To Sleep!
16mm film
14 minutes

Edward Burton, a struggling young actor, tries to get to sleep the night before an early audition for the lead role in Hamlet. But in a bizarre parallel to the fortunes of Hamlet himself, Edward is facing the worse night of his life.

Synopsis:

Edward Burton is having a bad night. All he wanted was to get to bed early for his big audition the following morning. That was the idea but Edward is facing the worse night of his life - a waking nightmare! All possible forces seem to be conspiring against him in an effort to keep him from sleeping. Will Edward get to sleep ready for his audition? Or is he destined to spend the night in a desperate downward spiral which can only lead to the shattering of his ambitions? Don't worry. The producers of To Sleep have guaranteed Edward a happy ending...

Production:

Shot over 10 days in a studio and on location in and around Leicestershire, To Sleep! completed principle photography on a freezing cold Christmas Eve night. All of the exterior shooting for the finale of the film took place in sub-zero temperatures, with Alan Westaway braving the wet, freezing conditions in only his bare feet and a thin blue dressing gown! With the shoot wrapped, editing began principally the old fashioned way - on a six-plate Steenbeck at Sheffield Independent Film and finished with digital post effects at Bradgate Film's edit facilities.

Cast
Alan Westaway
Charlotte Drew
Louise Ellis
Sarah Williams
Amy White
Danni White

Written and Directed by
Alan Coulson

Produced by
Maria Ellis

Director of Photography
Paul Harrison

Music by
Jussi Vento