A director has made a short film to capture the extraordinary experience of lockdown in Greater Manchester.
Charlie Watts, from Stockport, wanted to document the effects of the “extremely surreal” restrictions that the coronavirus pandemic has placed on so many.
So when lockdown was eased back in May, he took to the streets to speak to locals in a bid to capture the moment in time.
Charlie, 30, says the resulting film ‘Distant Future’ lays bare some of the anxieties, struggles, tragedies and joys that have come out of the pandemic.
“As a filmmaker, my passion has always been deeply rooted in telling stories,” he says.
“The stories that resonate with me the most are the real stories, the ones that we can all connect with.
“People fascinate me, every life is unique and everyone has their own story to tell.
“Lockdown has been an extremely surreal time for everyone and something like we have never seen before, for me it only felt right to try and document this moment in time.
"Like one of the people in the film says, it’s such a poignant moment in our lifetime.
“It’s something that has affected us all, no matter your race, gender, occupation or social status; we have all been touched by this horrific virus in some shape or form.
"The resilience of us as a species never ceases to amaze me.
"On a personal level, I had my ups and downs during this period – but as an individual, and like so many others, I found my ways to overcome those moments.”
Charlie shot the “zero-budget” documentary around Oldham, Stockport, Bury and Manchester.
“I am extremely fortunate to have friends who were willing to tell this story with me,” he says. “From the producer, DP, sound recordist, editor and kit hire company - everyone was invested in the project and as passionate as I to create it.”
Charlie has previously worked with bands including Blossoms on music videos and brands such as Adidas, Umbro and Reebok on various commercials.
But his true passion lies in documentaries.
He says: “When the time was right and safe to do so, me and some friends in the industry decided to get out and speak to complete strangers with the intention of discovering their experiences from the last three months.
“Me and the director or photography wanted to make the film feel isolated and claustrophobic, we creatively agreed to shoot everything really symmetrical and everything locked off to help achieve this – you could say Wes Anderson-esque.”
The filmmaker, from Stockport, posted on local social media groups asking for volunteers to be interviewed and also walked the streets looking for people to chat to.
One of the many locals interviewed for the project spoke about how she had found her eight-year-old daughter watching Newsnight to count how many people had died that day.
Charlie says: “Out of all the quotes in the film the one that stuck with me was the one about the little girl counting the deaths.
“The other is the young lad who had just come out to his parents just before everything shut down when he really wanted to be around his family.”
