Lights, Cameras, Rock Action
On March 31, Relentless Energy Drink are releasing a short film about Frank Turner as part of their filmmaking competition, Short Stories. Young up-and-coming filmmakers are challenged to bring to life the idea of No Half Measures, and over the year eight films from different disciplines will be released online.
Anne Sexton, 25 Mar 2011
Frank Turner may be the hardest working man in music – at least filmmaker James Henry thinks so. Turner’s punishing touring schedule and his efforts to carve out a new career and musical direction for himself after leaving the much-loved hardcore punk band Million Dead is the subject of Henry’s short film The Road. Named after one of Frank’s songs, this is a far less bleak viewing experience than the film of the same name based on the seminal post-apocalyptic Cormac McCarthy novel, and is the first short film to come out of this year’s Relentless Energy Drink’s Short Stories.
Now in its second year, the series aims to give a platform to both amateur and professional filmmakers, asking them to capture a particular quality or virtue in around five minutes of film. The theme for this year’s series is “focus”, a characteristic that Frank epitomised for James.
“I think it takes a lot to go from being in a hardcore band to then being on your own, with a guitar, standing up in front of people who might be familiar with your old material and be slightly confused about what you’re doing,” says James. “It’s about having the focus to stick to what you believe in and follow your own path. I think that’s an admirable thing. Frank didn’t decide to quit and get a normal job or whatever. He kind of ploughed through it and carried on touring. I think that’s the focus aspect.”
It must be a little odd, Hot Press suggests to Frank, to epitomise the idea of focus to someone else. Does he agree with James’ reading of him as someone with a particular drive to succeed?
“I’m not sure I would put it like that myself, because that would probably make me very, very arrogant,” Frank answers thoughtfully. “I think the thing is, people have said that about me before and I take it as a compliment. I just put my head down and get on with how I think I should live my life. I wouldn’t describe myself as such, but it makes me feel quite good about myself.”
But given that X-Factor wannabes, reality TV stars and people of that ilk are not short on self-belief either, where does an admirable focus end and sheer pig-headedness begin?
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