On the 3rd of December 2024, Rob Ayling, an award-winning filmmaker and storyteller, joined us as a special guest speaker for a moving evening of creativity, inspiration, passion and cinematic insight.
Our Evening with Rob Ayling
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By Charlie Hall – Paranormal writer, researcher, Horror writer and filmer
It’s really exciting when guest speakers, who are living the film making dream and bringing their ideas into fruition, visit to talk to our club about their journey and experiences. Seeing and hearing how their creations come to life is immensely inspiring and this was definitely the case with our special guest, award winning writer and Director Rob Ayling.
A former coffee shop barista champion turned film maker and self proclaimed comic nerd, who’s passion for his art has led to an impressive 15 year career in film and theatre. Also working with the likes of Channel 4, BBC, Rolls Royce, NHS and local authorities, he has compiled various animation and filming projects to reflect any given briefs.
Rob graduated from the MET film school with a Masters in Film Directing and has since Directed music videos, short documentaries and fiction films, (live action and animated). His combined love of story telling, philosophy and art are very much apparent in his work, putting across strong messages and concepts that create awareness of life situations of a serious nature.
We first watched his short graduation piece, ‘Listen to me’, an intriguing thriller, which deals with the subject of domestic abuse. A film he shot in two days that was based on personal experiences from when he was a child, who after hearing an argument put two and two together.
Rob wanted different versions of the story to come across without losing purpose and giving an over all idea of hope. The arguments were improvised so the ability to listen was key and it gave more suspense and drive to the scenes like he wanted.
“I am going to actively be a film maker from this point“
Rob Ayling
Upon graduating he affirmed his path to himself by saying, ‘I am going to actively be a film maker from this point’, and he did exactly that and never looked back. In our talk Rob expressed how lucky he is to have such a supportive mum, who encouraged him to dream big and be the person he wanted to be and give hope, as it would make her happy, which he is deeply grateful for.
Rob Directed ‘Family Dinners’, the fourth episode of the BBC/A24 web series, ‘Dreaming whilst black’, and assisted on the show ‘Skins’.
The Impact (50) anthology movie made Rob and the crew Guinness World Record holders for having the most Directors and Writers in one feature. His contributing ‘End of the World’, short is dedicated to those affected by the Grenfell tragedy and dysmorphia. It portrays a very poignant notion about how people uphold an expected appearance on social media to gain lots of followers but then where are they all when it comes to the end of the world.
We watched Stegosaurus, the Jurassic Park short film that he co produced with Barry Wilkinson. A touching story re a little girl who’s mum is always too distracted by work and tech to pay attention to her daughter but takes her to a dinosaur park. It is actually a personal message from the Director who’s daughter is the child actress, to say sorry for constantly being on the phone. Considering it was all filmed here it was a great location as it looked quite remote and jungle esque and the CGI dinosaurs were good.
I had previously seen Robs wonderful signature short film, ‘Living in Crime Alley’, a heart felt conflicting theme, featuring Gotham’s legendary Batman. I really felt the emotion and story of this film, with a struggling father who secretly turns to crime in desperation to provide for his daughter. She idolises Batman and aspires to be a crime fighter like him, but conflict hits when the superhero comes for him.
As Rob says its a tough one and I totally agree, as we don’t condone crime in any way but if you have no way of feeding and sheltering your family, what do you do and what would Batman do in a normal human situation of hardship.
‘Hands’ is a short, clever and thought provoking piece, with just a lady’s hands visible in shot with a voice over, explaining all of the things we do with our hands daily as we don’t realise what it would be like without the full use of them.
He finished by showing us the teaser trailer for his new film, ‘Punching Bag’, which is currently in post production. An amateur boxer who battles with his demons as well as his opponent in what could prove to be the fight of his life.
A few final tips from Rob Ayling –
- If working for a client they are King/Queen, they look at your associated calling card and ask does it look good, can you do it in a budget, they give the brief/script then you let them know what else you can do
- Make Every shot count
- Know your characters, their skeletons, what makes them tick
- Timing is everything, from making it to releasing the film
- Be the industry you want to see in front and behind the camera
I have really enjoyed watching Rob Ayling’s films, his creations are very diverse and he has covered a range of important subjects. His work is highly influential with meaningful messages and I applaud his passion and determination to bring awareness to the attention of viewers in his unique and personal way.
You can watch Rob’s films at www.robayling.com
About Rob Ayling
From former coffeeshop barista champion to acclaimed filmmaker, Rob Ayling has carved out an impressive career in the world of film and theatre. A passionate storyteller and self-proclaimed comic book nerd, Rob is known for his innovative approach to filmmaking and his love for Batman (evident from his collection of 65 Batman hats!).
Rob Ayling’s journey began with a background in Art and Film Philosophy, earning a BA Hons from UWE Bristol and an MA in Film Directing from the prestigious Met Film School in 2014. Since then, he has worked on a diverse range of projects including:
🎬 Award-Winning Films
Rob has directed numerous short fiction films, animations, music videos, and short documentaries, many of which have been selected for prestigious BAFTA and Academy Award qualifying film festivals.
🎞 Hands
During the UK’s first lockdown, Rob created Hands, a powerful 90-second documentary that screened at an Academy Award qualifying festival and won the Shiny Awards’ Best New Director (Freelance).
📺 Dreaming Whilst Black
Rob directed an episode of the critically acclaimed web series Dreaming Whilst Black, which has since been commissioned by BBC/A24.
🎥 Living in Crime Alley
In 2019, Rob Ayling brought his award-winning screenplay, Living in Crime Alley (A Batman Story), to life. The film premiered at the British Film Institute (BFI), screened at over 40 film festivals worldwide, and earned multiple accolades.
Rob draws inspiration from legendary filmmakers such as Billy Wilder, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, and Alfred Hitchcock, and brings a wealth of knowledge and creativity to his craft.