Hotel on the Koppies

My desire for this project was instinctive filmmaking. A style of filmmaking unconstrained by excessive planning and preparation, open to what the film Gods would present to me on the day.
In my experience as a filmmaker I have found we often become obsessed with our references and replicating them exactly. This is unrealistic and counterproductive as these references are often captured in completely different environments to the one that our films will take place. As a result, we end up trying to force something that we cannot achieve within the unique environment that we find ourselves, and this leads to disappointment and disillusionment amongst the cast and crew.
I chose to approach the film with an intentionally naïve and innocent state of mind. Realising that whatever limitations I was presented with, I had to work within those limitations and try to make it work to the best of my ability rather than forcing something unnatural to occur.
By accepting what was given to me by the location, by the actors and the crew, the door was now opened to achieve something true and authentic - something that couldn’t have been predicted beforehand but is nevertheless what the film wants to become. This all requires an inner calm and ability to stay in the present that I believe I now have at this stage of my career whereas previously I relied heavily on my influences and references out of a sense of insecurity.
One of my main goals for this project was to create a film that is embarrassingly personal. I resolved that if I haven't lived the experiences I seek to portray or gone through them together with someone close to me then they had no right to be in this film. An undeniable, aching authenticity was the target.