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(The beautiful Follow The Master poster below was designed & signed by Alice Smith & printed by Suzy & Sam Jones in Lancaster. I’ll be writing shortly about how this collaboration came about. It’s in itself a good story).
So our homespun road movie Follow The Master made it up there with the big (mouthed) boys & large (boned) girls & was selected for EIFF Best of Fest 2009.
‘An inspired cinematic pleasure from one of the most original & free-spirited artist/pilgrims currently working in Scotland.’ (Shona Thomson)
Selling out in less than 24 hours, the film was amongst the top 5 fastest-selling film festival events, a hit parade which included Sam Mendes in Person.
Better than that however, Follow The Master was the second fastest selling film of EIFF 2009, pipped to the post only by Duncan (aka Zowie Bowie) Jones’ Moon.
This is very gratifying & we’re proud of our film & all those involved, Tippy in particular. Extra treats on their way to our faithful Diamond Dog.
Of course, as serious Bowie fans, we are cool about this & not at all interested in Duncan Jones’ dad, whoever he may be.
In fact we have turned all of our posters of The Thin White Duke to face the wall & that’s that, there will be no more Changes round our place.
Giving the film 4 stars out of 5, this review states:
‘Edinburgh filmmaker Matt Hulse has distilled a simple cinematic pleasure for us all to share … one of the best first features I have seen in some time’ (Scott Macdonald)
There’s also an amusing article in Lothian Life.
So what’s next for Follow The Master?
It's Official
Matt Hulse’s debut feature film Follow The Master premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Saturday June 20th at 7pm in The Filmhouse.
The screening sold out the day after tickets went on sale – the second-fastest selling film of EIFF 2009.
Film Festival Synopsis
In his eagerly awaited debut feature, Edinburgh-based filmmaker Matt Hulse takes you with him on an invigorating walk following the 100-mile South Downs Way in homage to his grandpa Eric (the titular Master) who died last year. Tag along on a wildly creative, Pythonesque road trip complete with ukuleles, air drumming & the world’s most adorable dog.
Film Maker Synopsis
In May 2008, accompanied by his girlfriend Lucy & dog Tippy, artist & film maker Matt Hulse set off on a 100 mile walk, the South Downs Way, which runs from Winchester to Eastbourne. The walk was triggered by the death of his Grandpa Eric, who died in April 2008 at the age of 96.
Eric had lived in & cherished the Downs for many years. The trip was planned as a feet-first tribute, a commemorative pilgrimage.
The Master
“I tried my best to keep film making out of it but in the end I snuck some essential kit into my rucksack” confides Hulse.
“You never know what might happen when you surrender yourself to an adventure & I knew for sure that stuff would happen.
Stories will inevitably emerge – to film them is a kind of automatic writing.”
Hulse’s film making essentials included a stills camera, DV camera, Super 8mm camera, stock, audio recorder, sketch book, 100 Union Jack cocktail sticks, miniature farm animals, ukulele, pitch pipe, fishing line, Grandpa Eric’s shooting stick, a bunch of Ladybird books & a stethoscope.
Listen Up
This eccentric document of the trio’s adventures materialised at feature length, unexpectedly beating a rather different full-length project of his (a fiction called Dummy Jim with a period of already 8 years in development) to the pole position of debut feature.
Free-spirited, irreverent, energetic & determined film making.
The completion of Follow The Master was made possible during an artist’s residency supported by the Wooda Arts Award.
You can read Matt’s lively account of his residency by clicking here
