About The Filmmaker

Pinny began her film career by co-founded the ‘Birds’ Eye View’ film festival showcasing the work by emerging women filmmakers.

In 2006 she made her first short documentary ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ - which premiered at BRITDOC in July 2006. In 2007 her second short 'Peter and Ben' was made through the UK Film Council’s Film London Digital Shorts Scheme, it toured the festivals extensively and won several awards. That year Pinny also directed critically acclaimed 'BRAVO!' a series of 4 x 3 Minute Wonders for Channel 4 about ‘The Bra’.

In 2008 she made 'Hearing a Smile Seeing a Song'' as part of 'Inspired by' a series of 3 minute wonders inspired by music for Channel 4 shown at the BRITDOC Festival in 2008. That year Pinny was also nominated for Channel 4 New Talent Award in the short documentary category.

She is currently developing her first feature length documentary 'Voytek The Soldier Bear' - about a bear who faught in the 2nd World War. It is being produced by double Grierson Award winning Animal Monday.

Summary

As a young man, Peter visited the rolling lush green hills of a remote and hidden valley in Wales and chose to stay there permanently. Self-sufficient and alone, Peter was content. Then he met Ben. Peter found Ben, an orphaned newborn lamb, abandoned in a ditch. Now Ben has matured into a full-grown wooly sheep with ambitions to move into Peter's house with him. Peter, however, has other ideas. Peter and Ben is a touching and quirky story of how two "black-sheep" form an unusual and enduring bond.

Questionaire

Did you make money on the film? Did you cover your costs or did it cost you money in the end? How much?

The film was funded by The UK Film Council through the Film London digital shorts scheme. The grant was £7000 - from that I could pay my basic expenses as well as receiving a (very basic) fee. But this was a low budget film production scheme - so I was lucky to even get that. The film now has a sales agent (Future Shorts) - but until the film makes half the grant back in sales (which is unlikely) - my self or the producer do not get anything else.

What did you shoot and edit on?

I shot on Sony Z1 - and edited it on Final Cut Pro - both were for the most past powered by wind power as that’s the only electricity source available to Peter!

How long did it take to make from conception to completion?

We received the grant in Oct 2006 - and completed it in March/April 2007

How many people worked with you and what did they do?

It was myself and a sound recordist shooting (we had to have asmall crew as Peter can be a bit shy!) - plus the producer Victoria Cameron who did the budgeting and helped develop the film. I edited it - and called upon the services of professional sound mixers and post production graders to finish it off (a large part of the budget went on this). I also had a wonderful composer (Will Hood from Animal Monday) to write and record the wonderful sound track.

How did you find your contributors?

I knew Peter from childhood - he is a very old family friend. But he took some convincing to take part.

What was the biggest lesson you learnt making the film?

Cut, Cut and Cut again - with shorts you have to be ruthless and cut off all the fat. Be militant with your story telling - and rigorous with your structure - but don’t lose the love you have for your characters - as that will help you stay on the right track.

What do you wish someone had told you before you started?

Don’t get more people involved than you need to - it's really ok to keep it simple ( and cheaper too!). (I kinda knew that at the time already actually)

Did you have a moment where you nearly gave up? What was it?

We were shooting scene when Peter leaves Ben on the hill and drives away. I was coming down with flu and it was very very cold - I felt like dying but we shot the scene anyway. It turned out to be one of the best scenes we shot - but as a result I was in bed for a week - my mum had to drive up to Wales to look after me. I did not know how I was going to carry on - but I did - making a film that you know you have to make is a bit like childbirth - there's no escape - its got to come into the world somehow - so you got to see it through!

Where did the idea for this film come from?

I always wanted to make a film about Peter - but I did not have a story until he found Ben - it was only then that I saw a way of making a film that captured Peter and who he is so well.

What do you think this film did in terms of helping your career?

It has won a few awards and it has been shown in I don’t know how many festivals across the world (including some really high profile ones) - it is also on YouTuvbe Screening room - and has 300 000 hits - I suppose that has really got my name out there. The documentary world is quite small - so it does not take much to make a little mark - and begin your career.

Where has the film been seen and how did it get there?

London Film Festival, LA Film Festival , Hot Docs , IDFA, Sydney Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, SXSW - just to name a few - and there is You Tube Screening Room. At first I sent the film off to a few festivals and it did not get anywhere (for about 4 months- I was about to give up) Thenit got into IDFA - a really big Doc Festival in Amsterdam and HotDocs in Toronto - and then it was away - everyone wanted it then.

Did you use the short as an experimental platform (either in technique or content) – in what ways?

Yes I experimented with creating a fictional story within a factual context - much like The Story of The Weeping Camel. It uses some observational footage - but some scene are also set up. What matters to me is what Werner Herzog refers to as the 'ecstatic truth' - that the story reveals a truth about that real -life person even if some of it has been shot a bit like a fiction film. Which is also why at the beginning of the film I experimented with shutter speeds and Point of View Shots (which is also very fictional in style).

Did you use the film as a launch pad to a longer film on the same subject?

Yes I am still considering making a film about Peter's life up there - he has hundreds of hours of archive footage he has shot himself - all about his relationship with the natural environment - some of it very moving. I hope one day to make a feature length film - but it a long term project. The BBC were initially interested - but it is difficult to get long term docs commissioned in todays commissioning environment.

What’s been the best thing about having made the film?

Having the opportunity to make a film that comes strait from my soul - and have it seen by so many people who felt moved by it.

What are you doing now?

I had a baby in Nov 08 - so I am looking after him a lot. However I have a fantastic husband - who looks after him a lot too - so I can carry on making films. Recently I have been making films for other people - including The National Theatre, Mori Ipsos, and Dove. This keeps the wolf from the door, and allows me to carry on developing and raising money for my first feature doc - Voytek The Soldier Bear - a film about a military bear who faught in the 2nd world war with the Polish Army. I am also always on the hunt for ideas - which I find crop up in the most unexpected places. One film idea is about a guy I bought my car off!