The Painter
@thepaintershortfilm
When writing the script, I was very interested in the question of how obsession manifested itself alongside the theme of misunderstood people. As a fan of more artistic independent style films, Wes Anderson more specifically I wanted to create something on the same wavelength. Like Wes Anderson we’re presented with an unconventional protagonist and mise-en-scene and colour that works alongside the narrative in driving it forward. Our lead actor (Aison Clark) perfectly portrayed both in image and characteristics the obsessed/ driven painter I had envisioned as he drives to seek colour. Ultimately, I believe we accurately accomplished across all areas of production the painter's gradual psychological transgression into madness while also creating both a visual and audible disconnection and comparison between the painter and the other characters.
Ellie Leigh (Director)
This film was made as part of the module LICA259: Short Film Production.
Film Synopsis
An artist is driven into madness and obsession in his search for the perfect shade of orange.
Crew
Director – Ellie Leigh
Assistant Director – Thomas Harris
Producer – Hannah Ford
Cinematographer – Skylar Qu
Assistant Cinematographers: Samuel Poon & Anysia Hall
Gaffer: Harry Deegan
Sound Mixer – Jack Leafe
Boom Operators: Roshan Adve & Leo Leetham
Production Designer – Amy Barlow
Editor – David Abu
BTS Photographer: Hannah Moore
Production Assistants: Eve Hyman & Kianna White
Cast
The Painter – Aison Clark
Anthony – Will Oliver
Erica – Felicia Chu
Sally – Poppy Buckfield
Dan – Charlie Lakin
Jackie – Sonya Pasricha
Felix – Max Birchall
Anthony – Will Oliver
Jackie – Sonya Pasricha
Sally – Poppy Buckfield
Felix – Max Birchall
Erica – Felicia Chu
Dan – Charlie Lakin
The Painter – Aison Clark
Crew Bios
Editor – David Abu
“I picked my degree – Film and Creative Writing – to get the chance to explore editing films and videos in a more professional manner (outside of making and editing clips as a hobby) alongside developing my practice of writing creatively. The Painter was the first film that I edited, and while my minor experience in working with timeframes when pursuing former hobbies in editing and making videos was helpful, working on an actual film with footage that lasted well over forty minutes was a task I initially felt underprepared for. The support that I had from my team, alongside consulting with other editors on the course helped me endure my way through the editing process, so much so that I found myself truly enjoying the experience more than how I felt being intimidated by it. I’m thankful that working on this film and editing it down to the standard that it is viewable to everyone right now – as daunting as it is, worrying about what aspects could be deeply analysed without my acknowledgement – provided me with such an unforgettable experience both practically, and memorably.”
“I picked my degree – Film and Creative Writing – to get the chance to explore editing films and videos in a more professional manner (outside of making and editing clips as a hobby) alongside developing my practice of writing creatively. The Painter was the first film that I edited, and while my minor experience in working with timeframes when pursuing former hobbies in editing and making videos was helpful, working on an actual film with footage that lasted well over forty minutes was a task I initially felt underprepared for. The support that I had from my team, alongside consulting with other editors on the course helped me endure my way through the editing process, so much so that I found myself truly enjoying the experience more than how I felt being intimidated by it. I’m thankful that working on this film and editing it down to the standard that it is viewable to everyone right now – as daunting as it is, worrying about what aspects could be deeply analysed without my acknowledgement – provided me with such an unforgettable experience both practically, and memorably.”
Director – Ellie Leigh
“I was very excited to bring my script to life as director, along with having a good crew that made it easy to convey my overall look for the film. Taking on this role was challenging and required a lot of adaptability, but I was extremely proud of the outcome, and it achieved what I had envisioned of the script. Doing both film and creative writing I have an increased passion for script writing, and I also loved the freedom of directing, so I’m hoping in the future I can bring more of my scripts to life.”
“I was very excited to bring my script to life as director, along with having a good crew that made it easy to convey my overall look for the film. Taking on this role was challenging and required a lot of adaptability, but I was extremely proud of the outcome, and it achieved what I had envisioned of the script. Doing both film and creative writing I have an increased passion for script writing, and I also loved the freedom of directing, so I’m hoping in the future I can bring more of my scripts to life.”
Producer – Hannah Ford
“The practical element of film was something I was extremely nervous and unsure about; I had previously worked on another student short for a different module, but the amount of work and effort does not compare to what went into The Painter. Taking on the role of producer was a lot more fun and challenging than I expected but I’m proud of the result and am hoping to create more films in the future I’m especially interested in stop-motions and perhaps honing my skills in this area.”
“The practical element of film was something I was extremely nervous and unsure about; I had previously worked on another student short for a different module, but the amount of work and effort does not compare to what went into The Painter. Taking on the role of producer was a lot more fun and challenging than I expected but I’m proud of the result and am hoping to create more films in the future I’m especially interested in stop-motions and perhaps honing my skills in this area.”
Sound Mixer – Jack Leafe
“I had little practical experience and so I was excited to take on a role that had previously interested me ‘Sound Design’. Working on the student film Consume (2024) as a minor helped me feel more comfortable and prepared for The Painter shooting days, however it did take some playing about to get the hang of things. I had a lot of fun overall working closely with the director and editor in post- production in sound mimicking the painters disconnect. I’m looking forward to creating more films in the future and screenwriting.”
“I had little practical experience and so I was excited to take on a role that had previously interested me ‘Sound Design’. Working on the student film Consume (2024) as a minor helped me feel more comfortable and prepared for The Painter shooting days, however it did take some playing about to get the hang of things. I had a lot of fun overall working closely with the director and editor in post- production in sound mimicking the painters disconnect. I’m looking forward to creating more films in the future and screenwriting.”
Cinematographer – Skylar Qu
“As cinematographer I had very little previous experience especially with a camera but through The Painter I along with the crew learnt a lot. I worked on another student short (Consume, 2024) as assistant camera that enabled me to gain my first hands on experience with the camera before taking on the cinematographer role. I enjoyed working with the crew in achieving so many different shots and establishing a comparison between the Painter and the other characters through these different shots. Hopefully in the future I’ll get another chance to gain more experience as The Painter although stressful was a lot of fun.”
“As cinematographer I had very little previous experience especially with a camera but through The Painter I along with the crew learnt a lot. I worked on another student short (Consume, 2024) as assistant camera that enabled me to gain my first hands on experience with the camera before taking on the cinematographer role. I enjoyed working with the crew in achieving so many different shots and establishing a comparison between the Painter and the other characters through these different shots. Hopefully in the future I’ll get another chance to gain more experience as The Painter although stressful was a lot of fun.”
Production Designer – Amy Barlow
“Previously, I’d taken on minor roles in a few other student short films for Lancaster filmmaking society, but this was my first time taking on such a big role as ‘production designer’. The script allowed for a lot of freedom especially with manipulating lighting to visualise the painter's gradual psychological transgression and the use of the colour orange allowed for the mise-en-scene and colour to be used as a narrative thread. Due to the multiple characters and outfit changes I did have my work cut out for me, but it was a great experience. I feel like as a Fine Art student production design was the more natural role for me to take and that combined with my love for film made the whole experience equally as special and I hope to develop and use my skills again in the future in more short films.”
“Previously, I’d taken on minor roles in a few other student short films for Lancaster filmmaking society, but this was my first time taking on such a big role as ‘production designer’. The script allowed for a lot of freedom especially with manipulating lighting to visualise the painter's gradual psychological transgression and the use of the colour orange allowed for the mise-en-scene and colour to be used as a narrative thread. Due to the multiple characters and outfit changes I did have my work cut out for me, but it was a great experience. I feel like as a Fine Art student production design was the more natural role for me to take and that combined with my love for film made the whole experience equally as special and I hope to develop and use my skills again in the future in more short films.”