The Puppeteer
The Puppeteer tells the story of Evie who experiences a disturbing phenomenon when her past is projected to her in the form of puppetry which exposes dark secrets about her relationship.
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William Thomas StogdenDirectorIt's Not Too Late
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William Thomas StogdenWriterIt's Not Too Late
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Evie Colton-DavenportKey Cast"Evie"
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Liam Curtis GeeKey Cast"The Partner"
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Michael McVeighCinematographers
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Will James McLauchlanProducer
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Isaac RidgwaySound Designers
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Runtime:4 minutes 52 seconds
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Completion Date:May 5, 2023
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Production Budget:0 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:4:3 & 16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - Manchester Metropolitan University
William Stogden is the name, biographies are not the game. Growing up in Pontefract, a small town in West Yorkshire, I grew a slightly larger than normal enjoyment for filmmaking and all things cinema. I currently study at the School of Digital Arts alongside Manchester Metropolitan University and have achieved a 'finalist’ status for my film “It’s Not Too Late” (2019) for the PQA “One Minute to Save The World” Film Festival. Since that moment my experience has been halted by 2020 and the years following, so I am now excited to share more projects and hopefully exciting films.
The Puppeteer is a film that explores our character Evie’s state of phantasmagoria when she experiences an episode surrounding puppets and their mimicry of her life. The main aim I wanted to achieve was to move away from the usual student film style and look into different art forms that can add meaning and enhance our narrative such as the art of puppetry. I wanted the audience to feel uneasy and to see this classic childhood iconography as creepy and abominable, as well as being an experimental and creative way to add much-needed context that describes our character's relationship whilst still remaining linear. I also included small details that the audience may pick up on which could change the ways in which you read our film, this allows a sense of control over the film, almost as if you are puppeteering the puppets, and becoming the puppeteer yourself. Alternatively, the partner is the puppeteer and controlling Evie, or even Evie is the puppeteer in her horrifying hallucinations which address some quite sensitive topics in a weirdly colourful and contrapuntal way.