Project Round-Up #10
- Jean Hogg
- Sep 5
- 6 min read
Identical Interviews
Back in January 2025 I filmed my interview for the twin documentary with Lucy at St Georges Theatre in Great Yarmouth. With us were two other sets of twins, Sophia Harrod & Angela Douglas, and Nicola & Julia Schauerman.
This interview felt really important and it had taken ages to arrive at, so I was quite nervous, both about running the day and being in front of the camera, rather than behind it as usual, asking the questions. I asked my good friend Nicola to interview Lucy and me and she did a great job. I did write the questions in advance, but on the day it all felt a bit of a blur to be honest. I interviewed Sophia and Angela first, which was great fun. They entertained us with hilarious stories of twin antics. Then we did the older and younger conversation, which Julia helped interview.
It’s funny as I had no time to prepare answers for my own questions but trusted that, after all this time, I would know what I wanted to say. It was lovely sitting side by side with Lucy and discussing some of the themes that have come out of the documentary and reflecting on our own relationship.
We had a truly lovely day followed by food, drinks and karaoke with Nicola and Julia into the early hours. Both Nicola and Julia had travelled from opposite ends of the country, so I just had to show them the delights of Great Yarmouth!
Berlin Film Festival - Identical
One immediate benefit of the interview was that it gave me the sound bites I needed for the trailer, in preparation for going to Berlin in February 2025. I'd applied for an industry pass and been accepted. I’d already been to the Berlin Film festival a couple of times. The first was to navigate the festival myself, the second time to take a group of students whilst teaching Media at City College Norwich, so it was great fun to go this third time with Lucy, who hadn’t been to Berlin before. Lucy went off sightseeing while I attended the market place and watched as many films as possible. We did catch some films together too. I saw one of the Generation strand films called Christy about two estranged brothers suddenly finding themselves living under the same roof and how they reconcile their past and look to the future. Another of my favourites was Dreams in Nightmares which was hilariously poignant, telling of when three black queer friends go on a road trip.
It’s a lot of work being at the festival as you are non-stop - attending events and films as well as networking endlessly. I often feel a little flat after attending as I do find self promotion very difficult. However, one of the other benefits of going was that it forced me to reach out to producers and set up some meetings, so I’m pleased with myself for doing that. I now need to get the rough edit finalised so I can share it with some of the contacts I made.
With that in mind, we are due to record my voiceover and film some additional visuals over the next couple of months. Doing the voiceover is something I have put off as it’s incredibly difficult to talk about a project you are so close to. Lucy is coming to interview/prompt me, and it feels right to have her close by.
We are also on the hunt for identical twin girls aged 3-5 years to be filmed wearing vintage dresses that were worn by Lucy and I when we were young. These shots will be for a visual lyrical sequence towards the start of the film. Please get in touch if you know of any suitable twins in the Great Yarmouth area!
Red, Pick Ups in Lowestoft (April)
We shot Red back during August 2024, and by February 2025 we had a solid edit. The edit was done remotely which works okay, but it doesn’t give you the chance to really try things out. So I was looking forward to an in-person edit with Ryan Kent who I’d worked with on Watching, for The Haunted Hotel, back in 2017. (The Haunted Hotel has had 3.4m views on Youtube. Click here if you want to check it out.)
I always knew we’d need more footage for the chase scene of Red. It was great fun to get back on set in The Scores and the surrounding area of Belle View Park in Lowestoft. It’s always valuable to revisit the characters, but the shoot was really about capturing the action of the chase scene. We had got some wonderful original shots in the parks, with smoke effects and lighting, but we hadn’t had time for the nitty gritty of the chase. So this time we went predominately with a handheld camera, and minimal lighting to capture the urgency. We had a skeleton crew of about five and our two cast members.
In some ways it’s a lot easier working this way, as you can try things out and shoot quickly and move around in more of a guerilla style. So I focused on getting lots of over-the-shoulder and POV shots, along with moving/tracking shots. The extra footage has made the chase scene much more compelling and helped us put the finishing touches to our edit.
However, this is where I have to hand the project over to the producers, so I don’t get a final director’s edit. It is difficult for me to do this after investing so much time in the project, but I knew I'd have to do it when starting out on the journey and it has been great fun and I’ve learnt a lot.
Closing the CIC / ADHD / new Support Aide
Last year I recruited an advisory board for Campbell Cloud Films CIC, but realised quite quickly that I just didn’t have the time to really give the CIC the attention it deserved. Therefore in May 2025 I dissolved the company. I felt really sad as I had always had great hopes for it, but it did feel like a choice between doing my director-led projects or devoting my time to the CIC. Alongside both of these roles I work part-time in mental health. I’ve worked in social care for a total of 12 years now. It's been such a rewarding role and it is also how I met my husband!
I’ve known I had dyslexia since I was 36 and for a fair few years I’ve suspected that I also have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder or ADHD. It took me a year to get an assessment, but last June I was finally diagnosed. They say you go through a grieving process after being diagnosed with ADHD, thinking of all the things you could have done better or handled better if the right support had been in place. I realise I am not alone in this, as there is a huge sector of the population having late diagnoses. It’s especially high in women due to the presentation often being less typical.
Sometimes I do feel a long way from the career I started out in, film and TV, and also far from being a community film practitioner, a role I loved and was good at, but strangely that seems beyond me these days.
Going back to visual arts during the pandemic has made me into an artist/filmmaker. With coaching I am becoming more focused and having Access to Work Support Aides for admin and technical work has been a game changer. I have just recruited a new aide for administration work called Jo and we are getting organised! I am already feeling calmer and less overwhelmed and it’s great to have someone to talk through tasks with. Plus she helps me keep to my deadlines!
Over the last couple of years, film and TV companies have started appointing Access Coordinators to look at ways of employing deaf, disabled and neurodivergent talent, so things are changing for the better.
Click here if you’d like to read a little more about ADHD.
So the year to date has been about taking stock, not over committing to things, learning how to say ‘no’ nicely :) and… meeting my deadlines!
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