Bonnyrigg filmmaker hopes to graduate with movie 'trailer'

A student film producer from Bonnyrigg is hoping his Loanhead-shot graduation short film can be his key to a career in the industry.
Bonnyrigg film producer Paul Davidson, pictured on set.Bonnyrigg film producer Paul Davidson, pictured on set.
Bonnyrigg film producer Paul Davidson, pictured on set.

Paul Davidson (22) from Bonnyrigg will begin shooting his short film ‘Swimming With You’ next month at Straiton Park and Ride, which he hopes to edit and submit as his graduation film for his University of Edinburgh film and TV course.

The PD Creative producer has previously worked on short films including Traumatic, Define Normal, Rosemary’s Granddaughter and Migration.

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He said: “It’s very exciting. I have been working on this since August time, so it’s kept me busy during the pandemic.

"I have got plans to make it into a full feature film. So this is almost a teaser for it, a trailer you could say.

"We are super excited about getting it done, getting to work on set, Covid secure, and then getting it edited. This whole project means quite a lot to me.

"The university are being quite flexible, what with the Covid restrictions in place just now. It’s May we hope to have it shot and edited by. We are hoping to use the park and ride in Straiton. The whole teaser will be shot there.”

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The former Lasswade High and Hawthornden Primary school pupil is hopeful that this film project will also help him make inroads in the cut-throat movie industry.

Speaking about the short film, he said: "It will be around eight minutes long. The full film, if we are ever lucky enough to be able to make it, will be an hour-and-a-half.

"So, the plan is to take this teaser to the film bodies and funders and try to get enough backing to allow us to produce the full film.

"That’s the dream, that’s what we are striving for and hoping will happen. We have got a wonderful cast and crew and I can’t wait to start working with them in April and then edit the teaser in May.”

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Paul described Swimming With You as a short love film about “toxic gay hook-up culture”. The main characters, Lucas and Rhys, find themselves locked outside of a car in a quiet car park after hooking up for the first time.

The short film is funded by Paul, with an additional £500 being raised through a crowdfunding campaign, available here: www.indiegogo.com/projects/swimming-with-you-short-film.

Paul insists the production will be Covid safe, with safety measures including on-set testing, a Covid compliance officer, mandatory mask wearing, social distancing and temperature checks.

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