Hi, Jack here,
As well as being Co-Director of Bonfire, I am a highly experienced filmmaking facilitator & mentor who has designed & run award-winning filmmaking courses that support young people & adults to break into film & TV. Partner organisations have included The BFI, Somerset House & London Transport Museum & I am currently working with Inside Job Productions & Rethink Mental Illness with a young filmmaker to found their TikTok channel.

 
 

A Bit About Me

MY PASSION
Seeing people, from all walks of life and background working together, gathering around a camera to direct a scene or crouching over a storyboard developing ideas, is - simply put - special. In these moments of creativity, like shallow depth of field, the noise around us softens and a sharp focus appears, creating a sense of possibility, excitement and, importantly, togetherness.

This transformative ability of film and creativity is something I am inspired by, but it does not stop there because we are also in a golden age for British cinema and never has the demand for crew been greater. I want all of the participants I work with to know that a career in film is achievable, exciting and ready for them.

MY EXPERIENCE
I have over seven years’ experience of working as a film facilitator and mentor having co-created and run long and short term projects which take participants from the very basics of where the record button is, to making final colour grades to their fully crewed up dramas, ready to send off to film festivals (where they go on to win prizes!).


Since 2020, I have moved into adult education, having lectured and mentored undergraduates at Screenology film school in Bristol and taught filmmaking at arts charity, Four Corners, in Bethnal Green. Since March 2023, I work one day a week at Inside Job Productions as a participatory filmmaker working with a young person with lived experienced of mental health issues, to create from scratch the TikTok account for national charity, Rethink Mental Illness.

MY SKILLS
In my work I aim to combine the skills learnt during my masters in Experimental Psychology and year long introductory course in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with over 20 years worth of experiences of working with SEND students, vulnerable parents, Mental Health Service Users and Asylum Seekers to show patience and compassion and try to empower and enthuse, rather than show and tell. I can design and deliver filmmaking workshops from scratch or work within much tighter frameworks and I love to collaborate where possible. Please do get in touch if you’d like to discuss a project.

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FILMS

 If you’d like to discuss a project email jack@bonfire-films.com or drop me a line on 07460847465