what am I doing here, this is a terrible idea and won’t work’ – I had to push past that and be confident,” he said.
Seeing the finished product in cinemas will make it all worth it though, as Watson sums up.
“It feels like a miracle for this film with a tiny budget and a hope and a prayer, to be on the big screen.”
