Director UK Inspire is opening soon, so we caught up with director Jamie Benyon who participated in the programme to speak about working with his mentor, director Tom George, and how it prepared him for taking on the production of his LFF award-winning short.
From shifting priorities, breaking down a script, and exploring a new genre, Jamie reflects on the importance of finding your goals and working towards them.
Read our conversation below.
Photo credit: Jamie Benyon
Tell us about your journey into directing.
I’m a self-taught filmmaker. I studied film at University but could never afford film school. I started working as a runner and gradually moved up from low/no pay gigs to Hollywood blockbusters like Wonder Woman, Star Wars: Rogue One, and Free Fire. I got to a point where I realised that writing and directing were my goals, so I made moves to write, direct and edit.
As a writer, my screenplays have won the IMDb Script To Screen Awards, been shortlisted for BBC Comedy Writers Programme, and a finalist in numerous other competitions. My most recent film, Two Minutes won the Audience Award for Best Short at BFI London Film Festival earlier this year – and it’s the film I worked on during my time on Inspire.
Just to screen at BFI London Film Festival was a dream come true, but to go on and then win the Audience Award was WILD. We also won Best British Comedy at Discover Film Festival and First Prize for Best Comedy Short Film at Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival. We were nominated for Best British Short at Foyles Film Festival. We’ve screened all over the UK, Canada and currently shortlisted for the Short Shorts Film Festival in Asia.
How did you work with your mentor, Tom George, during Inspire and what did you gain from that partnership?
Tom was amazing. He was incredibly gracious and patient listening to me ask him countless questions about directing comedy. When we initially paired up, I was going to self-fund a totally different short, but after I won the script competition, we both saw the potential in making something really cool. We spoke in-depth once a month and broke down various aspects of production.
Throughout post on Two Minutes, I was sending Tom different cuts, and he’d send me notes and suggestions. It was really insightful and inspiring to see how a director like Tom operates and I feel so grateful to have had that opportunity.
We shot the film in a day in September 2023. That shoot was honestly one of my best creative experiences. The cast, the crew, everyone brought their A-game.
What was the process like of developing and directing your short?
Our entire festival run has been incredible and I don’t think any of us anticipated the journey we’ve had. Two Minutes came from a place of necessity. I wrote the script shortly after COVID and wanted to make something quick and contained with my mates. I knew I wanted a short script with minimal locations and limited characters. I’ve always been drawn to crime films and comedy in particular, in fact, all of mysuccess as a writer has been from writing comedy - which is weird because I don’t think I’m funny at all.
I thought to myself: “What would be the worst but funniest thing that could happen to me if I was robbing a shop?” and certainly bumping into my Nan would be the worst! I wrote the script and then did nothing with it. I couldn’t self-fund it because I was skint, so the script gathered digital dust until I discovered the IMDb Script to Screen Award with Film Bath and entered. I got the email saying I’d been shortlisted and then went on to win the competition! I used the £7,000 cash prize to fund the production.
My Inspire mentor, director Tom George (This Country, See How They Run), introduced me to casting director Jessica Mescall, who came onboard and brought on our incredible cast Annette Badland, Samuel Bottomley and Ashley Margolis. We shot the film in a day in September 2023. That shoot was honestly one of my best creative experiences. The cast, the crew, everyone brought their A-game.
Photo credit: Jamie Benyon
Do you have any advice for getting the most out of the Inspire experience?
Do research on the sort of director you want as your mentor. I listed several directors with experience in directing comedy, I made sure those potential partnerships were specific to my career. I’d also advise speaking to Directors UK. Sean Thomas (Career Development and Skills Manager) was incredible in helping me with my application and put me in touch with directors. I actually don’t think I would’ve been paired with Tom without Sean’s help.
How do you navigate the pace of freelance work and continue to grow as a director?
I guess like most directors, the quieter moments can be quite difficult to navigate. I struggle with networking as I have social anxiety, but I try to force myself out of my comfort zone as much as possible.
I’ve met with various directors; mostly to pick their brains about directing. For me, directing is such a beast. I feel it’s really important to speak to as many different people as possible to understand their methods. I spoke to two directors about comedy, Declan Lowney (Ted Lasso) and Fergal Costello (We Are Not Alone) who are both incredible comedy directors. They really helped me grasp a better understanding of what a director does - especially as they move up into larger productions. What struck me is how calm, cool and collected they were. No matter the pressures, they always had room for humour, warmth and empathy. It certainly demonstrated to me a kind of filmmaking philosophy that I want my career to encompass.
I reached out to BAFTA-winning Jon East (Last Kingdom, Trigger Point) to see if I could shadow him during his next production and when I got the thumbs up I was over the moon! I spent a week shadowing Jon on the next season of ITV’s Grace starring John Simms. I learned a great deal in my short time on set like it’s invaluable to thank your crew for their hard work (again, reinforcing my filmmaking philosophy). I also realised my obsession with film history has extreme value because what we watch and consume has a huge impact on our directing sensibilities.
What’s coming up next for you?
I’m currently in the process of writing a feature script called Straight Shooters which is about two brothers who enter the world of illegal gambling to clear their debts. It is tonally very similar to Two Minutes. I had a meeting with the BBC about developing Two Minutes into a TV series, so along with trying to make another short, these are my creative goals this year. But I think as long as I’m working with cool people and we’re having fun, I’ll be very, very happy.
Directors UK Inspire opens later this month. Read more about the programme here.
