Every person, a story
As a filmmaker, I'm always looking to grow, improve, stretch myself. Whether it's trying out new techniques with the camera or narrative styles in the shoot and edit, these creative opportunities give me the chance to ask, 'what if...'. This sort of creative experimentation keeps me on my toes, throws up discoveries and can often inform the approach I take when working with clients - you.
As a filmmaker, I'm always looking to grow, improve, stretch myself. Whether it's trying out new techniques with the camera or narrative styles in the shoot and edit, these creative opportunities give me the chance to ask, 'what if...'. This sort of creative experimentation keeps me on my toes, throws up discoveries and can often inform the approach I take when working with clients - you.
The Life I Didn't Live
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Is there anything more important than time? We spend it, waste it, live it, measure and treasure it. It can appear to go fast – or slow – and there never seems to be enough of it. I'm obsessed with it, with trying to make each passing moment as valuable, as real, as the next.
This fascination with time has taken the form of an ongoing film project that's already spanned a couple of years. Initially, the plan was to make a single film exploring time from the perspectives of an astrophysicist, a watchmaker and a range of human perceptions. As I delved deeper into the subject, however, I realised it wasn't time itself that I was so driven to explore, it was life and its ultimate passing. It's hard to escape the idea that one of the greatest illusions the mind plays on us is a near complete blinding to our own mortality. I get it. If we were terrified of dying all the time, how could we fully live? But. I think there's a terrific strength that can come from acknowledging one's own mortality and the limited time we have - and to round it all off, you have no idea when it will stop. Abandon all thoughts of a long life, a cosy retirement and drifting into a sunset. There is only now - make it count. |
These thoughts led me to question the idea of talking to people who do know (roughly) how much time they have left on earth. What if I could talk to people with 'known mortality' about time. Their life, perceptions of time and how that has been shifted by their knowledge.
The Life I Didn’t Live is another result of this film experiment; a short, indie documentary made as part on my ongoing experiment exploring how people aware of their own mortality perceive their life and time.
In it, retired policeman and art lover, Peter Murray, takes us through his extraordinary life, seen through the lens of two of his paintings - one featuring highlights of his lived life, the other filled with moments he wish had happened, but didn’t.
The Life I Didn’t Live is another result of this film experiment; a short, indie documentary made as part on my ongoing experiment exploring how people aware of their own mortality perceive their life and time.
In it, retired policeman and art lover, Peter Murray, takes us through his extraordinary life, seen through the lens of two of his paintings - one featuring highlights of his lived life, the other filled with moments he wish had happened, but didn’t.
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A little more context for you - several years ago, I made a short video for Wellcome, featuring end-of-life doulas, something I'd never heard of until that point but found fascinating: people who help one prepare for death. The organisation that helped was Living Well Dying Well and you can see the video here.
So, when it came time to try and talk to people who were aware of their own mortality, they seemed like the perfect organisation to reach out to again. Living Well Dying Well happily agreed to help me find willing interviewees but, honestly, I thought it was a bit of a long shot - that someone would be happy to talk to me about their life and perceptions of time - now that they could see the end in sight. Far from it. Quickly, I was put in touch with Peter Murray, featured in 'The Life I Didn't Live' and we arranged a day to meet up and film. |
Peter was great, in fact, the problem was whittling his interview down to something that felt like it captured various 'essences' of his life, powerful moments, whether funny or tragic, that somehow spoke to his love of painting and thoughts on time. Creatively, films such as this are a fantastic challenge. Before meeting Peter, I knew next to nothing about him and everything shot was done in a single morning - interview, painting, outdoor sequences - plus lots more that didn't serve the final journey. After filming Peter, I was put in touch with another person through Living Well Dying Well but I'll save that for another post as it's turning into the most incredible filmic journey I've ever had.
The Horologist
This is a short from my indie documentary project, About Time, a film attempting to explore the mysteries of time from a range of perspectives and angles. Here, James Harris, a horologist based in London, explores his attitudes to time from the perspective of someone immersed in the manufacture of time itself.
The Singer's Tale
This film is a labour of love. Originally drawn to Carol because of her involvement with a choir comprised of people with neurological conditions, the film became a celebration of a remarkable woman's life, passion and creativity.
The Singer’s Tale features renowned jazz singer, Carol Grimes, a wild and funny force of nature, burning brightly into her seventies. Beginning amidst the bombs of World War II, Carol’s life has been a tempestuous journey, from abandonment and mutism to one of love and singing. The Singer’s Tale explores this journey, peeling away the layers of a hugely creative soul as she confronts the struggle we will all face one day – to remain relevant in the world as one’s youth fades. Enjoy the ride.
To read more about the origins and creative process behind this film, go to my article, here.
Remembrance Day in a weapons factory (Featured by Aeon)
'Remembrance' features the reminiscences of a professional military sniper as he takes us through the practical and psychological aspects of killing targets, people. The film explores themes of responsibility and the impact that killing has on the individuals sent to war and on a society that participates in warfare, whether via its elected Government or the manufacture of high precision weapons.
