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How Henry Blake's Proof of Concept Short Paved the Way for the Violent Reality of Feature Debut 'County Lines'
If you live in the UK, then you'll be all too aware of the shocking amount of youth on youth violence which has plagued the country in recent years. Less often reported is the fact that these attacks are often fuelled by the activities of criminal gangs who recruit vulnerable children as expendable foot soldiers in a cross-country drugs distribution practice known as 'County Lines'. In his forthright British feature debut of the same name, New Zealand born Director Henry Blake draws on first-hand experience as a London youth worker to expose the human costs of this despicable practice. DN sat down with Blake to discuss the many ways in which his proof of concept short paved the way for the feature, depicting "lethal accurate clinical gems of violence" and why he felt urgently compelled to address this growing national emergency onscreen.
So what brought you to directing in the first place?
In New Zealand where I was born, I was a child actor. I then left at 18 years old, landed in London, and tried to act over here with some degree of success. Essentially what happened to me is that I fell out of love with acting. I went through quite a visceral identity change in terms of my internal attitudes towards art and I realised that actually what I really wanted to do was make films. Both of my parents are very keen cinephiles and I grew up immersed in film, watching it, bathing in it. I just listened to my heart and said, I'd really like to try and do this. I'd started directing my friends in plays out of necessity because no one else could do it and they said to me, "you're a better director than you are an actor". My wife Victoria Bavister (who produced County Lines) is an actress as well and she was the one that really encouraged me and introduced me to John Cassavities and more of Lars von Triers' work, and the rest is history.
I was exposed to that vulnerability and came to understand that this is actually a really profound cultural problem we have right now.
County Lines was inspired by the work you were doing in East London as a youth worker. What did you see there and how did that first-hand experience feed into the film?
County lines is basically a child trafficking and drug exploitation business. It's a business model that is really active in the UK at the moment where criminal networks set up drug lines and mobile phone lines in rural areas selling crack cocaine and heroin. They use children to traffic and sell the drugs in the area generating lots of profit. I think the key thing about county lines is how they get children involved. They exploit a wide spectrum of vulnerability and it's a business model that removes all risk from the key perpetrators and in that way, it's very successful. It's also a business model that is based on exploitation. To be successful in it, you need to understand the psychology of vulnerability and that's where in my youth work I was exposed to that vulnerability and came to understand that this is actually a really profound cultural problem we have right now. So many people, from all walks of life, from all economic backgrounds are affected by this and that's really where the seed of the film came from.
In the film, the main recruiter is pretty blatant and quite blasé about it. Is this something you found in your youth work, that they don't give a shit?
Exactly, it's bold and it's entrepreneurial. The character is based on two different young men that I've worked with. They will look you in the eye and just say, "yeah, this is about money and this is about status", which are the main driving factors. They feel that society has abandoned them, given up on them and so fuck society. They're going to make the most out of it and it's that sort of interplay between abandonment and exploitation that is very very complex and very hard to break.
This feature was preceded by a short of the same name. Did you go in knowing you were going to make a short film first or is that something which developed along the process of making the feature?
I always knew as a filmmaker that I had to make a short for many reasons. I was nothing on paper. None of my short films have played any festivals. I didn't have an agent. I wasn't making music videos. I was zero! I'm going into meetings saying, "I want to make a film about a national crisis that is unfolding in this country right now, it's about as hard hitting as you get in cinema…give me some money." So I needed to make something that was a proof of concept and that would really make people go, "Whoa, that's bold!". I also knew I had to make it without any major institutional support. I needed to try and get this off the ground privately because I needed that vision in the short to be as pure as possible. I knew what I wanted to achieve was so confrontational. So the short film was a vehicle for channeling all of that vision, but also getting it through the gate. I didn't have any time to wait. I was seeing this unravel week after week, time after time, with thousands of young people and I'm going, "we need to move now!". I couldn't wait on funding applications for months. I didn't have time as this is a prescient issue and so I really felt the urgency to make it.
What lessons did making the short ingrain in you which you then took into the feature?
Don't put $35,000 camera in an estuary when the tides coming in, especially when it's a Panavison camera, so that was a big lesson! Every filmmaker should get to make a film twice. I've shot scenes from the short and the feature three times because we had to do reshoots for the short film so I've actually shot some of those scenes that you see in the film twice before. When you do that you start to refine your process, the first bottle of wine that you make isn't going to be as good as the nine hundredth one and that's why the short was so important. I feel very lucky now that I got to repeat simple things like camera placement, going back to the same location again and working with the same actors. Each time being able to go deeper and really exploring what we were really trying to say in that moment. That's just the process of refinement.
You're talking about kids, drugs and gangs and if you come at it very directly it's going to create what we've all seen before.
You've been quoted as saying that you wanted to avoid an urban genre. How did you then find your way to the style of the film?
I totally wanted to avoid that genre, there were no urban references. Rembrandt was a huge influence. No one will see that in the film apart from me but he was. You're talking about kids, drugs and gangs and if you come at it very directly it's going to create what we've all seen before. I don't find grime videos interesting but when I look at a Rembrandt I burst into tears so I'm going follow my heart. The challenge as a filmmaker is, how do I take what I really love such as works by William Eggleston, Rembrandt and Nan Goldin and put that in my film, how do I do that? It's difficult but it's a great challenge. I think sometimes it's just lazy to go for realism for real sake. Cinema is about ideas and exploring ideas and that has to be the first thing that you go to. We were always serving the idea. The core idea of the film that vulnerability is almost extinguished entirely because of exploitation. That's really what the film is about – vulnerability being systematically exploited and almost destroyed.
Your lead Conrad Khan delivers an outstanding performance as Tyler. How did you find him and how did the two of you build his progression from the sweet loving boy who takes care of his sister to being involved in these incredible flashes of violence?
Aisha Bywaters, the casting director, did an incredible job on this so she really has to be thanked and admired because her discerning choices led to the collaboration. There is an internal world in him that you put the camera on him and it's just so magnetic, it's palpable. We saw hundreds of boys from all walks of life but I was looking for a particular quality and that quality was vulnerability. When Conrad walked in he was dripping in it and it just so happens that he is quite a striking young boy as well. It was one of those classic casting tales, someone walks in and then the rest is history.
My main note to him was, "Look, you possess so much power just you standing there right now, trust the camera because if it fucks up, it's my fault. Trust me." With a young actor you have to endow them with a lot of support, there were challenging days understandably, he goes through hell in the film. It's exhausting but he's very sensitive and the one thing about Conrad is he takes direction so superbly. It doesn't take three takes to get what you want, you say it once and he does it and that's why he got the job. You haven't got any time so you need actors who just go 'boom' and all of them are like that actually. I was very lucky.
I watched the film with a constant feeling of uneasiness ignited by that opening scene. How do you best go about balancing the brutal reality of that world with what would best serve the aims of this story?
There was more violence in earlier drafts, and I think everyone felt very strongly that violence was going to be more effective if it was just very strong gems. Lethal accurate clinical gems of violence. From the short I pulled it back in terms of depiction. In the short there is actually more and I think the violence is more effective in this final feature because it's very explicit but there is also a suggestive nature to it and you are just riding that line. Riding that line which makes the viewing so uneasy because you feel like you're seeing it but you can't unsee it and then how much is in your mind and how much are you seeing and it's an awful traumatic experience.
Are we in this for ourselves or are we in this together and that's what the film confronts you with.
I've seen a lot of very serious violence in my youth work and that's how it felt. I find violence hugely distressing. I think violence in the film is as a result of tension that has been building up before the act happens. I hope that we managed to get that across where there's this tension and then suddenly it erupts and then we sort of go back into this uneasy atmosphere and it builds again. I recognise that it is very traumatic to view that but essential when trying to get to the core idea of the film across.
One of the most chilling aspects of the film is how it reveals the utter disposability of these kids to the criminals who run them and the relentless continuation of county lines. As somebody who's worked within the system what do you want the film to inspire in the audience and within society at large?
Empathy. For the windows that are very steamed up with judgement to become clear. I want people to watch the film and say this is a child; yes difficult, yes potentially dangerous, not perfect, but it's a child. Why can't empathy within our own households extend beyond them, why does that have to stop at our front door? I've got three children but my empathy extends beyond them and isn't that what being in a community is about? Are we in this for ourselves or are we in this together? That's what the film confronts you with. What would you do if that was your child because it could very well be?
I had exactly that thought when I was watching it.
Exactly, so the film has succeeded. If you personalise the film as you're watching it that means that the film is playing on a level deeper, that the debate has been put to you more than just as an intellectual idea, it's being put to you as a deeply emotive human idea. You feel that debate and you experience it rather than just consider it.
Are there any other projects that you are currently working on?
There are a couple but they're so embryonic it's like there's not even a fetus. I can tell you they are all character led, powerful performance driven pieces. Sverre Sørdal the cinematographer and I, continue to build that visual style. We will keep building on that, keep refining it. It's about power. Creating a cinema of feeling, economical, lean, powerful and just bloody great film acting. That's what I love.
County Lines is released in cinemas and digitally on BFI Player and Curzon Home Cinema on 4 December.
The above conversation is an extract from the podcast interview we recorded with Henry Blake at the London Film Festival.
Coming of Age, Drama, Drugs, Feature, Henry Blake, UK
About the Author / Sarah Smith
Sarah has two passions in life, cinema and travel. If she isn't fantasising of life on a sun-soaked beach far from her home in Brighton she is indulging in films.


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Smithsonian explores "The Life of Earth" in November
Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between CBS' Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institute, is preparing a new series on the origin of our home planet, due next month. Covering everything from ...
Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between CBS' Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institute, is preparing a new series on the origin of our home planet, due next month.
Covering everything from the arrival of oceans and freezing global ice sheets to volcanic eruptions and mass extinctions to the role of humans in the planet's future, The Life of Earth delves deep into the planet's history and ongoing challenges to sustain life.
The first of the two-part series, titled "From Space," explores the birth and early life of Earth, as seen from orbit, using clues from over 300 satellites and space stations surveying Earth's landmarks to work backwards and piece together what the planet's early days might have looked like.
The second part, "The Age of Humans," explores the rise of the human race and civilizations, along with changing weather patterns and climates.
The Life of Earth is produced by Talesmith for Smithsonian Networks and Zee TV. Martin Williams serves as executive producer. Charles Poe and David Royle are executive producers for Smithsonian Channel.
"Truly we live in a remarkable time when we as humans have technology, we have the ability to plan ahead, we know our geologic past," said Kirk Johnson, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, in the series. "We can put all that together and actually conceive of a desirable future and build a global plan to get to that future. That's the challenge for humanity in the 21st century."
The Life of Earth will have its back-to-back two-hour premiere Nov. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel.
Charles Poe, David Royle, Kirk Johnson, Martin Williams, Smithsonian Networks, Talesmith, The Life of Earth, ZEE TV
Realscreen opens call for MIPTV Picks submissions
By Realscreen Staff
SXSW unveils 2020 documentary lineup
TCA: HBO orders Ronan Farrow doc, reveals doc slate for first half of 2020
Website // Author Page
Smithsonian, Zee Entertainment order "Life of Earth" from Talesmith
Smithsonian Channel unveils three new wildlife docs
Smithsonian dives into "Russia's Wild Sea"
Smithsonian, PBS set June premiere for "When Whales Walked"
PBS Digital Studios launches food-focused YouTube channel PBS Zest

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Netflix filming Young Wallander series in Lithuania
Vilnius is doubling for the Swedish city of Malmo
Author: Chris Evans
The Netflix Original series Young Wallander is now filming in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, including in the residential district of Šeškinė.
Vilnius was chosen to double for Malmö thanks to the city's film-friendly reputation and variety of locations, from moody, dark alleys and disused prisons to trendy restaurants. Šeškinė in the north of the city was built in the late 1970s by the Soviet regime.
"While trying to find Malmö in Vilnius, we scouted and debated several Vilnius districts," said Jonas Špokas, the CEO of Baltic Locations and the supervising location manager for Young Wallander. "The director decided to go for Šeškinė based on how strong of an impression the surroundings of it made on the screen. To make it as immersive as possible, the scenes inside Wallander's flat will be filmed in one of the flats in the district. A peek through the window provides the same view we are to witness in the crucial scenes happening outside. As a result, the viewer will be able to get immersed in the story more, as details like that add layers of realism."
Based on the best-selling books by Swedish author, Henning Mankell, Young Wallander follows the early career of the iconic detective character, Kurt Wallander.
It will be an English-language drama told over six serialized episodes, produced by Yellow Bird UK, a Banijay Group company, and the original producer of the successful BBC series Wallander.
Vilnius is proving a popular shooting location having hosted the hugely popular series Chernobyl and Catherine the Great.
"We are glad that filmmakers are starting to discover not only the Old Town but other areas of Vilnius, too," said Jurate Pazikaitė, director of the Vilnius Film Office. "HBO and Sky found Chernobyl's Pripyat in the Vilnius residential district of Fabijoniškės, while Netflix reimagined Vilnius University Botanical Garden as Tokyo in their Tokyo Trial. Another Netflix's series, The Last Czars, found a home in Vilnius-located Pushkin Museum, among other locations. We are really pleased that Vilnius city's diverse nature is capable of providing a backdrop for another hero's story, as is the case with Young Wallander."
Vilnius. Credit: Pixabay
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May 31, 2017 KaususLeave a Comment on OGZ: We Got a new schedule!
OGZ: We Got a new schedule!
So in the vein of worker more and harder, I opted to finally buckle down and actually organize my life. I've honestly always just done things last minute and its worked fine in school, just not day to day issues. That is where our new calendar comes into to play. I have without a doubt that this will help make things a bit more transparent for our posting of videos and podcasts. Yes you read right. Podcasts will be making a regular come back.
Right now the tentative plan is to release a podcast every Sunday. I have not worked out an exact time, but just know that Sunday is podcast time. I hope too keep you all entertained and interested with our podcast chats and discussions.
For our growing YouTube Channel, I am thrilled to say that every Tuesday we will have a video to roll out for you. This does rely on me having the time prior to shoot my episode and make sure it is all edited and good to go. Now as far as generalized posts go, those will vary from day to day. I also am still tackling Viewster posts in that mix as well, so bear that all in mind.
As you all may have seen we are driving more and more 'build' stylized posts and posts that have links back to Amazon. This is out of funding necessity and it is something that directly helps OGZ. I am trying to make it feel as painless as possible, but nothing is ever perfect. So I ask patience and understanding in this regard and I thank everyone who has purchased from our links so far! It goes a long way for us.
That pretty much wraps up our brief post. I wanted to get that announcement out there and into the wild so I can actually have something to go off. I am also making full use of a calendar system so there is that as well!
And as always please consider donating to our official PayPal.Me or using our TeePublic Store or potentially our Amazon Affiliate Links. ALL funding goes right back into OGZ and gives us the chance to feature more items and products on our channel and site; which in-turn can be given back to you all in the form of giveaways.
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Home » What We Do » Refugee Services » Mankato Area Services
MCC Mankato Area Refugee Services is a regional service hub for our community's newest neighbors. We provide holistic and family-centered services to provide abundant support to refugees and their families, to help them progress on the path to self-sufficiency and achieving their dreams. We work closely with community partners to ensure that community resources are available to those we serve. We serve Refugees, Asylees, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Holders, Cuban/Haitian Entrants, Victims of Trafficking, and others who have immigrated to the Mankato area.
Our employment counselors work together with clients to assist in finding a job that will develop a greater level of independence and self-sufficiency.
Community Navigation
Our Community Navigators provide ongoing help with housing, public assistance, health insurance, public school enrollment for children, and medical needs, including comprehensive, sustained assistance for those with complex medical, mental health, or social adjustment needs.
Tapestry Project
We host a six week orientation workshop called the Tapestry Project that brings together community resource providers, public safety officials, volunteers from the community, and refugees to provide interactive education on areas including housing, public safety, health access and more. This class is available to both adults and teens.
Our accredited immigration specialists provide assistance with applications, paperwork, and advice for family reunification, Green Card, Citizenship, and more. For more information about Immigration Services, please click here.
MCC Mankato provides presentations and workshops for communities interested in learning more about refugees, diversity, community welcome and other topics related to our community's welcome of our newest neighbors. Please contact us at 507-550-1713 or rsmankato@mnchurches.org to learn more or request a speaker.
Payday Lending Advocacy
In collaboration with Minnesotans for Fair Lending, we are working to combat predatory payday lending in Blue Earth County, which had the 3rd highest rate of payday loans per capita in Minnesota (2018 data). This work includes advocacy and education for those trapped in the cycle of payday loans.
The following brief videos will introduce you to some of the staff in our Mankato office:
MCC Mankato Area Refugee Services
501 South Second Street
Email: rsmankato@mnchurches.org


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Version: 2 Revision Date: 03.15.2019
Purified anti-GFP Antibody
1GFP63 (See other available formats)
Green fluorescent protein, GFP
Mouse IgG2a
Total cell lysates (15 µg total protein) from mock-transfected 293E and 293E transfected with a plasmid encoding a GFP-fused protein were resolved by 4-12% Bis-Tris gel electrophoresis, transferred to a PVDF membrane, and probed with 1.0 µg/mL (1:500 dilution) of Purified anti-GFP Antibody, clone 1GFP63, overnight at 4°C. Proteins were visualized by chemiluminescence detection using HRP goat anti-mouse IgG Antibody (Cat. No. 405306) at a 1:3000 dilution. Direct-Blot™ HRP anti-GAPDH Antibody (Cat. No. 607904) was used as a loading control at a 1:25000 dilution (lower). Lane M: Molecular Weight marker.
668205 100 µg 92,00€
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) was originally identified as a protein involved in bioluminescence, which is from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria. It is widely used as a fluorescent indicator for monitoring gene expression in a variety of cellular systems, including living organisms and fixed tissues. Unlike other bioluminescent reporters, GFP fluoresces without the need for exogenous substrates or cofactors, or other intrinsic or extrinsic proteins. This makes GFP a useful tool for monitoring gene expression and protein localization in vivo. Purified GFP is a 27 kD monomer consisting of 238 amino acids and emits green light (emission maximum at 509 nm) when excited with blue or UV light.
Aequorea victoria
The antibody was purified by affinity chromatography.
The antibody solution should be stored undiluted between 2°C and 8°C.
WB - Quality tested
Each lot of this antibody is quality control tested by Western blotting. For Western blotting, the suggested use of this reagent is 0.1 - 1.0 µg per ml. It is recommended that the reagent be titrated for optimal performance for each application.
Ting Y, et al. 2017. J Biol Chem. 292(2):585-596. PubMed
Mrdjen D et al. 2018. Immunity. 48(2):380-395 . PubMed
Nobrega C, et al. 2020. BMC Res Notes. 13:210. PubMed
1. Ishikura H, et al. 2004. Anticancer Res. 24:719.
2. Rizzuto R, et al. 1996. Curr. Biol. 6:183.
3. Chalfie M, et al. 1994. Science 263:802.
View information about GFP on UniProt.org
Purified anti-APP C-Terminal Fragment
Clone: C1/6.1
Purified anti-Dynamin-1
Clone: P83G4B6
Purified anti-Tubulin-α
Clone: 10D8
Purified anti-STAT3
Clone: 4G4B45
Go To Top Version: 2 Revision Date: 03.15.2019