A time-travelling assassin starts to questions his loyalties as he comes to realize that his target does not deserve what is coming to her.
2019-2021 was an odd couple of years. Being hidden away and with all productions stopped, we made do with what we had, shot things remotely, shot things at home (Stuffing/I See You/ Auteur)…. But it’s just not the same. As things began to reopen, I was itching to direct something again. And so I wrote this film, designed to be made within a short timespan and in accordance with government guidelines.
While the original plan was to cast both of the leads with actors I had already worked with, scheduling issues led to last minute recasting for Jack. I’d seen Deri’s work, and he came highly recommended.
Deri brought a quieter and subtle performance than what I had originally written. It meant the focus of each scene had to be different. It became less about the conversations or debates, but about reading Jack’s face to figure out where he is in his difficult journey.
I’m a simple man, if there’s a mysterious character in a suit, who also smokes, it’s for Duncan Taylor. We’ve worked together enough times that I know I can absolutely rely on him to nail anything I throw at him.
Over the past few years, I’ve accumulated a list of actors that auditionned for my films, were excellent but they were just never right for the roles. But I really wanted to work with them. So I wrote a part for each one, as “guest stars” in this two hander.
Benjamin Tate setting up for a close up on Duncan Taylor
Benjamin Tate is really good at what he does. We messed around on microshorts before, but god damn I was excited to tell a longer story with his help. It’s nice to have someone so flexible and so quick thinking, ready to adapt to anything and skilled with natural light.
In a way, I got to make a little road trip around my favorite bits of Bristol. It was important to me to not ever hide where our playground was. So if you know Bristol, you will recognise a number of places. Most of these spots are locations I have had the chance to film in before, so in a way, this is a collage of my favorite places.
Location work in the familiar Trenchard Street Car Park
1st AD Kyle Borg pointing out my latest oversight
A Matter Of Time
Starring Deri Evans, Duncan Taylor, Julie Charleston, Richard Wilde, Olamposi Ayorine and Josh Alexander
Written and Directed by Clement Jochem
Director of Photography: Benjamin Tate
Shot on Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4k with Sigma Art lenses
Winner of the Best Cinematography award at Seoul International Monthly Film Festival
Winner of the Sci-Fi Category at White Deer Festival 2023