[Written by Charlie Clarke]
Happy 2021 everyone, hoping everyone has had as good a start to this new year as possible. We thought we would start this year off by letting you get to know us all a little bit better, most of you will know the team already, but there are a few members that are fairly new or you might not have heard as much from and we want to show you just how amazing all the people are that make up the Superfreak family!
ABOVE – Theo, Laura, Charlie C, Charlie B, Liam, Sarah, Richard & Jonno – art by NMB Artworks + Paper Veil Design
We asked all of the team to do a little introduction to who they are and what they do, so let’s start off with our commander in chief, director, writer and editor, Liam:
‘I founded SuperfreakMedia back in 2009 and ‘head up’ the group directing, writing and producing the majority of our content. I have always had a passion for storytelling and nostalgia having grown up on the works of Spielberg, Carpenter and Raimi and reading Goosebumps into the early hours of the morning. This passion for horror and yester-year regularly finds it’s way into our own work and I am not mad at that…not one bit! I have loved watching films for as long as I can remember and officially started my studies in the world of film when I was 16 (fresh out of school). Since then I have gone on to graduate from University with a first-class degree in Film and Video Production. University is really where I found my voice as a filmmaker and where the SuperfreakMedia team essentially started to come together. I also used this time to hone my skills as a ‘Director’ and ‘Editor’ and now, alongside writing, these are my main responsibilities when it comes to content creation.
I absolutely love collaborating with people and I am so incredibly thankful and privileged to have such a great group of friends on the team to help produce the content that we make. We have been on quite the journey so far -some of our work has won contests and competitions, taken us around the world and into the company of key players in the industry. Having been fortunate enough to win awards both nationally and internationally– it’s amazing to see the team’s hardwork be recognised along the way. It is exciting that as we all evolve as filmmakers the team is continuing to grow in numbers and I can’t wait to see what is next for us. SuperfreakMedia really feels like a bond we will all share for many years to come wherever life takes us and I am so extremely grateful for that!’
Of course all of our films start as ideas in Liam’s brain, but how do we bring them to the screen? With a bad ass camera team of course! So here’s the three amazing guys that make up our camera department, starting with our D.O.P Jonno (who you might have also spotted in front of the camera in a few of our shorts!):
‘I’m a D.O.P and actor based in the Midlands. I’ve been part of the SuperFreak Media team for 7 years and I love helping to make all of the spooky content we create. You can catch me on the No Ghouls Allowed podcast – which I host – every month. Alongside horror, I am a huge fan of action cinema and the work of Nicolas Cage, who is in my opinion the greatest actor of his generation. You’ll be most likely to find me behind the camera on a SuperFreak Media shoot; usually behind the camera or fiddling with lights. I particularly enjoy creating the eerie atmosphere in our films using lighting tricks and camera movement. If there’s an excuse to plug a lamp into a dimmer switch, I’ll take it! Having the freedom to experiment on set is best thing about working with the team. I can be as creative and experimental as I like and the shorthand we’ve developed over years of working together ensures that (most of the time) we can get things done quickly and efficiently! Working on sets that are be both low on budget and time also brings its own challenges. But again, this is something that I enjoy, I’m not saying I wouldn’t like 3 weeks to shoot and a few thousand pounds to spend on lighting and camera equipment but making something look like it should be expensive is a challenge I relish.’
As well as Jonno, we also have Theo:
‘I studied film at The University of Derby whilst working as a Projectionist to fund my studies. I probably learnt the most from the latter. I have a passion for creative camerawork and thoughtful editing. My background in both makes me well versed in understanding our production needs. I am happy to get my hands dirty I can be a safe pair of hands on set. I love cooking, reading graphic novels, being on water and of course watching a great film or series with my wife and best friend Laura. P.S. The Thing is the best (horror) Film ever made.’
And last, but by no means least, we have Richard:
‘Hi folks, I’m Rich and you can usually find me on set with Superfreak somewhere behind the camera. My role is normally as 1st AC, Grip and Spark, BTS photographer and general Gremlin in the corner. My experience in the events industry can often come in handy in one or all of these roles and I love being on set and expanding my skill set.
Outside of Superfreak I love being outdoors getting out for walks and hikes, as well as spending evenings on the sofa catching up on video games, Netflix and painting miniatures, and, COVID permitting hitting the gym with Jonno. Overall though, I just like to make cool shit and be involved in exciting projects. So let’s hope that COVID clears out soon so that we can get back to it!’
As well as our amazing camera team we have Charlie C, who assistant produces, ADs and also stars in our films, she does a bit of everything really:
‘First and foremost I’m an actor, I graduated EPA in 2011 with diplomas in Musical Theatre and Speech and Drama and I’ve been a part of the Superfreak Family since 2012, when I met Liam working as an extra on his first year uni film project. Since then I’ve had the pleasure of appearing in numerous films, including ‘Best Friends Forever’ which I was so proud to accept the Bloody Flicks Award for Best Actor! As well as being in front of the camera I also do some work behind the camera, I can often be found being an AD or assistant producer, sometimes I get stuck into filming the BTS as well and have even been known to do a bit of make up! I love the camaraderie we have as a team and being on set together is so much fun. When I’m not helping create your future nightmares I enjoy gaming, reading and watching films cuddled up with my boyfriend Dan and our cat Niffler.’
Charlie isn’t the only girl in the team, she has two other bad ass women working alongside her. First up, is Sarah, who also takes on a variety of responsibilities:
‘I’m Sarah, one of the newer members of the Superfreak team! My background is in Marketing and Social Media but I’ve also dabbled in filmmaking and content creation through work and my film degree. My role in the team varies from shoot to shoot, which I love! From AD’ing an award winning short, to painting terrifying zombie extras’ faces, there really is never a dull moment! Going into 2021, I’ll be honing my skills on content marketing for the team as well as getting stuck in with more frighteningly fun projects (you know, when the world returns to normal!) oh and I love dogs…like…a lot!’
And we also have our awesome illustrator Laura:
‘I’m an illustrator/designer by trade and I love using my skills to create illustrated scenes often inspired by the natural world. I work mostly on the merch designs and podcast artwork, using my skills and adding a Superfreak(y) twist to the type things I’d usually draw. The most-featured tools of my trade are scraps of miscellaneous paper, an iPad and copious amounts of tea. I live and work alongside Theo and between us we often manage to spark each other’s creativity…when we’re not watching questionable horror films anyway!’
Finally, we have the newest member of the team Charlie B, who joined us in 2020 and is going to be writing some of our future projects and features:
‘I’m Charlie, a writer and newest member of the team! Having acted like tools on stage with Richard and Jonno in the past, it’s great to now be a part of the action at SuperfreakMedia. With a background of Theatre Arts and Masters in Creative Writing for stage, screen and film I am excited to see what we can achieve together! Horror is a new venture for me, but an exciting one at that! I would have to say my favourite horror films are Alien and Jaws.’
..And there you have it! That’s our team! We are so lucky to have such a multi-talented and skilled team ready to bring you more what you’ve come to expect from us at Superfreak HQ, but with this team we are sure to be doing it bigger and better – as soon as COVID lets us!
We cannot wait to bring you more spooktacular work this year!
Stay Safe and Keep it Creepy!
Team Superfreak
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