'BREATHE' KEEPS INDIE SPIRIT

When is a short filmmaker ready to move on to features? Talented Nicholas Winter has made 40 shorts and only now felt ready to move up.

Time was that wannabe directors would make one or two shorts, then move on to features. Or quit the whole movie business because they could not handle the stress.

Nicholas Winter, 27, is made of sterner stuff. On top of the 40 short films, he has shot regularly for TV and directed several music videos. He decided to wait a while before doing his first feature film, as he wanted to get it right. Admirable patience, indeed.

But now he is in for the director’s long haul, on Breathe, based on a script he has written.

Producer Gina Lyons, of Porcelain Film says: “I had worked before with Nick and admire his work as a director. Then, as soon as I read his new script, I knew I wanted to do it.

We co-own Porcelain Film - and I admire his work behind a script and camera.

Nick also worked on the film as the cinematographer. Some people in the industry have slammed this approach but, given that Nick is the best DOP we know, it made sense to us, and the crew and actors were happy with that too.

Nick is also editing the film due to the same reasons.

We kept the crew as tight as possible – just sound, camera b, several runners and a production co-ordinator.

Everyone was working for a deferred payment. With the film holding a paper budget of £350k, we are confident about securing a decent distribution deal.

Finally, a fellow producer suggested Ricci Harneet, who featured in both 28 Days Later, and Rise of the Footsoldier, and he was the answer to our prayers.

Luckily for us, he loved the script and wanted to work with us and so he agreed to work for deferred payment, something someone in his situation does not have to do anymore.

The rest of the cast includes TV star Zara Dawson, soap actor Lee Otway and regular TV face Ewan David Alman, alongside some great supporting acting, beginning with 16 year old Kayleigh Garnett in her first acting role ever! Looking like a young Keira Knightley, she performed exceptionally even though she was the youngest person on set!

Filed November 26, 2007.