Paper Straws / 2021
Director/Writer/Producer/Editor
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Paper Straws was first greenlit by The Roundhouse following a successful pitch to their Last Word Film Fund in December 2019. Originally planned to shoot in March 2020, a certain virus prevented the production from going ahead. Over the next 12 months, the project was restarted 6 additional times, only to be derailed by Covid restrictions each time. During this period, the crew continually dropped off and needed to be replaced, everchanging lockdown restrictions requiring constant revisions to the production plan, and even the lead actor eventually became unavailable due to a move to the US.
In March 2021, it was finally shot and was screened at The Roundhouse's Last Word Festival and Beeston Film Festival. Paper Straws tackles the all-too-real problem of corporate greenwashing, the practice of using fig-leaf eco-reforms to distract from wider environmental devastation. It also explores the reality of most young people entering the workforce, trying to uphold their values without compromising their future. The film aims to inform, to anger, and hopefully stir some change. 
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The Queue / 2020
Director
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The Queue was a lockdown collaboration between Laurie Waplington and the writer-lead actor, Edie Deffebach.
Set in a dystopian future that looks a lot like Dalston, The Queue follows two individuals from opposite ends of society who have to stick together to survive in a crumbling city. Crammed full of misdirection and deceit, the audience is left guessing at both characters' true intentions until the very last moments of the film. Edie Deffebach and David Omordia both bring such emotional realness to their roles that every lie, and every decision, weighs on their expressions, leaving a lasting mark in the minds of the audience |
I dunno... maybe |
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Reclaimer / 2019
Director/Producer/Co-Writer
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The world has ended. You'll have to take my word for it. Reclaimer is a 15 minute character-driven drama about two young women trying to escape the clutches of a manipulative megalomaniac. As they flee across a unfamiliar landscape, they know that Adam will stop at nothing to get them back. The girls will have to stick together if they want to reclaim their freedom. |
There's nothing left but wildlife, and machines.” |
Shot over 5 days on the south coast and in the New Forest, the short film Reclaimer was a logistical challenge that took 9 months of planning to pull off. Crack of dawn starts and late night finishes made principle photography a hard graft, and the contributions of the crew who endured it all cannot be overstated.
As Laurie Waplington's MA graduation film, Reclaimer was shot on a shoestring budget and achieved more thanks good will than money. Cooperation from local homeowners, the Lymington and Keyhaven Nature Reserve and the general public allowed the production to take place unhindered in truly untamed wilderness that gave the film a rugged, unyeilding aesthetic. Imogen Davis, Edie Deffebach, David Houston and Howard Perret all gave stellar performances that brought the characters to life, while the cinematography achieved by Mickey Vissers allowed the acting and settings to come through and bring the story to life. The soundtrack, composed by Rob Maloney haunts the film throughout and lingers with the viewer for long after it ends. 
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