December 2021

Project Highlight

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My directorial debut, A Letter to Elizabeth is about an elderly man's heartfelt letter to his late wife as he begins to find new love and was created as part of the RTS 48-Hour Challenge in Newcastle. The challenge required us to develop, shoot, and edit a short film in just two days based on a prompt of "It wasn't meant to be this way". 

As Director, my role was to oversee the entire creative process from concept development to post-production and ensure that we delivered a compelling, well-executed story within the given time constraints. I managed a fast-moving team, made concise creative decisions, and directed both crews and cast to bring the vision to life. From the moment we received the prompt, my team and I wasted no time brainstorming ideas and gathering resources. I worked with writer Sid Purvis to structure a cohesive story while incorporating the team’s suggestions.

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Collaborating with my DOP, Anthony Brennan, I took charge of the film’s visual style, lighting and production design, ensuring that each shot fit the emotional tone of the story, we also created a rough shot list, although many shots had to be improvised on the day due to the tight turnaround.
 

While finding locations was a challenge due to the day's notice, we were successful in agreeing to shoot at The Grey Hotel and Everyman’s Cinema in Newcastle. I also had the opportunity to work closely with the lead actor James Shaw, guiding his performance to match the story’s emotional depth. 

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In post-production, I collaborated with editors David Taylor and Brandon Hudson to shape the raw footage into a coherent and emotionally impactful final piece. Despite the rapid timeline, we stayed focused on maintaining narrative clarity and visual consistency.
 

The film was successfully completed within the 48-hour deadline and went on to be nominated as a finalist for the RTS (Royal Television Society) Awards.

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This experience was invaluable, as it tested my ability to lead under pressure, make decisive creative choices, and work efficiently with a dedicated team. It was an incredible opportunity to direct my first short film, and I look forward to more directing opportunities in the future.