Introducing Thomas Jackson, writer and director.
Director of Bespoke Dad (Prickle Productions) and Snare (Prickle Productions & Red & Blue Umbrella), Tom received a First-Class Honours degree after studying Independent Filmmaking at Futureworks, Manchester. He has also worked on minor roles for BBC and ITV.
He was the founding member of Prickle Productions, a Manchester-based film production and music video company which has made projects for major clients such as the BBC and Tameside radio. The company specialises in short film production, live music recording, and music videos.
Lucy (L): When did you decide you wanted to be a filmmaker?
Thomas (T): Originally I wanted to be an actor. When I was at school I attended a youth theatre group where I did a lot of musical theatre including Grease, Highschool Musical, Oliver and I played Jafar in Aladdin which was probably my favourite role. I wanted to do drama at A-Level but I had already selected Media Studies, Film and Graphic Design so my parents encouraged me to pick a more traditional subject. I swapped it out for English Literature. I think it worked out better in the long run to develop my writing skills. I occasionally act in my own projects but I prefer to be behind the camera.
L: So you aren’t still curious about acting?
T: I much prefer telling stories. I’m more comfortable behind the camera and it allows me to be more creative. I think acting was more of an ego-driven pursuit for me. I enjoyed having an audience but it didn’t allow me to express myself creatively in the way that I wanted.
Recently I wrote a short story which I’m hoping to publish soon. I’ve just finished the editing process, "Write with fire, edit with ice," is a quote by J. B. Priestley, the idea behind it being that you allow yourself to write passionately and then approach editing with a cool head to polish your work. I want to write things that have a positive impact. I don’t like to lecture people, but if I can highlight social issues and get people thinking, I’m happy as long as I’ve represented them accurately.
L: You made your debut short film, Bespoke Dad, in 2023. What was the process like?
T: Atif Mir Hussain wrote the original story and pitched the script to me. It was a challenge because it was a big concept to fit into a ten minute film. I decided to take the concept and create an open ended story which has the potential to be a feature film. The film is about a father who's carefully constructed façade begins to unravel during an evening with his family, forcing him to confront the lies he's been living.
L: Tell me about your writing process.
T: It’s so easy to come up with concepts and ideas for feature length pieces and pilots for TV shows but recently I find myself working on short pieces. I don’t '“vomit draft,” I feel like I’m writing to delete most of it later. I sometimes like to do free-writing exercises to have fun with my writing when I’m feeling less inspired but generally speaking I’m a plotter and a planner. I use the Save the Cat method. When you’re starting out, the beat sheet sets up a good framework for your story. I’m also reading Stephen King on Writing.
Sometimes when I vomit draft, I think I focus too much on the story and forget to develop my characters to their fullest potential. Then I have to go back and refocus on their personality traits and their goals. If you figure out your character’s personality traits, you can begin to decide how they will react to situations they encounter in your story. This cause and effect can feel missing from female characters in films. You see a lot of male characters who have all the agency and the female characters just react to events around them. I actually don’t always write my characters with gender in mind. I write a character and a story that I can develop, then I assign a gender to that character. It’s a good way for me to write well balanced characters.
A good example of this is Alien. Ridley Scott didn’t gender any of the characters until casting. Ripley wasn’t specifically male or female, so they auditioned men and women for the role. Sigourney Weaver, being the badass that she is, auditioned and got the part. Her being a woman changed the context of some scenes. For example, we perceive that the crew doesn’t trust Ripley because she’s a woman, however no part of the script required the character to be male or female.
L: You studied Independent Filmmaking at Futureworks in Manchester, do you think a degree is important for those looking to pursue a career as a filmmaker?
T: Tarantino famously didn’t go to film school; he learned by watching films and working on low-budget projects. I know many talented filmmakers who haven’t attended film school, though I think it can be helpful. It’s a great place to network—you get to be in a classroom full of other aspiring filmmakers and collaborate on films. I enjoyed the collaborative nature of university. I met two like-minded people in my course who wanted to make films, and we founded Prickle Productions, a film production and music video company.
Before university, school didn’t particularly nurture my love of writing or reading, largely because I found the books we read quite boring. I’m dyslexic and was often told I didn’t understand books because I didn’t enjoy them. The way we teach English Literature doesn’t suit many neurodivergent people, but it’s a one-size-fits-all system that can’t cater to everyone. It felt like I was banging my head against a wall in a way. I was doing everything they asked me to, to my understanding, but I was still scraping by with C grades. My parents told me to focus on getting the grades I needed to move to the next stage of my education, which was great advice. I preferred university because the assignments were broader, allowing me to do things my own way. All of a sudden, I’m achieving a First! Although, I’m sure that amount of freedom might overwhelm some people, especially if they come from a system that tells them to do things a certain way.
At university, I wanted to write a feature script set in Manchester, so I tried reading a book set in the city for inspiration. I was hooked on Sirens by Joseph Knox. He was the head of crime fiction at Waterstones in Manchester. When writing Sirens, he wanted the story to be published on its own merit, so he didn’t tell them he was the head of crime fiction, using the pseudonym Aidan Waits. It was a great book and rekindled my love of reading.
L: What are Prickle Productions working on at the moment?
T: We are currently editing Snare. We have a music video which is near completion and we are filming a show reel for two actors. I’m working on a lot of projects at the moment while trying to make time to write so it’s fortunate that the process is quite collaborative. We are working with different editors on our current projects. One of the actors we are working on the show reel with, Harriet Eaton, wrote the script for the show reel scenes for herself and Gwion Wyn and I got to do the more technical side of directing where she had a strong creative vision.
L: As a writer and a director, do you enjoy collaborating with writers who already have their own artistic vision?
T: Directors are the creative lead, so the buck kind of stops with you. I enjoy working with writers on their projects but everyone has to be open to collaboration and making a film that works for everyone because my name will be on it as the director just as their name will be on the credits in their role. Like when we worked together on Snare, we bounced a lot of ideas around and edited the script together. I think it can be difficult for some people to get used to, the thought that their idea might not look exactly how they pictured it on screen. At the end of a project, if it isn’t exactly what I wanted I’m probably going to say - I did my best work under the conditions that I had, and we made a great film. I enjoy working on my own scripts and other writers equally but it’s always nice to see your own vision brought to life.
L: If somebody wanted to pitch a script to a filmmaker like yourself, where would they start?
T: Don’t be afraid to approach a director that you like! Of course you should be realistic, you’re probably not going to be able to pitch your script to Martin Scorsese. Research directors and production companies who make short films in your genre, in your area. For example, if you write horror and you live in Manchester you might consider Grimmfest, a horror, sci-fi, fantasy & cult film festival that takes place each year. Look for a horror film that is a similar style to the one you’ve written and take note of the director, they may even be at the festival. Email or speak to them with thoughtful detail about their work and explain why you think your script is a good fit for them. The worst they could say is no, you could even get some helpful feedback or advice. If you’re able to get IMDBPro, you can use it to look up films and research who made them. Look up networking groups in your area, some meet in person and you can find some local filmmaker’s groups on social media.
If you’re able, and you have friends with the right skills, you can always make a short film on your own and upload it to Youtube.
L: What do you look for in a script if someone is pitching to you?
T: I don’t really look for what a script can do for me, rather what I can do for the script. If I can’t see myself making the film in the best possible way, I’ll pass. I’m looking for something I can get excited about, something I can imagine myself making into an interesting film.
For updates on Tom’s work, please follow Thomas Jackson and Prickle Productions on Instagram. Check out Bespoke Dad and Snare on Instagram and if you’re interested in any of the books Tom mentioned you can find Save the Cat, Stephen King On Writing and Sirens by following the links.