COLCHESTER’S outskirts are the backdrop to a new feature film which has hit screens.
Kindling follows a group of young men who return to their hometown to turn their friend Sid’s final summer into a celebration of life and friendship.
It’s inspired by real events in the life of its creator Connor O’Hara, who originally planned to film the movie in his native Surrey.
We sat down with Connor to find out which areas of our city he uncovered during filming, and what the team got up to during their visit.
What did you know about Colchester before coming here?
All we knew of Essex was The Only Way Is Essex. I think the whole crew and cast just had the best experience seeing the beauty Essex has to offer, and everyone loved Colchester.
Were you able to do much in your downtime?
We went out to a few restaurants and had a really special time in the area. We spent a day at Colchester Zoo which was nice. We went down to one of the beaches and to Colchester Castle.
It was pretty intensive. We worked long days but on the weekends we were tourists in our own right.
A lot of the film is set in a house which looks beautiful. How did you find the property?
The main house is in Little Wigborough and has got amazing owners called Mel and Will who I’ve known my entire life. I’ve been going to the house since I was a young kid and when I wrote the film, for some reason, I just geographically pictured it being in their house.
When it came to talking about making the film and looking at other houses we thought to ask them to see what they’d be comfortable with. They were really up for it and moved out for two or three weeks to let us have full control of the house.
It was really nice to write scenes with a place in mind and then be able to really bring it to life within that place. It wasn’t like Cinderella making a shoe fit the wrong foot.
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Which areas of Colchester did you film in?
We didn’t focus on a particular area. We really were dotted around and went to places like Boxted, Dedham, Langham, and Wivenhoe.
Some days we’d do a full unit move from one part of Essex to another and something which really struck me was how all the crew were so in awe of all the places we saw on these lovely drives.
Where else did you go to film scenes?
We filmed the concert scenes at the end of the film in London, and a scene in Surrey. But pretty much everything else was in Essex, or just on the border with Suffolk.
How did it feel at the end of each day to leave the house and go back to your accommodation?
We were filming in the second summer after lockdown when restrictions were still very tight. We stayed in student accommodation at the University of Essex which allowed each department to have its own dorm.
Me and the five lead boys were all in one dorm, the camera department was in another dorm, so we were all able to socialise after work which at the time wasn’t really allowed.
Will you be coming back to Colchester soon?
Of course! I was in Colchester for a party in the summer, at the house in Little Wigborough.
I’ve got a really close connection to the area now after filming there. It feels pretty special.
I went to pick some things up recently and drove past the student accommodation and I looked at it so fondly. Colchester has a massively fond place in my heart.
I’m really happy the film highlights Essex, which is an area I think some people don’t think of as being so beautiful and having such sweeping exteriors.
As a filming location, being just outside London, Essex could have a big film community soon.
Kindling is out now. For details on where to watch the film, visit kindlingfilm.com.
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