Watch
Visit my YouTube channel for a wealth of frank and insightful behind-the-scenes videos, from short podcasts to in-depth “how to” guides, plus trailers and clips from many of my productions. The channel is divided into several playlists; here’s a run down of what you’ll find in each one:
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Stop/Eject |
| This series of 2-3 minute podcasts follows the making of my short fantasy-drama Stop/Eject, in which a young couple’s lives are turned upside-down when they find a mysterious old tape recorder in the back of a charity shop. Topics covered include script development, casting, design and storyboarding, plus instructional videos on making DIY film lighting equipment. | |
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Soul Searcher |
| This playlist contains the full version of my second feature Soul Searcher, described by The Guardian as “a fantasy action movie in the grand style”, along with deleted scenes, bloopers and other behind-the-scenes goodies. |  |
The Dark Side of the Earth: Podcasts |
| This series of fifteen short podcasts offers a glimpse into all aspects of making a 35mm pilot for an ambitious fantasy-adventure film, The Dark Side of the Earth. Starring Kate Burdette and Benedict Cumberbatch, the film is a steampunk spectacular set on an earth that has stopped spinning, leaving one side of the planet in constant daylight and the other in perpetual night. Topics covered include design and construction of a puppet, the set, miniatures and costumes, shooting a sword fight, digital compositing and sound design. | |
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Dark Side Guides |
| Ten minutes long and packed with tips, these four programmes offer invaluable in-depth information on the following topics: building a set, miniature effects, shooting on film and digital intermediate. Each guide looks closely at how the particular aspect of production was organised and achieved on The Dark Side of the Earth’s pilot, including things I got wrong, and concludes with a sample budget. | |
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Cannes Vlogs |
| These video blogs document my trips to the Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film in 2010 and 2011 while attempting to finance The Dark Side of the Earth. For anyone new to Cannes, 2010′s vlogs will offer a useful insight into what they can expect, including tips on costs and registration, as well as providing a glimpse into the development process in the international arena. 2011′s vlogs include interviews with The Dark Side of the Earth’s producer and script editor as well as other filmmakers attending the festival. | |
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The Dark Side of the Earth: Previsualisation |
| As part of the development process for The Dark Side of the Earth, I created crude videomatics for some of the key scenes, using action figures and cardboard mock-ups to show the camera angles that would be used and how the FX would be achieved. This playlist contains a selection of these videomatics. | |
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The Beacon |
| See clips and behind-the-scenes featurettes from my first professional feature film, 2002′s The Beacon. Sarah is a bored council admin assistant who becomes an action heroine after her boyfriend is kidnapped by terrorists bent on releasing a deadly nerve gas from the summit of the Worcestershire Beacon. Videos include a fifteen minute “making of” documentary and a deconstruction of a car crash stunt. | |
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Neil’s Early Films |
| Watch my surreal comedy Cow Trek and the Quantum Leap spin-off I made as a teenager in full, plus a selection of clips from the original amateur version of The Dark Side of the Earth. | |
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Trailers |
| Including Soul Searcher, Going to Hell: The Making of Soul Searcher, Video8 and Dark Side of the Earth (original amateur version). |
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Watch Soul Searcher, my "fantasy action movie in the grand style", in full for free.
How can I buy and watch “The Dark Side of the Earth”? Is it out and available yet? I live in the US and I would love to watch it and buy it.
Caitlin, we are still trying to raise financing for The Dark Side of the Earth. Although we have shot a five minute demo scene we’re contractually prohibited from selling copies of it or putting it online. Keeping checking the website for the latest developments and hopefully one day it will be unleashed upon the world!
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