North West film writer and producer Jack Leigh is next on the Business Boom feature list. With a degree in Film and Television Production from Edge Hill University, Jack is already building up a fantastic portfolio and is gaining more and more experience having worked on the BBC’s Blue Peter” and Channel 4’s Get Your House In Order. Here, Jack takes us through some of his projects and tells us more about his creative background.
“When I was growing up in Bolton, my granddad was a photographer so I grew up playing with cameras, photographs and old cine film. I followed this passion through college taking an A-level in Film studies where I gain an apatite for making films. I have just graduated from Edge Hill University with a first in Film and Television Production; I was also awarded the 2012 Paul Canon Award for one of my final year films Heaven Hell and Other Alternatives.”
Heaven Hell and other Alternatives
“I wrote Heaven Hell about a year ago, and we finished shooting it last December, I’ve watched it that many times now that I’m sort of sick of it, however since than we’ve been inundated with positive feedback, we even received an award from Nik Powell (Head of the National Film and Television school). With Heaven, Hell I wanted to make something non-pretensions, I tried to focus on creating a universe of interesting characters that felt unique and original and to tell a sensitive story punctuated with satirical humour.”
Cape Colony – Chemistry Music Video
“I was really lucky and managed to piece together an amazing crew of people I have worked with over the past 3 years, there’s no way it would have been made with out such an talented crew working on it. I wanted to create something atmospheric and clean looking, however with a £300 budget I knew we had a tight set of parameters to work in and didn’t want to over extend and highlight the lack of resources. See more of the band on Facebook and Twitter @Cape_Colony!”
Shot on a canon c300 in the shipping forecast basement in Liverpool
“I’d say my big inspirations are people like Martin McDonagh or Nicolas Winding Refn; people whose passion for film shines through everything they make. When you watch a film by someone who clearly loved making it, I think it’s a more personal experience. You can tell that they’re not just trying to create something that’s going to fill cinema seats, they’re making something they would want to watch, which is what its all about if you ask me!”
“I’ve spent the years I’ve been a university trying to work at the same time, I’ve worked on the BBC’s “Blue Peter” and Channel 4’s “Get Your House In Order” as well as spending the last year working at Hurricane Films in Liverpool. Over the next few years I’m planning on keeping writing, and hopefully making, short films. I want to enter something in next years Virgin Media shorts. I have a couple of other ideas I’m working on, I’m a little bit fascinated with the idea of web TV at the moment and I would love to get involved in that. I’m also doing some work for a feature film over the next few weeks, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” it’s a great project and I genuinely can’t wait to get stuck into that!”
See more of Jack’s portfolio at www.pbshowfolio.com/jackleigh, Vimeo and catch the man himself on Twitter @Jaackleigh.
