Grandad Scott Dawe

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Synopsis

When a young man discovers some old family 8mm films, some skeletons come out of the cupboard with them. The family are clearly recognisable, but who are the other people, appearing in strange locations? The family try to fill in the gaps, and an old man is faced with some questions from a grandson who has not previously thought much about his grandfather’s desertion.

A word from the filmmaker:

My mother was clearly Grandad’s favourite. All I knew about him was that he would appear occasionally, but I never had the full story. Then one day I discovered that my mother had been given a box of old 8mm films by him. I started to screen them, watching the flickering, badly shot images bounce up and down. The film looked like summer and here was a group that we could recognise – a happy family with lots of siblings, and a very tiny baby – my mother! The location I discovered was Singapore…but then the questions started. The images change to feature a rather windswept coast and a strange woman – certainly no-one I could recognise. Who was this mystery woman? Why was there no sign of the family in this footage? What stories were buried here? These are family films, but it’s not my family.

Scott Dawe, biography

Scott Dawe is a 20-year-old filmmaker from Bristol and has just finished a foundation degree in Media Arts. He will continue his studies at Plymouth University from September 2009. Whilst studying, Scott has helped to produce adverts, promotional films, music videos, documentaries, dramas, animations and a web site. The chance to be sponsored by The Grierson Trust and work with a mentor has allowed me to develop my skills in directing documentaries, and has given me the opportunity to work with professionals in the industry. "I hope this will help further my career in the media industry so that I can eventually achieve my goal of being a freelance filmmaker. I have taken a great deal from this experience and am eager to get started."

A word from mentor, Peter Symes:

"Scott is exactly the sort of young filmmaker The Grierson Trust should be helping. His brief period on the mentor scheme has allowed him to get a real insight into how the real world works which, allied to his innate natural talent, should stand him in good stead in the future. He has been a keen and willing learner, and has appreciated what this scheme has been able to offer, and he has used it productively. I look forward to seeing how he develops and wish him well at Plymouth. I think his participation in the scheme came at exactly the right time in his career."