Shooting Debt Ridden: A Proof-of-Concept Short Film in Birmingham
Back in 2024 I had an idea for a feature film. I'm a cinematographer and director based in Birmingham, and rather than trying to raise the money, I pooled my pals together and shot a proof-of-concept short film — a single sizzle scene for a proper Brummie working-class drama called Debt Ridden.
I utilised what I had access to. My brother owns a cafe, so let's set a scene in there. The crew all came in on favours: there was myself directing and shooting, Ben Waldron my 1st AC, Brandon Wall seconding Ben, Connor Ashmore on sound and Matt Flyn-Burkett gaffing. A small and very simple setup.
The actors were friends too. I didn't audition or post the jobs — having met Reis on a previous shoot, I knew he had the vulnerability and presence I was looking for to play the lead. I've written the full feature with Reis in mind as the protagonist.
With everyone in, the next step was to shoot. The location was my brother's cafe, so I'd done many recces knowing how I wanted to shoot it. We went in on a Sunday when it was closed. The whole scene took us three hours. In three hours we nailed the performances and the setups, and I fully attribute that to the prep work we did in pre-production.
Not being able to draw, I used 3D storyboard software that let me explore the shots and work them out according to the space I had. I could basically hand actors and crew a blueprint of the setups, so everyone knew what to do when a setup was changing. It also let me plot the lights — "light and dance," as I like to say. As a cinematographer I much prefer to light a scene once and let the actors explore. Swinging big light setups is a pain in the arse for everyone, and I think it can kill momentum. I wanted one key light, and away we went with minimal shifts between reverses. That worked a charm.
3D Software I used - its free - https://wonderunit.com/storyboarder/
Keeping it simple like this is where you get more time to explore the scene. Richard and Reis really had the leg room to play with the characters — they weren't constrained to any particular movement or performance. Once I'd got the master shots I knew I needed for a coherent edit, they had time to improvise, and a lot of it made its way in. Little lines from Richard here and there, certain gestures from Reis that came out organically. I truly believe both delivered incredibly natural performances, given how much pressure was taken off us as the crew.
As a former police officer friend of mine once said — the 6 P's. Perfect Preparation Prevents a Piss Poor Performance.
A little backstory on the sizzle reel itself. It's two years on now and I'm still working on the script. Debt Ridden is a proper Brummie working-class film, and I hate the generic gangster films everyone makes — they never have any real stakes. This one is about taking a young plasterer and thrusting him into a world of criminals. I was massively inspired by John Cassavetes; his film The Killing of a Chinese Bookie was the spark behind it — the story of an everyday man forced into a terrible situation. I wanted to ground something similar in a Birmingham drama and make the characters feel real. And to be honest, I've got friends who've lived a version of it.
Will the film happen? Who knows. But here's what we got: a great little scene. Richard and Reis both walked away with strong showreel material. I learnt more about how the film functions moving forward. Seeing Beck and Abel on screen let me work harder on their characters on the page. The sizzle wasn't a failed feature — it was the film teaching me what it wants to be. Good energy, well applied.