Interview with Camilla Rowland

Camilla Rowland

An interview with actress Camilla Rowland, who plays the role of Amber in Selective Listening.

How did you become involved in Selective Listening?
I saw a casting call on CastingCallPro.com and applied for an audition.

What was your reaction to the script when you first read it?
I was definitely drawn in by the story, it caught my attention due to the subject matter. I was very interested in the part of Amber as I felt the film showed many sides to this one character. So, I was eager to show what could bring to the role. 

Camilla Rowland as Amber

What are your feelings about Amber?
Amber epitomises a certain type of young 21st century woman – she uses social media to try and fit in with what she thinks society expects of her. How many 'likes' she gets on a picture of herself and how many 'followers' she has means the world to her. She's most definitely self-obsessed, not afraid to display all aspects of her life to the world and blinkered to what's really going on around her.

How did you prepare for the role?
Preparing for the role wasn't straightforward because the real Amber doesn't actually appear in the film that often. I had not only to consider how she behaved in real life, but also how she would behave as perceived by Harrison, and perceived by Harrison when in different frames of mind. So, in a sense, Amber has multiple personalities forced onto her in the film and I wanted her to speak with a different rhythm each time she appears.  

Is it true that you had to be semi-nude for some of your audition? 

Camilla with Salvatore Stella in Selective Listening

How did you feel about that?
Yes that is true – it happens sometimes, depending on how much your physicality is relevant to the role. The first part of the audition was fully clothed and then the second part I had to to do in my underwear. I felt completely comfortable. I also do a lot of modelling in swimwear and such, and I am used to having to get changed in front of rooms full of people. I don't even think about it. 

What’s the strangest thing you’ve had to do in an audition?
Hmm. That's a tough question. I have had to do a lot of strange things. Pretend I have a talking parrot on my shoulder and talk to it? Pretend to eat a salad and really enjoy it(!) Oh, gosh the list is endless. 

How did you find the rehearsals for Selective Listening?
All of my scenes were with Sal who played Harrison. We had a short rehearsal time but it was easy working with Sal – it always helps if you get on well with the actor you are playing along side, and we got on very well. 

Rehearsing the scenes went well because we all listened to each other and each other's ideas. Tim (the director) was open to suggestions which allowed some artistic licence within our characters. It is nice to be able to have some creative input and make the character feel most natural to you. All of this was part of the rehearsal period which was enjoyable.

Amber appears

There are rumours that you had a giggling fit on the set. What was all that about?
Haha! Okay, so reeling off a list of tea seems simple BUT saying a list of teas in a seductive manner is more challenging than I initially thought it would be. 

Selective Listening was quite an intense and fast-paced shoot. How did you find it worked with your own personal process, as an actor?
I work well under pressure and enjoy working at a fast pace. I feel that for me it's likely to be more natural if I don't have too much time to mull over how to do a certain line or scene. 

For the benefit of any writers, directors or producers who see Selective Listening and decide they want to work with you, what roles would you say you would be most interested in?
I would love to play a role in an action film – someone who kicks ass!

Selective Listening, starring Camilla Rowland is available on DVD from Amazon UK: 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B018KDWBWI

And to rent or buy online from Vimeo On Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/selectivelistening

Read the interview with Salvatore Stella here.

The Premiere!

Hello!

Tim here.

The evening of Saturday 6th December 2014 saw the Selective Listening premiere for cast, crew and invited guests!

The evening took place at Richmond Upon Thames College's Edmund Kean Theatre. A private screening is something they hadn't hosted before, and was a punt on our behalf when we made the enquiry in the first place. 

(Low-budget indie filmmakers note: you have to get creative when organising a screening. The venue has to be of a standard that will show off your work but is also affordable. Many of the official venues in London do not fulfil the latter criterion.)

It's probably not a huge surprise to say that nerves were a part of the occasion. Miriam and I arrived early – Miriam arranged the reception area for guests with the help of actor Philip Gyford whilst I worked with the RUTC staff to get projection and sound to the best standard possible.

It was great to see the cast and crew come together again. In the film world, this only ever seems to happen for shoots and screenings.  It was also touching to see all friends, family and guests who had made the journey, in some cases travelling cross-country, to be there for the night.

Unfortunately some actors and cast members were not able to attend. Thank you to everyone who did come along!

After a brief introduction from Miriam and myself, the film was underway.

As the writer / director, this is what I've been seeking since the film was complete – to know if the laughs or thrills or emotions are shared by an audience who know little or nothing about what they are about to see. 

I'm happy to say that we appeared to get it right. There were even occasional laughs and gasps at points we didn't predict. It was a great experience.

And I will point out that the theatre was not simply full of cast, crew and friends willing to please by reacting with ease. In a sense the room felt a little more difficult to crack than a room full of people we don't know – there was a lot of anticipation – probably as we've had little else going on in our lives to discuss since May 2013! This had better be good...

Thankfully, the story, performances and efforts of everyone involved had the desired effect. The cast all received applause and a plethora of compliments and we were very happy with the positive one-on-one feedback we received afterwards – from the story to the cinematography; to the sound and music; to the overall quality of the production.

It was great to hear discussions of the themes and reasons to pause for thought raised by the film. As the film is primarily about someone's struggle with mental health issues, when you hear a viewer telling you that your film has made them think twice about the challenges faced by others, it is good to know that your intentions have made those contemplations happen.

It is also satisfying that we have labelled Selective Listening a comedy-drama and that, although people are aware that we are portraying a serious subject, it has given them reason to laugh several times during the film.

Whilst I wouldn't be so bold myself, it's alright if I mention the other films with which some said Selective Listening would stand comfortably next to on the DVD shelf, isn't it? Among them were:

Silver Linings Playbook

Napoleon Dynamite

Withnail & I

Forrest Gump

We will happily accept those comparisons!

It was also nice to hear many people say that they wanted to see the film again as soon as possible.

On a similar topic, we were asked many times during the evening, "So, what now?" The answer is, now we are seeking a sage and dutiful film distributor to take Selective Listening to be part of their portfolio and help us to get it seen by as many people as possible.

So, if you know of, or indeed are, a sage and dutiful member of a film distribution company, please do get in touch!

In the meantime, the yuletide season brings little rest for us as we work to find possible distribution avenues and develop other projects.

If you're reading this and want to know what else you can do to help, please do "like" the Selective Listening Facebook page, and, importantly, "share" anything you find of interest.

We will write of any news as it occurs!

Selective Listening Facebook page

Selective Listening on Twitter

View and rate the trailer on YouTube!

Meet the gang, 'cos the toys are here...

...actually, first things first, the actors are here too but that fact didn't lend itself to a parody of '70s sitcom theme tune lyrics.

Enough of that. Tim here with a quick bloggage of updates I've made to this site.

Firstly, I've uploaded some choice pics of Selective Listening's brilliant cast.

You can find them here: Cast & Crew

And secondly, here's a page to introduce you to the toys and the role they play in the film... The Voices 

More soon!

Tim