Local filmmaker was told ‘nobody wants to see anything set in Barry’
Local filmmaker was told ‘nobody wants to see anything set in Barry’ – By Taite Johnson:
Robert Jenkins, an independent filmmaker from Barry, has released two films set in his hometown.
Robert wrote and produced the two short films, Another Day and The Simple Things, and both were filmed in Barry.
For Robert, working behind the camera on film sets has always been the only career choice for him. Like many aspiring directors/filmmakers, Robert’s biggest inspiration is Steven Spielberg, the director of the first film Robert watched as a toddler, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Although he was just a child when he first watched the film in 1980, the film always stuck in his mind “like an arrowing pointing to a future in films”.
Growing up, films were an important part of Robert’s life as he rented movies regularly from his local video shop until its closure in the 1990s. He attended the International Film School of Wales after landing a place on the MA Film Programme in 2005. In 2007, he then decided to practice his craft by focusing on music videos. This led to his introduction to Kimberley McKenzie who encouraged Robert to teach young people the art of filmmaking.
After a year of teaching young people, he teamed up with Dr Hugh Griffiths to create Stepping Stone Films, uniting amateur filmmakers with the professionals. Stepping Stone morphed into Lilypad Films, another metaphor for hopping into the film/TV industry. He has since left his directorship with Lilypad.
Robert’s most recent film, The Simple Things, was a test film for him working as a one-man-crew, producing the film independently. Making a film without the help of a crew was challenging for Robert, but the outcome was worth it. The Simple Things is a short film relaying the message of the importance of kindness. He said: “The outcome, although far from perfect, was a film with a story that pushed aside status and ego and left us with the simplicity of sharing under the umbrella that ‘Giving is Living’ or ‘Caring is Sharing’.”
Robert’s first film, Another Day also had an important message. The film shows how the main antagonist – played by Russell Morgan – gets through the day whilst suffering with depression. Robert saw a natural performing ability in Russell, casting him both short films.
Choosing locations to shoot a film is generally decided in the writing stage and Robert usually has a location in mind before the pen touches the paper. As Robert is from Barry, he says that “filming in Barry is practical, everything for independent filmmaking is here.” But not everybody has felt the same.
Robert was fortunate enough to have a meeting with a producer of a well-known horror franchise, where Robert pitched a script intended to be shot in Barry. Robert’s idea was shot down as the producer claimed, “nobody wants to see stuff set in Barry”.
This was some years, of course, before Gavin and Stacey.
Although Robert has not yet reached Hollywood, his determination and passion for film making still stands as he is hopeful for future success within the film industry. Robert’s advice for those who desire a career behind the camera is: “I would say anybody who wants to make films, basically needs to… make films. Even if nobody watches your stuff now, one day you will have this rich back catalogue of work which people will be falling over to watch. You can either ‘Do it’ or ‘Don’t do it’, but do it anyway – for you and for us, and get it out of your system if nothing else.”
Robert’s films are both available on YouTube:
🌟 This article first appeared in the printed edition of the Glamorgan Star on 16.06.22 – read it in print first!
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