The Forest of Hands & Teeth
STATUS: PRE-PRODUCTION PRODUCTION COMPANIES: HETHERWOOD ENT., PRiMERIDIAN ENT. ROLE: STORYBOARD ARTIST
This job was a lot of fun. I created storyboards for several key action sequences in direct collaboration with Kate Maberly, who is not just directing the film but also writing the screenplay based on the hit YA-novel.
Run Away With Me
RELEASED: 2016 (THEATRICAL) 2017 (HOME VIDEO/VOD) DISTRIBUTORS: RANDOM MEDIA/THE ORCHARD
ROLES: WRITER, DIRECTOR, CAMERA OPERATOR, EDITOR, VFX, COMPOSER, COLOURIST, CAPTIONS, QC & FINISHING.
Synopsis:
The future. One of the last remaining cities on Earth. Abraham, a former soldier, has come out of prison for a crime he was forced to commit ten years earlier.With no way of reclaiming the idyllic life he once led, he accepts work from a mysterious benefactor named Ingram. Abraham is tasked with a dangerous mission to save humanity. Along the way he forms a relationship with Marja, a strikingly beautiful woman with a link to Abraham's past.
All is not what it seems as time runs out and Abraham questions where his loyalties lie: the woman or the mission? Abraham and Marja run away from the authorities and criminals that make up the city. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
My thoughts:
When I started working on Run Away With Me I'd often read the same advice given to first time feature film makers: choose a small present day story, film with a handful of actors and preferably set it in one self contained location. Also don't work with children or animals*. Those were wise words. Sage advice that I thoroughly ignored: we even have two small children in the cast. The process behind making Run Away With Me was propelled by only two concerns: what do I want to watch and what do I want to say?
Well, what would I want to watch? I love all forms of cinema. Asking “What's your favourite genre or movie?” is like asking someone what their favourite meal is. An expensive haute-cuisine meal is fantastic when you're having a romantic evening with your significant other but it can't beat a greasy fry up when hungover the following morning. The only criteria while writing was that the disparate elements would work well together and that the result would be original.
The final result is a mash up of Korean revenge films, hard sci-fi, '80s thrillers, '60s psychedelia and the tent-pole blockbusters of today. Again, not compatible with first time film making wisdom but common sense doesn't excite an audience. It just makes the filmmaker's lives easier.
So what did I want to say? What am I passionate about? Well, this was a tall order as well. On one level I wanted to tackle our specie wide issue of space travel or lack thereof. I wanted to highlight the dangers of looking only at our feet as we shuffle through existence and not up at the stars. On another level I wanted to explore the philosophical debate of determinism vs free will. Do we really have a choice over our own actions? What if you could witness the beginning of time and derive every chain reaction that led us to today? You could then predict the future to a high level of accuracy. Does that mean free will lives in the margins of error? Or perhaps free will is a paradox where our attempts at contravening the future laid out for us ends up creating our preordained fate?
All very heady stuff and to be honest a potential pitfall: these genres and themes could easily combine to become an overlong & boring lecture. This is where I'm most proud of the film: it's a fast paced genre bending thriller. The first assembly was 112 minutes long. The work print was 97. The final film is a gut punching 80 minutes and 27 seconds. Every scene propels the story. Every line of dialogue is a crucial bit of information. Most importantly though: it's fun. There are fights, battles, love scenes, mysteries, jokes; something for everyone whilst retaining a singular voice.
As for the process of making it? Well, we shot the whole movie in 12 days. I would go on to serve not only as the writer/director but also as the camera operator, editor, visual effects artist, colourist and composer. Every job had it's own challenges however the biggest toll it had on me was time. Post production lasted three and a half years. That was three and a half years of solitude, 16 hour days, 6 days a week. The result? An original story. Great performances. A vibrant 4K finish with blockbuster VFX and sound.
My only hope is that enough people get to see this and like it so we can make another film. I would gladly devote not just another three and a half years to working like this, but the rest of my life.
• I plan on writing several animals into the next movie. I apologise to my producers.
F/The Expelled
RELEASED: 2010 (THEATRICAL) 2011 (HOME VIDEO/VOD) DISTRIBUTORS: STUDIO CANAL/OPTIMUM RELEASING
ROLES: VFX, RED CAMERA CONSULTANT
Synopsis:
A group of teachers must defend themselves from a gang of murderous kids when their school comes under siege after hours.
The Horror Of The Dolls
RELEASED: 2010 (FESTIVAL) 2014 (AmaZON PRIME)
ROLES: 2nd UNIT DIRECTOR, VFX, STILLS PHOTOGRAPHER
SYNOPSIS:
A corporation plans to develop a residential tower block into luxury city apartments. As the residents galvanise, the corporation sends in someone to 'shake them up'. The Horror of The Dolls features a strong ensemble cast, inter-twined narratives and an iconic piece of London architecture. The Horror of The Dolls is a blood-soaked and stylised horror thriller set against the breath-taking cityscapes of contemporary London.
Across the Pond with Victoria Robertson
It all started when…
The following is placeholder text known as “lorem ipsum,” which is scrambled Latin used by designers to mimic real copy. Donec eu est non lacus lacinia semper. Mauris id fermentum nulla. Suspendisse nec congue purus. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Nullam sit amet nisi condimentum erat iaculis auctor.
Suspendisse nec congue purus. Sed a ligula quis sapien lacinia egestas. Suspendisse nec congue purus. Aenean eu justo sed elit dignissim aliquam. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Wealth on Wheels.
It all started when…
The following is placeholder text known as “lorem ipsum,” which is scrambled Latin used by designers to mimic real copy. Donec eu est non lacus lacinia semper. Integer tempus, elit in laoreet posuere, lectus neque blandit dui, et placerat urna diam mattis orci.
Donec eu est non lacus lacinia semper. Nulla eu pretium massa. Nullam sit amet nisi condimentum erat iaculis auctor. Fusce at massa nec sapien auctor gravida in in tellus. Nullam sit amet nisi condimentum erat iaculis auctor. Phasellus sodales massa malesuada tellus fringilla, nec bibendum tellus blandit. Suspendisse nec congue purus.
Simply Star: Backstage.
It all started when…
Aliquam bibendum, turpis eu mattis iaculis, ex lorem mollis sem, ut sollicitudin risus orci quis tellus. Suspendisse nec congue purus. Fusce at massa nec sapien auctor gravida in in tellus. Donec eu est non lacus lacinia semper.
