Ronnie, a teen girl sent to a wilderness camp for Troubled Teens, tries to preserve her sense of self within the camp. She is confronted with the fact that her parents can never love and accept her the way she needs.
Continent, city, country, society:
the choice is never wide and never free.
And here, or there… No. Should we have stayed at home,
wherever that may be?(Questions of Travel, Elizabeth Bishop)
The film aimed to approach the ‘coming-of- age’ genre from a different perspective, showing an audience that sometimes the healthiest thing for a child to do is to protect themselves – and walk away from their family.
Background
Directing non-actors. Working in adverse weather conditions. Tense subject matter.
This short film was officially selected for the London Director Awards 2024, and won Best Female Director at the Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards 2024.
Behind The Scenes
Drawing inspiration from the works of Debra Granik, Andrei Tarkovsky, H.A. Brendekilde, and more – By Morning, I’ll Be Gone is a social-realist film set in a camp for troubled teens. The plot and characters are entirely fictitious.
Filmed over 2 days with a £400 budget, By Morning, I’ll Be Gone was an ambitious project. With many location changes, weather problems, non-actors, stunts, and even ticks (lyme disease!)
Team
The landscape of our location was altered seamlessly to achieve the look we wanted – every tree, branch, and leaf, was placed purposefully, and the campsite was created by Production Designer Marcus Gerrard.
The camera language was approached intimately and sensitively, following Ronnie closely, often with a soft focus, and handheld, by Director of Photography Alex Wheeler.
Editor Becca Roso understood and cared for these characters as I did. And allowed for moments of stillness between the trees.
Thanks to the entire team who worked hard, especially Producer Keira Billington x
I learned a lot about directing actors from this film shoot. When it is time for someone to lean on you, when it is time to let someone shine in their strengths.
Due to the challenging nature of this film shoot, I have developed greatly as a Director from the experience.
