MY STORY
The first 15 years of my career were spent making documentaries in London for the BBC, Channel Four, National Geographic, Channel Five and the Discovery Channel. Many of the documentaries have been presenter-led enabling me to work with John Peel, Stephen Hawking, Jonathan Miller, Rory McGrath, Clive Gamble (archaeologist) and Piers Gough (architect). My work has taken me all over the world meeting and interviewing top scientists, members of the KGB, indigenous people from Alaska to Antartica and across Polynesia & Australia, as well as leading architects, archaeologists, historians, musicians and scientists from the UK, Europe and America. It is an absolute privilege to work with people from all over the world with such varied stories to be told.
Camilla Deakin - "Her approach to documentary film-making is thoughtful and considered and she is extremely good at interviewing talent and filming in difficult situations where tact and discretion are required. She also has a great eye for lighting and composition which means that her productions always look beautiful."
Much of my recent work has been making short films for websites, social media and publicity. I have been scripting, directing, filming and editing these films for a wide range of small companies - from gallery owners, artists and sculptors, lighting design companies, interior designers, chefs, marketing consultants, green energy companies and recently the WHO Foundation. Before that I worked with Lupus Films, an Animation company, for whom I have made numerous films. From Press Kits, short "making of" films to half hour documentaries to go on DVD releases as bonus material. I have also worked through Lupus for Channel Four to create "featurettes" - 90 second films - to trail their upcoming Christmas Animation Specials for "The Snowman and the Snowdog" and more recently "We're Going on a Bear Hunt". When Lupus made the award winning "Ethel and Ernest" - Raymond Briggs' story of his parents - I also Live Action Produced the opening title sequence of the film receiving a Feature Film credit.
I am a director / camera and sound woman / editor with my own kit. There is an interesting story in everyone you meet, finding the angle, interviewing, filming and creating well crafted stories is what I enjoy doing most.
Michael Proudfoot - "Quite apart from her talents as a filmmaker, Jess is a delight to be around; calm, focused, dedicated, great sense of humour and hard working. Jess will not let you down; she falls into the categories of Grade A and Group One in my opinion."
Where it began….
BROADCAST TV DOCUMENTARIES
JONATHAN MILLER AND THE ISLANDERS - BBC Horizon - Filmed and Associate produced - Jonathan travels to the Torres Straits retracing the steps of the first Anthropologist Alfred Haddon. Uden Associates
STEPHEN HAWKING'S UNIVERSE - 6 x 50 minutes series for BBC Associate Producer 2 x 50 mins - wrote the script and oversaw the edit. Production managed and co-ordinated the round the world shoots for all programmes in the series on locations across the USA and Europe.
SOUNDS OF THE SUBURBS - 3 x 30 mins - Radio DJ John Peel scours Britain’s towns for hidden young talent. Channel Four - Uden Associates South Wales Part 1 / South Wales Part 2 / North East Part 1 / North East Part 2 / Isle of Wight Part 1 / Isle of Wight Part 2
THE BRIDGE - Foster and Partners - short film to explain why the Millennium bridge wobbled and how they fixed it. Shown at the British Museum.
THE SPYING GAME - 2 x 50 mins about Spying. Filmed the KGB in Russia. Channel Four - Uden Associates
SHOCK OF THE OLD - 3 x 50 mins studying Victorian, Georgian and Cathedral Architecture in the UK. Presented by Piers Gough. Channel Four - Uden Associates
THE DAY I SNAPPED - 50 min programme studying people suffering breakdowns from stress in the workplace. Channel Four - RDF Television
WHERE DO WE COME FROM? - Channel Five - 8 part series how man walked out of Africa and colonized the world following and studying archaeological remains. Presented by Clive Gamble. Filmed and directed. 3 x 50 mins. ‘Pole to Pole’ - from the Arctic to Antarctica / ‘Into the Blue’ - the settlement of Polynesia and New Zealand / ‘Down Under’ - the colonization of Australia
ROLEX AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE - Protection of the Africa Wattled Cranes. National Geographic - award short film 4 mins + 30 minute documentary Protection of the Sperm Whales in The Canary Islands. National Geographic - award short film 4 mins + 30 minute documentary
CLASH OF THE TITANS series - in two programmes in the series I compared and contrasted the performance of Howitzers vs 18lbs (filmed in the UK and France) and MIGs vs SABRES (filmed in the UK and Los Angeles) for this we did an air to air shoot in a helicopter filming the SABRE and the MIG having a dog fight.
BLOODY BRITAIN - 2 programmes in a series about bloody moments in British history presented By Rory McGrath. Channel Five
MEGASTRUCTURES series - Directed three 50 minute documentaries for National Geographic and Channel Five / Palm Island Dubai / World Islands Dubai /Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Japan
RESEARCHER / PRODUCTION ASSISTANT 1992 - 1996 UDEN ASSOCIATES
BBC - "White Heat" - series on the history of technology, "Classic Ships" - 30 mins films about different styles of boat for Channel Four, "Auto Erotic" series about car design filmed in the UK and Europe, "Ford Today" information commercials, "Post Office" training films.
MORE RECENT PROMOTIONAL AND SHORT WEBSITE FILMS
SOLAR WATER PLC - short film to explain how they plan to create desalination domes completely run on solar power. Planet friendly water, forever.
TODHUNTER EARLE - several films to promote the launch of the interior design company’s book MODERN ENGLISH for social media and the website. Also a 3 minute film for the website about their business.
EASTWOOD FINE ART - creating films for website and social media for Josie Eastwood’s gallery. General promotional films for exhibitions and films about her artists.
WHO Foundation - 2 short films I edited from footage shot on location around the world to promote COVID vaccination funding.
BET UK - social media films to introduce its clients to horse racing. Filming on location at racing trainer, Neil Mulholland’s stables. Also creating “Behind the Scenes” film of the BET UK advert with Vogue Williams.
OWL Lighting - working on a series of films to populate their website and social media channels.
FLORA’S KITCHEN - creating a series of online cookery courses. Multi camera shoot.
JULIA LAMPARD - short films for Julia’s website and social media to promote her salon and her ethos.
MOLESWORTH - pitch film for investment at the Cartoon Film festival. An interview with the animator.
UK HEALTH COACHES ASSOCIATION - filmed their annual conference to edit a promotional film of the day. Four camera shoot plus four workshops.
IRN BRU - The making of the Irn Bru advert sequel. For Lupus films
JARETH - two short music videos to promote a new solo artist
VAPORETTO - short film to promote a mobile pizzeria company
BARBOUR CHRISTMAS STORY - for Barbour Clothing - short "making of" film about their 2017 Christmas advert which takes the story of "The Snowman and The Snowdog" further introducing new characters.
THE SNOWMAN AND THE SNOWDOG - A "making of" film about "The Snowman and The Snowdog" animation for Penguin books', Lupus films' and Channel Four's websites
THE SNOWMAN AND THE SNOWDOG - 3 x 90 second featurettes for Channel Four. We recreated the animation studio in a warehouse and brought "the snowman", "the boy" and "the dog" to life on the page to trail the upcoming Christmas film. A mixture of film and animation.
UNDERSTANDING JEWELLERY - a short film to introduce two Sotheby's jewellers who are turning their best selling book "Understanding Jewellery" into an App.
WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT - Lupus Films - 24 minute "Making of" Documentary for "We're Going on a Bear Hunt” Christmas Special
IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation) - a short film about the "She Decides" Conference which was discussing the re-introduction of the global gag rule
WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT - Lupus Films - 3 x 4 minute "Making of" documentaries about "the Music", "the Cast" and "the Animation" of the film to be used as part of the Electronic Press Kit for Universal
WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT - Channel Four - 3 x 90 second featurettes to trailer the upcoming "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" Christmas film, December 2016. We reconstructed the studio and filmed the animation artist painting three backgrounds from the film and then the characters animate off the page.
ETHEL AND ERNEST - Lupus Films - a 5 minute "Making of" documentary, 3 x 4 minute "Making of" documentaries about "the Music", "the Cast" and "the Animation" of the film to be used as part of the Electronic Press Kit for Universal. 19 short films for the "Ethel and Ernest" educational website.
TEAM ARCHIE - fundraising film to be shown at Newbury Races. Introduced by James Nesbitt the film explains how the charity started, introduces it's Ambassadors, fundraisers and the people who have benefitted from the charity.
ALTON SCHOOL - social media shorts for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram about the school
IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation) - short film and social media shorts showing the outcome of the Family Planning Summit 2017
ALTON SCHOOL - 6 short films for their website outlining the ethos of the school in the Prep, Senior and Sixth form.
iGAMING BUSINESS - interviews for online magazine
BIO EPIC - short film for launch of product
THE COLLAGE COMPANY - promotional web film to show how the company can turn your photos into something special to be hung on the wall
LOCOG web film - Filmed performing arts groups, dance troops and music acts around Hampshire.
GARDENEYE - 5 minute web film for a landscape gardener to promote his work