N@T

Okay I keep posting blogs about previous work I've done but I have been getting rather nostalgic lately and I will get to what I'm currently doing so far.
This is another short film I was involved with last summer, another interesting experience with short films. Before this I had been involved with a few shorts but they were mostly student productions. N@T, directed by Br1, was my first professionally made independant short and it was scary going into it at first I must admit...

...I didn't know anyone on this production, the crew, actors..no one. I had auditioned and only met Bruno, the director, only once. But after the first day it was great, some of the actors already knew each other but made me feel very welcomed. I honestly had no idea how this film was going to be made, back then I had only worked on student films and mostly theatre work. But when I arrived on location, I was how professional everything was, the equipment, lighting, sound and how professional everybody was.

I play Joe, an IT student who it Nat's best friend. Nat meets Max online, they become close and decide to meet. Joe who has his suspissions about Max warns Nat not to go meet him. After disagreeing with him Joe decides to go with Nat and that's when they make a shocking discovery...

 

I especially love this particular part in the film, we're suppose to be walking down the street and having a conversation. The conversation is completley improvised, when you see this, you will be able to notice that my lunch inspired my conversation a lot!

 

And this is the N@T team. A lovely bunch of people to work with. Thanks to all involved. Emma O'Sullivan, Lisa Fernandez, Eliose Burgess, Faye Bishop, Adam Walker and Br1. And also a special thanks to Mary Drake and Peta Taylor for also being lovely to work with and Musumeci Domenico for all the fantastic photography.

N@T is almost complete and is to be premiered at the Duke Of York's Cinema in Brighton some point in the near future...

But until then, you can watch the full film in all it's glory. Enjoy!

The Games We Played

Before Lights, Camera, Ransom! This was a short film I was involved with last year, this was how I met Rhys as a director. The Games We Play is a short film that was written by Chris Taylor and the script was a winner of a competion for the End Of The Pier Festival which is an international short film festival held in Sussex run by Bryan Gartside.

I play one of the main character's mates who are involved in an evil bet. Oh and I didn't mention in my last blog, I haven't really mentioned what I actually look like, that is me on the left. Yes I definatley have a lot more hair now as you may have seen in the pics for LCR. In the middle is Tom Clear playing the main villain and on the right is Matthew Winters playing the other sidekick.
Originally I auditioned for Tom's role but he got it and I was actually pleased because I knew he suited it more and I felt happy playing the sidekick and it was a fun role too. It was fun because I'm used to playing nice guys or heroes (would you believe it!).
James Lane who worked with us, a very good camera man indeed, commented on this particualar scene in the picture above and said that my role in this part was very "Benny Hill". I found that an interesting comment indeed!

A quick low down of the story...and again I won't give away any of the suprise endings...and no there aren't any zombies this time! Amy (Arzhia Habibi) is an insecure teenage girl who decides to tag along with her cousin on a night out to try and fit in with a popular crowd. Unable to get into a club, they all find themselves in a dingey old pub to be encountered by some boys. Amy is approached by Simon (Tom Clear) who appears to be a nice guy...or is he?

It was quite a long process, there were ups and downs with the filming process and it caused a bit of a delay in the filming. But there was never a moment where I felt I had to go back to playing a character again, when there were moments of not filming Games We Play and then going back to it, it never felt forced, the company was great to work with and I enjoyed every moment.

The short premiered at the Connaught Cinema in Worthing and it was a fantastic experience for all of us, seeing it on the big screen was very exciting..as well as freaky seeing myself up there. I found myself feeling very nervous about all this and honetsly wondered how the production would look on the big screen.
It was fantastic working with the company who were all brilliant and worked hard, great performances from Hannah Brain, Amy Crosby, Stephanie James, Courtenay Thomas, Natalie Nelson, Dick Douglass and sorry to anyone who else I've forgotten to mention but you were all fantastic too!

And also..as I may have forgotten to mention in my last post, a big mention to Lisa Thorne who provided make up for both Games We Play and LCR. I have worked with Lisa before mnay years ago and remembered how awesome her make up was!

But that is not the end for the short...Games We Play is to be featured at many other film festivals in the near future so I will keep you posted...

Lights! Camera! ...Ransom!

So I would like to begin my first blog by talking about a short that I finished a couple of weeks ago directed by the fantastic Rhys Bendix-Lewis entitled "Lights, Camera, Ransom!". It is based on an idea that Rhys had whilst at university.

This is pretty much one of the funniest experiences I've had making a short film although I wasn't involved in the zombie scenes. Yes, there are zombies in this ransom movie but I won't give away any of the suprise endings.
Rhys origninally created the backbone of the story and in the rehearsal process, the cast and myself were given the task of completly improvising characters and dialogue. It's been a fun process and although I've only seen snippets, I am very excited about seeing the completed film.  

 

I play a kidnapper, Max, who works alongside Johnny (Tom Clear). Max and Johnny work for Lenny (Dick Douglass) who orders them to kidnap Caroline (Natalie Nelson) and then asks them to make a ransom video. Max being the ambitious Hollywood style director wants to create the greatest ransom movie of all time...with Zombies! Also starring Kirsty Jeffery as Lenny's daughter who happens to return home whilst the cinematic masterpiece is being filmed!

I won't give away much more but the short is now in the process of being edited. Viewings for the short are unknown but I will keep you posted.