writer/DIRECTor REEL
I consider my directing style enthusiastic, collaborative, yet methodical.
I like to provide an audience with a sense of empathy, dream fulfillment, and excitement by presenting characters who overcome challenges that are familiar yet immersive.
I encourage open creative discussion with a team. Often the best idea exists during a rehearsal - this is why I always establish an envoirnment in which we can freely explore ideas before we commit to any on-set.
My on-set direction is thought out and resourceful. I often create detailed storyboards, action each line of dialogue, and pre-line scripts for an efficient shoot. My aim is to shoot for an exciting edit, capturing something with pace and rhythm, and avoid lackluster coverage.
Featured Projects
Sixty Seconds
Sunderland Shorts Film Festival 2021 - Honourable Mention
Writing a simple yet complete character arc was my focus of growth while making Sixty Seconds. I wanted to write a story which sets up two characters with the exact same end goal, “don’t blow up!”, yet they each seem to have a very different set of instructions which causes the conflict throughout the film.
The dramatic argument is a simple one: “Do you need to work as a team?”. The plot is simply the sugar coating that surrounds that medicine which I want to feed to the characters and the audience; a day in the life of a ragtag bomb defusal duo seemed like really fun way to spoon-feed that medicine; inner-team conflict, a butting of heads, until each character accepts they must work together.
BIN DAY
North East International Film Festival 2021 - Winner of Best Short Film, Audience Award
Also featured on BBC iPlayer - Upload Festival 2021
I was approached by actor Rachel Stockdale to direct a monologue she wrote called Bin Day. We prepared the scene the night before on Skype, combing through the monologue to find a 3-act structure, and transform it from a stage production to something more cinematic.
Once we found a structure, it felt natural to shoot it from the perspective of the ex-boyfriend. This meant we could utilize camera angles and blocking by using the “ex” to step forward and push the camera closer for the intimate moments in the scene.
We shot it in a back alley on a gloomy morning with a budget of exactly £0.00. Rachel provided the costumes and location, and myself & Robert Carr (the cinematographer) provided camera and sound on the day.
Making of: THE ASYLUM GROOVE
MyRodeReel 2018 - Winner of Best Educational BTS
After 3 years of creating behind the scenes content on YouTube at this point in 2018, it felt natural to produce a BTS video for the MyRodeReel competition in our classic The Film Look style…and it paid off!
Finding which elements to cut down or remove altogether was the trickiest part! Considering we only had 3 minutes to tell it!
At this point, we were used to creating over a dozen videos about every element within the film, but we found a good balance of education, entertainment, and narrating a storyline which flowed through the video to keep it exciting.
BACKSTAGE
Sunderland Shorts Film Festival 2018 - Official Selection
Backstage is quite an interesting one. The story is actually the result of a writing exercise I did with my YouTube channel. “Story in a Can” is a segment where we would pick out four random writing prompts (a location, object, character, and scenario) and try our best to string a cohesive story together.
We pulled out The Walk of Shame, by a Medium (Fortune Teller), in a Public Toilet, using a Flyswatter.
We cheated a little, changing a few things here and there, but we ended up creating the story of The Medium (a professional wrestler) who must talk to the the new guy, The Flyswatter, from walking away before his debut fight as they get ready backstage (the public toilet).
INTRODUCE THE HERO
Creating this video for my YouTube channel The Film Look was a great lesson in how making a few minor changes to a shot can drastically change the tone and atmosphere of a scene.
The “introduce the hero” shot is quite a simple one; the character steps out of a vehicle, the camera pedestals to a close up of their face, and they deliver a line.
But it’s all of the moments inbetween where you can customise the details and provide subtextual hints to the audience. What kind of vehicle? What kind of footwear? Any props? Costume choice?
The power of customising these details is what I wanted to provide to our filmmaking audience and show them that it’s the little things which make the big picture.
Plus, it’s always fun to shoot in that back alley. It’s difficult to NOT make it look cinematic!
“Richard uses his personality and expert knowledge to get the best out of the actors while communicating what he wants out of a scene or performance. We have worked together on several intense projects and each time Richard has conversed clearly what is needed while allowing my own creative input. Richard makes the actors and the crew comfortable from the moment you meet him. From casting, to table read, to putting the scene on its feet, the atmosphere is always relaxing and elaborately creative. Rich has truly brought me on as an actor and it is now actually weird being on set with other directors.”
