Producer has plans to shoot silent Toilers film in island

UK film and TV producer David Shanks said that he has wanted to realise the story for 30 years and is putting the finishing touches to the script.

He is determined that the vast majority of the film will be shot locally and said that in the wake of the film of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society he has had a lot of support for the project.

His brochure promoting the venture said that, even without any footage shot in the island, the Potato Peel Pie film has had a beneficial effect on the Bailiwick. ‘I ask you to imagine the effects of a film shot in and about the islands which, although historical, will by definition highlight the unique and beautiful setting.’

And with the interest in Hugo generated by the global success of the musical of Les Miserables, and his former home in Hauteville about to reopen, the time is right to press ahead with an adaptation of Toilers.

But it will be an unusual film, in that his intention is not to have any dialogue. ‘I want to break with convention and make a movie that will appeal to and utilise every facet of the human experience, visual, aural and emotional,’ he said in the promotional brochure.

‘Basically, it’s quite a simple love story with all of Victor Hugo’s layers and depth,’ Mr Shanks told the Guernsey Press.

He had spent quite a lot of money having scripts written by several well-known screen writers.

‘None of them really came up to the mark and managed to hit

the depths of emotion and feeling,’ he said.

The only words in the film will be sung as part of the score, he said, so the only translation that will be needed when the film is released internationally would be that small section.

He said that he has a good relationship with Pinewood Group and so should be able to make use of its studio’s water tank for a reasonable cost for the scenes set at sea, including the hero battling an octopus.

He has already started to build a team, with Brazilian composer and former Simply Red guitarist Heitor Pereira taking on the challenge of writing the score.

In addition, he has a Bafta-winning production designer on board, along with an editor, and a director is considering the project.

He is looking for funding to enable him to ensure that all aspects of the production are properly budgeted and that realistic sales returns can be produced.

That will enable him to prepare and present ‘a pitch document of substance’.

He is also exploring the possibility of making this an Anglo/French co-production.

He is going to look at crowd-funding, but said that if this happens he would like it to be restricted to Guernsey, meaning that ultimately islanders will own the film and benefit from returns and profits.

As part of his search for backing, Mr Shanks visited Guernsey recently. During his visit he met Economic Development committee member Joe Mooney, who explained that it was not the committee’s role to provide financial backing for such projects.

However, Deputy Mooney has taken the project under his wing: ‘I read the brochure and thought “I can’t just let him go back to the UK”,’ he said.

He said he was encouraged by Mr Shanks’ commitment: ‘He doesn’t need convincing that it needs to be done in Guernsey.’

• Mr Shanks will be talking more about his plans to local businesses in June at a Chamber of Commerce lecture lunch.