Flashfilms: The Whole Shebang
Who is "Flash"?
‘Flashfilms’ is the name I adopted for my production company in 2004, when I started dabbling in digital media. ‘Flash’ was my first dog.
Before Flashfilms, I worked under the name ‘Dangerous Visions,’ an ominous logo stolen from writer Harlan Ellison that appeared on my Super 8 and 16mm films while I was growing up in England.
My Super 8s won awards with the Institute of Amateur Cinematographers[1], and my first 16mm film, Board Game, won Showreel 86, The Radio Times Film and Video Awards, presented by filmmaker Alan Parker on BBC TV in 1986[2].
That led to Dogplant, a short film starring Richard Hope and Georgina Hale[3] that I wrote and directed for Four Minutes[4], which aired on Channel 4 TV in 1990.
What then?
My career went on to include editing, animation, miniatures, visual effects, special effects and creature effects in London and Los Angeles[5]. In 1998, I began writing for Cinefantastique and other magazines in print and online. And then, in 2001, I embarked on two decades with Cinefex, where I covered the making of many gigantic and complex film and television productions[6].
My filmmaking continued into the new millennium.
My sci-fi short The Glitch was opening film and ‘best science fiction’ runner-up at the 2008 Dragon Con Independent Film Festival[7], and my horror short, 4EVR, co-produced wth Sergio Pinheiro was ‘best of fest’ at 2018 Hollywood Horrorfest[8].
I also provided commentaries for Blu-ray releases including Jaws[9], When the Wind Blows[10] and Zardoz[11].
And now?
I'm available for freelance assignments and collaborations, and I am continuing to pursue my own creations.
My screenplays have included sci-fi, horror, thrillers, comedies and dramas, including the historical eco-adventure The Dodo Man, which was finalist in the Imagine Impact development program[12].
If you want me to read yours, you can find me at Screenplay Readers. Or, I am negotiable for private commissions.
My recent journalism has included two years as VFX editor at American Cinematographer[13], and I have written books on The Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Alien and Avatar [14].
I'd love to hear from you.