'Black Mirror' inspired short film in the Lakes will premiere soon

His film will premiere on Friday, August 2 at a Brewery Arts Cinema event called 'Fells In Frame: A Cumbrian Short Film Showcase and Filmmaker Q&A.' Starting at 5.30pm, the event which champions the region's young filmmaking talent also features 'Our Charlie' by Natalia Lewis, and 'Lay-by' by Stuart Armstrong.  

The film took two years to make (Image: Clarity)

Samuel Mason's 'Clarity' took two years to make. He shot it for his final project at the college but realised he had 'rushed' the production so he revisited the project after the deadline to make it 'as good as it can possibly be.' 

The billing states: "As Brian uncovers the unsettling truth of his situation, he embarks on a quest to break free from his loveless marriage in a bid to reclaim the life he was forced to leave behind."

The film features local actors (Image: Clarity)

Almost all of the half-an-hour film was shot in a house in Holbeck Ghyll, near Ambleside. 19-year-old Samuel said: "A friend of mine had this whole house there were about to sell. We used it for two weeks."

He called the performances from the actors, who are from the area, 'outstanding.' The leading cast are Ronan Thorpe-Monaghan and Jessica Webster.

Samuel will be going to film-school soon (Image: Clarity)

When he started the project Samuel was not an adult, and had to manage people who were older than him. He said the reaction from the actors initially was: "We've got this 17-year-old kid here who's got braces."  

In terms of the shoot, Samuel said: "There were quite a lot of challenges. Mainly - we didn't have a high budget. Things like being able to pay costs was quite tough.

The film was shot on a Black Magic Camera (Image: Clarity)

"The house had nothing inside it. I had to collaborate with Age UK in Kendal to help furnish this house make it seem like it had been live in for about five years. 

"I loved the project so much. Everybody involved were so passionate about it. People were happy to go overtime." Samuel said he shot the film on a Black Magic Cinema Camera, and the quality of the footage was part of the reason the film took such a long time to edit. 

Samuel had to furnish the house using items from Age UK (Image: Clarity)

Samuel said that he was submitting Clarity to film festivals across the world. 

After taking a gap year, Samuel said he is going to film school in Bournemouth. He said that his goal is to direct a feature film.