Ben Pryor (left) and Zain Collins star in Dirty Dishes, a heartfelt short film about a teenage boy re-evaluating his relationship with his single mother. Photo / Arlo Macmillan
Ben Pryor (left) and Zain Collins star in Dirty Dishes, a heartfelt short film about a teenage boy re-evaluating his relationship with his single mother. Photo / Arlo Macmillan
Zain Collins was at a Christmas Eve Eve party when Arka Gupta said he wanted him in his next film.
Not just that, but he wanted Collins to play Max, the main character. Gupta says he had seen Collins in enough shows to know he could pull it off.
Shortfilm Dirty Dishes premieres in Palmerston North next Friday, with a second screening the following night.
An autumn Boosted campaign raised $11,200 for the film and Palmerston North Creative Communities Scheme gave Gupta $11,950 - exactly what he asked for.
As well as hiring equipment and feeding the cast and crew, Gupta wanted to be able to pay everyone - not only the industry professionals but the emerging talents. He has been able to achieve that.
Gupta, a scientist at the NZ Leather and Shoe Research Association, wrote, directed and produced Dirty Dishes.
Collins' first show was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in 2103 at Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School. He played Benjamin.
Collins did Level 2 and 3 drama at Boys' High School. In 2015, he was Fat Sam in Bugsy Malone, and went on to play Larry in Foreskin's Lament and the purser in Anything Goes.
The 22-year-old now works at McDonald's and Timezone, pursuing his love of acting through Massey University Drama Society where met Gupta. They did Ax of Murder together in 2019.
Being part of Dirty Dishes was amazing, plus it was his "first paid gig in acting". He is keen to do more screen acting.
Collins says he has quite a bit in common with Max.
"When I was around his age, I was also a bit immature myself, thinking I was ready for all this and all that."
Max is 16 and trying to get through high school. He is also trying to figure out who his dad is and dealing with his mum trying to keep it a secret. Max experiences huge mood swings and escapes into online gaming.
"At first he thinks he is prepared to find out the truth, but then once it happens it's a bit of a shock to him, like something he actually wasn't prepared for," Collins says.
After three months of pre-production - planning, seeking funding, and 12 rehearsals - the 20-minute film was shot over two and a half days.
Dirty Dishes director Arka Gupta with Zain Collins (Max), first assistant director Zak Rodgers, and Ben Pryor (the father). Photo / Arlo Macmillan
Ben Pryor plays George, Max's father. Gupta says Collins and Pryor are both phenomenal actors but were doing screen for the first time and had a demanding script in terms of characterisation.
They spent time getting to know their characters and what is happening in their heads.
"In filmmaking, you need to make it believable otherwise the audience will not buy it because it's not believable."
One of Gupta's goals with Dirty Dishes, his third short film, was to create a team around him.
"When you start out you have to do all the jobs by yourself, you love the essence of filmmaking. I did that because I wanted to teach myself pretty much every aspect of filmmaking and I love every single job that comes with filmmaking, I literally love it."
He got in touch with Derrick Sims, "THE cinematographer in Palmy" and a lecturer at UCOL. Sims worked on Dirty Dishes as director of photography and also did the sound design and colouring.
Jane Bennett is Max's mother Jane and Cameron Dickons and Sam Wyss appear as Max's friends.
Gupta is preparing for his next short film. It is about a 5-year-old girl who is slowly losing her ability to hear. He is taking sign language classes because he wants to cast a deaf girl and direct her without using an interpreter.
"The story is a bit personal to me because I used to have a deaf friend when I was in primary school and he was so neglected by others."
A loss of hearing is not a disability. "It doesn't compromise your learning ability by any means."
Gupta says Palmy doesn't have a shortage of filmmaking talent but is losing talent to big cities because it doesn't have a filmmaking hub here. He would like to change that.
His first two short films, also made in Palmy, Distancing (Atimari) and Udiyoman (Emerging) will also screen at the Dirty Dishes premiere.
The Details What: Dirty Dishes - Palmy Premiere When: October 28 and 29, 7pm Where: Globe Theatre Tickets: From the venue
This is a Public Interest Journalism funded role through NZ On Air
