Inside Hitchin Magazine - March 2021 - Magazine - Page 26
Hitchin-based Hollow Dell Media have been
hard at work on puppet based horror-comedy
Quoggers, their first professional short film
which is due to hit the big screen very soon!
Having met in North Herts College, Hollow Dell Media cofounders Adam Tyler and Rob Hellenburgh bonded over a
love of 80s horror (notably, the Evil Dead series) and have
been making short films and sketches since the day they
met. Along with fellow retro movie fan Josh Weist, the
boys decided to take the plunge and set out to make their
first professional short film - with all the blood, slime and
latex puppets anyone could ever dream of!
“Quoggers is the big one”, Adam declares determinedly.
“Me and Rob have been talking about this film in some
form or another since college. With Josh on board, we
went ahead and started from the ground-up, building our
monsters and working out what to do next.”
“It hasn’t been without its challenges”, says Rob of the year
long production cycle, which has included lost footage,
poor weather, reshoot delays and prop theft. “But we’ve
learned more about filmmaking doing this movie than
from uni, than anything. To see our toothy lads get on the
big screen is nothing short of a dream come true!”
“We are completely self-funded,” Adam explains, “But it is
amazing just how many people are willing to help, offering
their time and expertise the moment they hear that you
are making a film. We have had volunteers from Hitchin,
Letchworth, Biggleswade, Welwyn, London - all happy to
accommodate our mad ideas and get the ball rolling!”
So what is a Quogger exactly? “We don’t want to give too
much away”, says Josh, who made the ferocious foam latex
puppets from home. “They’re like blobs with teeth, each with
their own distinct personalities. Think Gremlins or Critters,
except they explode out of your body if you get slimed.”
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Having formed originally in 2013, the Hollow Dell Media
boys have been keeping busy making short films, sketches
and, more recently, a fortnightly review and discussion
podcast called Screen Bucket - all while balancing full
time jobs and shift work to pay for their projects and
ambitions.
“We can’t wait for people to see Quoggers”, Rob adds.
“Although we’re coming to the end of the journey for
this film, all of us know it’s just the beginning for the
Quoggers, and for us. The real journey starts here.”
As post-production wraps up, Hollow Dell Media are
planning to host a premiere in North Hertfordshire with
tickets expected to go on sale in February.
To keep up to date, make sure to follow
@HollowDellMedia on Instagram and Twitter or head
straight to www.hollowdellmedia.co.uk to keep up to
date with the latest goings-on!
Photos provided by Tristan Wood & Matt Thomas
Filmed in and around North Hertfordshire with a crew
of volunteers and a talented young cast throughout 2019,
the twenty-minute short about two couples in the woods
being attacked by ravenous creatures is now reaching its
final stages of post-production - and the trio could not be
more excited.
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