Heroes Productions Ltd has started production on ‘We Can Be Heroes’ at The Bottle Yard Studios, filming on site and in Bristol. Based on the best-selling young person’s novel by Bath-based author Catherine Bruton, ‘We Can Be Heroes’ is the first full length feature produced by South Bristol-based Thomasina Gibson.
The Bottle Yard Studios is providing prop stores and build space for studio filming and the production is being run from the Studios’ production offices. 17 days of location filming is being supported by Bristol Film Office at locations including Kings Head Park, Bishopsworth. They are also providing unit bases.
‘We Can Be Heroes’ is employing 35 local creatives and crew out of a total of 41 and is engaging local trainees across their Costume, Sound, Lighting, Production and Location departments. The 21 strong cast includes Alison Steadman and Phil Davis, both of whom are familiar with working in the West. Actors with local connections include Marc Danbury, Noni Lewis, Richard Sumitro (who graduated from University of Bristol) and juvenile lead Toby Haste from Taunton. Additional SAs and background are all from Bristol and the surrounding area. Stunt director, John Sandeman, trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and lives in Central Bristol.
Thomasina Gibson, Producer said: ‘We chose to base ‘We Can Be Heroes’ at The Bottle Yards Studios primarily because they’re local then simply because we felt they were best placed to service our needs in terms of location, costs, facilities and staff. The welcome from Fiona and her team has been amazing and the support from other on-site companies has been really encouraging. We’re delighted to be here’.
Fiona Francombe, Site Director of The Bottle Yard Studios, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Heroes Productions Ltd to The Bottle Yard Studios and to be able to support them in their new feature film. We have built up a comprehensive range of on-site tenants to service productions based at our studios, so it’s great to see these on-hand resources being used again by productions working on-site, as well as the talent and facilities from the wider Bristol region’.
Natalie Moore, Bristol Film Office, said: ‘It’s always exciting to have a feature film in the city especially one that is tapping into the local talent from crew to cast and extras, and to be able to support another production based at The Bottle Yard Studios with their location filming. It really goes to reinforce the one stop shop that we have here in Bristol for film productions’.
‘We Can Be Heroes’, inspired by an article Bruton wrote for the Times in 2008 about children who lost a parent in 9/11, tells the story of 12 year old Ben whose father died in the terrorist attacks. Ben meets 10 year old Priti who is convinced her brother is a threat to national security. Together with Ben’s cousin, Jed, the trio decide to turn detective to try and save the day with hilarious and, sometimes, poignant consequences.
The screen play is written by Claire Downes, Stuart Lane and Ian Jarvis (The Job Lot). ‘We Can Be Heroes’ is Claire’s directing debut.