“The Other Half” By Tom Tennant
Hannah and Dan are in the midst of a pregnancy scare which only frightens one of them, but will a test provide the answers they're looking for?
A large part of making this film was about getting back on the shooting horse after the pandemic, so it was written with a very contained/low budget production in mind. The biggest challenge was casting the other roles, particularly the female lead (as I played the male lead), but I got super lucky when a friend recommended Yazzmin Newell to me, who was so great to work with. My friend (and producer) Amy recommended Betty and Annabelle to me as a couple who might be up for playing the supporting roles and they were brilliant fun too.
The shoot itself was 2 nights and we adhered to the rule of 6 that was in place at the time, (only allowed to meet as a maximum of 6 people in May 2021 in the UK), so it was a really tiny crew. I ended up directing, producing, acting, 1st AD-ing, art directing, and catering, so as not to bring in any unnecessary bodies. My greatest achievement was undoubtedly finishing bang on the scheduled wrap time on Day 2 after 45 set ups. Theodore (DoP), Jake (Gaffer), and Eleanor (Sound Recordist) were possibly the nicest and coolest crew I could have hoped for.
Editing and finishing the film really did take ages, but I was so fortunate to have such great people collaborating with me. Harry Shelton (colourist) and Ross Wilkes-Houghton (sound designer/mixer) were both a joy to work with, and Jack Hardman (composer) is a proper magician when it comes to music. His work completely changed the vibe of so many of the scenes and I love the pieces he wrote for the film.
All in all, it’s been a great experience and I’m really glad it’s finished and out there!
Tom Tennant - Writer, Director
Credits
Written/Directed - Tom Tennant
Starring - Yazzmin Newell, Tom Tennant, Annabelle Sami, Betty Adewole
DOP - Theodore Tennant
Producer - Amy Davies Dolamore
Sound Recordist - Eleanor Jordan-Lynch
Gaffer - Jake Newell
Composer - Jack Hardman
Colour Grade - Harry Shelton
Sound Design and Mix - Ross Wilkes-Houghton