Testing Time: New short film from Skins star focuses on the 11+ in Ashford
We talk to Alexander Arnold and Augusta Woods about emotional new film
It’s a time of year most people will remember with mixed emotions. And while the 11+ exam is not unique to this county, the Kent Test (as it is also known) remains a prominent and divisive school system to this day.
Ashford actor and director Alexander Arnold, who is best known for his roles in BAFTA-winning series Skins, as well as Poldark (BBC) and Save Me (Sky Atlantic), sat the test back in 2002. While the moment of finding out your result is one you don’t forget, it’s the realisation that your world is about to completely change that lives long in the memory.
Having pitched the project as part of a competition run by film network Screen South to highlight local filmmakers, Alexander and producer Augusta Woods - whose most recent film Sister Wives is currently streaming on Channel 4 - won £3k to make the short film known as 11+.
“I kind of wanted to make something that was personal to me and to where I grew up and, you know, sort of consider a moment in my life that I think was probably quite significant,” says Alexander. “It is my first short film and I think honesty is what resonates with an audience. Despite maybe the change of specific circumstances, I think this sort of emotional core of things is universal. It’s about giving something to others to connect with - saying goodbye to your friends and moving on and going separate ways.”
The seven-minute film focuses on two primary-school best friends, Louis and Jordan, embarking on what might be their final adventure together before heading off to different secondary schools.
“Whether you took the 11+ or not, I think it resonates with everyone in a way because you remember that time when you’re going separate ways from your friends and you don’t know if you’re going to be friends again,” says Augusta. “Picking your school really can change the course of your life, I guess.”
Wandering through Ashford, the boys consider the moment that is confronting them and it becomes clear they aren’t going to the same school, but the question of which child has ‘passed’ and which one has ‘failed’ the Kent Test remains a source of suspense and intrigue.
“For a lot of parents and kids who sit it, I personally don’t think it’s a good test in terms of intelligence,” says Alexander. “Some kids are good at science and other kids are good at art. I wasn’t very good at maths and stuff, but I excelled in English and drama and art and so, you know, the child who fails in the film is based largely on me. I failed the 11+, but it was at a time when I also got the acting bug and I think that springboarded me into having a sense of confidence going forward.”
Reflecting Alex’s own experiences, the short film is set in 2002.
“I also wanted to include a lot of elements of things in my childhood,” he says. “Going on from that discussion of making something honest and real, that really affected the way that I wanted to make this film, right down from the casting.
“We cast two lads who were not actors per se. One was actually from my old school, Francis Milner, who played Louis, while Junaid Mohammed was just coming to the end of year six - he’s actually also got into the grammar school. I wanted to create something with real chemistry with these two lads. And we were very lucky to have them because they both offer such unique energies to the roles.”
The film was also shot on a DV Mini, an era-specific camera, giving it a feel of 28 Days Later.
“It feels like quite a journalistic format. But ultimately the thing was to make it look like the kind of CBBC shows that maybe we might have watched when I was younger.”
Clothing and hair styles were considered carefully, while the two boys also engage in laying a bit of Nintendo Game Boy during the film, sourcing them from a second-hand store.
“The boys had no idea what to do with them, why they couldn’t touch the screen to play,” recalls Augusta.
Shooting in January this year, the cast and crew were blessed with a sunny day and were able to shoot a number of scenes on the pedestrian bridge across the M20 and on the banks around Spearpoint Recreation Ground
“It did evoke quite a few emotions,” says Alexander. “My family’s house backs out on to that park and we used my mum and dad’s house as the unit base. My mum even made us food, so it was a real family feel to the film. I spent a lot of time on that ridge playing football with my brother. I did a little bit of a reccy on my own and I stood up there looking around and thought ‘Oh, this is crazy if we get to film this’.”
Augusta Woods (Left)
With the release of Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl short films on Netflix last year, and a number of other high-profile short films, the appetite for this format of narrative is growing.
“The world of short films is getting bigger and bigger,” says Augusta. “I’ve been producing short films for the past five years now, and 11+ was my eighth one. I guess the world of it has grown, like there’s so many really lovely festivals around the world that host short films and you’re starting to see them more on streaming platforms.
“Short films are great for aspiring young filmmakers who want to see what it’s like. And also I find with short films they often have a really important message. People want to tell a story because it’s important. With any short film, you’re never usually doing it for the money, you’re doing it for the message.”
Alexander adds: “The more specific I think you get as an artist or as a director, I really think the more universal the story is and those things audiences can pick up on. Whether they know what the 11+ is or not, I really hope people take away from it that this is a story about the fear of growing apart from each other and ultimately about friendship.”
Alexander Arnold (left)
Feature continues… Add images accordingly, or use galleries.
