Jamie Benyon and Kitt Sullivan on Two Minutes

Please share an outline of the production?

Jamie: Two Minutes was shot over the course of a single day. The script was only six/seven pages long, and it was intentional when I wrote the script it could be something we could achieve easily. The story has three characters, and a single location.

We knew it would be a hectic shooting day, but I think all things considered… It went rather smoothly! Not sure if Kitt will agree with me! There were no major stresses. We had beautiful sunshine, good vibes from the cast and crew, everyone understood the assignment and smashed it. Shooting Two Minutes was the best creative experience I’ve ever had.

Kitt: It was super hectic. I had a tonne to think about. In lots of ways I was out of my depth shooting in a different way to the way I would normally work, so it was definitely quite overwhelming first thing in the morning thinking about what was to be achieved in a short period of time. But it was so much fun that I soon forgot about the pressure and just rode the wave. I think there is a lot to be said for vibe on a set being created by its captain and ultimately if Jamie had been a stress head then the day would have been a completely different experience. But you could just see how buzzing he was to be getting this film off the ground, working with people he respected and admired. It was a genuine pleasure to witness and relaxed me into my process so I could just get on with what I needed to do without worrying about a director kicking off.

How different was the production from previous projects?

Jamie: This was our first narrative piece. Up until this point, we’d worked on music videos and branded content. But narrative storytelling was a space both of us want a career in, so we were pretty buzzing to jump into this.

I love working with Kitt. ‘Two Minutes’ is our fifth collaboration together as cinematographer/ director. I feel like we’ve been building up to this. We’ve developed a really lovely shorthand, so Kitt knows exactly what I like as a director, and vise-versa.

There’s a moment in the short when the Gunman returns from robbing the shop and struggles to get into the car because the door is locked. I storyboarded the hell out of this sequence, and because of Kitt and I’s shorthand he offered me up an alternative, a beautiful handheld tracking shot, following the Gunman from the back to the front of the car. We shot it, it’s the shot you see in the film and it made the sequence so much funnier. It’s a moment I’m so proud of. It gets so many laughs, and that’s all done to Kitt and his instinct. It’s wonderful.

Kitt: So I predominantly shoot fashion and beauty, beauty being my main job. Which means endless white coves, beauty dishes and make up touch ups. So this was a completely different beast for me. But it’s the reason I got into this industry so I I’ve been dying to get my teeth stuck into narrative for such a long time that I didn’t let my discomfort of a new work flow get in the way of my excitement for being there shooting this project. That being said, speed was key! I had to seriously think on my feet and I had to be creative with my solutions to weather change, balancing/bouncing/negging natural light, all things I never have to worry about in a studio. It was hard graft, but great fun & a great challenge!

How did the director articulate what they were looking for? 

Kitt: Jamie is one of the most passionate people I’ve met in this industry. He is a cinema lover through and through and therefore he had a pretty clear vision for how he saw the film looking. He put together a bible to get the look across and then pulled a shot list together from various films that had inspired his writing. Together we went through the script, bible and shot list and we simply just got excited about ways in which we could develop and tell this story. It was actually a huge amount of fun and really gave me the narrative bug. It’s all I want to do now!

How did you decide upon the visual language?

Jamie: In my visual bible, I was quite clear that I wanted to capture these crime-genre style slow zoom shots, intercut with close ups, to really build up the tension. It was really important for us to elevate as much tension as possible, so when Nan arrives and interrupts the robbery it’s a big surprise to the audience, but also aids the comedy and furthers the tension.

We deliberately choose to stabilise the camerawork at the start of the film, and when the timer is hit and the ticking clock winds down, the camerawork becomes more handheld and frenetic.

During prep, I’d say to all the crew, “keep it simple”. I think that simplicity helped create a really lean, muscular and economic way of shooting that allowed us to focus purely on the storytelling.

How did you go about devising the shot list?

Jamie: About a week before shooting, Kitt and I had a meeting to discuss the shot list. We worked through every shot, blocking it out around his table, discussing and breaking down every detail. We knew it was so important we’d be on the same page, so we really tried to keep things as simple as possible.

The shot list came together quite organically. I spoke with my First AD, Bish aka David Bispham, and the three of us went back-and-forth over a couple of days to create the shot list and shooting schedule. Again, there were no dramas; everyone worked hard to create a schedule that was lean and economic so that we could make our day.

What cameras and lenses did you use and why? Who supplied them?

Kitt: We shot on the Alexa 35, with Arion anamorphic & Angeniuex zoom lenses. Jamie is a huge huge film lover and if he had his own way/ there had been the budget we would have been shooting this on 35mm film. So with that in mind I wanted to try and combine the technology of the new 35mm Sensor and its film textures along with the classic cinema look of anamorphic bokeh and aspect ratio which actually worked a treat. The camera EQ was very kindly given to us by Junction Collective. Formally The Camera Movement.

How did you go about devising the lighting schemes and what fixtures did you use and why?

Kitt: Jamie was pretty clear he wanted this to feel as natural as possible to fit his creative vision.

When I first read the script, naturally being a DP I was thinking of a million different creative ways we could shoot this, late at night and incorporate street lights, shop lights, neons etc, which would have all been beautiful to look at and fun for me to create, but would have most likely taken away from the reality of the story. What makes this story work is that it’s just two very British guys, on a very British street, in the middle of the day broad daylight making a mad decision to rob this shop.

So really the job for me was basically to battle the sun and try my best to keep the light feeling as consistent as possible. If there had been a budget for two days I probably would have pushed for us to shoot everything in golden hour but we didn’t have the budget for that and as everyone knows in the UK you’re never promised the same weather twice. So the goal was basically to just bounce, neg, ND and shame as much of the natural light as possible which actually was a real challenge as predominantly I work in studios so I had to really think on my feet to meet the various challenges

Did you have to create any custom camera and lighting rigs?

Kitt: Sadly this job didn’t really require any custom rigs. That being said, we’re hoping to develop this short into a series, which will give us the scope to really push the narrative and visual style so there are bound to be some moments here where we can be creative and get some builds in.

What challenges did you encounter when shooting the project and how did you overcome those?

Jamie: I think one of the biggest challenges was the sunlight. Kitt, Alex, his gaffer, and the lighting team, Will and Georgie, did an amazing job wrestling with the moving sun and making everything look beautiful and naturally lit.

Kitt is too critical of his work, so he won’t admit this, so I’ll do it for him – it’s stunning. The cinematography serves the story and tells it so effectively. It was a ballsy move for us to shoot naturally, and I think the team executed it brilliantly.

Another challenge I had was working with the cast. Up until this point, I’d only worked with semi-professional and amateur actors, so to be working with this cast was a huge step up.

Annette Badland is a living legend. Everyone knows her. Sam Bottomley is a Screen Star of Tomorrow, BIFA and BAFTA nominated, and Ashley Margolis has such sharp dramatic and comedic instincts, I thought all three of them would see straight through me. Instead, the cast were incredible. All three of them brought their A-game and smashed it.

Kitt: Jamie has pretty much nailed this. The sunlight and making sure that our shots seem linear and don’t have the sun jumping all over the place was my biggest worry but we pulled it off!

How did you decide upon the colour palette and LUTs?

Kitt: In hindsight I wish I actually had a LUT made for this shoot. It was my first time really stepping away from shooting fashion and beauty where I’ve been using the same LUTs for years and I think on that day this would have helped me feel like we were getting the right vibe as some times rec709 can just feel a bit dead. That being said there was something magic about getting into the grade and just winging it. We were really lucky to have Absolute Post welcome us in for a grade and Jules worked her magic to really bring this project to life.

Jamie: I’m not technical at all, so when I’m in the grade, I try to make decisions based on emotions and how the grade makes me feel. I was quite simple in my direction; I just wanted the colours to pop and warmth to the images.

Is there particular shot or sequence you are most proud of?

Jamie: I’m proud of the entire film. It’s the first piece of work that I’m incredibly pleased with and I wouldn’t change a frame.

Kitt: I love the door not opening scene and the camera just jumping between the front and back of the car. I think this brings a tonne of comedy to this moment. I’m in love with the final two frames with the sun setting and the boys sharing a moment with nan before speeding off. Everything just fell into place for those shots as we literally had seconds before the sun went behind a building.

What lessons did this production teach you?

Jamie: Simplicity is key.

Kitt: Preparation is your best friend but at the same time don’t be rigid with your plan, allow yourself to be flexible to creativity on the day. In the lead up to this shoot I was absolutely slammed shooting my regular commercial projects. My head was spinning so I think in many ways I wasn’t as prepared as I would have liked to be. But a great lesson to learn without getting burnt.

The second main lesson is to be flexible. One of my favourite shots in the film (when the door won’t unlock) was completely improvised. I was simply lining the camera up to work out where I wanted to be and I just loved the fluidity of the camera jumping between the front and the back of the car as the drama and comedy of that moment took place. A happy accident but again, another great lesson to learn.

Do you have anything to add?

Jamie: I feel very grateful and thankful to have worked with such an amazing cast and crew.

‘Two Minutes’ has had a festival run that none of us anticipated, and winning the ‘Audience Award for Best Short Film’ at the BFI London Film Festival was the sweetest cherry on top. I’m so pleased to see everyone’s amazing work being recognised. Their enthusiasm on the project really meant a lot.

Kitt: I’m going to echo what Jamie said. It was an absolute pleasure to work on this, and I feel a great sense of privilege to work in this industry with such hard-working, working creative people.

Every year, there is a new milestone, a new pinch-me moment, and I’m excited for what the future holds.