THE ACTOR

The Actor’- This one is very personal to me as it’s about my dad, actor Christopher Ellison. It has been a few years in the making so I’m very happy to finally release it.

I initially set out to make a film about my dad’s career and his approach to acting. I’d always been interested in but knew very little about how he immersed himself in a part. However, sadly In September 2019, soon after recording his initial interview he suffered a major stroke, abruptly ending his career and leaving him with serious cognitive issues. His ability to communicate through speech was gone with no prospect of it returning. This was a the start of a very tough few years for me and my my family, adjusting to a new normal and coming to terms with the fact that we’d never be able to have a real conversation with dad again.

I sat with the initially recorded interview for a few years, knowing that I still wanted to make something for dad but undecided what. I decided to take the project in a slightly new direction, a reflective piece about dads career and with the aim to highlight his condition, Aphasia.

Director - Louis Ellison

Producer - Louis Ellison

Editor - Jenna Bowden

DOP - Benjamin Thomas

Colorist - Jenna Bowden

Composer - Adam Gazla

Sound mix - Adam Gazla

With thanks to The Theatre Royal Brighton, Thames Television