Chris Shepherd is put through The Ringer

Director [and former shots ident creator] Chris Shepherd has recently completed a new short film, The Ringer, to add to the canon of award-winning shorts and commercials he has already helmed. Here he talks about getting the film made and why "a guy on the dole in Leeds should have just as much of a filmic voice as a NFTS graduate". An exclusive, extended clip of the film can be seen above.

Tell us a little bit about The Ringer; how did it come to be made?

The Ringer is a story about a son meeting his father for the first time. It stars John Henshaw and Kieran Lynn and was made for Canal+ by Autour De Minuit, Polkadot and the Bureau.

I'd done another film called Silence Is Golden which was a French collaboration and after Bad Night For the Blues won the Canal + International Award at Clermont Ferrand Film Festival Canal + were really keen to do a project. So thanks to the brilliance of Autour De Minuit producer Nicolas Schmerkin we managed to get the funding. 

Is it a story you’ve wanted to tell for a while?

Maybe Ive wanted to tell it all my life. Its inspired by the emotions and feelings I felt growing up without a father.

You’ve used live-action and animation before; is it something you’re especially keen on and if so, why?

I've directed one film [Bad Night for the Blues] which was completely live action. I realised when I made it that I missed the live action/animation combination. You can show mental states when you mix things up. Desires, nostalgia, fantasy. I love this seductive mix. I love the poetry of the ordinary becoming fantastic. I love the idea of drab things bursting to life in the most magical moment. It's the greatest. But I have a golden rule, and that's to never let the animation combo lead the story. The story is the main thing for me. Whatever happens that's a critical factor.

Have you noticed any differences in getting short films made since you made Dad’s Dead?

It's ten years since I released Dad's Dead and things have changed so much. Think about technology; phones, the web, the rapid change in the way we live is just mental. Technology has both liberated and contained us.

The down side of things at the moment is that there's less money in the UK. But the big plus is that the new technology means I can grab my 7D and just film something myself which is fantastically liberating. I shot Drillerfiller and Grace Petrie: Rise like that. Those films wouldn't exist if I'd had to get together a big traditional crew. So if you see me in the street with my 7D watch out, you might be in my next film. 

Do you think that the medium of short films has had a resurgence in recent years?

The change in technology has meant that anyone can make a film. Which is fab. A guy on the dole in Leeds should have just as much of a filmic voice as a NFTS graduate.

Filmmaking has become more democratic in recent years. Which is they way it should be. Think that's why there're more shorts. Everybody has at least one film in them and now they can make it themselves. Which is the most beautiful thing ever. 

What was the hardest part of making The Ringer?

The hardest part of making any film is starting them. Getting the filmic gods to line up those planets on the right day. Once you're shooting films are nothing but fun. We had an amazing experience on the shoot and thanks to The Bureau's Valentina Brazzini it went swimmingly. When you're working with the genius of John Henshaw and Kieran Lynn you can't help but experience nothing but joy. 

What are your hopes for the film?

That it will make people laugh. I'd like to think that I've made it for all of the people who have dreamt of going to Hollywood, living the dream and totally failed. 

How different is working on projects like The Ringer to working in commercials?

It's all the same to me, a story is a story and I love telling stories in thirty seconds. The animator in me can't resist it. 

How and where can people see the full version of The Ringer?

It's on the BFI London Film Festival in October and Cork Film Festival in November as part of a retrospective. It will also be on TV Canal+ Cinema. You can keep up to date with the screening dates of all of my films here. 

What are you working on next?

I'm just finishing two really exciting projects. One is with 12foot6 and is for Channel 4. I've designed it with the amazing illustrator and comic book writer Jim Medway. It's called Lifeclass and it's a drawn animation about an art student falling in love in a university. 

I've also almost finished directing a series of Comedy Blaps! for Channel 4 called ACMS Presents: A Board Meeting. ACMS stands for The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society who have nights at the Soho Theatre.

It's surrealist sketch show a bit like Python and it features the stella comedy cast of John Luke Roberts, Will Andrews, Isy Suttie, Bridget Christie, Thom Tuck, Tom Golding, Tom Bell, Nadia Kamil, Alexis Dubus and Ben Targett. I've made it with Iota Film's Adrian Sturges and it's been one of the most fun things I've ever done. I absolutely loved it. Catch it on E4 in October/November!