The Glowing Hours

Synopsis

The Glowing Hours follows a young girl named Olivia (Maya Beresford) through the intimate memories of her past, where she searches for the love of her mother and remembers a timeless promise she once made. As snow begins to fall over Christmas, Olivia arrives at the mysterious place Stowfield, where she forms an unlikely friendship with peculiar teenager Spook (Lloyd Quinton), both sharing a dream of their mothers and helping one another not to feel alone as they hang on the cusp of an unknown future. Written and directed by Paul Young and starring Maya Beresford, The Glowing Hours is a sweet and magical story about transcending loss and finding hope in the darkest of places.

Cast

Production

Principal photography took place in December 2010 and January 2011, on location in Hertfordshire, UK. The interior scenes and exterior of Stowfield were filmed at Elm Court Community Centre in Potters Bar, with the upstairs bedrooms being shot at St Christopher School in Letchworth and additional exteriors in Welwyn Garden City. The shoot had to be completely rescheduled on the second day of filming when unexpected heavy snow fell throughout the December leg of the shoot, having to reshoot several scenes and move all of the large exterior scenes to avoid further continuity problems. A second unit day took place in April, where pick-up shots with artificial snow were also needed.

The film was shot on the Red One digital camera system, with cinematography executed by BAFTA Brit-To-Watch Sam Care, editing by NFTS graduate Una Gunjak and sound design by two-time BAFTA nominee Andre Jacquemin. The original soundtrack was composed by Robert Charles Mann, with additional music by Brend Trend; featuring an entirely orchestral score with use of choir and glass harmonica to underlay the magical and emotional tone of the film. First-time director Paul Young stayed with Mann for nearly a month in Chaumont-sur-Loire, France, where the soundtrack was completed. The film was mixed at Redwood Studios and Twickenham Film Studios in September 2011. A preview screening was held on Friday 14 October 2011 at The Mayfair Hotel in London.

Awards