I’ve always loved the medium of film, ever since I was a child. It was a form of escapism I guess, something exotic compared to the rather grim south London neighbourhood I grew up in. I was inspired by a wide range of filmmakers, from the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder to Steven Spielberg and Ivan Reitman. I never really considered filmmaking as a viable career option until I went to college and studied film at A Level. After the first few lessons, I knew that film was going to be the career that I pursued; I hate to sound like a cliché but I’d found my calling.
I went on to study film and television at Roehampton University, where I made my first film, Darkie Day; a short, Nick Broomfield-style documentary about an annual black and white minstrel parade of the same name, which takes place in a small Cornish town called Padstow. The film turned out to be a great success on the international festival circuit, and served as an excellent calling card for myself as a filmmaker. But more importantly, it was an opportunity for me to develop my filmmaking skills in a practical setting.
In 2005 I formed AD82 Productions, a music and film production company, with actor, musician and childhood friend, Ashley Walters. Shortly afterwards, I was commissioned by Touchpaper TV to write a 90 minute one-off drama for Channel 4. This experience was a huge learning curve for me, as I had never even written a short script before, let alone a feature length drama. The script, provisionally entitled Brotherhood, has yet to go into production so I can’t say too much about it at present, except that it’s about two friends whose relationship is threatened when one converts to Islam and turns his back on the street-life they are both embroiled in.
I returned to the medium of documentary once again in 2007 when 15-year-old Billy Cox was tragically murdered near my home. I was disappointed and slightly angered by the media frenzy that surrounded his murder and the sensationalist approach that many newspapers adopted in their reportage. Out of pure frustration I decided to take to the streets with a video camera to explore how the media coverage had affected the local community, especially Billy’s teenage friends. I wanted to provide young people, whom we are so quick to demonise these days, with a viable platform to express themselves. The resulting short documentary, entitled Gone 2 Soon, seemed to strike a chord with a lot of people and has since been screened at numerous anti-violence events across London, as well as respected film festivals.
The experience of making Gone 2 Soon cemented my commitment to making films that challenge stereotypes and seek to broaden the audience’s understanding of whatever subject matter I may be tackling, without preaching to them.
Projects that I am currently involved in include directing and producing a music video to accompany the release of M.O Part II, the first single from Ashley Walters’ forthcoming self-entitled album. Also, I was recently commissioned to write a 30 minute drama for Channel 4, entitled Raising Baby Rio, as part of the Coming Up new writers scheme. Raising Baby Rio is presently in post-production and will be aired on Channel 4 in 2009. I visited the set while it was being shot and it was truly amazing to see characters and dialogue that I had created coming to life in front of me. At the same time it was very strange because it wasn’t quite what I had imagined, especially as someone else was directing the material. But for me, that collaborative aspect of the filmmaking process is what makes it so rewarding, and it was brilliant working with the director to achieve what eventually became our combined vision.
I am presently developing a number of feature film scripts, a television drama series and will be directing and producing a handful of music promos in the near future, including Ashley’s second single release, With You featuring Mutya Buena.
My advice for anyone hoping to break into the media industry, particularly individuals from an ethnic minority background, is that perseverance is key. There are knockbacks and rejections galore, no matter how talented you are, and you have to have pretty thick skin to deal with that. On the plus side though, it’s an amazingly creative place once you get there, full of passionate and dedicated people. I genuinely can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing with my life.
