The Outing

Based upon Dylan Thomas' short story this new short film is portrayed through the eyes of a young nephew as he stays with his trumpeting Uncle and his silent Aunt and is left with no choice but to accompany a rabble of thirsty men as they embark on their annual outing by charabanc.

  • Cian Llewellyn
    Director
  • Dylan Thomas
    Writer
  • Cian Llewellyn
    Producer
  • Tom Cartwright
    Producer
  • Michael Spry
    Director of Photography
  • Chris Steel
    1st Assistant Camera
  • Maddy Storer
    1st Assistant Director
  • Peter Kehoe
    Gaffer
  • Michael Clayton, Jr.
    Sound
  • Alec Hopkins
    Editor
  • Ruth Wardell
    Colourist
  • Patrick Burniston
    Sound Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 40 seconds
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Sony FS7
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Cian Llewellyn

Cian started his career as an actor by graduating from the RADA Foundation course in 2014, before travelling to Saudi Arabia with the National Youth Theatre, performing as part of the Petersfield Shakespeare Festival and co-creating a theatre company, ‘Cian and Al’ which performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015 and 2016 and were critically well received - ‘masterclass in sketch comedy’ EdFringe Review.

During this time Cian’s love and dedication for film has grown which has seen him work on shoots for Academy Films and most recently producing, directing and narrating his debut short, ‘The Outing’.

Having undertaken no formal training Cian brings his own unique approach to film making, with a strong focus on character led stories and the way different framing choices can alter the mood of a piece; inspired by directors such as Wes Anderson for his centred, symmetrical style and Yasujiro Ozu for his simplicity and realism.

As in, ‘The Outing’, Cian enjoys the challenge of working with actors who may have little no professional screen credits but who have first-hand experience of scenarios that relate to the story itself; in an attempt to gain a more natural and real look.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The first ideas of ‘The Outing’ the film were conceived in August 2014 whilst I was surrounded by the wealth of talent at the Edinburgh Fringe. One evening at dinner with my father, a man who spent his formative years in the steel working town of Port Talbot, I explained my idea of making a film loosely based upon Dylan Thomas. By the end of the meal I had scribbled down a series of ideas on a waiter’s note pad. Only two remain pertinent: the film would be centred upon Dylan’s short story, ‘The Outing’ and crucially, we would use no actors; merely a group of local friends, plenty of camaraderie, lots of ale and one very special village.

At the heart of any good narrative are the words and in the case of ‘The Outing' they are undoubtedly Dylan’s. In a letter to Pamela Hansford Johnson, an admirer of Dylan’s poetry who quickly became a great admirer of the man himself, Dylan, aged eighteen wrote:

‘I write in the only way I can write, and my warped, crabbed & cabinned stuff is not the result of theorising but of pure incapability to express my needless tortuities in any other way.’ 

It is this unmistakable, eccentric, bombastic and yet charming style that makes Dylan's writing unique and the childhood recollection of 'The Outing' so special. 

The story is one that Dylan himself would have experienced far too many times. Perhaps as the young nephew who is swept away on the charabanc booze cruise with people twice his size and much older. It is however more likely he would be sitting front seat leading this ramshackle rabble of men as they embark on a day they won’t forget, or not for the lack of trying. 

It strikes me that a constant through this comedy is the exploration between young and old; primarily through Dylan’s rich and vivid characterisations, observed from the eyes of a young boy. He begins with the strict, slender and often silent Aunt (if she can be called that…) as she meticulously orders her perfect house and her imperfect husband who, being too big for everything, directs and prepares his troops for their big day out. Those same troops make little of unnervingly wrong footing the young boy as he boards the sacred steps of their flagon-filled charabanc with a stark, simple and old age question on their minds: when and where will the next beer be consumed?

Dylan lets the young nephew into a world he could only have imagined, whether in a nightmare or a dream, and the enduring nature of this tale reminds us that in years to come that same nephew might well inherit his uncle’s position and so another outing will occur…

I invite you to enjoy this unique and timeless story in a world that appears simple and sweet, as we endeavour to create our very own outing. An outing, I hope, Dylan would be proud of. 

Diolch yn fawr.