My new film is called 'Spirit' and I've been working on it all summer. It is a film but I consider it an art piece ("art film"... film that's "art" ... film as an "artwork" ... just an artwork? ... always tricky to navigate the semantics and labelling or how I feel about it) made during being a part of the Unearth Art Collective, a great group consisting of American / UK / UAE artists. Our thoughts and conversation lead us to make work connecting to nature primarily and also technology. It's been a fruitful fulfilling experience with them and even after our work concludes (and "digital garden") I think we plan to continue meeting up, as we have done for months dotted around the world. And as we have realised, connecting like that is certainly a good side to technology's feats!

It's the first time I've shot with my BMPCC6K and really delved into how to properly use it hands on, feeling more and more comfortable and understanding of its capabilities. I currently have a better than "rough" edit but after spending a month away from it for objectivity and a holiday, I've today continued to cut it and make edit notes, to develop the sounds ideas too and look towards its finished state.




​

​

My short documentary A Film By Abigail screens on Saturday 22nd April in the REAL Inspiration Showcase at the inaugural Real Documentary Festival in Leicester later this week. I'll be attending as a guest and also taking in the panels, talks, festivities on Thursday and Friday leading up to my screening at the weekend. The film has enjoyed a long life at festivals from Los Angeles to Estonia to East Anglia to New Delhi (!) and including in the official selection at the BAFTA recognised London Short Film Festival - every time I think it's done being shown, it gets another screening. I've screen grabbed parts of the programme brochure below but you can view the full thing and get passes on their website. Maybe I'll see you there?! Thanks for reading.

​

My short films A Film By Abigail and Lost In The Nameless City were selected in 2019 for a video streaming library used for patients in the Edinburgh hospitals: Royal Hospital for Children & Young People and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences. The idea being that these films and video would serve as a distraction and chosen by the doctor / practitioner for during a patients' treatment for "relaxing, engaging or focussing" depending on what's happening. The curated video library is part of the Beyond Walls program at these hospitals.

The Ginkgo Projects has made and continues to create some incredible work. It shows that art and artists can be highly valuable and have tangible projects with creativity and construction that offer genuine support and problem-solving in scenarios you might not ordinarily expect or associate as being a useful tool. Connected to science, medicine, therapy and everyday life. You should really check out their stuff.

My first solo exhibition is next week Saturday 24th (11am - 4pm) and Sunday 25th (11am - 3pm) of September taking place in Leicester at the Documentary Media Centre.

​I will be hanging my Instax instant film from the ceiling, my Arts Council supported film The Divine Visions of Hildegard von Bingen will be uniquely screening (possibly out of a window), there'll be a grid of images entering you into ongoing projects such as "the city of gifts" about urban discovery / semiology and my "watercolours" series with which I've made fine art prints with wonderful hahnemühle photo rag paper being physically displayed for the first time. These are also available to purchase in the shop.

​​I've made a lot more work since 2020 when the exhibition was originally pencilled in to happen in April, before the world fell apart, and it has developed completely differently to originally planned, previously focussing on my architectural work. I can't wait to put the show together for people attending and display so much work for the first time ever - I'm very grateful to John Coster at the Documentary Media Centre for the opportunity and faith. Look out in the coming months for the digital version I'll be putting together and experimenting with - something I really wanted to do with international Instagram followers and family outside the UK. You can follow @cap.cow to stay in touch, up-to-date and see behind the scenes of my development with First Exhibition here.

​​My latest photography book Strange Space, self-published with my arts label Captain Cowboy, is getting about! I had the pleasure of sending a signed copy to Singapore to a friend and follower of the @cap.cow Instagram page and a recent colleague of mine (I was the 1st AD on his commercial a few months ago) who is a great DOP and now a friend, sent me an image that he had purchased one. When you independently create a book you don't need to sell hundreds of thousands to feel accomplished and vindicated in your time creating your artwork - it is incredibly satisfying each single time the book is bought - whether that be many (I wouldn't object!) or just a handful.

​

​Another shoot in October saw me running around the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden for the filming of the global reveal of new Range Rover. That was a busy one! The image on the left was an old Range Rover spotlit at night outside the Opera House as guests arrived at the entrance for the evening.

In a very different shoot, a few weeks ago I was a 3rd assistant director for Wrigley's Extra working for Taylor Herring. It was a unique piece of commercial content to work on and an interesting experiment about our loss of confidence and kissing.
​

A Film By Abigail is in the official selection of the Bali International Short Film Festival. I wrongfully thought that it had screened for the last time in 2017 for "Exploding Cinema" in London but it seems it will keep on being seen around the world, adding Indonesia to the audiences of USA, France, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Albania, Egypt and others who've seen it. The five minute documentary, created while I was doing my Masters degree and premiering in 2012 as the opening film of a BAFTA short film showcase, has had quite the run of screening at in galleries and film festivals for many years now. I'm pleased for it to be headed to the fifth Minikino Film Week.

I've grabbed a snippet form the event brochure with Abigail top right, included in the "A Challenge" International Program. Below that, check out words from the main organisers behind the festival, a map of the venues, sponsors and a "Post-Festival MFW5 Road Show" (AKA the after party!). Keep in touch with me on Instagram @paulfilmmaker and take a peek at my newest venture Captain Cowboy @cap.cow.

​