Short Films, Big Questions

Gregg Chilingirian, also known by his stage name Gregg Chillin, is a writer, director and actor. He recently directed and lead performed in the short film, George. It's achieved much success on the film festival circuit, with official selections at Bolton International Film Festival, Kerry International Film Festival and the Hollyshorts Festival. A lot of what we discuss is specifically about this film, and how to effectively both direct and act in a project. So if you're interested in balancing those two disciplines, this episode is absolutely for you.Gregg has had a successful acting career, appearing in many television shows over the years, including leads in Da Vinci's Demons, Being Human, Inside Men, A Discovery of Witches and The Wheel of Time. He made his stage debut at the Royal National Theatre playing Mark in Dennis Kelly's DNA in 2008.As well as both directing and acting in a project, we spoke about shooting on film, achieving an abrupt tonal shifts on screen, the directing lessons he's learnt as an actor, as well as another upcoming short film project.To watch George, which we encourage you to, please get in touch via email to ieuancoombs@gmail.com, with GEORGE SCREENING LINK, in the subject box, and we'll send over a private link.Links:The George Short Film Trailer:https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs6rJsoOrtO/?hl=enGregg's IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1209486/The George Short Film Instagram Page:https://www.instagram.com/george_slickfilms/?hl=enGregg's favourite short film (accessed with a MUBI subscription): https://mubi.com/en/gb/films/an-avocado-pit

In this episode we have the pleasure of speaking to the co- founder of the prestigious London Short Film Festival, Phillip Ilson.Phillip co-founded LSFF with Kate Taylor in 2003 under its original moniker Halloween Short Film Festival, following ten years of running its predecessor The Halloween Society.Phillip is also a vastly experienced short film programmer. He's currently the Short Film Programmer for @BFI London Film Festival and has previously programmed for East End Film Festival, Cork Film Festival, Branchage Festival, Latitude and Curzon Soho.In short (pun intended), there's not much Phillip Ilson doesn't know about short films.We talk about all sorts, including his journey with LSFF, what filmmakers have to gain from submitting to a festival, what makes a short film stand out, how the festival runs its selection process, as well as the process by which they come up with their film strands.This was a fresh perspective for us (we haven't interviewed a festival founder before), and it was fascinating for us to get this insight. We've spoken before on the podcast about how we absolutely love LSFF, and were blown away when we went last January.Links:You can find out more about LSFF here:https://shortfilms.org.uk/about/Some of Phillip's favourite short films:Wasp- dir. Andrea Arnold (watch with Mubi)https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.c37439e8-7d54-449d-a0ed-4fa4e9639316?autoplay=0&ref_=atv_cf_strg_wbSmart Alec (Andrew Kotting) http://www.andrewkotting.com/ak%20web/smartalexvideo.html

In this episode we chat to Elena Muntoni.Elena is an incredibly talented and accomplished production designer.Some of her credits include the BAFTA nominated short film, ‘Standby,' music promos for artists like Mumford and Sons, Arlo Parks and Dave, as well as commercials for brands like Yamaha, Samsung and Asics. Recently, Elena was the production designer on the feature film, “Scrapper” the debut from director, Charlotte Regan starring Harris Dickinson and Lola Campbell. We talk about how she dissects a script when she first receives it, what she talks about in her meetings with her director, as well as how she works with her team. We delve into why you may need a production designer for your film and we also touch on her love of excel spreadsheets! Here is the link to the short film ‘Standby': https://vimeo.com/207630463Here is the trailer for ‘Scrapper': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcEY8_9n2U8You can find out more about her work here:https://www.elenamuntoni.com/

In this episode we speak with Joe Beverley. Joe is one part of the commercial and narrative directorial duo, ‘That Jam'. Joe talks us through his process working on big budget commercials which have allowed him and his directing partner, Sam, to explore genre and cement their unique style. They've made heist films for Cadburys, filmed car chases and flying cars as well as blown up entire film sets. We speak about how he balances his work on commercials with his work on short films as well as dive into the world of VFX (which is new ground for us on the show.)His short film, ‘This Is English' was accepted all over the UK into festivals like Crystal Palace International Film Festival, London Short Film Festival and Aesthetica. You can check it out here:  https://vimeo.com/408869149Joe also speaks about buying the rights to a book of short stories which he and his creative partner, Sam are turning into a short film anthology. You can find the teaser for the first film they've made based on this here: Find out more about Joe, and 'That Jam' here: https://www.thatjam.co.uk/Here are links to the two commercials we reference most: Cadburys: https://www.thatjam.co.uk/creme-egg-the-last-deliverySuperbet: https://www.thatjam.co.uk/superbet-gosuper

In this episode we speak with film director, Richard Raymond. We focus on his journey from directing the feature film ‘Desert Dancer' which starred Freida Pinto and was distributed by Relativity to directing the short film “Souls of Totality” - the only film ever to have been shot during a solar eclipse!‘Souls' won Best Short Film at Raindance in 2018, the Grand Jury prize at Hollyshorts, had a special mention at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was selected for Tribeca Film Festival. Online it's everywhere from platforms like ‘DUST' to ‘Alter' and ‘Omeleto,' and has had millions of views. Richard also takes us through why he went back into short films, the planning involved in shooting a film during an actual solar eclipse, how he gets his work funded and his methods for making sure his work is seen by the right people. We really encourage you to watch ‘Souls Of Totality' before listening. You can watch it here on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/295048498We also delve into the brilliant “A Million Eyes,' his latest short film. You can watch that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unyb8wu4FDoAnd here is the trailer for Desert Dancer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzCdDC3e0AEWe hope you enjoy this one as much as we did!

For this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking to Alexander Jeremy. AJ is a filmmaker, actor and member of the comedy improv group, "Shoot from the Hip."He's recently wrapped post production on a film called The Spaceman, starring none other than Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon, Poldark), Colin Farrell (Banshees of Inesherrin, The Lobster), and Amanda Abbington (Sherlock, Mr Selfridge).Our conversation has two main themes to it: first, how he made The Spaceman and specifically, how he amassed such a star studded cast for the project. Secondly, his comedy improv group, Shoot from the Hip, and how they've built an audience for themselves. As of writing this, they have 186,000 followers on instagram and 1.2 million followers on TikTok. We have a great conversation about how we, as filmmakers, can apply the lessons AJ's learnt, and as a consequence, gain more power as creatives. AJ is incredibly candid about the life of a filmmaker- we massively appreciated this and feel like there's so much to learn from what he has to say.You can find out more about him via the links below:YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@atjeremyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/atjeremy/?hl=enShoot from the Hip's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shootimpro/?hl=enAJ's favourite short films: https://www.nowness.asia/picks/red-feng-yu-chaohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs1xPBIfOS4

In this episode we speak with Academy Award winning film director, Chris Overton. Chris received the 'Best Live Action Short Film' Oscar for ‘The Silent Child,' along with his wife, Rachel Shenton, who wrote the project. Chris shares how he started life in the industry as an actor, performing in films directed by Joel Schumacher and Roman Polanski, and the current projects he's working on. We discuss the road to the Oscars with 'The Silent Child,' as well as what happens after you win an Oscar! We also get into why he set up his production company Slick Films and how he distributes and makes money back on his shorts.  This was truly inspiring and we are so grateful to Chris for taking the time to speak with us.Here are some links to his work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GbxFIVQv8c (The Silent Child - Oscar Winner)https://slickfilms.co.uk/leader/ (Leader - his short film shot on a phone)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3C5zbjjWTE (Chris' favourite short film).

In this episode Will and Ieuan had the pleasure of speaking with Owain Astles; a neurodivergent director and 1st AD based in Bristol & London. Owain's work focuses on social impact, participatory filmmaking and visual activism, and spans narrative, documentary and commercial.We talk about Owain's perspective on docu-dramas, his work as a first AD, his experience teaching prison inmates filmmaking, and his experience so far on the BFI Network's Shorts2Features programme.Owain's work has screened at multiple BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying festivals. Please find details to specific projects below: https://www.owainastles.com/work/sleeping-roughhttps://www.owainastles.com/work/thehardestfighthttps://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p09j7fdm/new-creatives-to-my-younger-self

In this episode, we have a conversation with the visionary filmmaker that is Mark Jenkin.Mark Kermode referred to his debut feature film, Bait (2019) as a "genuine modern masterpiece, which establishes Jenkin as one of the most arresting and intriguing British film-makers of his generation.”The film premiered at Berlinale, and won him the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.His unique style and methods make for strikingly powerful short films. Some of our favourites are David Bowie is Dead, Dear Marianne, and Hard Cracked the Wind (all available on BFI Player.) He's also made music videos for the likes of Thom Yorke's new project The Smile and Bicep. Mark's most recent film is Enys Men, a mind-bending Cornish folk horror set on an island off the Cornish coast. It is released on Blu-ray & DVD (Dual Format Edition) and on BFI Player on 8 May.We talk about a range of topics, including his process, his opinions on shorts, his history with them, and of course the brilliant Enys Men.This was truly a very special episode for us. We walked away from it with our minds blown, inspired and excited about the possibilities of filmmaking. Mark is an innovator, and one to keep a close eye on. He's also a lovely guy!A massive thank you to the great London Short Film Festival, who were instrumental in setting this conversation up. Please find the link to their website here:https://shortfilms.org.uk/You can find out more about Mark here:https://www.instagram.com/mark_jenkin/?hl=enhttps://markjenkin.co.uk/Mark's favourite short films:Jaunt- Dir. Andrew Kottinghttps://vimeo.com/55220005World Of Glory- Dir. Roy Andersonhttps://vimeo.com/2867971

In this episode we sit down with George Magner to speak about his journey as a filmmaker and his latest short film, 'Fall Better'. We go into all sorts of topics in this episode, from his decision to shoot on film to how George pitched his short film to charities in order to secure funding. He goes through the long pitching process and the hustle required of both him and his producers to bring his very personal project to life.His previous short films 'Cost of Bronze' and 'Skipping Lunch' (links below) both qualified for Underwire Festival with Cost of Bronze also winning Best Short Film at the Venice Fine Arts Film Festival.George is also the co-founder of 'Mountain Way' which specialises in producing films for charity and arts organisations. Previous clients include the Royal Opera House, the Barbican Centre, Humane Society International and the National Children's Bureau.Will and George met at a BAFTA Guru event back in 2018 and have kept the relationship alive since then, providing feedback on each others work and bumping into each other at festivals and networking events. It was great to catch up!Here are some links to his work:georgemagner.com/fallbettershortgeorgemagner.com/the-cost-of-bronzegeorgemagner.com/skipping-lunchgeorgemagner.com/derek-jarman-my-gardens-boundaries-are-the-horizon

In this episode we speak to renowned casting director Andrea Clarke. Prior to setting up her own company Andrea co- cast many acclaimed feature films, including Dog Soldiers, Keeping Mum and The Thief Lord, which starred a young George MacKay and Aaron Taylor Johnson. As an associate casting director, she collaborated on the casting of blockbusters such as Hellboy, Blade II and Hidalgo.Since founding her own company in 2006, Andrea has worked on award winning feature films, commercials and short films. She also casts a variety of other projects including video games, corporate films, and new media content. We talk about why you should consider using a casting director on your short film, thinking outside the box when casting, the benefits of in person vs. self tape auditions, and much more!You can find Andrea's website here: https://www.aclarkcasting.com/Andrea's favourite short film: https://www.paulcampion.com/portfolio/the-naughty-listA big thank you to Thomas Benjamin Cooper for the music on this podcast!Instagram: @shortfilmsbigquestions @ieuancoombs @w.liney

In this episode we had the pleasure of speaking with Riffy Ahmed, an award-winning Film Director, Writer, and Visual Artist based in London. Riffy trained as a visual artist at Central Saint Martins, and graduated with a masters in Directing fiction at NFTS with a full scholarship from Channel 4. Riffy loves to tell stories about ‘unlikely heroes' we don't always see on the big screen at turning points in their lives, particularly framed around women and diaspora identities. She is currently finishing her coming of age short THE CALL, supported by the BFI Network. We spoke to Riffy about her work on experimental short films and narrative fiction work. We also talk to her about her experience second unit directing on Top Boy, her attitude towards representation, and how to persist in this challenging industry.Please find the link to her experimental short film, Afloat, here:https://vimeo.com/riffy?embedded=false&source=owner_name&owner=5278135You can also find details and trailers for her other work here:http://www.riffy.com/workFull length links available on request. Send via instagram to @shortfilmsbigquestions.

In this episode we interview the inspiring Amos Eretusi. Amos is the founder of The Kusp, an organisation that facilitates accessibility into the film and fashion industries for people from underrepresented backgrounds. They recently partnered with Somesuch and have been running some awesome talks with directors such as Oscar winning Aneil Karia.  It was fascinating to speak with Amos about his past business endeavours and how they've ultimately led him to The Kusp. We spoke about representation, networking for introverts, how best to brand yourself as a creative and much more. There are tonnes of golden nuggets of information in the episode and it was a joy to spend an hour with Amos. This is a great one for anyone who's frustrated with how difficult it can be to break into the film industry. We have linked The Kusp below: https://www.thekusp.co.uk/

Today on the podcast, we're lucky enough to be in Hansel Rodrigues' office to ask him all sorts of questions. Hansel has directed several short films to great acclaim, including Horseplay (Cannes Film Festival), and The Messenger (Norwich Film Festival). He's just had a large, award winning production company come on board for his latest documentary project, ‘King Putt,' the story of the current king of British crazy golf, and his bid to defend his world title.Alongside directing, Hansel is a freelance editor. He has edited everything from documentaries to commercials for brands like Mercedes and PlayStation.Hansel shares the questions he asks himself before taking on a short film, as well as valuable insight into how he pitched King Putt to production companies, and much more! Sit back, you're in for a treat...We recommend you check out the links below: Concept trailer for King Putt: https://vimeo.com/699052154/683e4505d5Short film- Horseplay: https://vimeo.com/345744622Short film- The Messenger: https://vimeo.com/363148307Hansel's website: https://www.hanselrodrigues.com/The Kusp: https://www.thekusp.co.uk/

In todays episode we speak to the incredibly talented Rose Baker! We cannot explain how excited we are about this one. We met Rose at Aesthetica Film Festival in York last year where Rose was screening her latest short film “Lesbian” which was commissioned by Random Acts and made in collaboration with the poet Lisa Luxx. It was also an official selection for the Iris Prize (world's biggest LGBTQ film prize) as well as Broadcast Digislast and the RTS Cymru awards this year. She has also directed TV documentaries, her latest being 'How to make it on Only Fans' for Channel 4.Rose is an absolute delight to listen to. We go into depth about everything from pitching to her process working on ‘Lesbian' to self shooting and how she got the opportunity to direct TV documentaries for Channel 4 and BBC Three!‘You can check out Lesbian' here: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/random-acts-lesbian/on-demand/71306-001‘Hayley goes naked' here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p09rxbg0/hayley-goes-series-3-2-naked‘How to make it on only fans' here: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/how-to-make-it-on-onlyfansRose's pitch for Random Acts can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZtIU8kLGUc

Today's episode is a fun one. Get ready for Wouter Verheul and all of his energy. Wouter is an amazing Director of Photography who worked with Will on a commercial back in December. Wouter has shot everything from music videos to documentaries, short films and commercials.He details his journey so far, from living and partying in Mexico to working his way up to being a successful cinematographer in the Netherlands, before making the decision to move to the UK.We talk about how he works with directors on projects of all budget levels, why he chooses to work on a project and what it takes to make it as a cinematographer and filmmaker. Here are links to Wouter's work that we discuss in this episode:Disgraced: https://vimeo.com/333621668 (with english subs)Worthy Music Video: https://vimeo.com/284136734The Ritual (Commercial Wouter and Will worked on together): https://vimeo.com/667366166Commercial and Music Video Reel: https://vimeo.com/631242192The Dinner After: https://www.wouterverheul.nl/project/the-dinner-after/ (viewing on request - send via instagram to '@will.liney' or '@ieuancoombs' we will then see if Wouter and the director will share a private link)Wouter's Instagram: @wouterverheuldpWe explain a lot of the film role terms in this episode but if there's any term you're uncertain about, here's a helpful glossary of film roles to refer to: https://www.freelancevideocollective.com/filmmaker-resources/film-crew-glossary/

In today's episode we speak to the super talented Alexandre Do. Alex has made some incredible short films. His latest short, Aniccam, premiered on Nowness, and was subsequently selected by the prestigious online outlets 1.4, Shots.net and Ibbo.We delve deep into his process and what it really takes to make a short film. He is very candid about his experiences so far and does not shy away from the lows that filmmaking can bring. He also shares his inspiring journey as a filmmaker which has taken him from graduating art school to working at Reuters, funding his own short films in London and into the jungles of Cambodia. Here are links to the work that we talk about in the podcast. We would recommend that you watch them before listening to the podcast. In particular we would recommend that you watch Aniccam as we spend a great deal of time discussing that. A Monster: https://www.alexandredo.com/a-monsterAniccam: https://www.alexandredo.com/aniccamShea Creams: https://www.alexandredo.com/shea-creamsAnd here are the music videos he has made: GLIMMER OF GOLD - https://www.alexandredo.com/glimmer-of-goldHARM - https://www.alexandredo.com/harmFLOATING - https://www.alexandredo.com/zha-floating

In this episode, Ieuan and Will welcome feature film director David Roberts to the podcast!We cover lots. His background in producing commercials (over 1000), his experiences and opinions on short films, and the way he and his team secured funding for their feature film.Dave gives specific, actionable and inspiring advice. His knowledge of filmmaking is impressive, and the podcast is well worth a listen for anyone who wants to learn more about an industry that can often be confusing and intimidating.Ieuan recently worked with Dave, as an actor, in the feature film, "Older Gods." https://wagyufilms.com/older-godsFind out more about Dave and his projects at the below links:Wagyu films instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wagyufilmsofficial/?hl=en-gbWagyu films youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WAGYUFILMS/videosFrom Dream to Silver Screen Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/41mF02Ebnk68h3YovDS2gF?si=f11bae34529c48b8How to get your Film Funded Podcast (referred to in conversation): https://open.spotify.com/episode/2uS4RvOFMzFC73uwVBbR2J?si=234fcd4f83a7402e

In this episode, for the first time ever, Ieuan and Will welcome their first guest to Short Films, Big Questions! Ollie Campbell is a professional sound designer. He sound designed both Ieuan and Will's latest short films. You can find out more information about him via his website here. He's currently working on a video game project, called The House of Ashes (more information about that here). They cover Ollie's background, the way he likes to work with directors, the resources that he has found helpful, and what both Ieuan and Will wished they did differently in the sound design process on their short films.Resources mentioned:Randy Thom's Sound Design Blog

Ieuan and Will are back and they are back with a bang!This week they talk about editing. They discuss how they got into editing themselves, as well as how important it is for a director to have an understanding of the editing process. They talk about rhythm, pace, cutting for emotion, and the resources they have found helpful!Resources Mentioned:Peter Mckinnon's YouTube channelWalter Murch: ‘In the Blink of an Eye'Lee Smith episode- Team Deakins podcastAdobe Premiere Pro (editing software)Tentacle (audio syncing software)DaVinci (editing and grading software)

After a brief interlude, Will and Ieuan are back with another episode! They discuss the components that make great acting performances and how you can foster an environment as a director that enables them. They tackle casting, rehearsal process, on set direction, and what to do if it all goes wrong!Resources mentioned: "How to tell good acting from bad acting" (the article referred to at the beginning).Mark Duplass' Keynote Speech at SundanceMandySpotlightDirecting Actors- Judith Weston

Ieuan and Will sit down to tackle another question that's too big to fit in the title box:"What should I look for in a cinematographer, and what kind of relationship should we have?"The talk about their relationships with cinematographers on short films, including process, mistakes, and how to find that all important collaborator. They also discuss what cinematographers tend to want from a director, and how they've dealt with disagreements on set. Resources Mentioned: Team Deakins Podcast "Dick Pope and Mike Leigh episode"

Will and Ieuan tackle a question so big that it can't fit in the title box!"What should I look for in a producer and what kind of relationship should we have?"They start off by talking about how a film producer's duties can be difficult to define and varies from production to production. They also discuss their own personal experiences with producers, the ways in which a film director can find a producer and recommendations for that all important relationship. They do not touch on what a producer can bring to the table in terms of funding, as they plan to discuss "funding" in its own episode later on.Resources mentioned:Shooting PeopleThe DotsBafta Crew

Ieuan and Will talk about their own writing processes, including what has helped and hindered them. They compare their processes to other filmmakers. They also discuss “having something to say” in short films vs. making short films purely for entertainment, and how both tend to perform at film festivals.Resources mentioned:Podcasts:Team DeakinsThe Moment with Brian KoppelmanBooks:Screenplay- Syd FieldInto The Woods- John YorkeMaking it Big in Shorts- Kim AdelmanOn Writing- Stephen KingMaking Movies- Sidney LumetThe War of Art- Steven Pressfield

Ieuan and Will discuss the reasons why people make short films. They cover the importance of short filmmaking as a learning experience, how it enables filmmakers to find their voice, and what the terms “proof of concept” and “calling card” mean. Resources mentioned:@Jimcummings  (Director of Thunder Road)

Your hosts, filmmakers Will Liney and Ieuan Coombs, introduce themselves and outline what they want to achieve through the podcast.Find out more about Will Liney...WebsiteInstagramIn the Shadow of GiantsFind out more about Ieuan Coombs...InstagramThe DotsLinkedinMusicThomas Benjamin Cooper