#13: Actor Johnny Byrom - From Mike Leigh to Motion Capture

#22: Catch (Up) 22

Following last week’s episode on guerrilla filmmaking, I catch up on the responses it generated, including a remarkable story from the making of Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and the provocative Lone Gun Manifesto - a filmmaking philosophy that argues the best way to make films is to strip the process back to its absolute essentials. The episode then turns to recent developments surrounding the Manchester Film Festival and the festival director’s unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign, prompting a wider discussion about power, ethics and the importance of challenging questionable behaviour - regardless of the industry you work in. Along the way, I discuss Sophy Romvari’s Blue Heron and respond to allegations that my film, Blurred Lines, had copied visual ideas from a student’s short film (https://letterboxd.com/psychedelic223/film/blurred-lines-2025/ [https://letterboxd.com/psychedelic223/film/blurred-lines-2025/]). Ultimately, it’s an episode that touches on the many Catch-22s of independent filmmaking: ask permission and you risk losing the authenticity you’re trying to capture; don’t ask permission and you risk not making the film at all. Take creative risks and you may be overlooked in favour of safer work; play it safe and you risk making work that nobody remembers. Stay silent and questionable behaviour goes unchallenged; speak up and you may face the consequences yourself.

#21: “Ask for Forgiveness, Not Permission” | Guerrilla Filmmaking

In this episode, I explore approaches to guerrilla filmmaking after spotting a group of filmmakers shooting a short film in a town square. Drawing on experiences from my features films X, Blurred Lines and Notion, I discuss filming in public spaces, working with limited resources, and how adapting to real-world locations can shape both the creative process and the finished film. Along the way, I reflect on the work of filmmakers including Werner Herzog, Christopher Nolan and Sean Baker, and consider where the line lies between creative freedom, practicality and responsibility.

#20: Walter Murch & Return to Oz (with Q&A)

After recently attending a special 70mm screening of Return to Oz (1985), this episode explores the career and work of legendary editor, sound designer and filmmaker Walter Murch. I discuss Murch’s collaborations with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, including The Godfather, American Graffiti, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now, before looking at his influential approach to editing and his “Rule of Six”. The episode concludes with an excerpt from Walter Murch’s introduction and the full Q&A from the screening, where he discusses the making of Return to Oz and the challenges of directing his first feature film.

#19: No Prior Experience Needed

Independent filmmakers spend years creating work, pay to submit to festivals and hope someone decides their film deserves a platform. But what happens when the people controlling those opportunities become the filmmakers seeking financial support? After seeing that a festival director was crowdfunding their first short film, I explore the uncomfortable questions this raises about power, access and who really benefits from the independent film ecosystem. From “no prior experience needed” selection panels to gatekeepers using established platforms to support their own projects, I discuss transparency, fairness and whether the systems created to champion independent film always serve the filmmakers who keep them alive.

#18: When Is A Film Finished?

As my third feature ‘Notion’ moves closer to completion, I reflect on the often unseen final stages of independent filmmaking - the long process that continues after the cameras stop rolling. I discuss the reality of finishing a micro-budget feature: refining the edit, solving technical issues, stabilising shots, visual effects, colour grading, sound work and the difficult decisions around what needs fixing and what imperfections are simply part of the filmmaking process. I also reflect on the years spent completing both ‘Notion’ and ‘X’, including filming at Abbey Road around the same time Danny Boyle’s ‘Yesterday’ was announced and released, and how independent filmmaking often operates on a very different timeline. Along the way I discuss Werner Herzog’s ‘Fitzcarraldo’, ‘Festen’, Dogme 95, the changing expectations of audiences and why finishing a film is often the hardest part of making one. Ultimately, it’s a conversation about persistence, compromise and learning when to finally let go.