DOP Louie Blystad-Collins
Production Designer Joe Rappaport
Editor Colette Hodges
Matt was selected by South West screen and The UK Film Council to write and direct Luke & The Void as part of the Digital Shorts scheme.
The film was shot over 5 days in 2008 and premiered at Encounters 2009. It went on to be screened at festivals all around the world and picked up the award for 'Best Live Action Short' at Stamford Children's Film Festival 2010.
It's 1986, a time of materialism and the first teacher in space. For only-child Luke, times are hard. His parents' relationship's falling apart and he's not fitting in at school.
When Jessie catches him stealing from class, she is drawn to him and discovers that Luke has a plan. In the back garden, he's working on a way out.
Set during the weeks leading up to the Challenger space disaster, Luke & The Void is a stylised and cinematic sci-fi short telling the poignant story of Luke's escape from this world.
"My initial idea was to make a film that didn't use dialogue to drive the story, but worked as a picture & sound piece, so that anyone in any language could watch the film and understand what was going on. As the script developed, the dialogue added texture to the story, but it can still be watched in the way I originally intended. I also wanted to use this technique to alienate Luke from the audience and give him a sense of mystery. In all my work, I try to treat the audience intelligently. I think its important not to explain everything and to leave some things up to the imagination."
"The Challenger space shuttle disaster was a shocking moment as a child living in 1986, the hopes and dreams of millions of kids around the world validated by the first teacher in space and then tragically and abruptly ended in seconds. I felt this moment resonated strongly with Luke's story. It was therefore a natural step to base the film in the 80's, a decade of materialism, individualism and paradoxical family ideals. Also, a lot of the films that inspired the film were from this era!"