Subs

The start of learning how to lead a team whilst being remote on a film began here. I was honoured to be given the chance to work with Joe and the rest of the team on their final student film, while I was starting to build my own team. I knew I didn’t want to be just the sole set designer on a shoot, and I wanted to start picking up skills on how to delegate and manage a team remotely, trusting them to dress the set with the vision I had in mind.

Subs was about balancing the challenge of remotely working on a set that I couldn’t be there for in person. I had to trust my set dresser to follow the vision that I spoke with the director, Joe, and the DoP, Aishwarya, about for weeks. Deciding positioning, props, colours and more. I was grateful to have had a hand in pushing this wonderfully powerful story about decision-making to life.

This short film builds on the relationships between the characters within a short period of time, establishing who they are to the protagonist and how they impact his final decision-making. This is a story that many of us can see a relation to, whether personally or we know someone who has been affected like this in some kind of way.

‘Subs’ is the winner of Best Student Short Film at the Manchester Film Festival 2023.