Kevin Walls on his film Premature: 'We were delighted to bring such great Glasgow locations to the screen'
A micro budget, 23 days of filming and a very Scottish take on unplanned parenthood
Despite the Scottish reputation for humour, there’s rarely a local comedy in cinemas. Kevin Walls aims to reverse that trend with his lo-fi Glasgow-set romcom, Premature. Shot for £16,000 over 23 days last year, it’s about flatmates Eilidh and Cameron (James Rottger and Elle Watson) who find themselves facing unplanned parenthood.
‘Before writing the script, I watched several directors’ first feature films, all shot on tiny budgets: Christopher Nolan’s Following, the Duplass Brothers’ The Puffy Chair and Richard Linklater’s It's Impossible To Learn To Plow By Reading Books,’ says Walls. ‘That gave me the confidence to push forward, knowing that the characters and the journey they go on could carry the film.’
Walls, who cut his teeth making now-defunct soap River City, says: ‘When I explained our approach to making the film (a local, grassroots production with a tiny crew), most of the locations I approached were receptive and supportive. Places like The Griffin, Lychee Oriental and the Glasgow School Of Art were incredibly accommodating, and we were delighted to bring such great Glasgow locations to the screen.’
So are the awkward couple featured in Premature a distant Scottish response to hit Hollwood comedy Knocked Up? ‘I actively avoided watching Knocked Up during the entire process. I wanted to avoid borrowing anything from the film… Premature feels like its own thing. I grew up admiring Jim Carrey, Leslie Nielsen and Steve Martin, which might explain some of the more heightened comedy. I think it’s closer in tone to Scrubs than anything else; I always loved how that show balanced absurdity with moments of poignancy. Maybe that’s what I was going for, but honestly, I didn’t give it much conscious thought. I just wanted to make people laugh.’
Premature is in cinemas from Friday 18 September.