Private Project

Finger Guns

  Set in the backdrop of a Friday night at the Cockpit, a punk gay bar Addison makes her weekly grand entrance on her way to meet her loyal group of clubgoers, and best friend Ella. Addy is the talk of the night as per, as she tells everyone of her recent exploits, which Ella has always doubted. This seems like every Friday night, but Addy is thrown off when someone new catches her eye and enters Hazel. When they bump into each other in the bathroom, the chemistry is clearly there. After some intense flirting, they end up in the cubicle together, but Addison gets overwhelmed. Hazel gets frustrated and grills her on her sudden change of heart. Addison is forced to be honest about not being experienced with women, something that she has never told anyone. Hazel doesn’t care for Addy’s honesty and dismisses her, telling her friends that she is a fraud. This rumour crushes Addy’s world as she lives for her reputation. Ella watches on as Addy is finally forced to come clean about her lies and insecurities…

  • Blythe Paynter
    Director
    Lavender Whispers-2023
  • Blythe Paynter
    Writer
    Veil 2022
  • Alexander Jones
    Producer
    Chicken Town 2023
  • Jordan Skidmoore
    Key Cast
    "Addison"
    Meme, Myself & A.I. 2023 (Director Chris Boyle)
  • Martha Watson
    Key Cast
    "Ella"
  • Johanne Adams
    Key Cast
    "Hazel"
    Monday 2019 (Director- Dan Hasson), The Author 2019 (Director- Saffron Willmott), The Possum Queen 2019 (Director- Ben Ogunbiyi)
  • Carlos Antonio Rios Morales
    Cinematography
    Chicken Town 2023, Lavender Whispers 2023
  • Bradley Tye
    Script Editor
    Neuro (2023)
  • Jack Sizer
    Sound Design
    Chicken Town (2023)
  • Rose Gobey
    Production Design
    Nuts (2023)
  • James Hipwell
    Editor
    Aperture (2023
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 26, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,700 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.90:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Norwich University of the Arts
Director Biography - Blythe Paynter

I am a Director with a passion for creating LGBTQA+ and Neurodivergent stories. I strive to create the media I wish I had while growing up, with complex characters instead of tokenised queer/ neuro-divergent characters. I aim to develop my own recognisable visual style taking direct inspiration from the 70s/80s punk movement. I have begun to experiment and achieve this style in my latest short film Finger Guns.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The story of Finger Gun’s came from my own personal experience of not feeling queer enough. Addison is me; I am a proud bisexual with very little sexual experience with my own sex and that used to feel very isolating. Queer people are already considered an “other” is society so when they feel like they're not enough in the community they have found home in it can be devasting. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Throughout the process of writing the script, I spoke to many of my queer friends about the theme of “not feeling queer enough” and every single one of them told me their own struggles and stories of how they did not feel as if they fit in the community. Many of these stories and anecdotes wove themselves into the film as production went on. I have used the character Ella as my own voice speaking and reassuring other queer people and my past self that they are enough. Making Finger Guns has made me feel closer to my community than I have ever felt before. My biggest hope is that other LGBTQA+ people will watch our short film and feel the same.