Having, not only a love of filmmaking but a passion for sharing how he makes them, Neil’s site brings together over a decade of blogging and video podcasting to provide an unparalleled resource of inspiration and information for independent filmmakers everywhere.
Neil directed his first professional feature film, The Beacon at the age of 21. Over the next three years he co-wrote, directed, produced, photographed and edited ‘Soul Searcher’ (watch in full above), which The Guardian described as “a fantasy action movie in the grand style” while dubbing him “The Spielberg of Hereford”. In spite of its microbudget, press reviews called it “ground breaking” and “a remarkable achievement”, and Neil was named a winner of the Channel 4 Ideas Factory’s Creative Class in 2005. Short film credits include The Picnic, Traction, Cow Trek, Ghost-trainspotting and Possibilities.
As Director of Photography he has seven feature films to his name, including See Saw – shot in Manhattan at various landmarks including Liberty Island, Tavern on the Green and the Supreme Court, and featuring an underwater night sequence – and Beyond Recognition – filmed in upstate New York and the Italian Dolomites. Added to this, there are many short films he has been DoP on, including The Cleaner, written by David Schneider (I’m Alan Partridge), several dramas for Light Films in Derby and numerous participatory shorts for Catcher Media in Hereford.
Neil’s willingness to share professional secrets (a recent blog post on creating depth in cinematography is a must) is what makes him stand out from the crowd. Selflessness in this business is rare, and for students, amateur filmmakers or even those with a basic interest in the craft of filmmaking, should all take the time to take a look and see what you can learn from this talented microbudget filmmaker.
