Tom graduated from the Northern Film School in 2019, having studied BA (Hons) Filmmaking. Since graduating he has been working on his debut feature film as Producer, working with fellow Northern Film School alumnus Aled Owen who wrote, directed and also produced the film.

When discussing how the film came about, Tom said “I met Aled at film school when we were in writing and producing classes together. I knew what a talented writer he was, and we caught up on a Zoom call after we graduated during the pandemic when we were stuck at home. We both had a similar philosophy: we wanted to make something and carve out an opportunity for ourselves. Aled sent me a great script, but slightly too big-budget for a first-time feature. He also happened to have a horror script he was working on at the time, which turned out to be Scopophobia.

“We made the film with what little money we had, shooting a third at a time and using what we’d shot to raise funds for the next block, starting with simple dialogue scenes, working our way up to the gory scenes and finally, big stunts and our industrial mill location. It’s crazy now to look back at the process, having had our world premiere in Leicester Square at FrightFest a couple of weeks ago!”

The film had a real sense of community around it, with the same cast and crew coming together for three separate shoots, on low pay, to bring the project to life. As well as Welsh cast and crew local to where the filming was taking place, there were also several other crew members Tom and Aled met on the course. 

“We have a few Heads of Departments who we met at film school. I’d previously worked with Adam Hollin a few times, a fantastic DOP who shot my graduation film and took up the same role on this. Daniel Rosenberg, our Editor, and Lubos Jurik, our Sound Recordist, both took roles on the film amongst their industry work, to name just a few of the talented film school alumni we had involved.”

As well as allowing him to create connections with like-minded creatives, Tom also praised his time at the Northern Film School for developing his skills. “I learned so much in my time at film school - both in terms of soft skills and managing people, as well as hard skills such as budgeting and scheduling - one of the most difficult parts of this film as we had very little time and very little money! Producing is a creative role too, so I’m very proud of the collaborative relationship Aled and I have. I feel I’ve been able to work with him on his vision from script through to screen.” 

Now that the film has had its premiere, it will be screening at more film festivals in the UK and abroad, including York’s Dead Northern Film Festival. “We’re excited to get the film in front of as many people as possible, both through festivals and also in trying to sell the film to a Sales Agent or Distributor - something we’re hard at work on in the background. Once we’ve done that, roll on the next film!”

To find out more about Scopophobia, you can follow the film on Instagram or Facebook, or visit the Melyn Pictures website.