Footage has emerged of local actor Vicky McClure, as she joins the cast of “Good Grief”, a short film that will tackle the difficult subject of grief and seek to help people open up and discuss this very sensitive topic.
Made in Nottingham by local director Rob Sharp, the film initially received backing from crowdfunding resources before a major investment from Beeston based stillbirth and child bereavement charity Forever Stars helped to ensure the project could go ahead.
The hard-hitting short film, which will feature a host of local and Midlands talent is the idea of Rob Sharp, who writes and produces as Sirloin Films. It follows four women who have lost their child and gives an insight into their grieving process, their understanding of what grief is and why it has to hurt so much.
Rob explains, “We are all systems go now and day one of production could not have gone any better. Working with Vicky was an amazing experience as she is a phenomenal actor and an inspiration to the whole team.
Our session at ROFL Studios in Nottingham is the blueprint for the film, as Vicky’s character is the thread that connects our 4 main storylines. We worked from the script but also managed to get some additional improvised lines that will definitely make it into the final cut.
Everything is really starting to move forward now and I know from the Forever Stars team that the film is already generating a lot of attention, which is wonderful news. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve – to highlight this difficult subject and to make people aware of the charity and the incredible work that they do.
Jo Sharp, Fundraising Manager of Forever Stars which will shortly be opening its Serenity Garden at Highfields Park said, “As Rob says, one of our biggest messages is simply ‘talk about them’ and with this film people will be doing exactly that. As you can imagine, the fact that the film is being made locally and that Vicky McClure is involved has done wonders for our campaign and we cannot thank both her, the wider cast and of course Rob enough.
“We hope to announce the location details of the premiere in the near future but we can confirm it will be on the annual “Wave of Light Night” on 15th October which is the culmination of Baby Loss Awareness Week.
The script was written from Rob’s own experiences of grief and from those of his family and friends, explains Rob;
“The first draft had none of the usual research and planning, I just poured my thoughts onto the page late one night. Then from conversations and connections with people and bereavement charities who kindly shared their experiences, the script has evolved to incorporate their stories and their brutal honesty.”
The film is now well into pre-production as they prepare for the shoot and is scheduled to premiere in Nottingham on the annual “Wave of Light Night” on 15th October which is the culmination of Baby Loss Awareness Week.