UNDER CONSTRUCTION
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Directing on the set
of Appointment in 2003 |
Robert has been involved in film and video production since the mid
1990s, working variously as jobbing actor, writer, director, lighting
cameraman/dp, editor and interview subject.
More recently he has been involved in podcasting, and radio
broadcasting.
This section will detail his contribution to those projects, including a
range of screen shots. He is currently developing a short micro-budget film on the
demise of Hammer in the 1970s, a fictional horror film, and an
expressive piece on the subject of lonliness.
Hammer Horror: A
Fan's Guide (2008)
interview subject
DVD: released 2008, Duke Video.
Production company: Phoenix
A 47 minute video documentary based around a 'top ten' Hammer films, and
featuring contributions from Marcus Hearn, Jimmy Sangster, Brian
Clemens, Roy Ward Baker, Alan Barnes, Jonathan Rigby and Robert Simpson.
Robert was filmed in a London studio is September 2008 discussing
various classic Hammer films. This was to be the first in a
proposed series of documentaries, and Robert was thrilled to sit in on
Roy Ward Baker's interview prior to shooting his own sequence.
Paranoia Abounds
(2008)
director of photography
Video: Mini-DV. MA dissertation
project. 10mins
Writer/Director: Danny Meegan
"Another odd piece, ostensibly about capitalism and terrorism, in part
inspired by working in video retail. I've worked with Danny several
times before whilst at uni, and was happy to be invited to shoot his
final piece for his Masters degree in Film Studies.
We spent quite a while discussing the script, and location hunting all
around County Antrim and County Down during that summer. Filming itself
took many weekends including reshoots, with another non-professional
cast. Lots of filming inside cars.
The final piece was realised in black&white after the JVC cameras we
were using were discovered to be faulty and the white balance completely
off. We experimented a little with using two cameras simultaneously, but
the final film is mostly from the camera I operated, combined with
'archival' footage Danny had shot several years previously in New
Zealand and Australia.
I'm not totally happy with my work - though there's some good visual
experiments, clever angles, and transitions. I've test-edited some of
the sequences in long form and am much happier, though this rather ruins
the pace of the story which Danny brought out in the edit.
The film has been screened publicly.
Oh, and I make a small cameo appearance in the final moments of the film
- a real blink and you miss it moment..."
Negotiations and
Clear Skies (2002)
actor / director of photography
Video: Mini-DV. 15mins
"A rather strange project that I never completely understood, which came
out of working with some of the guys in the film department at Uni in
the year above us. They'd started shooting this drama on capitalism but
hadn't made much progress when they called us in. Initially I was to
play the part of the slightly camp boss, but ended up also taking on
much of the cinematography.
We filmed on Mini-DV using XM1s (I think from memory), and were thwarted
with sound and location problems. The finished version was in part
filmed in the old Kitchen Bar in Belfast before they tore it down to
build the new Victoria Square. The best work in the film isn't mine, and
most of the cast weren't actors at all. This one's staying buried
though.... there was a public screening at one of the Belfast festival
events but I didn't go, I wasn't happy with it at all."
Film Fever: The
Horror! The Horror! (2001)
interview subject
TV: First broadcast 1 May 2002, Channel 4
(UK).br>
Director/Producer: Andy Kimpton-Nye, 400 Blows Productions.
A 6 minute documentary about Hammer film fans. Robert was consulted
early on in the production and was interviewed as editori of The
Unofficial Hammer Films Site about his interest in Hammer films.
Robert's sections were filmed in Black Park, along with his friend
Robert Lane (a theatre designer from Dublin), in the summer of 2001.
Also featured is Wayne Kinsey, pathologist and author of several books
on Hammer.
The Long Walk To
Hell (1996/7)
actor / editor
8mm video. br>
Writer/director: Richard Barr
The first video production Robert was involved in was this bizarre short
about a man who inadvertently kills himself through the excesses of
drinking, drugs and porn. Robert played the part of 'Death', who comes
to escort the unfortunate individual to hell.
A comedic piece, the film was actually made twice.
"The first version suffered from bad sound and the director wasn't happy
with the other actor. A few months later we remounted in a much smaller
house using my parent's 8mm video camcorder, with me playing 'Death'
again. I remember roasting in a tiny bathroom as we struggled to bring
the shoot in on time.
I cut the film using two VCRs and astute timing. We were shortlisted for
the Cinemagic Young Filmmaker of the Year competition in Belfast - I
remember watching myself on the big screen for the first time - , and I
understood the director [Richard] also took the film to the Bradford
Film Festival - though without his cast in attendance."
Booking
Robert is available for hire around the world.
To discuss your requirements, commission a piece from him, or to book him
for an appearance you can get in contact here.