Audience Q&A with the Writers, Actors: Niyi Akin, Kai Francis - Lewis, Creative Producer: Nathalie Pownall and the Managing Chaplain of HMYOI Feltham: Matt Boyes…

QUESTION: Firstly - Brilliant film, would you be able to talk about that spoken word line about being afraid of your own reflection, what did it mean for you?

WRITER: “For a lot of us prison is rock bottom. It can get us to a point where it becomes difficult to stare at our own reflection. You see the truth behind your facial expressions, which can sometimes be too much to handle.”

QUESTION: How many young people took part in the film?

NATHALIE: “About 30. 8 young men created and wrote the script, and different guys would join us in the follow up workshops from within the prison. We also ran workshops with a pupil referral unit in Newham, some of the students from New Vic 6th Form Academy joined the cast in the college and party scenes. We were also supported by Young Creators in Brixton, and 4 of their young people joined our cast and crew.”

QUESTION: How long did you take to shoot it?

NATHALIE: “We shot over 4 days - which included a day shooting in Feltham - it was ambitious!”

QUESTION: I feel that this project will have not only impacted and changed the lives of the boys involved in writing, but also has the power to protect others from ending up in that position. Was that always an intention with the project and did the boys want it to have that wider effect when they wrote it?

WRITER: “Absolutely. We’re in an unfortunate position where crime is glorified in TV dramas and music. It can easily be interpreted in the wrong way.  We wanted to ensure that our film sends a clear message. We feel that coming from our perspective, we have an important message to put across, especially in a period of time we’re in now, where the drug culture is ever increasing.”

QUESTION: Niyi and Kai how did you get involved?

NIYI: “I am in my 2nd year at LAMDA and was at the end of the first year when I did this film. I saw the story and wanted to tackle it and get my head around it as I see a lot of similar things happen with people I spend time with. It happens a lot, regular people getting mixed up in situations they can’t get out of.”

KAI: “At first I thought it was another generic British hood story but after reading it through you see that it’s not. On the surface you could say so but when you look at the detail you see how it  effects their lives and you don’t often get to see this side of the story. It was pioneering, fresh and new.” 

QUESTION: How did you feel playing these parts? Did you get an idea of how it is that young men end up in prison? Has it changed how you think?

NIYI: “I really enjoyed playing the role of Jordan, because we are very similar in many ways. I think playing him has strengthened the way I think - to always check on the people I care about. Jordan is a good guy that has just caught up in sticky situations. I believe Jordan is a man of many aspirations and that’s what drives him in life but he finds himself in conflict between family and peer pressure. These things can happen to anybody. Someone so talented and smart can easily slip.”

QUESTION: Can you tell us about the style choices you made?

NATHALIE: “The guys who wrote it and I had long discussions about films that had inspired them, the grading and the feeling certain cinematic choices evoke. There was a lot of discussion about how stories told of their lives are often glamourized, there’s often a lot of violence, blood, swearing which is something they didn’t want in their narrative as they wanted to reach an audience with their hearts.  We also spoke about how films of a similar narrative, often have the colour stripped out of them in the grade and how,  on the contrary, we wanted to capture the warmth and vibrancy of the lives of these young men. In terms of the narrative, it was important that every young man saw their voice in the final film. I wasn’t able to identify the guys in the credits but we spent a morning recording them reciting the spoken word pieces and chatting amongst themselves. I decided to use some of this in the ambiance of the prison unit scenes so, if they listen carefully, they will hear their own voices in the final film.  The young men had so many brilliant ideas which were constantly evolving and developing that by the end of the week we had filled the chapel floor, where we led the workshops, with a carpet of ideas on paper. These now fill up a space in the chaplaincy office – I need to exhibit them for they are as valuable as the film itself.”  

QUESTION: What has been the impact on the prison?

MATT: “The impact it has had on the staff and that group of lads has been incredible. Prison is a place where you have to wear a mask a lot of the time as a survival mechanism - a way of getting through the day. Having a space to do something creative was what got me when Nat first came with the idea because you have to be vulnerable,  you have to open up and think outside your confines. The guys confidence bloomed and they knew they were doing something special and had a chance, as Nat said at the beginning, to say it as they saw it and to see that are not defined by mistakes of the past but they are people with real talents, abilities and creativity to examine their life stories and see messages in those.”  

QUESTION: Can you tell me more about the scene between the Mother and JR?

NATHALIE: “The writers and I talked a lot about the relationships with their parents, the impact of prison upon those relationships. We also spoke about the power behind a name and how it can inform our identity. I went away and studied the meaning of all the writer’s names and brought them to the workshop. In a world where we often cut people down with slurs and nicknames that do not edify, watching their faces lift and them stand tall upon the significance of their name their parents gave them was an unforgettable moment.  The scene in the prison when his mum tells JR his full name was therefore poignant and is the turning point for JR. His name means Jonathan - God has Given, Reginald  - King, Ugonna – Glory of God – that’s an identity not to be messed with.  The scene shows, how the moment of connection over his name can restore what was lost in the breakdown of their relationship. It’s an intimate moment between a mother and her son. JR returns to his cell knowing where he has come from and it empowers him beyond his current circumstances. With a new sense of identity, he writes to his friend not knowing the impact this may have upon Jordan when he reads it. The letter was included as we wanted to show that it’s the words and actions of these young men that ultimately have the potential to change the pathway for others.” 

QUESTION: How have you stayed in touch with the guys who wrote it, have any of them seen it yet?

NATHALIE: “Yes! It was important to me that those still in Feltham were the first to see it. They were also kept in the loop during the shoot and the edit. Having seen the final edit, the last remaining young man in Feltham gave the film it’s title WAKE-UP as it had the working title ‘Inside Out’ for over a year. There’s lots of security to honour both in and out of the prison so we also kept in touch with probation so the guys who had been transferred to other prisons or who had been released could remain in touch with the films progress.  Some of the guys who had been released were able to join us on set through probation and those still in Feltham were able to  join us on set when we filmed the prison scenes. 

I put another one of the young men in touch with a TV and Film training scheme which he enrolled on upon being released. Off the back of WAKE-UP he was offered a place at the National Youth Film Academy and is currently working as a runner for a Production Company.

We had planned to screen WAKE-UP in a cinema in central London and had a date booked so all the young men could watch it together then corona gatecrashed our best laid plans and switched everything up. We hope we can do this in the future and come together as a team again.”

QUESTION: What was their reaction when they saw this film?

NATHALIE: “The guys were blown away that everyone; crew, cast, the prison had got behind what they had written. One young man commented ‘I can’t believe that our words have been made into a film’. He was impressed to see the inclusivity of the crew and that there were men and women who looked like him and those that didn’t coming together both in front and behind the camera to share a common vision. The size of the team was unexpected as the young men initially thought their film might be made on a camcorder so to be on set and see all the professional lighting, rigs and camera equipment was a huge experience for them and a unprecedented feat for the Prison. Another young man joined us on set on the party scene and Shash, the line producer, commented on the lasting impact it had on him personally to see the response on this young man’s face as he saw his work come to life.”

MATT: “There is a line in the bible that says ‘can anything good ever come out of Nazareth?’ and it’s often said ‘can anything good come out of Feltham? and this has proven, yes it can and it has and it’s all the guys own work.  We also want to use the film in the prison to show the staff and to encourage them that the work they do day in and day out does have an impact and the guys do listen and want to make changes.”

QUESTION: Kai and Niyi  - how has the project impacted your life?

KAI: “It bought a lot of insight into what goes on behind closed doors. Prison can physically change the way people think, it can break down a person. Being in the cell, I didn’t want to be there.  It was super cold, it echoed, the moment you step inside the prison you know it’s a place you don’t want to be. That’s where the majority of the impact has come from. Like a majority of people, we have only seen it from the outside in but being on the inside … it was tough.”  

NIYI: “This lifestyle can be glorified but in that short film - it was just so short; one minute they were playing basketball and the next minute they are behind bars. There was no glamour about that lifestyle and I guess it showed me that it can happen so fast.  When I met the person who was similar to my role, it put everything into perspective about what an actors’ real job is – it’s not about you -  whether you look good -  but serving their story and not my life. You have to care and you have to care about everyone in that story. There was no one lead, everyone was working together to tell this story. In many ways. It’s made me put my ego/nerves to one side and focus solely on a story that should be told.”

KAI: “The role of an actor is to bring stories to life and off the page. Telling a story that is based on real life and has been written by those who have experienced it, you feel the weight and pressure when I was feeling that it was pushing me to play it to the best of my ability and to drive home that this story is important and needs to be told to as many people as possible.”

NATHALIE: “I’m still working with some of the guys who wrote it. I shared with them it has been the best  project of my career and I’m an actress not a film maker. The impact  these guys have had on me is life changing and I said to them ‘you’re not only paying value to your own lives but you are also paying value to the guys I met when I was 19. At the time I had just been released from a psychiatric institution with anorexia. It was the experience and resonance of working with those guys   - having both been institutionalised and our identities and voices stripped away   -  that sowed the seed of this project deep within me.  Those guys I worked with when I was 19 had no idea of the impact they had on my life, nor will they know the impact  they are having on other people who are now seeing the work of the 8 men who wrote this film. This blows me away and reminds me that we all have the power to leave an impact; big or small and often we’llnever know, so do not underestimate the power of your influence.”

QUESTION: How have the prison staff responded to the experience?

MATT: “It was lovely to see how the staff interacted with the crew. It was the first time anything like this had been filmed in Feltham.  Prison is not naturally a place to take risks so to have a film crew filming on a unit with a full kit, that’s really strange!   The staff involved were brilliant and could see the value of what was being done and bent over backwards to make it happen and have continued to so in the work since. The support we had from the No 1 Governor, Emily Martin and the Deputy Dean Donoghue, was exemplary. They were fully on board from the word go and it was brilliant to have such visionary leadership behind the project.” 

NATHALIE: “The guys in prison can feel forgotten, not cared for or listened to. It was important for those involved to witness the staff were behind their project and that there are people on both sides of the prison gate who believe in them and want to see them excel beyond their circumstances and the prison fences.” 

QUESTION: Did you always have the ending in mind, did you see it as a positive ending? 

NATHALIE: “We talked about a lot of different endings. The chosen ending came through the guys because they wanted the audience to ask themselves ‘what would I do if I was in your shoes as I currently stand in mine?’ They wanted to leave the power of choice with the audience as to what happens to JR and Jordan now so the narrative that you empower resides with you.” 

QUESTION: What was the inspiration for the writers in creating the characters?

WRITER: “We wanted two characters that reflect the generational paths of life. Everyone in prison has a story to tell. Most, but not all, who are in prison are in for drug or violence related crimes. But anyone can make one mistake, and suddenly pay the price. Jordan started to spiral into trouble whilst JR made a decision to change. Had the film went on, would Jordan have ended up in prison?”

QUESTION: When was the moment for you, that you felt you captured the story?

NIYI: “The basketball scene. The scene could be shot basically anywhere. Just two friends playing a sport and enjoying life. It depicts how simple life can be before all the challenges that may come”

QUESTION: What is the biggest memory you will take from the experience?

WRITER: “Definitely seeing the film in action. From all the brainstorming, where we had nothing but a blank piece of paper, to seeing the filming and witnessing all the creation was an amazing experience.”

NIYI: “The table read was super important. The table read was a playground to explore what we thought/felt about the piece. This has encouraged me to continue working in this way.”

MATT: “Seeing the guys being part of something and taking ownership of the script planning and preparation, to see their work coming to fruition was a real buzz . Watching them grow and develop. There were lots of  different styles and ideas and all of their contributions were included. There was a real unity, that they were in it as a team to create something amazing.  They would be humble and say they were just making a film; they didn’t consider it would have a wider footprint but the finished project really does have legs. We’d love to share it with other prisons. It’s the people impact that interest s me most.

The favourite scene for me is with JR and his mum, it gets me every time I see it.” 

NATHALIE: “This project had been embryonic and growing within me since I was 19 and the development and ground work I did on this film project, both consciously and subconsciously  has been a long process – over half of my life.  The first day in the prison of the workshops and the guys coming into the room was my favourite memory.  I’d bought them all books from Muji so they had something that wasn’t prison issue and I’d given them the freedom to write or not write in them - it was all about exploring. We did a lot of talking and sharing our hearts that first day and the next morning 2 guys came in with spoken word pieces. Seeing what they had written in a matter of hours and bringing it to the room and sharing it with the group, all of us in that workshop looked at each other and knew there was something special here even though we didn’t know what it was going to look like yet.” 

QUESTION: What was the most enjoyable part of filming the project

KAI: “I can’t pin it down to one single moment - being on set with everyone - there was unity,  everyone was together to get it done. Everyone was friendly and fun.” 

NIYI: “The party scene was fun. My top favourite though has got to be the basketball - too fun. It’s the  heart of who they are  - 2 normal guys playing basketball and it completely bonded me and Kai. It eradicated any potential sense of barriers as it was the first thing we shot so it bonded us for the other scenes and to our emotional connection to the friendship of JR and Jordan.” 

QUESTION: Niyi and Kai, how do you get into the character?

NIYI: “Let your imagination run but know it’s also ok to ask for help  - it’s calm. I spoke to Nathalie about what the guys went through. We also spoke a lot at the table read and reflected around the table regarding our own lives. Test the character in different scenarios, poking your work but being sensitive to the truth of the character especially if it’s based on truth.”

KAI: “I try to literally stop being myself even off screen and stay in the mentality of my character to help me think how they feel psychologically.  I break the script down, reading between the lines, analysing the script and then on set the Director gives you the mood and it’s your job to carry that mood through the scene.” 

QUESTION: Had any of these young men had any experience in writing before?

WRITER: “A little, I wrote a couple of scripts and sent them in for competitions before prison, but didn’t get nowhere. In prison, I would occasionally write my thoughts down. It’s a great way to reflect on things.”

NATHALIE: “The young man who wrote ‘Life of a young Teen’ had also written spoken word before but a lot hadn’t had the opportunity to write in the way they did for the film.”

QUESTION: Have any of the guys carried on writing?

WRITER: “I do plan to carry on writing. The opportunity is always there. There are numerous workshops and writing competitions. It may be difficult to have your voice heard in an intense industry such as Film and TV. However, this project may have given us a platform that means it becomes easier for us.”

QUESTION: Is there any support for the guys  writing the project to continue writing?

NATHALIE: “Yes, I have collated a network of contacts and put them in touch with probation for the young men upon their release and they are free to follow those opportunities up should they wish to. I’ve also been asked by a number of Young men in Feltham if I can help them put their ideas on paper. These guys weren’t involved in the project and who weren’t even in the prison at the time we were writing but have since heard about the workshops and film. That’s really encouraging.” 

QUESTION: How do you now target the audience you want to reach?

NATHALIE: “I have links to lots of organisations that work with young people and the film is available to them as well as prisons. We are also looking at film festivals and I’m interested  in speaking to police and gang intervention groups, prison officer training and also politicians. If anyone would like to get in touch with the view to share the film, please email me, I’d be only too happy to chat” 

QUESTION: Matt, any final comments before we draw the evening to a close? 

MATT: “The film is a real tribute to the lads who created the film from within their cells. From that place of darkness to create something so moving, authentic and real is a true testament to them.” 

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