Experiencing Interruptions?

The Crime

Old school cop, Jonathan Cooper, prepares to interrogate a local journalist, Edward Harris, who has been arrested for sexual offences against children. He is brought into the interrogation room and under the clever guise of a seemingly random and unrelated line of questioning the core of the arrest offence is eventually made clear.

WPC Jane Willis is an ordinary constable doing her job. But is she? In attendance throughout the interview is constable Braithwaite, who is there with Cooper. But whose side is he really on?

In this gripping drama enclosed ‘in the confines of this room’ no one is really who they seem and as the story unfolds and a crucial turning point is reached the true identities are revealed. In a shocking and dramatic reversal of identity we discover the truth. Who Harris really is and what Cooper has done. The drama culminates in another twist when Jane reveals the incredible story that leads to the eventual arrest of inspector Cooper.

This is the first Episode of a planned series that explores and reveals through dramatic fiction the sinister and secret existence of organised child abuse in the upper echelons of the British establishment, a dangerous high stakes world of closed rank protectionism from some of the country’s highest profile characters.

  • Doug Rollins
    Director
    Like Mother, Like Daughter. The Double Deal. Omelet. Favour For The Boss.
  • Doug Rollins
    Writer
    Sentence Served, The Double Deal. When You Are Here. Now Retired
  • Mark Holden
    Producer
    The Double Deal. Huey & Louis
  • Kerryn Arcari
    Producer
  • Stuart Sessions
    Key Cast
    Extremis. The Catch
  • Jamie Laird
    Key Cast
    "The Last Days of...". Mnemophrenia
  • Sarah Langton
    Key Cast
    Cockneys vs Zombies. Fakers
  • Project Type:
    Short, Television
  • Genres:
    Drama, Thriller, Crime
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 23, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    2K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16.9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Doug Rollins

Doug trained as an actor, appearing in over 55 commercials, some high profile TV and various stage productions. After 23 years he made the switch to directing, writing and directing his first professional short film ‘Now retired in 2009,' which won a best drama award at Beneath Earth Film Festival. He has since shot 10 short films including, The Crime.

He was mentored by the BAFTA award winning TV director, Nigel Douglas and under his stewardship combined with the long years of filming experience adds a unique perspective to his work.

‘I believe I have a natural flair and affinity with communicating with actors, a deep understanding of the challenges they can face through my own experiences in front of the camera. A crew and cast must always function as team, working together, often in challenging and less than perfect conditions and I see it as an honour to take on the creative responsibility for a project and the joy of witnessing great work is a reward in itself.’

‘I started life as a railwayman and a truck driver, and so when I went to drama school it opened a world of possibilities. I unlocked my imagination. It was a place where telling stories was the great aim ultimately, and a platform from which you could learn to do it. Film is the perfect medium for this, with its nuance and its detail and its access to the human condition. Its greatest asset is its facility through detailed observation to touch the deepest emotion within us all. I think if Shakespeare were alive today there is no doubt that he would have made his mark as an extraordinary film maker’.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The Crime began life as a stage play in one act and two scenes. It was written over two days whilst at drama school in 1986. It subsequently had several stage productions, including the Bristol Old Vic studio and on the fringe in London where it received incredibly favourable reviews.
I was asked why it has taken nearly 30 years for it to become a television episode and the truth is it needed experience and skill to pull it off and when the cast was eventually found I just had to make it. The time was absolutely right. I was also ready, as a more experienced director, to take on the challenge. It was shot in a London venue for around £10,000 over three days.
The prospect of shooting a 24 minute almost continual interrogation, essentially in one room between three characters might not seem like a particularly difficult task but it is vital to remember that in this single location ,isolation does not afford an opportunity for cut aways and so the emphasis is on a slow burn tension. This was achieved by allowing the sub text to tell the story. The actual script is very wordy on the page and this was another challenge.
It was a calculated production and I knew with the extraordinary performances from the cast and a crew of the highest calibre everything came together and the result is astounding. I always trusted this story with its twists and surprises and so half the work was already done before the shoot.
The subject matter, of course , has become even more prevalent today than I ever expected or feared , and what started out as one off has now the fuel to continue for further episodes given the current situation of historical child abuse on an epic scale. The Crime is the first piece to date to attempt to get under the skin of the problem via fiction but perhaps the complexities and revelations the piece exposes are much closer to actual events. The following episodes will expand these possibilities and perhaps, for some, make very uncomfortable viewing indeed.
Doug Rollins
June 2015.