Joining us on the podcast today is James Mellor. James is a seasoned director and producer who lives in Ripponden with his family. James has nearly 30 years experience in the film and TV industry and founded Rainbow Trout Films in 2010, which produces award-winning films, commercials, and documentaries. James will also be working with us on a film as part of the Welland project too which is incredibly exciting.
This episode explores James’ impressive career and his passion for storytelling. We had such a lovely chat about James’ journey into film, the touching story behind his production company, and why community projects are an important part of his work.
Information mentioned in or related to this week’s episode:
Rainbow Trout Films: https://rainbowtroutfilms.com
Rugby Town: https://rainbowtroutfilms.com/halifax-rugby-documentary/
Sheffield Doc Fest: https://www.sheffdocfest.com
‘Searching for Sugar Man’: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2125608/
Elland’s Happiness Lab documentary: https://curiousmotion.org.uk/projects/ellands-happiness-lab/
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James has been in the film & TV industry for nearly 30 years and has had the good fortune to work on many Film and Television productions from the set of Red Dwarf to Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, Last of The Summer Wine, London’s Burning, Doctors, Rocket Man, Wheeler Dealers, Car of the Year, The Real Holiday Show and many more. James started out as a Runner and worked his way up the Assistant Director ranks, before becoming a Producer and Director.
James has directed and produced a wide range of films, promos, commercials, documentaries and short films. He founded Rainbow Trout Films back in 2010 to offer a range of filmmaking services to his clients. Several of the films have gone on to win multiple international awards. Based out of Halifax, Rainbow Trout Films works with clients and partners all around the globe.
James directed and produced the documentary series ‘The Inflight Food Trip’ which launched in 2020 on Amazon Prime Video. James directed a short film called ‘Wheeling Dealing’ back in 2004, which has been shown at Cannes in the Short Film Corner and at the BFI Disability Film Festival along with many other film festivals. Rainbow Trout Films’ recent work includes Tik Tok commercials, BFI development funded project The Bridge, a Documentary on 150 of Rugby League in Halifax and the development of several other projects. James lives in Ripponden, West Yorkshire. He studied Media Technology at Thames Valley University.
James also created a documentary for Curious Motion back in 2022, all about our Elland’s Happiness Lab project. The documentary went on to win the Communitas Award for Excellence in Community Service!
[00:00:01] – Samantha
Welcome back to Calder Navigation, where each episode serves as a compass guiding you through the vibrant tapestry of Calderdale. I’m Samantha McCormick, your host and artistic director of Curious Motion. I’m delighted to present Season 2 as part of our Culturedale Commission, celebrating Calderdale’s rich cultural heritage during the year of culture. In this season, we continue to champion the voices of our remarkable neighbours, celebrating their resilience, diversity, and the shared experiences that bind us together. From intimate conversations to profound revelations, each episode is an invitation to connect, reflect, and celebrate the human experience.
[00:00:47] – Samantha
Season 2 of Calder Navigation is not just a podcast. It’s a celebration of community, culture, and the enduring spirit of Calderdale. Join us as we delve into the heart and soul of our community, exploring the myriad of stories that shape our shared experience.
[00:01:06] – Samantha
Joining us on the podcast today is James Mellor. James is a seasoned director and producer who lives in Ripponden with his family. James has nearly 30 years experience in the film and TV industry. He founded Rainbow Trout Films in 2010, which is based in Halifax, and produces award-winning films, commercials, and documentaries. James has worked on iconic productions like Red Dwarf and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
[00:01:35] – Samantha
He also directed the Amazon Prime documentary series, The In-Flight Food Trip, and the short film, Wheeling Dealing, showcased at Cannes Film Festival. Rainbow Trout Films has a strong community focus, creating impactful films for local charities, including for us with our Elland’s Happiness Lab documentary a couple of years ago, which won the Communitas Award for Excellence in Community Service. James will also be creating a film for our festival, Welland, which is coming up in October this year, too. So let’s explore James’ impressive career and his passion for storytelling.
[00:02:13] – Samantha
Welcome, James. Thank you so much for agreeing to have a little chat with me today. I’m excited for our chat.
[00:02:20] – James
Thanks, Sam. It’s a real pleasure to be here, and thanks for being asked. It’s a pleasure.
[00:02:24] – Samantha
No, I’m really excited to talk to you about all things film and more. I think it’s going to be great. I thought we could start off by going backwards in time a little bit, and I wondered how film first features in your life. Have you got an initial memory or experience that stands out?
[00:02:41] – James
Well, I think if you go back in time, wow, when I was a little kid. Yeah, so obviously in those days, we had things called VHSs and things. And I remember my dad, well, we had about three or four VHSs, which you used to get always re recorded over. And I think we had-, obviously, we had one of Star Wars, which was absolutely fantastic. And I still remember the-, I think it was the Duracell advert or the equivalent Eveready advert, which was like a spaceship. And I remember that as much as I do about Star Wars.
[00:03:19] – Samantha
Oh, that’s awesome.
[00:03:21] – James
Yeah, there was other films that, again, my parents introduced me to one of my dad’s favourites when he was growing up was a war film called Where Eagles Dare with Clint Eastwood, and I remember saying, Oh, this is a really good film. And films like that, they just stuck in my memory. And I was like-, so I love rewatching old films. There’s some people that are-, oh, why do you watch the same films again and again? But I’m a collector of films, so if there’s something that holds a special memory for me, then I like to then collect it and revisit that because it’s not just the watching of the film, but it’s remembering the place and time you were in when you watched it.
[00:04:02] – Samantha
Yeah, that’s very interesting, isn’t it? It evokes emotions and memories from quite a deep context, not just that one simple-, what we might initially think of.
[00:04:13] – James
Yeah, so I can cast back to when I was still very early in my career and I was down in London. And to supplement my income, I got a job in the cinema, which was in the old Swiss Centre building on the third floor, which has been completely demolished now just off Leicester Square. And it was a little outhouse cinema with three screens. But I loved it because I remember my first day there and it was just like, right, settled in, boom, boom, boom, boom. All right, well, that bit’s done. Or do you want to go see a film? Just like going-, I thought, this is ace. Not only am I going to see a film, I’m being paid to watch a film.
[00:04:55] – Samantha
Oh, yeah.
[00:04:56] – James
And I remember that one. That was The Pianist, which is quite a heavy film.
[00:05:01] – Samantha
Oh, wow, yeah.
[00:05:01] – James
It was an art house film. And during that period, I watched films like Bowling for Columbine.
[00:05:07] – Samantha
Oh, yes, I remember that.
[00:05:09] – James
And other really interesting art house films, French films, films that you just wouldn’t get to see in the normal context. But because I watched them there, I then since got them on DVD or Blu-ray, and I’ll still go and rewatch them. And it’s like, again, it reminds you back to that period of time rather than just the fact that, oh, that film came out then, because there are so many films out there. So creating that personal story around that, that connection, and just to come back to something special, I think it’s quite unique.
[00:05:46] – Samantha
Yeah, definitely. I’ve got those with films that really transport you somewhere in the past or even just somewhere else for a little while. And it does stay with you, doesn’t it? I mean, that’s the power of of art and these sorts of things things. And also I always find words or music that come out of the films. Sometimes they just stick in your memory as well, even if it’s not the whole scene or the whole film.
[00:06:12] – James
Exactly. It’s a form of escapism at a cinema. I think it’s one of the purest forms of escapism to escape real life. And just for that hour and a half, two hours, three hours now for the films these days.
[00:06:28] – Samantha
Yeah, three and a half.
[00:06:28] – James
Three and a half hours, which I think, that’s a different discussion. But you’re able to forget all your worries, all of those problems, those issues melt away while you’re in that film because I love the fact you just get transported there to that story, to what’s happening. And I think that for me, especially for me, I found that as a great comfort. So it was something I tried to do as often as possible. It’s a bit more difficult these days when you got family and commitments.
[00:07:07] – Samantha
Sure.
[00:07:07] – James
But we’ve got the beauty of things of Netflix and Amazon and all the rest of it. So I’m never short, and I’ve got quite a successful film collection anyway. So I’m never short because I said, “Oh, that’s off the streams, don’t worry, I’ve got it on the shelf.”
[00:07:23] – Samantha
We’ll be coming to you if we need a certain film. How old were you, do you think, when you saw your first film? Do you know?
[00:07:32] – James
Well, I definitely went on my first cinema experience, which probably not be the first film, but my first cinema experience, or the first couple of cinema experience, the first one, well, was absolutely stonker, was Return of the Jedi.
[00:07:47] – Samantha
Nice.
[00:07:48] – James
Star Wars. Absolutely incredible. I mean, I’ve since become a real sci-fi geek, shall we say. So that one really stuck with me. And I think that same year, which is quite different, and I’m just rewatching this with my son, which is wonderful. And people say, oh, it’s that film? I said, Superman 3. Absolutely wonderful. Wonderful because I just-, again, transported to that world, and it was all a little bit tongue in cheek. But when you’re a kid, those memories of those things really stick with you. And there’ll be always that one or two films where really you hone in, and it almost becomes a little bit of a comfort blanket in a way.
[00:08:35] – James
And I’m just watching those original Christopher Reeve films with my son now, and just to see the joy that he’s enjoying them in the way that I enjoyed them, or maybe slightly differently. But it’s like going, oh, yeah, this is good. And the excitement of wanting to watch that film, whereas we had to wait years for this film, between films and them going-, so lucky you’ve got them all here.
[00:08:59] – Samantha
Just binge the whole lot. What’s your son’s reaction been to them? Any particular things that have stood out for him?
[00:09:07] – James
Oh, he loves them. It was quite funny because we’ve been watching Superman 3 the other day, and he said, “Daddy, I think Superman 2 is better than Superman 3.” And I was just like, see, you’re building a film critic already. But he’s probably right, to be fair, because I think Superman 2 is probably one of the best ones of the original four, certainly.
[00:09:29] – Samantha
Yeah. Oh, wonderful. And how do you feel-, so now, obviously, you’re working professionally in film and digital media and all of these wonderful things that you do here at the studios as well. I just wondered about those early experiences have obviously stayed with you, and I think a lot of us can have that if film and cinema was part of our childhood. But I just wondered what your experience is as a young person and how that’s led you into this as a career as well. Is there anything that kind of became the moment where that was where your focus was going to be?
[00:10:03] – James
Well, I can say exactly. And forgive me for those who’ve listened to other podcasts where I’ve mentioned this, perhaps. I was 10 years old and I went on to-, it was my first experience of walking on to my first TV studio set, and it was a really random call in the ’80s. So my dad at the time had a trout farm, and BBC Manchester randomly just called them up and said, “We need some live fish for a scene,” in a then unknown series then, Red Dwarf.”
[00:10:33] – Samantha
Wow.
[00:10:34] – James
Which obviously now has very much a big cult status. It’s been going over 30 years. So it’s quite, quite, quite something quite special. So I went along as a little 10 year old with my parents, with the fish tank, with the trailer and the oxygen and everything. And I just walked onto this world of sets with spaceships and things. And I thought, well, I love my sci-fi anyway. And that was the moment where I fell in love with the industry, and going-, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do in the industry, but that was the moment where up to that point, I could have become a bank manager or a travel agent, or whatever thing. But from that point, it was just like, Oh, this looks like fun.
After that point, nobody, including my parents, could dissuade me otherwise. And obviously, back in those days, we didn’t have the internet, so we didn’t have mobile phones. And so to broker and get my foot in the door, so to speak, was a real, real challenge. And then it wasn’t into the mid ’90s where I got my first work experience opportunities, and that was over at Yorkshire Television on Countdown with Richard Whiteley and Carol Vorderman.
[00:12:00] – Samantha
Awesome.
[00:12:01.950] – James
But then, as I say, my foot was in the door. And Yorkshire TV, it was on Kirkstall Road. It was a real production hub in those days. Children’s ITV ran out of there. And while I was in the building, I got chatting to someone else who was working on a kids’ computer game show called Bad Influence. So I was into my Game Boys and then my Nintendos and everything. So they had all that there. So I somehow managed to persuade them to give me a two week work experience placement on that straight after my Countdown one. And then for the rest of that series, I went back for every studio and edit day for the entire rest of the series.
But I just go and soak in, up, being in the studio atmosphere. Obviously, you get fun things like, oh, play the games. I think there’s even some clips where I can probably see me in the background. I was one of those geeky kids in there. But I learned so much. And then being in the edit room, in the cutting room, where they’re putting it together. And it’s a really fast turnaround thing. So they would film it on the Wednesday, edit it on the Thursday during the day, and it would go out Thursday tea time. So it was really-, so there’s a real buzz and an atmosphere around it all coming together. And I would just sit there, I’d sit in the back, and I’ll be quiet. There was an opportunity where I was able to ask questions, but I just soaked it up and I just-, I loved it. I loved it.
And then that led to going down to London, doing some work experience down there with Carlton TV and London News Network. And then I did H&D and Media Technology down at Thames Valley University. But I did that because I had a connection with Ealing Film Studios. So I thought, yeah, but that’s an opportunity to get into Ealing Film Studios. I think I was thinking more about being able to get into Ealing Film Studios than I was about which university I was going to.
[00:14:03] – Samantha
Fair enough.
[00:14:03] – James
Yeah, but they’ve got that. And to me, that was cool.
[00:14:07] – Samantha
Yeah, you knew where you wanted to go.
[00:14:10] – James
Yeah.
[00:14:11] – Samantha
What an interesting story. So is the name Rainbow Trout Films comes from-, does that come from your dad’s trout farm?
[00:14:18] – James
Yes. It’s a funny story that because I was working for Sky at the time, and I had the opportunity-, it’s like, right, you can either stay as freelance or become a limited company and still be freelance, but through my company. So that was always one of my ambitions to have my own production company. So I thought, right, okay, I’m going to do that. But then it’s like, where the hell do I come up with the name? And that year, it was the BAFTA TV Awards I managed to get to. So I was sat in the London Palladium, watching the BAFTA TV Awards, thinking, what am I going to call my film company name? And I was like, I don’t want to be called James Mellor Productions. That sounds far too pretentious. And so I was looking at all the nominaees and things and would be like, Dragonfly Films. And it’s just at that moment, I thought, oh, animals. And then I just thought, oh, well, my dad used to have a trout farm. And so I was like, at that moment, I think I was frantically checking on that. Is that available with Companies House, is that-,
[00:15:20] – Samantha
Yeah, I’ve been there myself.
[00:15:22] – James
And I think, it was literally the next day, I was on the phone to my accountant saying, “Right, I’ve decided, it’s Rainbow Trout Films. Let’s make it happen.” But yeah, so it is very much a personal context. It was obviously the trout farm from what I call my dad’s midlife crisis, because he used to be in an art gallery and things like that before, to go into trout farming, and my late mum, too, because she was originally from South Africa. So the Rainbow Nation. And actually my logo with the fish, that is based on a drawing she drew.
[00:16:00] – Samantha
Oh, wow.
[00:16:00] – James
So it really is a homage to both my parents, but with a new, fresh way of looking at it. So, yeah, that’s the rooting behind it.
[00:16:12] – Samantha
I love that. I’m actually amazed that I’ve not asked you that before. I’m kind of like, why haven’t I asked you this before? But I’m very glad I’ve asked you it now when we’re recording because that’s a really wonderful story. It’s lovely. It’s got your family connections and that first film set experience as well. Did you find that film or creativity and being in that world was a helpful thing when you were going through the loss of your mum?
[00:16:37] – James
Oh, my goodness. Yes. So I lost my mum when I was 15, three days before my 16th birthday to cancer. It was probably the hardest time of my life. I was obviously start school at that point. And yeah, I definitely felt at sea, shall we say. So I scraped through my GCSEs, decided to change schools, which in hindsight was a big mistake. But where I found solace was through-, so when I was talking about the work experience I’ve just been doing, that happened during this period. So when I got onto the work experience, especially with Bad Influence, that was when I was doing my A-Levels.
Fortunately, the college were really, really acquiescent and allowed me the time to take out of college to do that because that’s what I really wanted to do. I really wanted to be working in the industry. And that’s where I found my joy, my safe place to be me and not to be judged, because I think that was one of the reasons when I changed schools. I changed schools because I didn’t want the sympathy. You can be almost grounded by it sometimes. The other thing, I went to one school, then I went to another college after that because that didn’t work out.
In hindsight, it was probably a mistake. But you just don’t know at the time because you’re dealing with-, you shouldn’t be having to deal with grief like that at that age.
[00:18:14] – Samantha
Yeah.
[00:18:14] – James
At any age, it’s tough. But yeah, it definitely-, it knocked me because my mum was-, she was one of the youngest headteachers in Kirklees, Cleckheaton Primary School, and she was a real powerhouse. She was always doing things, always making things creatively. So whenever I was home, she was like-, she wasn’t at work, she was-, sticky back plastic, and she was making some things for school for the kids to do. It’s just like memories like that. So I was always like, wow, what are you doing here? And just being involved with that and fun things, like-, because back in those days, computers were very, very, very new. And during the holiday time, she would bring the old BBC microcomputer back in three boxes and set it up. And it was just like-, and the only games on there were educational games. But it was just like, I can use the computer. I can do things. I can play games with the five and a quarter inch floppy discs for those of you of a certain age, I’m going, what’s that?
[00:19:27] – Samantha
Oh, great. Yeah, so I suppose that her creativity, maybe that lives on in what you’re doing now and what you have been doing all that time before she passed as well. That creativity seems to be a theme that was in your household and has carried its way through.
[00:19:47] – James
Yes, definitely. Because Mum was always creative, artistic. One of the last things she did was create a stained glass window. So which is still in my parents house, but funnily enough when we actually built a window, especially to fit it. So there are several houses in our area which I’ve got this odd-shaped window, but it’s because it fit my mum’s stained glass window, which is-, and again, she put a fish into that one.
[00:20:20] – Samantha
Did she? Oh, that’s absolutely wonderful. I’m going to be noticing all the fish everywhere now, I think. You know when you become aware of something and then you start seeing it? Yes.
[00:20:30] – James
Yes, you think, oh, a red car, and then you see red cars everywhere.
[00:20:32] – Samantha
So let’s bring ourselves forwards a little bit more into almost the present or the present, I suppose. So I know that now your work, you obviously still have your thread that you’ve had all the way through with TV and film, but you’re taking a particular interest in community projects or a community angle with your work as well. And I wondered what led you to include that in what you offer.
[00:21:00] – James
Again, I think it’s a place of joy and a place of giving back into the community. It’s all about storytelling, and it comes to finding really interesting stories on because we work together on two or three projects, and you just get to hear those stories, and some of them are incredibly, incredibly moving. I mean, that’s what I love about filmmaking in in general, especially documentary making, because you have your initial idea, but then when you start filming it and gathering the interviews, it can take you down some places and paths you just weren’t expecting, whereas a normal dramatic feature film, you’ve got your start, your middle, your end, and it’s all very much structured and you know where everything’s going. But with a documentary, you have your idea and you have your basic thing, and I wanted to take it here, and I want to hit that and that point. But then beyond that, it sort of creates a whole new aspect. And I love creating that when we’re doing the editing. And bringing the strong community voices through because, yeah, it is something I really enjoy. And I’ve done quite a few different community in Calderdale here and looking to do some more this year, which I’m quite quite excited about.
So it’s giving that story somewhere where that can take that audience beyond the confines of what it is for that initial thing. So for instance, I’ve just done a short documentary film called Rugby Town, which is about the 150th anniversary-, well, it was commissioned for the 150th anniversary of the Rugby League in Halifax, which was last year. So it was the Halifax Supporters Trust that came to me and they said, “Right, well, we can look at getting different funding pots,” blah, blah, blah, and we did some crowdfunding. But again, it was really about Halifax and the community, not just the sport. The sport obviously plays a very important part in it, but it’s those community stories and the emotion of those stories that really bring the film from just being a history lesson to being something that’s emotive and entertaining at the end of the day.
[00:23:32] – Samantha
Yeah, there’s-, I mean, people’s stories, even if they’re a life experience that you haven’t had, sometimes you can still-, there’s something in there that you can relate to, or you might feel less alone, or it might open your eyes to things. I love all types of documentaries I absolutely love as well because I am so intrigued by all of those life experiences. And I think it tells us a little bit more about what it is to be human, maybe, without getting ridiculously deep. But you know what I mean, we’re just a neverending, complex system of lives, aren’t we, that we’ll never be able to experience everything. And by sharing and opening up people’s stories, we can learn a lot about ourselves as well.
[00:24:17] – James
Absolutely. And one of the things I tend to go to is there’s a great documentary festival called Sheffield Doc Fest, which they have every year. And that’s where documentary filmmakers come from all over the world to Sheffield. And I love the fact it’s in Yorkshire.
[00:24:31] – Samantha
Yeah.
[00:24:31] – James
But it’s internationally renowned. And so you get to see film, documentaries from all over and really out there subjects, not just your mainstream ones. Obviously, you get your big players, but then you get some really quirky small things, ooh, what is that? And it just takes you to this other world or this other life and going, yeah, but this was now or recent. It’s incredible. And I’m thinking, it just reminded me a few years back when I went one year, it was a really good festival, and they had Searching for Sugar Man. But then afterwards, it was like there’s a Q&A with the guy himself. And then we all walked down to this bar, and I was walking with him down the street in Sheffield. He was huge. And then we had a whole jam session in this place. I’m like, what’s going on? And that was the power of just being there at the festival. And the people you can meet, I met Gene Cernan a couple of years later with Last Man On The Moon. I was like, going, this up to present history of-, it was the last man who was actually physically on the moon. And to be able to meet someone like that and shake his hand and see his story, that’s the power of documentary filmmaking. It does excite me.
[00:26:04] – Samantha
Yeah, that’s incredible.
[00:26:06] – James
Because you get to see in someone else’s world into a world where you wouldn’t normally have access. And there’s some real lovely stories coming out all the time.
[00:26:20] – Samantha
Yeah, it’s that inner world of somebody’s life, isn’t it, that, like you said, you wouldn’t have access to. And I suppose film, I don’t know how often we realise how much film brings people together as well, because you could imagine, I suppose, it’s on a screen and it’s not a participatory experience for a viewer. Or you could forget, I suppose, that actually what’s also happening whilst this film is being screened is all of these people are coming into a space together who probably wouldn’t come together without that. Then it leads to these jam sessions. You never know where it might lead.
[00:27:02] – James
Exactly. And that’s the beauty of it and how it all comes together and how that leads to something else or another project or inspiration.
[00:27:13] – Samantha
Yeah, absolutely. You can’t underestimate that.
[00:27:16] – James
Inspiration is probably really key. And one thing for me, I was like, I’m lucky enough to be a member of BAFTA, so I get to vote and see a lot of the films that come out. But to just be part of that process and see those things and then going-, so, yeah, you heard it here first. One day, I’m going to win one of those. One day, that’s on my vision board.
[00:27:42] – Samantha
Fantastic. Put it out there into the universe now. Brilliant. Yeah.
[00:27:45] – James
Future BAFTA winner.
[00:27:47] – Samantha
Oh, my gosh. Amazing. Oh, that’s exciting. We’ll be coming back to this episode when that happens. With your community project work, what impact do you see that that’s having in general and what are your hopes for it in the future as well?
[00:28:02] – James
It definitely has a huge impact because quite often it’s telling a story of quite often marginalised groups within a community, and other members of that community might not even realise these things are there. And when you create a film like that, it gets them out there and gets them to an audience and gets them to the wider community. And I think that’s-, that’s so important, I guess, for the future, always with anything, it’s making sure there’s those funding pots there from the various arts organisations and local community organisations. They are key to helping tell these stories because these stories help further the betterment of the community. And whether that’s from a very small thing, but people see something that moves them and inspires them in a film, it can inspire them into action to do something, to do something good. And it can be the smallest thing to the largest thing. And it doesn’t need to involve necessarily any money at all. For me, it’s about that give back and that passing on to future generations. I think it’s important to inspire and prove that it can be done even when there’s so many adverse things out there, especially in the world today, where we’re like, oh, we’re trying to avoid the news these days.
So it makes it even more important to cling on to those community stories. And for me personally, one of my goals is to share those as far and wide, and as a filmmaker, that’s one of my abilities and one of my responsibilities to do. So to be able to create something which is not only good enough to just be seen by the 20 or 30 people in that screening, but to take it to a new world, to take it out there to the world through film festivals and things throughout the world, and for other people to see, oh, yes, oh, that happens there, oh, that’s interesting, and how they can then maybe apply that back to things that happen in their community. So it all builds, and so it’s all going in the right direction to-, so what someone does, I don’t know, say in some remote place in Canada suddenly goes, oh, that’s really handy, we can implement that here in Calderdale. But you need to see that to be able to even know about it. My hopeful thing is that the films that we will continue to produce and make have a big and meaningful impact as well as entertaining.
[00:30:59] – Samantha
And that’s a lovely thing about film is that it lives on, doesn’t it? Coming from a dance background where when dance is live, it’s there and then it’s gone again. I absolutely love bringing film in because it means we can document something really special for people who couldn’t experience it in that moment. And for it to be-, you never quite know when an opportunity might come up for a film to be shared somewhere or someone to just come across it on YouTube or something. And there’s so much potential, I suppose, for the future of a film, even if it was made 50 years ago or whatever. It’s just endless.
[00:31:34] – James
Well, exactly. And you can make something five years ago, and then suddenly something will happen in the future, and that suddenly becomes really relevant. And if you’ve got the material, you can remake it in a way, or it has a second life. I mean, you look at it with something with music, one that speaks to mind, Stranger Things, Kate Bush.
[00:31:58] – Samantha
Oh, yes.
[00:31:59] – James
It was just like, yeah, she had a great hit in the ’80s. And then because of that episode and how seminal that was into the soundtrack of that series, it shot back to number one. So things like that could happen really unexpectedly. So you can’t plan for everything. But as you say, with the dance and things, working with you and working with people in the community of Elland, particularly with the Brews and Grooves and things, and getting to know those characters and those people and seeing the joy in what was being created and to be able to capture that for future generations through what we worked on together. I mean, that was just wonderful to see. And then when we did show that at that evening, it was just such a lovely atmosphere.
[00:32:51] – James
And again, it’s about bringing communities together and very different ones. So you had Brews and Grooves, but then you had people from Syria and refugees from places. And we were all there in the room together, sharing in the story. And for me, that’s the highest praise from-, that was for me. And obviously, I was there filming the documentary.
[00:33:19] – Samantha
Filming the filming.
[00:33:20] – James
Which was really, really to add to a different version. You talk about versions. And I was like, oh, this is really surreal.
[00:33:28] – Samantha
Filming your own film. Yeah, I mean, it was so special. Really also, what I think a skill that you have that is really important to us is that-, so Brews and Grooves, for people who don’t know, is our regular dance session for people over the age of 55. We’ve got a wonderful group of-, they’re all women at the moment who are really good friends, the ones who’ve been coming a long time. But talking on camera or dancing on camera is a really, really vulnerable place to be. You have a lovely way of helping dissipate some of the anxiety around that and it being a really open opportunity that people can opt in or opt out of themselves. You put them at ease really well to the point where they now, some people have asked when you’re coming back. So you will be coming back, James.
[00:34:15] – James
Wonderful. It’s just lovely to have that.
[00:34:17] – Samantha
It’s lovely to be there because I just feel part of the team. It’s like an extended arm of the team. Which is just coming in when that needs it. It is wonderful. I’m-, I mean, yeah, I would never want to put anyone under undue stress.
[00:34:33] – Samantha
No, and you don’t. You have that sensitivity and respect there, which is obviously key, isn’t it? I mean, I imagine that’s key in any context, but particularly in communities and telling stories that people haven’t shared before, maybe.
[00:34:46] – James
Yeah, because some of these can be very powerful and very personal to them. Absolutely. And you’ve got to be very respectful of that and treat that with the respect that you would want your story to be. And I always put it like, well, how would I feel? Well, that’s my story. That’s my personal thing. I would want someone to look after it.
[00:35:13] – Samantha
Absolutely, yeah.
[00:35:13] – James
And give it the reverence It deserves. And that’s what I always try and do. It’s always a challenge when the editor is saying, “Oh, it’s running too long.”
[00:35:22] – Samantha
Of course, yeah.
[00:35:24] – James
The hard thing when you have to cut something. I think that’s just like-,
[00:35:27] – Samantha
Oh, gosh. Yeah, I’m glad you do that bit.
[00:35:29] – James
But I really want that bit in, but it’s like, oh, it’s not working.
[00:35:32] – Samantha
I’m very glad that we leave you to work that out because I would be terrible at cutting stuff, I think, because it’s all-, yeah, but I suppose it’s part of the game, isn’t it? It’s part of the job.
[00:35:45] – James
It is.
[00:35:46] – Samantha
So just to finish off then, I’ve got one last question for you, which is if you could sum up your experience working in film and TV in your career into one word, or I will allow a short phrase, what would it be?
[00:36:03] – James
I’ve been thinking about this and I keep floating with different thoughts, but I feel blessed. Despite all the adversity, I feel blessed to be able to do what I do. I’ve had to work hard to get where I am and still work hard to keep where I am and to move forward. So it’s not straightforward, it’s not easy, but I love what I do. And whoever you are, you find a job or a passion that you love, hold on to it. And it’s scary. It’s scary. And you will have people, you will have naysayers around you who will try and knock you off that because some people can be mean.
[00:36:50] – Samantha
Yeah, some people can.
[00:36:52] – James
And they don’t want you to succeed. And you’ve got to learn to have a bit of a thick skin, water off a duck’s back, as the old saying goes, and persevere, and if it’s something that you really are passionate about, stick with it where possible, obviously, within reason. But never leave it behind. Always keep it there with you, even if you have to take a break from it because you can. But always remember that because I think if you’ve got something like that, and that’s why I feel really blessed, because I’ve got a great team around me. As you know, I’ve got Danny here at the studio. We both feel blessed, but we created this out of nothing, so it’s still-, I have to go, “Did we do this? Did this happen?” And sometimes it’s go do. Go do. Talking about it’s all very well, but then go and do it. Action.
[00:37:55] – Samantha
Take action.
[00:37:57] – James
People remember the people who take action, and it doesn’t need to be perfect, but you’ve done it.
[00:38:04] – Samantha
Such a good point. It’s really-, I’ve done it. You can hold yourself back because you’re waiting for it to be perfect, aren’t you? And then you don’t take any action.
[00:38:11] – James
Us as creatives, I think that’s probably our biggest stumbling block, and I’ve hit it so many times. And it becomes a point of inaction because you thought, No, but I just need to wait for this. Or I just need to wait for that. And sometimes you don’t need to wait for any of it. Just go out and do it. It’s like you’re doing this wonderful podcast now, but you’d not let anything hold you back. You said, “Well, it doesn’t have to be this. It doesn’t have to be-,” not everything needs to be on film.
[00:38:39] – Samantha
Yeah. That was the thing with this. It would be lovely to film it, but it’s not doable at the minute. And actually, like you say, not everything has to be on film, I suppose, does it?
[00:38:52] – James
Yeah. I would still say 95% of people will listen to it rather than anyway, even those that are filmed, so. But yeah, it’s, yeah, stay inspired.
[00:39:03] – Samantha
Yeah, hold on to it, isn’t it? I think that’s a really good message, even if-, like you said, even if you have to do other things, or-, it’s not about having to do it all the time. It’s just about keeping hold of that thing that means so much to you. And you’ll be able to get through the adversity that will inevitably come. It’s never easy, is it, but.
[00:39:22] – James
No, no. People see the successes. They say, “Oh, you’ve done this. Oh, that’s won that,” or-,
[00:39:29] – Samantha
Yeah, they just see the success.
[00:39:31] – James
But what they don’t see is the hard work, the stress, the months of-, oh, how are we going to pay for this this month and how are we going to scrape that? And, oh, we’ve over extended there. Because the world and life throws mud at you all the time, and it’s how you deal with it. Sometimes it can feel as though it’s too much, but we’re still here.
[00:39:57] – Samantha
You are brilliantly with this lovely studio and yeah, it’s a really good point that as well that it is very easy in our society to just look at everybody’s successes and talk about the successes, but actually, you don’t have any of those successes without quite a lot of failure along the way and lots of tricky times and worries and not knowns or unknowns. All of these stressful things are part of leading to that success, and that’s natural, that’s what it is.
[00:40:31] – James
Yeah, I fail all the time.
[00:40:34] – Samantha
Oh, God, me too.
[00:40:36] – James
Okay, I fail all the time. Oh, that didn’t work, that didn’t work. But I keep trying. And then after that failed, that didn’t work, that didn’t work. Oh, that worked. But then it’s success. You remember the success. You won’t remember the rejections. If you’re an actor, it’s like, oh, I went to 100 auditions, and they all said no. But then you go to that 101, and that person says yes, and that transforms your life. So don’t give up, but be grateful and be thankful. And this is something where some people ask me, oh, don’t you get jealous of so and so doing that? And I go, no, because I’m happy for them to have got to where they want to be. And that’s a hard thing in itself. And there’s too much jealousy in the world as it is. And as I say, when people say, “Oh, yeah, but you’re in competition with that production company or that filmmaker,” I said, “No, there’s enough work out there for everybody, and we all can’t do everything.”
[00:41:41] – Samantha
So true.
[00:41:42] – James
And once I got my head around that, things got a lot easier because, yeah, social media things, oh, look at them. How have they been doing that? How are they doing this? And get that out of your mind. Get that out of your mind because that’s negativity. It won’t serve you well or anybody. It’s keeping that positive mindset, keeping that belief, and believe in yourself. You’ve got to believe in yourself because if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else-, you’ve got to believe in yourself first before you can expect anyone else to believe with you.
[00:42:15] – Samantha
That is so true. Hard, but really is true, isn’t it? It’s you first. It is. It has to be. Oh, wow, James.
[00:42:24] – James
Sorry.
[00:42:24] – Samantha
I love it. No. That’s-, what a wonderful thing, sentiment to leave us all with. Yeah, that is just absolutely wonderful. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. And thank you so much for sharing that with me and with our listeners and for being part of our extended team or family at Curious Motion as well. It’s lovely having you.
[00:42:44] – James
Thank you, Sam.
[00:42:46] – Samantha
It’s time to wrap up another episode of Calder Navigation. And as we do, we want to express our gratitude for joining us on this journey through Calderdale’s stories. We hope these conversations have moved you and reminded you of the power of human connection. Calder Navigation is part of the Welland Activator Project, aimed at combating loneliness in Elland and Calderdale. A massive thank you to our funders, Calderdale Council, Culturedale, and reaching communities from the National Lottery Community Fund, empowering us to continue our mission of fostering connection and combating loneliness through projects like the Wel and Activator. A big thank you to Untold Creative for production support, too. Remember to subscribe to Calder Navigation on your podcast app, share it with others, and please leave us a review. Keep exploring and connecting. Until next time.
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