Magpie

A quiet and withdrawn mechanic arranges a late night tryst with the mysterious Magpie. After they meet on a dark corner of a bleak industrial estate, tension builds as their motivations come into question.

Written and Directed by Matt Cooper
Produced by Georgia Woolley & Nicholas Jessup
Starring Michael Fox & Ayoola Smart

Cinematographer – Benjamin Dowie
Gaffer – James Duffy
Production Designer – Jason Kelvin
1st AC – Joe Hofmann
Spark – Sam Crook
Spark – Sam Palmer
Sound – Pietro Giordano
Movement Director – Sara Green
Hair & Make Up – Austri Jordan
Costume – Katie Jude

Editor – Jamie Kataky
Colourist – Jonny Tully
Audio Post Production – SoundNode
Composer – Theo Whitworth
Title Design – Jonathan Waller

For Villager Films – Johnnie Campbell
Additional Thanks – Motorline Engineering, Firle, Mark Pilfold, Malcolm Campbell & Simon Crook

Sometimes you come out of a film asking “why did I think something bad was going to happen? Was it the film that led me in the wrong direction or was it my imagination?”. With Magpie, I wanted the audience to really feel this experience; playing with their expectations, prejudices and creating a twisting knot of tension in their stomach. So I littered the film with clues: the character’s cryptic name, the long drawn out silences, the mumbles and the lies, the glitchy fluorescent lights, the mysterious cardboard box. These breadcrumbs all point to something. Whether the ending will be good or bad sorts the pessimists from the optimists.