A Secret Agent bites off more than he can chew. Crew: Written & Directed by Anthony Ross Cinematographer - Max Rawicz Editor - Max Rawicz Producer - Max Rawicz & Anthony Ross Music by Benjamin Woodbridge Focus Puller - David Ortiz nee Rowlands Sound Recordist - Finn Clarke Gaffer & Fog Technician - Patrick Foster Colourist - Ted Deacey VFX - Sebastian Ochoa Sound Designer - Reuben James Armourer - Matt Andrewartha Cast: Agent Mckinley Derwent - Jasper Brown Mr. Vandall - Kyle Spencer-Hawthorne Mr. Ballard - Michael Ballard Mother - Gordon Brown Director's Statement: Seagull is our attempt to make the most ambitious short film possible with zero budget. Utilising an all-local Tassie cast and crew, the film is a love letter to spy films, action movies, quirky comedies. Australia’s top secret agent, Mckinley Derwent, has been tasked with recovering a stolen microchip from two ne’er-do-wells - with his cover blown, a gun pointed at his head and his very angry, very Scottish handler, on the phone, he comes to realise the only way to escape is to swallow the chip, only for it to become lodged in his gullet. In his attempt to free himself from his pursuers, he does battle, coughing and wheezing the whole time, finally triumphing with a well-timed quip, as all good secret agents do. The title, Seagull, is a reference to that one feeble, pitiable, creature who always seems to turn up when you’re tucking into a newspaper-wrapped-feed by the waterfront, having managed to get a chip stuck horizontally down its throat, making the most goddawful noise and just generally ruining everyone’s day with its incompetence.

A Secret Agent bites off more than he can chew. Crew: Written & Directed by Anthony Ross Cinematographer - Max Rawicz Editor - Max Rawicz Producer - Max Rawicz & Anthony Ross Music by Benjamin Woodbridge Focus Puller - David Ortiz nee Rowlands Sound Recordist - Finn Clarke Gaffer & Fog Technician - Patrick Foster Colourist - Ted Deacey VFX - Sebastian Ochoa Sound Designer - Reuben James Armourer - Matt Andrewartha Cast: Agent Mckinley Derwent - Jasper Brown Mr. Vandall - Kyle Spencer-Hawthorne Mr. Ballard - Michael Ballard Mother - Gordon Brown Director's Statement: Seagull is our attempt to make the most ambitious short film possible with zero budget. Utilising an all-local Tassie cast and crew, the film is a love letter to spy films, action movies, quirky comedies. Australia’s top secret agent, Mckinley Derwent, has been tasked with recovering a stolen microchip from two ne’er-do-wells - with his cover blown, a gun pointed at his head and his very angry, very Scottish handler, on the phone, he comes to realise the only way to escape is to swallow the chip, only for it to become lodged in his gullet. In his attempt to free himself from his pursuers, he does battle, coughing and wheezing the whole time, finally triumphing with a well-timed quip, as all good secret agents do. The title, Seagull, is a reference to that one feeble, pitiable, creature who always seems to turn up when you’re tucking into a newspaper-wrapped-feed by the waterfront, having managed to get a chip stuck horizontally down its throat, making the most goddawful noise and just generally ruining everyone’s day with its incompetence.

A Scottish woodsman is driven mad in his hunt for the wee beastie that attacked him one night in the Highlands. Crew: Written & Directed by Anthony Ross Cinematographer - Max Rawicz Editor - Max Rawicz Producer - Max Rawicz & Anthony Ross Music by Benjamin Woodbridge (Nominated for Best Music at Scottish Short Film Festival) Focus Puller - Dominic Mulligan Gaffer & Fog Technician - Ian Vandermey Colourist - Ted Deacey Special FX/Creature Design - Moya O'Brien VFX - Sebastian Ochoa Sound Designer - Jack Worthington Cast: Old Angus - Gordon Brown Angus - Josh Vinen Wifie - Pierina O'Brien Director Statement: The Wild Haggis was a tale we decided to tell long ago - when we met Gordon Brown for the first time, famed presenter of the ABC television show Collectors, he told us of a time where he managed to convince the Aussie tradesmen working on his house that there was a notorious creature that roamed the moors of Scotland. "A nasty wee bastard, sharp teeth and claws, its forelegs shorter than its hind so it runs in semicircles" - Max and I looked to one another, practically cackling with glee. We knew we had to make this our debut short film, even if we had to fund it ourselves. Which we did. Much like all the other creatives in the world, we found ourselves pushing the shoot date further and further back as we went in and out of lockdown at the most inopportune times. Finally, the stars aligned and we locked in a date. Only to receive a call from our lead actors, two days prior, to advise us they'd tested positive. But our resolve held strong, we hustled and begged and were gifted with some phenomenal replacements who were so committed to their roles and gave us something really unique and special that we never would have had without them. The Haggis himself, a creature we'd always wanted to make practically, was a formidable foe for our creature designer who no doubt felt her descent into madness mimic that of our protagonist, Angus, during the build. With worldwide shortages of materials and government mandates keeping her out of the workshop, the night the Haggis arrived on set felt truly surreal. That this film turned out as well as it did is a testament to the endless positivity and dedication to their craft displayed by every member of our cast and crew. They all worked tirelessly through those cold, rainy, nights in the Otways and we returned exhausted and mosquito-bitten having accidentally shot a historical epic that would make William Wallace proud. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone that contributed to this project and I feel truly fortunate to be able to honour my own Scottish heritage in this bizarre way. We can't wait for people to witness the gonzo madness of The Wild Haggis and hope it tickles them as much as it does us.

Trailer for The Wild Haggis. A Scottish woodsman is driven mad in his hunt for the wee beastie that attacked him one night in the Highlands. Crew: Written & Directed by Anthony Ross Cinematographer - Max Rawicz Editor - Max Rawicz Producer - Max Rawicz & Anthony Ross Music by Benjamin Woodbridge (Nominated for Best Music at Scottish Short Film Festival) Focus Puller - Dominic Mulligan Gaffer & Fog Technician - Ian Vandermey Colourist - Ted Deacey Special FX/Creature Design - Moya O'Brien VFX - Sebastian Ochoa Sound Designer - Jack Worthington Cast: Old Angus - Gordon Brown Angus - Josh Vinen Wifie - Pierina O'Brien Director Statement: The Wild Haggis was a tale we decided to tell long ago - when we met Gordon Brown for the first time, famed presenter of the ABC television show Collectors, he told us of a time where he managed to convince the Aussie tradesmen working on his house that there was a notorious creature that roamed the moors of Scotland. "A nasty wee bastard, sharp teeth and claws, its forelegs shorter than its hind so it runs in semicircles" - Max and I looked to one another, practically cackling with glee. We knew we had to make this our debut short film, even if we had to fund it ourselves. Which we did. Much like all the other creatives in the world, we found ourselves pushing the shoot date further and further back as we went in and out of lockdown at the most inopportune times. Finally, the stars aligned and we locked in a date. Only to receive a call from our lead actors, two days prior, to advise us they'd tested positive. But our resolve held strong, we hustled and begged and were gifted with some phenomenal replacements who were so committed to their roles and gave us something really unique and special that we never would have had without them. The Haggis himself, a creature we'd always wanted to make practically, was a formidable foe for our creature designer who no doubt felt her descent into madness mimic that of our protagonist, Angus, during the build. With worldwide shortages of materials and government mandates keeping her out of the workshop, the night the Haggis arrived on set felt truly surreal. That this film turned out as well as it did is a testament to the endless positivity and dedication to their craft displayed by every member of our cast and crew. They all worked tirelessly through those cold, rainy, nights in the Otways and we returned exhausted and mosquito-bitten having accidentally shot a historical epic that would make William Wallace proud. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone that contributed to this project and I feel truly fortunate to be able to honour my own Scottish heritage in this bizarre way. We can't wait for people to witness the gonzo madness of The Wild Haggis and hope it tickles them as much as it does us.

Rescore of this scene from Constantine. Music written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Benjamin Woodbridge. www.benjaminwoodbridge.com

Bespoke composition for Night Garden animation by Ruth Emma Fox.

My rescore of this scene from Ratatouille.

My rescore of this scene from Terence Malick's New World.

My submission for Westworld Scoring Compeition 2020.