The Beckoning Tarn

BACKGROUND

‘The Beckoning Tarn’ (2025) was conceived by John Barlow and Stephen Kent Hunsaker Jr in Spring 2024. John, who grew up in Cumbria’s Eden Valley, and Stephen, who hails from rural Utah, USA, met through work in London. The pair realised they shared a love of shooting on celluloid, the 16mm films of Mark Jenkin, Joan Lindsay’s 1967 novel ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, and Jonathan Glazer’s 2013 sci-fi thriller ‘Under the Skin’.

‘The Beckoning Tarn’ started to take shape after John and Stephen agreed to work on a collaborative short film project that responded to these interests. They found inspiration in the dramatic upland landscapes of Cumbria, and the supernatural roles fairies, water and nature played in many of the historic myths and legends of that county, and elsewhere in the UK. The creative examples of Alan Garner’s 1967 Welsh-set novel ‘The Owl Service’ and its 1969 tv adaptation, together with Steven Spielberg’s 1977 ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, pointed to how the concept of supernatural forces acting on and otherwise influencing ordinary people could be successfully portrayed on film.

‘The Beckoning Tarn’ was shot entirely on location at Haweswater and Small Water tarn in Cumbria’s famous Lake District, over three days in October 2024 on a 1970s S16mm camera.

The film was developed and scanned by Kodak Film Lab London. Hand painted title art and an original musical score complete the finished short, which is presented in widescreen cinemascope format.

THE ACTORS

Sam Pitcher (Charlie)
Sam is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and member of the National Youth Theatre. His theatre credits include Hobo in ‘The Polar Express’, Eric Birling in ‘An Inspector Calls’, and Morris in ‘The Angry Brigade’.

Chloe Jane Hirst (Rose / The Spirit of the Tarn)
Chloe is a Morecambe-based actor-musician. She made her European stage debut at the age of 22, touring as part of musical adaptation of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in Italy. She is set to appear in Prague, Czech Republic in July 2025 at the Festival of Creativity.

Alistair Harper (‘The Climber’)
Alistair lives in Penrith. Cumbrian born and raised, he makes his acting debut in The Beckoning Tarn. He is a long-time member of Penrith’s St Andrew’s Church Choir.

THE SOUNDTRACK

In composing the original soundtrack for The Beckoning Tarn, Andrew Johnson and Sarah Whitney Johnson drew on the orchestral traditions of composers like Bedřich Smetana and Gustav Mahler as well as the cinematic flair of Ennio Morricone and the modern edge of Mica Levi to give the score a vibrant, expressive foundation. They also wanted it to feel rooted in the authentic energy of Northern England’s folk music. Every choice, from melody to harmony, was made with the film’s emotional arc in mind in order to heighten the dreamlike tension and pastoral atmosphere onscreen.

Andrew Johnson
Andrew is a violinist with the London City Orchestra and subs for other ensembles. Drawing on the rich tradition of classical composition, Andrew’s pieces echo those classical roots while embracing a modern edge, creating a sound that feels at once familiar and unexpected.

Sarah Whitney Johnson
Sarah is a pianist and cellist. She has played with groups such as the Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra and the Utah State University Symphony Orchestra. Her compositional work seamlessly fuses classical influences, folk traditions, and modern sounds, layering them into a singular, forward-thinking sound.

STILLS