Introduction
In the British short film, Overtime – Working Beyond Death, we meet Gary Golfman. Gary (Iain Collins) led an uneventful existence right up to his death in middle age. He now finds himself in the afterlife with a choice to make: use his bureaucracy experience to assist The Supervisor (Joe Booker) in his undead organization or take the final step into the great unknown. However, when he comes across the file of a terminally ill little girl, Rosa (Daisy Moore), Gary’s plans for a quiet (after)life are thrown into disarray.
In the latest in our series of roundtable, longform interview highlights, Cinema Scholars’ own Glen Dower sat down with writer-director Gui Pirez and cast members Iain Collins, Joe Booker, and Daisy Moore, and traces Overtime – Working Beyond Death from its post-pandemic spark, to a black-and-white afterlife built with VFX, original music, and a 30-person crew.
Lightly edited for content and clarity
Concept
Gui Pirez:
I started work on the story straight after COVID. It was based on my experiences of jumping from job to job, non-stop—pub and camping, repairing arcade machines, a restaurant, then fixing bikes. I was thinking, is this how it’s going to be the rest of my life? That’s where the idea of working for pretty much an eternal process started.
Then, I’m a big fan of the Loki series and that idea of a bureaucratic organization existing outside of time. And Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, I wanted to reference that movie, the offices, the cubic sets, the retro look, and then try to give my own spin.
Casting
Iain Collins:
I remember the story leapt off the page. It stood out straight away. From that little bit of the script, the bigger story. It’s probably the most important role I’ve played to date. It’s definitely been the most professionally organised film I’ve been involved in. And ever since I got Overtime, it’s blown up for me. It was a lucky film for me.
Joe Booker:
As soon as I was given the audition for The Supervisor, I felt a connection. There was enough there for me to play with. Then there were the additions like the makeup, which was not my idea!
Daisy Moore:
I loved my make-up!
Joe Booker:
Yours was prettier than mine! However, his unique jewelry gave me a kind of mafia boss vibe, but I didn’t want to come across as too serious or scary. There’s a light-heartedness to the story, even though it is about death and the stories of Gary and then Rosa. I just wanted to help bring Iain’s development through.
Gui Pirez:
A lot of the Supervisor, I wrote thinking of Joe, his mannerisms, and so on. I have known Joe for a while, and there was no one else in mind. Then, on the video call, he starts the meeting and starts eating peanuts! It wasn’t even in the script. It felt right.
Joe Booker:
That is something my dad does! I just wanted to put some of him in the performance. I’m glad you didn’t think it was too off-putting or disgusting.
Daisy Moore:
I loved having the makeup on because it looked really realistic. I knew Rosa wasn’t well, so my make-up helped me feel the way Rosa was feeling. I also loved meeting the crew. They made sure we were all okay – me and my mum, Sarah – and that we had enough food!
Gui Pirez:
Honestly, Daisy had such an amazing memory to remember all the lines but also understand the character as I would never expect. There was even a moment – I’m sure Iain won’t mind me sharing – in rehearsal where Iain tried to remember a line. And Daisy remembered it for him!
Iain Collins:
Yes! Daisy was wonderful and played the role perfectly, absolutely perfectly.
Joe Booker:
I am still annoyed, Gui, that I did not get a scene with Daisy. I remember grabbing Gui and saying, ‘Where is my scene with her?’ Maybe in the sequel…
Directing the Invisible
Gui Pirez:
We do have scenes that contain green screen and VFX. Essentially, the actors have to play with things that are not there, which is always a challenge. So I knew it was my responsibility to give clear direction—what’s supposed to be there, what their characters are seeing and feeling, what it should feel like. Then I’d make all the sounds and whooshes of the winds, and then we’d use spotlights for reference.
Joe Booker:
That was so much fun. We had people offset flapping these things, like big pieces of card, but you’d have to ignore them and appreciate the effect they were creating. Oh, and it was so hot in that room, the flapping helped. Then Gui actually became an actor, shouting, ‘It’s so windy! Oh my God!’ I know it helped Iain get into that emotion.
Iain Collins:
There was a lot of emotion, something I haven’t done before, and I was out of my comfort zone. But, hopefully, I managed to portray it successfully. And Joe is right, the broken A/C during peak summer was useful!
Gui Pirez:
It was probably the hottest week of the summer. Iain was sweating so much, he was in Gary’s dark suit and tie, but it really made it more genuine for the character. Not the greatest experience, but good for the result.
Iain Collins:
I was absolutely sweating. I think it was after the fifth take, it was done. We had a light go out, and someone knocked on the door. The heat was on another level!
Daisy Moore:
There was this cold fan, and I would love to stand next to it. It was heaven. The crew brought me ice cream, too!
Black & White (and then Color)
Gui Pirez:
I had plans for the film to be black and white from the writing stage. I was watching a lot of Hitchcock, and of course, Tim Burton loves his monochrome. But then, going into color, when we meet Rosa’s character, it made sense because [the afterlife] is black and white; when he goes to the world of the living, it becomes color. And the idea that Rosa’s existence brings colour back to Gary’s. There is a second factor, a more lazy one. VFX is easier in black and white—you don’t have to match colours with assets!
Iain Collins:
But it is still so powerful in black and white, and when you see it go to color later on, it’s quite amazing.
Needle Drops
Gui Pirez:
Music is both motif and motor for me. As we have a zero budget, most—99%—of the music is either copyright-free, that we got the rights for, or was composed for the film. There’s a subtle hint on Gary’s suit, a little pendant—a musical note, that hints at a deeper story, and we have flashbacks to him playing a recorder to an audience. Then there is a whole sequence when Gary starts his new job at Tomb, that sequence in his office was dedicated to music. But if I could pick one copyright song, it would be ‘Moon River.’ I wrote the script while that song was playing, but we couldn’t use it.
Joe Booker:
The biggest thing for me is the soundtrack. It really puts you into the world, alongside the black and white; you are in another world.
Premiere, Nerves, and Reception
Gui Pirez:
It is the first time a film of mine has been screened like this. The most challenging thing for me is sound—what’s even in headphones can be different in a cinema. We brought in someone for final sound correction. So I’m hoping that part is fine. Tickets are free to celebrate the team—over half of the tickets were booked in five days. I want their first time to be on the big screen. I’ve sent bits and pieces, but they’ll see it with everyone else. You are the only one here, Glen, who has seen the whole film!
Daisy Moore:
I’ve got to wait and see. I’m really excited. I can’t stop thinking about what I’m going to see on the big screen!
What’s Next?
Gui Pirez:
Overtime serves as a proof of concept. There’s a lot you could do with this universe. But right now I’m focused on festivals and other ideas.
Iain Collins:
I’ve got another short film, My Brother’s Keeper, out in October; a feature in November in the West Country… another feature with a trailer for funding in January…It tires you out—I need a holiday.
Joe Booker:
Acting isn’t financially stable yet for me. I’m self-employed, but I am lining up a cyberpunk-style feature. But I love this industry—you meet people, get work, build a portfolio, and make friends.
Daisy Moore:
I’m rehearsing Nativity: The Musical, which is based on the Christmas film. And we’ll be performing at the Gladstone Theatre. But I have to work hard at school too. I love school. I’ve just had parents’ evening. My behavior’s really good!
The Takeaway
Born from the dread of endless shifts, Overtime reframes the afterlife as a workplace—part deadpan comedy, part humanist fable. Its black-and-white bureaucracy pops to colour in the land of the living; its soundtrack threads Gary’s past to his present; and its VFX asks actors to believe in things just off camera—wind included. In Pirez’s words, the film is about “trying to do the best, even when conditions aren’t ideal.”
