Guest post: The makings of the film Reflections with Broken Edges – by Ina Fischer (1st AD/Casting Director)

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Three years ago I graduated from Frankfurt International School (FIS). In three months time, I will have finished my Bachelor of Arts degree in Film & Television Production.

Time has become somewhat of a “wibbly wobbly” concept, as Doctor Who would say. Not long ago, it seems, I was fretting about my Extended Essay. Now I am working on my final project for university – a short film that was ‘commissioned’ (minus the financial aspect) by my course’s professors over the summer.

I came up with the story for the film around this time last year, while writing yet another reflective essay and listening to my iTunes in the background. Joshua Kadison’s song The Bubble Man started playing and, although I had listened to it a hundred times before, I suddenly started seeing the story of the song play out in front of my eyes. Kadison’s story-telling abilities are unique – one of his albums is quite fittingly titled Troubadour in a Timequake – and as such, the American songwriter is a great inspiration for human conflict, emotions, and distinctive characters.

The Bubble Man tells the story of an unnamed narrator who walks along Venice Beach and sees an old man blowing bubbles. The old man has promised himself to love the world the best he can, mesmerizing young and old alike as the giant bubbles float toward the sun.

I wanted to get to know this old man more. What kind of people does he meet every day? What do the people on the boardwalk think about him? How does his motto of loving the world influence others?

This bubble man, shaped by time and children’s smiles, appeared almost magical to me – as though he has been stood there on the boardwalk for decades, with generations of kids chasing his bubbles. Children grow up with this kindhearted figure, eventually taking their own children to see the bubble man.

I really wanted to tell the story of the bubble. That is how Charlie and Reflections with Broken Edges was born.

In life we take some things for granted, and it is only when they are gone that we truly appreciate the impact they have had on us. Set in the beautiful Lake District, Cumbria, the film tells the heartfelt story of Charlie Marshall. We follow his life from his early childhood, as he visits the bubble man for the first time, to present day fatherhood. One day, he discovers that the old man has disappeared. Finding him terminally ill in hospital, Charlie has to come to terms with losing a lifelong friend. With new-found perspective in the wake of his loss, Charlie begins to reflect on his life.

Reflections with Broken Edges is a poetic, magical film about friendship and trust, about attempting life each day with a smile.

And you can help make it happen by visiting our IndieGogo campaign page: www.indiegogo.com/Reflections-With-Broken-Edges. Any support is greatly appreciated, as we strive to make this the best graduation film yet.

Update received via e-mail on 16 Feb 2012:

The official title of the film will now simply be ‘Reflections’.