FILM
Phantoms
Produced as part of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School MA and BA studies, this was as much an opportunity to teach as it was a brilliant shoot in the wonderful grounds of Ashton Court Mansion.
Director: Jack Martin
Producer: Bianca Bewley
Production Designer: Sarah Warren
Gaffer: Kalila Suckley
Camera Operator: Leo Palmer
1st AC: Samuel Hart
Colourist: Jack Martin
Dawnbreaker
A gorgeous short film from writer-director Eli Lower, this was a big lighting challenge. We lit many different times of day including sunset, sunrise, and day-for-night, all on a tight schedule with no option to shoot outside 9am-5pm hours.
Director: Eli Lower
Producer: Esther Saunders-Jennings
Production Designer: Holly Coulson
Gaffer: Michael Sides
1st AC: Josh Kelly Jones
Colourist: Jack Offord
The Visit
Produced as part of MARS Academy and University of Bristol’s Virtual Production course, I learnt how to light and shoot for VP and made this fun little short as an example of how to use Unreal Engine with an LED volume.
Director: Brendan Lines
Producer: Katy Carmichael
VP Supervisor: Brooke Heathcock
VP and Production Designer: Nick Pitt
Camera Operator: Maria Bors
Colourist: Jack Offord
The Ballet of the Nations
Billy Zane narrates this 50-minute arthouse film in which war is imagined as a diabolical dance choreographed by Satan and Ballet Master Death.
Starring Sonya Cullingford (Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires) and Peter Clements.
The film has a semi-permanent home as part of British Art Studies, and is fully watchable here.
Director: Joshua Ben-Tovim and Roseanna Anderson
Producer: Gwenfair Hawkins and Kim Heron
Production Designer: Pam Tait
Gaffer: Matt Joiner and Michael Sides
1st AC: Camila Carlow
Colourist: Chris Lyons
Cardboard Adventures
A full length story from Sam Wilde's Wilde-ly popular Cardboard Adventures world, Arti and Box venture underwater to find Captain Cardboard's lost telescope.
This was unbelievably fun to shoot and a great challenge. It turns out lighting cardboard isn't as easy as it sounds!
Director: Catherine Boot
Producer: Samuel J. Wilde
Production Designer: Samuel J. Wilde
1st AC: Blue Harrison
Colourist: Chris Hicks
Banter
Hard hitting rugby-based drama starring Kyle Rowe (Reputation, The Devil's Hour). With a mix of fast sports action and kitchen sink drama, this was a great opportunity to practice more subdued and naturalistic lighting.
Director: Kristjan Knigge
Producer: Rhys Freeman
Production Designer: Helena Garcia Requena and Esther McDonald McLuckie
Gaffer: Michael Sides
1st AC: Jack Hayter
Colourist: Jelle Helwig
Kin
Bristol-set short film telling the story of the relationship between two brothers and their vastly different experiences of the care home in which they both grew up.
Starring Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Gladiator II), Sunetra Sarker (Casualty), and Jack Hollington. Directed by Helena Middleton, and written by Papatango New Writing Winner Samuel Bailey, with a resonant score by David Ridley (Boiling Point, Adolescence, Enola Holmes).
This was one of my first short films and still remains a favourite, with so many of the cast and crew going on to do great things.
Director: Helena Middleton
Producer: Tim O’Brien
Production Designer: Zoë Klinck
Gaffer: Matt Joiner
1st AC: Michael Sides
Colourist: Jateen Patel
PUSH
PUSH is a film translation of Popelei's successful stage show, largely playing out in a 40 minute long-take gimbal shot. Directed by Scarlett Plouviez, and created by writer-performer Tamsin Hurtado Clarke.
I made a special gimbal/steadicam rig specifically for this film so that I could operate, which kick-started my interest in Steadicam operation, something that brings me a lot of joy to do!
Director: Scarlett Plouviez
Producer: Tamsin Hurtado Clarke
Gaffer: Jack Lilley
1st AC: Alice Berkeley
Colourist: Jack Offord
A few more little morsels..
The Search Party
Dark comedy short directed by Graeme Willetts, very gruesome, very funny.
Son of Helios
35 minute long-take short directed by Julia Head, with a cast of 13 excellent teenagers from Bristol Old Vic Theatre. A brilliant project.
Tablet
A curious slow short, telling of a woman marking melodies into stones at the end of the world.
THE ARTS
Hamlet
Directed by John Haidar, and starring Billy Howle, Hamlet was an incredible show and one of my favourite shoots to date. Camera-rehearsed and shot over 6 days, this was something quite special for a theatre film. The final film had a cinema run through distributor Altitude and is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the UK.
The clip shown is from the theatre trailer, shot and colour graded by me and gaffered by Michael Sides.
Directors (Film): Tom Morris and Eleanor Utting
Director (Theatre): John Haidar
Producer: Eleanor Field
Film Supervisor: Rhodri Huw
Lighting Designer: Malcolm Rippeth
Camera Operators: Emma Vickers, Ben Tate, Ryan Francis, Amelia Wring and Tundun Adebanjo
Colourist: Fred Tay
Vigil
Bali Tiger.
Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Cinnamon-coloured Cryptic Treehunter, Psychedelic Rock Gecko, Fire Millipede From Hell.
One human. Twenty-six thousand animals. A wild exploration of life in an age of extinction.
Directed and performed by Tom Bailey, we decided to go further than a normal theatre film and incorporate elements of location filming to make a troubling and heart-breakingly beautiful film.
Director: Tom Bailey
Producer: Tom Bailey and Martin Campbell
Lighting Designer: Jen L. Roxburgh
Camera Operators: Matt Joiner, Michael Sides and Jack Offord
Colourist: Jack Offord
Zugunruhe
Zugunruhe (zoo-gun-rue): an ornithology term for ‘migratory restlessness’ in birds. This show explores the incredible flight of a marsh warbler, the world’s only bird whose song echoes its migration route. Body-compasses, magnetic fields, African sunsets, star-chasing, storm-riding, homing… Zugunruhe offers a wild, fresh look at migration.
A filming sibling to Vigil, these two films were shot concurrently on location in North Somerset, and on stage at Pound Arts in Corsham.
Director: Tom Bailey
Producer: Tom Bailey and Martin Campbell
Lighting Designer: Jen L. Roxburgh
Camera Operators: Matt Joiner, Michael Sides and Jack Offord
Colourist: Jack Offord
Paraorchestra
A creative collaboration going strong after over 8 years, I’ve made more trailers and documentaries for Paraorchestra than I can count. They are simply the most incredible organisation and world class music makers. Here is a small collection of snippets from our work together.
The Virtuous Circle
Trailer for Paraorchestra’s incredible fusion of music and dance, shot as part of BBC Proms.
In Collaboration
Mini-doc about Dame Evelyn Glennie’s workshops with Paraorchestra musicians.
Making Tracks
Mini-doc following several Paraorchestra musicians in residency at the beautiful Real World Studios.
Symbiosis
Trailer for Paraorchestra x The Breath in a truly spectacular show for BBC Proms.
Yum yum more pls.
Feeling Thing
A short dance film by Candoco Dance Theatre, directed by Jo Bannon.
A short dance film by Tim Lytc, directed by Helena Middleton. Made to commemorate Knowle West Media Centre’s incredible self-build house prototype project in Bristol.
Assembling
Kindle
Theatre trailer for Almanac Theatre, what a location!
BRANDED
BAFTA Albert
Produced to celebrate Albert’s re-brand into BAFTA Albert, this film featured the real life staff and brought their personalities to the forefront!
Director: Jon Aitken
Producer: BAFTA Albert
Heart Scotland
Produced to announce the presenter lineup for Heart Scotland radio, this was a video billboard and online campaign, shooting many sequences for varying deliverables in one quick studio shoot.
Director: Sam Daniels
Producer: Global Media
BTS Camera Operator: Shaun Grimsley
Heart x Disney
A mini quiz show developed to discuss the Disney show Alice and Steve in a light hearted manner, really fun to film!
Director: Sam Daniels
Producer: Global Media
Camera Operators: Tom Akerman and Arran Sinclair
