Meet The Crew
Camera
Matthew
My work over the years has led to shooting in some incredible locations and meeting some truly extraordinary people.
With half a decade in Broadcast Television, I work regularly with vulnerable contributors on series like 24 Hours in A&E and Emergency on Channel 4 and have honed my shooting skills on projects like Hunted (Channel 4) and Trippin’ with Anthony Anderson (E!). Establishing strong and trusting relationships with people is my strength as we engage in sensitive conversations to elicit insightful perspectives and unveil authentic stories. I have a strong track record of identifying and shaping captivating narratives that resonate with audiences. My research skills enable me to uncover hidden gems and bring unique perspectives to light.
Peter’s story is one of abandonment, heartbreak, trauma, and now, after many years, redemption. The fact that Ben, his son, is the one exploring this deeply moving story only adds a personal and unique impact to the project as he discovers what has made his Dad the man he is today.
Jacob
I met Ben at York, where we studied Film and Television together. During my time there I specialised in cinematography and worked as Director of Photography on several projects including ‘I Stand For Us’, for which my work was shortlisted for the Guild of Television Camera Professionals Bill Vinten Award. Since graduating I’ve worked on productions like Indiana Jones, Napoleon, Maestro, Star Wars and most recently, Deadpool 3. Outside of these larger scale projects, I’ve continued to work on short films including my most recent collaboration with Ben, ‘Invisus’, which was recently nominated for Film Hub North’s ‘DIY Filmmaking Challenge’, on which I served as co-director of photography and camera operator. I’m looking forward to working with Ben again on this project, and I think his unique voice as a storyteller will bring this film to life. This is a very personal story for him, and the journey he and his Dad have started researching is extremely captivating.
Sound
Alex
Me and Ben have had a close friendship since we met at York University during our Film & TV Production degree. I specialised in audio during my time there, which I have since pursued professionally, working in the sound department on HETV productions such as: Queen Charlotte A Bridgerton Story, Man vs Bee, The Rig S2, Midas Man, Billions & The Essex Serpent amongst others.
The never-ending pursuit for clean dialogue and capturing genuine performances is something I pride myself in achieving, especially with all the extraneous challenges that can arise against the sound department in a filming environment. The same rings true in post-production, where I love injecting life into an edit with colourful sound effects and artful design.
I am very excited to help Ben tell his father’s incredible story. It’s one that is very personal, very compelling and it is deserving of absolute attention to detail. I look forward to helping tell this fantastic story through a unique world of audio.
Music & Design
Matthew
I met Ben at York University where I studied BSc Film and Television Production. Initially, I chose this course as it was my dream to become a writer for film and TV, but once there I found a use for my musical skills that had not occurred to me before – composing.
I have played piano, guitar, trumpet and vocals for over 10 years, and have loved putting that theory and experience to use in helping tell stories through music. Ever since the first short film I wrote a score for I’ve always been itching for the next, including the feature film Carboard Fort, for which the music was composed and recorded entirely in lockdown.
I’m very excited to be working on this project as my relationship with my own father is incredibly important to me, and he has been instrumental in supporting me to achieve my goals and aspirations. I hope to help bring Ben’s fascinating storytelling style, and his deeply personal relationship with his father, to life, in a way that resonates with an audience.
Callum
I met Ben at University studying Film and Television Production. Going into the course, I had a couple of areas I wanted to focus on and ended up specialising in post-production techniques, but I have always enjoyed playing around with Adobe CC.
I have worked freelance creating social media content, in image, video and audio forms, though I currently ply my trade as a Graphic Designer. I will be working on creating branding/GFX assets for the film.
After hearing the story that Ben wants this documentary to tell, it made me question how many other incredible, heartfelt stories go untold, especially those coming from people we walk amongst everyday without giving them much of a second thought. I’m really excited to help tell Ben’s Dad’s story and actualise this project’s potential.
VFX
Thomas
I’m Tom, a German videographer and motion graphics artist based in London. Like most of our team, I met Ben during our studies at the University of York, which we completed in 2020. During that time, I had the pleasure of working on multiple projects with Ben – especially on our short musical film called The Art of the Lie. I am so excited to once again work with him on this challenging and heartfelt documentary.
My work as an editor and animator allows me to work on a wide range of exciting projects. From commercial campaigns for clients like TalkTalk, Amazon Prime, Bundesliga and Dr.Oetker, to more personal projects like short films and music videos. Most notably, I worked as the Head of Video for the successful video essay channel Athletic Interest on YouTube. For my work, I received the Editing Craft Award from the Royal Television Society in Yorkshire and the Best Post-Production Award from NASTA in 2020.
As the Motion Graphics and VFX Artist for Peter at Present, I will support our editor with stylised graphics and small animations to portray anything we can’t capture with our camera. Whether that’s maps to visualise Peter’s journey, enhanced archive footage or simple text animations, they will add a lot to the viewers’ experience.
Conn
I am Conn Kennedy, a 3D artist with experience in poly modelling and developing materials and textures for real time rendering such as video games. I have skills in 3DS Max, Photoshop and Substance Suite for creating photorealistic renderings.
The inspiration for my art is history and technology, with an eye for accuracy and detail to references.
This project excites me as it focuses on the lived experience of “The Troubles” as opposed to an overarching historical narrative. I believe such stories are as important to tell as they are difficult to share. This project also provides the opportunity to illustrate the technology of the conflict and how it developed with the escalating threat in the tense semi-urban setting of Crossmaglen.
Peter At Present Film 