Biography
CAREER PROFILE
A successful and highly experienced ‘programme maker’ with a proven track record within the film and television business. A distinguished professional with a very broad knowledge of the industry within the UK and International markets.
BIOGRAPHY
Originally trained as an actor then moved into Feature Films and TV Commercials as an Assistant Director. Major credits included Superman, Yanks, Dragonslayer, Yentl and Carry on Behind. He then formed the production companies Supervision Ltd and Superanimation Ltd and became a Director and Producer exclusively. He has directed Feature Film, many television programmes, documentaries, advertising and promotional films for major international companies on a wide range of subjects.
Amongst the many and varied projects he has directed are; “Love Me Leave Me” a full length 35mm feature film which had international distribution, and has been transmitted on UK television and throughout Europe. Other notable productions have been two highly successful series of “Great Little Trains” which starred Willie Rushton for Carlton/Westcountry and Channel 4, the first of which received a Royal Television Society documentary award. A children’s animation series of 26 episodes starring Robert Powell and Susan George called “The Tidings” for The Cartoon Network. He directed another documentary series for Carlton/Westcountry Television called, “Streetlife” and by complete contrast, the first in a series of TV hour programmes entitled “A Question of Guilt? ”. With locations in New York, North Carolina and Miami, the series investigated the questionable convictions in some of America’s most famous murder cases. There have been themed Specials, (“The Simpsons Stunt Nights”) for Sky One featuring, Phill Jupitus, Mark Little, Tania Bryer and David Bellamy. In addition to these, “Backchat”, was a viewer feedback series for Sky, featuring the presenters Lisa I’ Anson and Terry Christian. Also for Sky was “Blam”, a computer game show featuring contestants going head to head and presented by Julia Reed. Amongst his many projects have been all 13 episodes of a documentary/lifestyle series and 6 programmes filmed in Las Vegas, Holland and Barcelona also for Granada/Sky. Clips of some of these productions can be seen on the website: www.charlesmarriott.tv
Two significant documentaries, “Blind Ambition” and “Night or Day” dealt with the immense problems associated with blindness (DOP credit as well on Night or Day). “Blind Ambition” tells the amazing story behind ex-Policeman, Ken Moss’ attempt to break the world land speed record for a totally blind person. This he did achieving a remarkable speed of 134 mph in an MGF sports car - solo! This film won the prestigious, Best Documentary award at IVCA 2000.
Charles has also directed Sales and Marketing car launch DVD’s for BMW featuring Tiff Needell. Examples of other corporate productions that he has directed over the years are, the highly acclaimed film “Off your Trolley?” starring Kevin Whately. “Touching Stories”, a documentary about a charity who produce paintings for the blind, segments for Sky’s “The Really New HD Show” and a series of High Definition commercials for the perfumes “TNT” and “Ammo”. Charles was both Director and DOP on the documentary and the commercials. Charles has also completed some of the green screen sequences featuring Peter O’Toole on the new 3D feature film “Eldorado” (DOP).
August 2011 saw the Channel 5 transmission of "Great Train Robber's Secret Tapes - Revealed", a 1 hour documentary that reveals how Ronnie Biggs' was discovered in Brazil in 1974.
This one hour programme was Charles' concept. There was a strong element of reconstruction. The documentary was photographed on a Canon 5D by Charles to enhance the 60's/70's period.
