Ancestor

This was a big project for me, as I had not worked on a full production on this scale before. It was very challenging, but I learned a lot, especially from juggling three roles, which allowed me to be part of the project throughout all stages of development. Usually being post I don't get the opportunities to be on set a great deal, but being a DIT I got to work closely with the camera team, director and producers. This made it easier when it came to a post focus, as I had already built a good connection with them. Being Post-Supervisor was definitely my favourite role as I had to communicate with each department, which meant that I got to see all the pieces come together and was able to make sure everyone in the post department was happy that their vision was being brought to a positive outcome.

Roles: Post Production Supervisor, DIT, VFX

Logline: A short comedic drama exploring the complexities of mixed heritage and belonging

Naiad

For this project, we were given the task of creating a surrealist film over the course of five weeks, the goal being a duration of approximately five minutes length. The whole process was fast-paced, we had to work within a tight schedule, which made things challenging at times. We didn’t always have a lot of time at each location, which meant we could only get a few takes per scene before having to move on. As a result, there were moments during editing where I had to cut parts that didn’t quite work or where there was insufficient coverage.

Editing itself was still pleasurable, I actually enjoyed the challenge of making it work in the best possible way. The surrealist style definitely helped too, because it gave me more creative freedom than a more traditional project might have done. Being able to play around with odd pacing, and a non-linear storytelling made the experience more enjoyable. Surrealism has been a theme I’ve been interested in exploring further, so gaining that experience was definitely my favourite part of the project.

Roles: Editor, Sound Design, Actor

Logline: A woman washes up on shore and is greeted by a knight who seeks what he cannot have.

Short Scripts

These short scenes were part of a project where four groups were given the same one-page script and had to create the film in under a week. The the following week we came together to review each others work. Doing this every other week helped focus on working under pressure, as I only had the weekends to edit. This was difficult when juggling other commitments and the need to be in constant communication with the director until they were happy with the outcome. However, it proved to be frustrating at some points as we were all learning simultaneously, and sometimes it was really difficult to create an edit that I was happy with, from the multiple issues that arose that required adaptions. This was all part of the challenge of learning. My personal favourite of the short scripts is Toast, as I got a lot of positive feedback from my peers on how I had used transitions to show the passing of time, thus making it more fast-paced. I was also able to grade to the director's visions of creating a VHS/Film look and make the voice-over seem more like a voicemail.

Roles: Editor, Colour Grader and Audio

First Birthday

For this project, we had four weeks to create a film using the three act structure. We came up with the idea of a mum who was trying to surprise her daughter with a cake for her birthday, but is trying too hard to make it perfect. This was one of the first short films where I was working with a crew, so I learned a great deal. My main take away was making sure there was as much coverage as possible, as it was a struggle to create something that I felt satisfied with when I had to keep making use of the same shots. A vital lesson from this project was to always make the most of shoot days, as during this project we only had two days, which was the insufficient time to sit down and look at the footage to see what extra shots or retakes might be possible. If we had had more time, we would have been able to create something much better, but I did find it a good experience in working under pressure with limited time.

Roles: Editor

Logline: A single mum struggles to make the perfect cake for her daughter

Kray Twins Documentary

I had a lot of fun working on this project, especially the research, I read about the Kray Twins from different perspectives, it was interesting to discover how people portrayed them in different lights. However, the main problem I had was finding people to interview, which is definitely limited to the outcome I had envisaged. If I were to do it again, I would spend a lot more time finding interviewees before I got deeper into the project. The absence of interviews limited the components av alible for editing. I should have given more thought to the storyline and how I wanted it to be structured. I am pleased to say that my animation skills have vastly improved since this earlier project.

Roles: Director, Writer, Editor

Logline: Uncovering the truth of Britain most notorious and controversial crime family

Loneliness

This was the first short film I created by myself, so there were many learning experiences to be gained from it. However, I found creating it to be extremely rewarding. A big challenge was having to do all the other roles, which are not part of my specialist field. Involvement in the project gave me an insight into the skill sets of other departments.

Roles: Director, Writer, Editor

Logline: Stuck in the loop of a routine, a man overcomes his slump