Nigel sits down for a very special interview with director Jake Murray and writer/producer Paul Ludden as they explore the history, background and motivation behind their short film The Visit. Their intense character drama tells the fictionalised story of the perpetrator of the real life bombing of Manchester city centre by the IRA in 1996. The bomber returns to present day Manchester as an aging and ailing man, contemplating the consequences of a life spent in violence. Jake and Paul takes us through their experiences making the film as well as their perspectives on the facets of political ..read more

Nigel engages in a fascinating discussion with writer/director Tamas Levardi, creator of the powerful historical epic Foretoken - Omen of the Outsiders. This film follows the journey of two siblings as they seek to confront a garrison of Roman soldiers in order to free their people from Roman occupation. Tamas takes us on his filmmaking experiences and the crucial lessons he learned on his journey from agency work, to music videos to an incredibly ambitious triumph of short film cinema. Follow the Filmmakers Official Film Account - Instagram / Website Subscribe to Our Podcast Find ..read more

Nigel reconnects with writer/director Laura Jefferies to talk about her supernatural psychological drama White Rabbit, an official selection and winner of the outstanding Performance award at our festival last October. This episode dives into the making of the film, working with producer Mike Marks and lead actor Kesley Cooke and her love of old school British horror. They also explore options in shaping a career path in film and the importance of short film in shaping the future of filmmaking as a whole. Follow the Filmmakers Laura Jefferies (Writer/Director) - Instagram Membrana Pictures ..read more

We kick off 2024 by welcoming writer/director George Siougas and producer Michael Stevenson to the pod. Having built successful careers in television on series from Emmerdale to Casualty and many more, George and Michael have led a talented and supremely dedicated team including actor Jason Watkins (The Crown) and legendary music composer Stephen Warbeck, to create a truly heartwarming short film. The One Note Man follows a musical man who lives a careful life. Each day is like the next, just how he likes it. One day, however, misfortune and fate collide, breaking his routine and rocking his ..read more

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions pertaining to sexual assault. In this very special episode, Nigel talks to the winners of the Outstanding Drama Short at this year's Surrey Short Film Festival (now the Cameo Launch Short Film Festival). Director Rebecca Gallon, producer Tina Zucco and writer and lead actor Matt Hansen reveal the background of their drama short film I'm Not Finished. The film follows Alex (Hansen) as he bonds with Ellie at a house party. Sparks fly between the two but when one makes a move and takes things too far, what started as a fun night ends up being a ..read more

In this episode, Nigel talks to writer/director Daniel Deville about the making of his intense short film drama, By Any Other Name. Produced by Slick Films, this short film tells the story of a woman searching for her sister, who has been sold into the sex trade in London's criminal underbelly. Daniel talks about his background and the challenges he had to overcome as well as closing the gap between aspiration and action when it came to building a career in filmmaking. This is a thought-provoking and inspiring story about overcoming odds and working towards creating important work that impac ..read more

Nigel welcomes short film horror maestro Jed Shepherd (Host, Dashcam) to the pod with an intriguing discussion on the horror genre and how the refusal of the UK film establishment to properly invest in it is hurting the UK film industry. We also dive into Jed's highly unusual journey into filmmaking and how a lockdown prank turned into a ticket to Hollywood. Watch Jed's new film Flashback on Netflix now and see the short films he wrote and produced alongside director Rob Savage below as well as the short film Double Tap, which we previously reviewed. Dawn of the Deaf Salt Absence Double T ..read more

In this very special episode, Nigel hosts Academy Award winner Chris Overton in the pod as they explore Chris' new short film, In Too Deep. This new short film is an exploration of the dangerous intersection between grief and technology, throwing us into the grieving process of Ben (Stephen Wight) and Carol (Rachel Shenton) as they struggle to come to terms with the loss of their daughter. While Carol tries everything she can to cope with her grief, Ben isolates himself and hatches a plan to reverse their loss but risks making things much worse. Chris Overton shares his origin story as a fil ..read more

This episode is part two of our mammoth 'Emmeline Hartley Trilogy' where Nigel and Emmeline explore the making of Keep Breathing, a short drama tackling the subject of sexual consent and power dynamics co-written, produced and starring Emmeline alongside Damien Molony. A woman gets stuck in a lift with the engineer that’s fixing it, only to discover it’s the man she had a one-night-stand with just a few weeks before. As the awkwardness manifests, it becomes clear they both have very different interpretations of the events that unfolded that night. We get into the weeds on the ambitious appro ..read more

Nigel speaks to Emmeline Hartley of the Nexus Cast & Crew Network and they embark on one of the most eye-opening discussions of the podcast to date, diving into the terrain of the UK film and cinema industries and why establishing a career in grassroots filmmaking is often so hard. We also get the opportunity to learn about the Nexus network, its origins and how it helps to uplift independent filmmakers in underserved areas of the UK. Touching on issues of funding, cost and exposure, this interview goes to some very honest places as Emmeline exposes just how much of an uphill (but not hop ..read more