The Fingerspellers
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SUMMARY
The Fingerspellers is an action-packed comedy about a family of deaf gangsters who protect themselves through the power of sign language – firing bullets with their fingers, instead of guns!
The family live in Metro City in the 1950s, at a time when deaf people were poor and faced discrimination. Deaffather is the boss of the Fingerspeller family, supported by his children, Sonny and Bella.
When a new invention arrives called the Textphone, a feud begins with the Opera family – a rival criminal clan – who plan to sell them to make huge profits. As the families go to war, what follows is a dodgy moustache, a broken engagement, and a mass shoot out at the deaf club!
The film was originally created as an 8-part mini series and has now been re-edited into a special longer version!
ACTORS
Deaffather – Ilan Dwek
Ilan plays the tea-addicted head of the family, Deaffather! He has appeared in deaf TV dramas Switch (BBC2) and Rush (Channel 4), as well as short films Coming Out, Granddad and Four Deaf Yorkshiremen. In theatre he has worked with Deafinitely Theatre and most recently, Face Front.
Sonny Fingerspeller – Stephen Collins
Stephen plays ever-hungry Sonny, the next in line for the role of family boss! After making his screen debut in The Fingerspellers, Stephen went on to work with Deafinitely Theatre and Graeae theatre company. He recently won the Ben Steiner Bursary to write and direct a film for Deaffest 2011.
Bella Fingerspeller – Rebecca-Anne Withey
Rebecca-Anne plays Bella, Deaffather’s brainy daughter! After winning her first major role in Grange Hill while still at school, Rebecca-Anne went on to act in short films Beth, Loveless Lonely and a Loser, and The Tape. She is also an accomplished sign-singer and choreographer.
Cuddles – Matthew Gurney
Matthew plays security guard Cuddles, who (despite the name) hates being hugged! As well as appearing in BBC2’s Switch, Matthew has appeared in a range of deaf films, most notably Coming Home. Matthew also starred in Playing God and Double Sentence for Deafinitely Theatre, and recently made his directing debut with Me and My Wacky Doctor… On Our First Appointment.
Manny Opera – Matt Kirby
Matt plays ruthless Manny Opera – who schemes to take over the Fingerspellers business for profit! Matt has starred in a range of deaf comedies, from Text Batteries and Earwax (and its sequel The Association) to Four Deaf Yorkshiremen and recently, Hands Solo, wowing deaf audiences with his unique blend of visual humour.
Uncle Opera – David Hirshman
David is the silent assassin, Uncle Opera! After appearing in a range of film and theatre showcases, David got the chance to make his screen debut in The Fingerspellers, and wowed the cast and crew with his intense performance.
Lyla – Diana Martin
Diana plays beautiful, yet manipulative Lyla – who attracts the eye of more than one character in the film! As well as starring in Soundproof (BBC1) and Switch (BBC2) Diana has appeared in numerous deaf short films and on stage in Children of a Lesser God, and Lipstick and Lollipops. Diana is also a professional photographer.
There are also cameo appearances from Cathy Heffernan and Martine Laverty.
DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY – William Mager
Sheffield-born and London-based, William made his first film aged 14 when he set fire to a model Audi Quattro and was subsequently banned from the school film club for excessive pyromania (!).
William became a new media trainee at the BBC in 2000, moving into directing for factual and drama television, while writing and directing numerous award-winning short films, full length documentaries and VTs for the BBC, Channel 4, the Arts Council and the UK Film Council. His directing credits for short films include Stiletto, Hands Solo and the YouTube hit Deaf Mugger.
William currently divides his time between his day job as a producer/director at the BBC, and his long term passion for directing, writing and developing new projects. He is now preparing to direct a half hour drama for the BSLBT and is working on a number of documentary, short and feature films.
William’s website: http://wlmager.com/
WRITER BIOGRAPHY – Charlie Swinbourne
Charlie has a range of credits as a scriptwriter for short films including Coming Out, Hands Solo, Departure Lounge and Four Deaf Yorkshiremen (which he also directed), which have been seen all over the world. Meanwhile, for stage, Charlie wrote Lipstick and Lollipops for Deafinitely Theatre.
As well as being a scriptwriter, Charlie is a journalist who writes a monthly column about deaf life for the BBC’s Ouch website, and recently contributed to two Radio 4 programmes about deafness.
Charlie grew up in a deaf family and currently combines being a Dad and Nottingham Forest fan with working in the arts. He previously worked in TV for See Hear (BBC2), Vee-TV (Channel 4) and Wicked (BSLBT). Charlie is currently writing a brand new half hour drama for the BSLBT.
Charlie’s website: http://charlieswinbourne.wordpress.com
INSPIRATION FOR THE FINGERSPELLERS
Writer Charlie Swinbourne drew on two influences when he created The Fingerspellers. The first was mafia films (Charlie is a big fan of The Godfather), and the second was wacky comedy films like Airplane and The Naked Gun. Charlie says:
“I was watching a massive box set of The Sopranos when I got the idea for a mafia themed comedy where mad, silly things happen, but the actors play their parts completely seriously, with a straight face. I thought this would suit a deaf cast with a heightened sense of expression and physical humour.”
Unlike most mafia films, The Fingerspellers features no guns, bullets or blood. Why not? “One reason is that we were aware that the episodes would be shown at 8am!” Charlie says. “The other is that it’s a comedy, so I came up with the idea that it would be funny if they fired bullets with the very things every deaf person relies on – their hands!”
Director William Mager soon came on board, along with the cast. Charlie was on set every day of filming – what was it like seeing his scripts come to life? “It was great. William really understood the humour I had imagined for the film, and the actors grew into their characters. Everyone had a fantastic time during filming, and you can see that on screen.”
William also enjoyed the experience of working with such a stellar cast, some of whom he’d worked with before, and others he’d admired for a long time. “The best thing about working on The Fingerspellers was the actors. They were all professionals – always on time and ready to hit their marks. They’re great fun to work with, and great people to hang out with on set!”
FURTHER LINKS:
BSLBT: www.bslbt.co.uk
Remark: www.remark.uk.com
DID YOU KNOW?
- The very first scene to be filmed was the last. The entire film was shot out of sequence, with action scenes often taking up an entire half day’s shoot!
- Actor David Hirshman was given such thick glasses for his role as Uncle Opera that he could barely see what was happening while filming his scenes!
- During the funeral when we first meet Lyla, numerous takes were required when extras kept laughing during an emotional sobbing scene!
- Writer Charlie Swinbourne makes two cameo appearances in the film – see if you can spot him!
- The ‘look’ of the character Uncle Opera was heavily influenced by a character from the classic US drama The Sopranos. Who? Watch it and find out…
- Filming took place in East London, at a bar called Last Days of Decadence. The crew had to finish filming in time for the bar to open for its regulars!
- Stephen Collins (who played Sonny) had to repeatedly eat a big plate of spaghetti straight after eating lunch. Despite his artistic sacrifice (!), the scene was eventually cut from this film!
- The final day’s filming of The Fingerspellers was cut short when water leaked onto the set from a flat above. Within minutes the Fire Brigade had turned up. Filming was eventually completed 2 months later!
