A Chance to Breathe!

Well hello. Long time no speak. I'm not really sure where to begin. Time has flown by since my last posting and I have so MUCH to tell you.

The majority of the recent whirlwind of activity is down to a talented director and new found friend, Rachel Tillotson - www.racheltillotson.com. This collaboration was formed through UCF - it just goes to show that is pays to keep in touch with your past! So, what have we been up to? Following an off the cuff one day shoot with beat poet, Kate Tempest which we shot in April with John Minton www.mintonfilm.co.uk, I have since been given the title of assistant producer on Rachel's UK Film Council Digital Short commissioned by South West Screen called 'I'll Tell You'. The film, a coming of age drama featuring Shameless actress Julia Ford and Mistresses Star, Ella Peel, was shot at the beginning of this month with a highly talented and experienced crew. I have also had the pleasure of working with producer, Jayne Chard www.jaynechard.co.uk

Having been on the project for 10 weeks, I have learnt a lot about the dos and don'ts of short filmmaking. Although, still relatively low budget, this is the largest budget short I've had the opportunity to work on to date.

As a BAFTA winning director, Rachel had very specific ideas about the film itself and the people she wanted working around her. This resulted in gathering an experienced group of talent and persuading them that working on a low budget short would be worth their while. Thankfully we did it.

Casting was also problematic. With very particular looks and ages in mind for the lead actors and battling with child performance regulations, this put up several barriers and hurdles. However, this was also overcome and we secured a great cast despite the two female leads being under 16.

One of the biggest hurdles Rachel and I faced was a last minute move from South Devon to Bristol for the shoot. Having spent weeks locating cast, crew and locations in this area, it meant that a lot of hard work was effectively poured down the drain. However, with Jayne at the helm, the move to Bristol was less bumpy than anticipated and provided so many more opportunities in terms of crew and utilising contacts Jayne and I had in the local area.

It feels wrong to summarise such a huge chunk of my year in such few words, however, I'm sure more tales and anecdotes will be released in due course. I would however, like to take this opportunity to thank all that supported me through this challenging project - I had many companions who lent a hand and the occasional shoulder to cry on when it was needed! All in all, emotions aside, I am hugely grateful to have been involved with this project and I look forward to using my new found knowledge and contacts to better future projects of my own.