Although work on their film was knocked off course by Brexit and then covid, the crew and cast of Tom Ellis’s low-budget movie ‘M.E., Myself and I’ are looking forward to the final cut getting its world premiere next Monday (3rd April).
It’s a film about teenage angst at a time of illness with the 19-year-old heroine gradually discovering a bit better health, her self-identity and a love interest. It will be screened in the memorial hall at Rydal Penrhos School, Colwyn Bay, at 7pm.
Originally it came out in five episodes which have been watched on Facebook and YouTube by 50,000 people so far. The production timescales were dictated by the pace of this country’s most recent crises – first by Brexit when the money and the jobs in north Wales ran out, then by covid and the conundrum which kept people on film sets apart while still having to act their hearts out.
“At one stage, while we made the third episode, covid restrictions only allowed two people on set – the actor and a technician. Everyone else had to go away and do their jobs remotely”, said Tom Ellis, who wrote and directed.
“Most of the indoor scenes were filmed in a tiny bedroom so we had to learn to work very quickly and insert some extra monologues just to get round the problem of social distancing.”
All valuable lessons for life and Tom, who works as the school’s film and TV technician, knows the subject matter of the film intimately. Now 32, he was first diagnosed with M.E. when he just 12 years old.
The script – zany and daft in parts, quietly lyrical and reflective in others – knows what it’s on about. And it will throw up plenty of talking points for the audience when the film gets its first complete screening on Monday.
Over 150 people have been invited to the premiere, with time being set aside for some decent discussion with the youthful cast and crew.
A jury voted ‘M.E, Myself and I’ best web-series pilot at the UK Motion Picture Festival in the summer of 2020, so they were obviously doing something more than right!
Tom kickstarted the project at the start from his own pocket and a bit of crowdfunding but then obtained some arts funding for later episodes. The ME Association has been pleased to promote the project from the start and we have sent our best wishes to everyone involved when they attend the premiere.
The five episodes are currently available to watch on Tom Ellis’s YouTube channel, but they are broken up by intrusive adverts: https://www.youtube.com/MEmyselfandISeries
Tom says most people people prefer to watch them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/medramaseries
Scenes from the film, and on set
Tony Britton
Senior Fundraising Consultant, The ME Association
tony.britton@meassociation.org.uk Mob: 07393 805566
