By Jed Lanyon
Warburton’s Redwood Forest was transformed into a medieval battleground of sword wielding knights as a short film project was filmed on the location last week.
A Tale of Two Knights follows the coming of age story of a cowardly, young nobleman who learns of bravery from a crippled and broken-hearted knight.
The small film crew spent the week in Warburton shooting each day and were faced with tough weather conditions on Thursday 17 October as hail interrupted filming.
The film’s director Kurtis Lowden said that the team were ready to start filming after returning from lunch before being hit by the brief hailstorm.
“It cleared up just enough for us to get everything we needed. It’s come together beautifully.
“The forest has just been superb to work in… I had visited here a couple of times but I had always wanted to utilise it in some way.
“The Redwood Forest is where the final showdown will take place between our hero and the villain.
“We really wanted to play up that horror aspect of the film… As he walks through it’s really confusing, there are these long rows of pines and it’s like an arena… It’s a magical forest.
“It’s such a beautiful little corner of the world and we can’t wait to show it off.”
Mr Lowden had high praise for the actors and film crew and said that he has a tough job of editing ahead.
“It looks stunning. Everyone has really pulled it together.”
Actor Matthew Connell was kitted out in a suit of replica armour for his role as Lord Sanspere.
“It reads like metal and especially on camera it looks like metal, but it actually isn’t metal, which means I can move,” he said.
Mr Connell said that he requires two people to help him put on the armour, a task that can take 15 minutes.
“Just standing up and sitting down is hard and it can get pretty warm. But once it’s on, I’m set for the day.”
Mr Connell shared that he had received a few odd looks from locals and tourists visiting the area while he had been wearing his armour and wielding his sword.
Fellow actor Hunter Perske (Sir Chagron) was an odd site for passers-by as the makeup team had created a broken bone protruding from his arm following a fight-scene from the film.
Mr Connell said he hopes the film is available for viewing before the year is out.
For more information about A Tale of Two Knights, visit: https://www.facebook.com/ATaleofTwoKnightsShortFilm/
