How to Mug a Deaf Person was filmed on an overcast September afternoon in a park in West London.
The actor Ben Green came up with this film just after he’d written the viral hit ‘Deaf Mugger’ (directed by William Mager) and he felt there was more comedy to be mined from a mugging scenario with an interpreter and a deaf person.
However, the script languished at the bottom of his drawer for several years.
My husband, Mark Williams, and Ben went for a couple of beers and the idea resurfaced. Mark and I had just invested in some camera kit so we were game to give it a test run.
And so, a few months later, the three of us found ourselves standing in a park with Siobhan Dodd, Stephen Collins and James Static, wondering just what we’d got ourselves into.
Filming went well – the actors were fabulous – conditions were perfect – apart from the very loud football match going on in the background.
And thus How to Mug a Deaf Person was born.
Watch the final film below!
How to Mug a Deaf Person was filmed on the BlackMagic Cinema Camera 2.5K MfT Mount in ProRes. Lenses used included a SLR Magic 12mm F1.6, Yashica ML 24mm f2.8 and Yashica ML 50mm F1.4. Edited in Adobe Premiere Pro CC and graded in DaVinci Resolve 10.
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Andy not Mr Palmer but another one
November 18, 2013
I am not sure if it is the effect of viewing on the Net but the film looks underlit to me. There are great big empty shadows and people’s faces look underlit. Looking at the background there seems to be enough light about, it’s just not in the right places. Can I recommend a Lastolite or two in future?
It is basically funny but I wonder if I might…?
The ending is a bit tame. How about if the mugger runs off grinning, straight into a lamp post?
He drops the handbag and staggers off. She picks up the handbag and gives the Deaf guy a swipe around the head.
PS Just bought an interesting gadget off Ebay for £30. It is a rechargeable LED work light, duration 3 hours no wires.
Power 720 Lumens approx from 180 LEDs. It has a bluish tinge but might serve as a photographic fill light, I am going to try it.
I might even use it as a work light!
Hartmut
November 20, 2013
Andy, how i see it, the scenes are not underlit. The characters in focus, those who is saying or signing, are well lit and their signs are clear.
Your suggestions are understandable for the mainstream and thus less interesting. Since it is a production by a Deaf person, a humorous ending showing a Deaf Smart is more entertaining and also enlightening.
Challenge for Deaf people to divorce themselves from the Hearing mentality when creating literary or cinematographic pieces!
pennybsl
November 18, 2013
Could we have something like this to give us a SMILE and a twinkle in our eyes every Monday morning?
Cheers
Reason to be Chippy
November 19, 2013
A nice wee movie, Caroline. Well done. And I think the lighting is fine.
The final words reminded me of the end of the classic Monty Python sketch where the victim says to the policeman, “D’you want to come back to my place?”
Hartmut
November 20, 2013
The storyline ends lame in my opinion. The interpreter becomes a victim, instead of the deaf person, and this just by accident. The joke has become to mean, the female interpreter ought to be less female and stop carrying around a purse.
You ought to think of an ending where the hearing villain got outwitted by some sort of Deaf Smarts. Google for videos by Deaftorabi. He has a few and better mugging scenarios.