A FILM writer living locally will have his film streamed on Amazon this week.
Compared to the likes of The Office and Afterlife by Ricky Gervais, Pops is a comedy film that explores drama and comedy simultaneously through family dynamics during a hard time.
The wordsmith behind the picture is south-east London’s Sam Bramley, who moved to the island in 2012 with his wife, who is originally from Guernsey.
‘It’s a story about saying goodbye to your past. In many ways it is a comedy, but it’s about a family who come back together because an elderly parent of theirs has dementia. He is their foster father,’ he said.
‘They’ve had the appointment to care, but this family have fallen out, like many families, they don’t get on, so they have to come to terms with what is going on and they realise that they do actually like each other, despite these issues that caused them to part over the years.’
Mr Bramley said that he had been writing for a long time, but had never really made much progress.
Then the idea for this film came to him when his Nan went through dementia, and much of the writing of the film was based on what his family had to deal with.
‘Trying to find someone to make it, that was the hardest part, and trying to find someone in Guernsey to make it was impossible,’ he said.
‘I didn’t have any connections and although now I’ve heard that there are production companies here and short movies are being made, I had to go off-island with the story.’
He had a connection to a producer through a friend.
Mr Bramley said that once she read the script, she told him: ‘Yeah, I’m making this.’
The film was funded through her production company, and was filmed over the course of two weeks in 2024.
‘From there, we had to do some rewrites, there were some extra scenes that needed to be filmed in 2025,’ he said.
‘We got those done after some feedback from streaming platforms, then Buffalo 8, which is a distributor, saw the film and I had their input, and via that connection, it ended up on Amazon.’
The film will be on the rental section of Amazon from tomorrow [FRIDAY], and then will move to another service on Amazon, which he said he cannot reveal just yet.
‘It’s going to be surreal seeing it on Amazon,’ he said.
‘To see it there and to know that there are other films by my idols that appear alongside it, to be able to type in something that I wrote and then also see David Lynch films in the same place, it’s going to be pretty surreal.’
Mr Bramley was on the set for the whole time of filming.
In a previous career, he worked in London for ITV as a prop scene dresser, a career which he had from 2000 when he was 16, until 2012 when he moved to the island.
With the ideas in his mind and that experience under his belt, he covered that role himself, rather than the production company hiring someone.
His influence can also been seen in the hiring of local actor, Scott Michel, who plays a character called Tarquin Michelle.
‘Scott is a friend of mine, he’s been doing stuff here like panto and plays and he was looking to do some voice acting,’ he said.
‘Because I knew him and I knew I had this film and it had been picked up, I petitioned for them to not cast anyone for that role, and said I wanted him to do that role.
‘And as soon as they saw him, they said he was perfect for that character.’
Mr Bramley has additional challenge, being dyslexic, and said that writing had its ups and downs.
‘I’m trying to make it my full-time job. I was previously a caretaker and I got this film made, you get paid for that, and then there are residuals once it goes on a streaming platform,’ he said.
‘At the moment, I’m working on more scripts and more writing work, a novel as well, to turn it into my full-time job.’
He currently has another film lined up with a director on board, and he is also working on a novel.
For inspiration, he said moving to Guernsey was the best decision he ever made.
‘I can leave my house, go for a walk and see the coastline and the scenery and take it all in. Any time I do that, I come home with ideas, everywhere I feel inspired,’ he said.
‘I understand why Victor Hugo loved it here so much when he was writing.
‘I understand that personally from my experience of writing here.’
Mr Bramley said that there was huge potential for Guernsey to become a centre of film, with the right support.
Other places give production companies deals and tax benefits. London closes roads regularly for filming, he said, and with its scenery and aesthetics, Guernsey could grab some of that market.
‘For writing and film, I wish there was more here. I know it’s starting to build up, people making short films and starting to do events for short films, but I feel like Guernsey could be a hub for independent film, especially now that Hollywood is not doing so well,’ he said.
‘Transporting equipment here could be a pain and expensive, but with promotion and the right people and connections, we could build it ourselves.
‘There’s a great music scene here, and we could do the same with film and books.’
Pops is available to stream on Amazon on Friday 20 March.