Your NEXT SHOOT WITH jonny cass

Your Next Shoot is my interview-lead blog, where I speak to a different professional in the film, TV and commercial industry. You’ll get to hear the ins and outs of 🎥 📸 sets, from absolute horrors to the most insanely fun (& stressful) shoots to work on, all whilst expanding your network of the UK’s top freelance talent.

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My first interview is with Director, Jonny Cass of Perch Films 🎬 , whom I’ve worked with on many a social branded campaign back in my LADbible days.
Jonny’s 10 year career started, in his words, completely by accident. He didn’t like school and felt he didn’t fit the academic mould. He enjoyed sports like skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding and so left school with a pocket of savings from his Costa job, took flights to Canada and started a ski season in Whistler, BC in 2013. He always had a camera with him, his other passion and hobby.
For the next 3 years Jonny was teaching on the slopes and in his spare time shooting his friends, snowboarders and skiers, uploading them to Youtube as a ‘borderline obsession’. Local businesses soon caught wind of the small town’s young British videographer and photographer, Jonny Cass, and with no prior experience of quoting started making content for a few hundred dollars.

He built up his network in this small but world-renowned ski town that housed brands like Monster Energy, Red Bull and Solomon skis. He found it was easy for him to stand out in a town with a population of just 50,000 people.

“That’s really how it happened, through word of mouth… I realised, wait a second, I’m getting paid more for shooting photos and videos than I am for ski instructing. That’s what I mean by accident, it just sort of happened.”

Three years later, after a move back to the UK, Jonny took an in-house job at a ski travel company, who he later freelanced for and during a work ski trip met his wife Beth. Beth introduced him to her usual crew, Paddy and Will. The guys were all impressed by each other’s skills and so became friends who met occasionally back in London, exchanging experiences and ideas over a pint or two.

“...Then one day we went to Taco Queen in Peckham (it’s not there anymore), and had 5 beers and a couple of tacos. I woke up in the morning and Beth asked how it was and I said, ‘I think we started a company.’
At least I think we did, I wasn’t really sure so I looked in my emails. We were emailing our accountants that night. At the bar we had coined the business what is now called Perch and we fully committed and emailed our accountants there and then. We met up the next day just to check it was the right call. It all started and we got a name, a logo, we built a website and merged all of our clients together.”

In 2020, Jonny started his production company Perch, based in Bermondsey, with two friends and co-founders, DOP Paddy Bartram and Editor Will March.

“...which is obviously a f*****g awful time to start a company. It meant we missed out on furlough because we were a new company, so received no support. When I speak to a lot of people in business they talk about this crisis that you get. There’s a crisis curve, and the first one is what you’re meant to get in 2 years, and it’s the crisis of financials. We had that in the first two months. As stressful as it was, or as upsetting as it was, it made us realise that this is gonna work, because we’re weathering this storm and we’re fine. We’re not falling out, we’re all in the same boat.”

It was during the pandemic that Paddy was DOP’ing a short film called Maximus, which is a wild fantasy story of a child’s imagination and how she’s dealing with a brother who has cancer. It was funded by the production companies leading it, Submotion and Chalice Films.

The shoot was an ambitious project, including 150 actors, extras and college students, night shoots in the pouring rain with horses and pyrotechnics. It was large scale on a shoestring budget, so Paddy asked Jonny and Will to help out. Jonny soon realised that with the limited crew and a large cast the team really needed proper scheduling, and therefore offered himself up as a 1st AD.

“It was one of those shoots that threw everything at you. We’re still processing it to this day. It was absolutely nuts, but the feeling we got from it, we just felt kind of invincible. A lot of the time the satisfying part of any of those projects is that you just get it done and that feels great. I feel like I learnt more in those two weeks of shooting that film, than I did in 2 years. Shots had to be dropped, scripts had to be re-written there and then. You had to be so on it. I recommend to anyone in this industry doing narrative projects like that, you learn so much when you have to be thinking about wardrobe and scripting and continuity, it makes you fire on a different level.”

Long weeks of filming is not something I’ve yet to experience as I haven’t produced any short films or narrative work as yet, but when/if I do, I’m sure I’ll be learning a whole new set of skills to pull off such a feat. Jonny explains what he learnt following this production.

“...Asking yourself if we need to be dedicating the time to this. As an example, I’ve experienced Directors (or whoever) want to use a new piece of film equipment, they write it in, they build it up in their head that it’s really important but then it ends up being a faff, a nightmare. The shots aren’t working, the cable’s broken and instead of thinking how we can do this a different way, they’re zoned into that one thing. I think that leads into a missed opportunity.
For instance, say you’ve got this idea of a dream sequence. A lot of dreams can be wacky and weird so someone might suggest to build a set. When actually, can you do that with lighting instead? Can you do it with diopters on a lens or prosthetics? Does that make it feel like a dream? Sometimes the simplest options are the best. For example, in Michael Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind all those weird little sequences where he’s in his own head, it’s usually just a spotlight on one person. That does the job. That means we can put more money into actors and other creative/production elements to make it work.”

In the commercial world, we not only have our cast and crew to manage on set, but also the teams from the production company, creative/ad agency and the client. It’s a delicate triangle of relationships that has to be managed with care and respect for all involved. Every single person has been working on the project for a long period of time already in the lead up to the shoot. The shoot is just where we have to physically capture it, and get it right, on time and within budget (as much as is humanly possible.. which we all know isn’t half the time!).
Collaboration between the Producer, Director, Creative Dept and Clients can be some of the trickiest, but necessary, and can be extremely rewarding when you have a strong team vibe, alignment and enthusiasm for what you’re doing. I asked Jonny what he thinks about working with Creative Directors on set.

“There are pros and cons, the cool thing is Creative Directors hone in on the little things. I find that being a Director, you're just focusing on getting what’s most important to you. Obviously if you’re a good Director, what’s important to you will be important to everyone else.
   With additional take requests, you’re thinking about the fatigue of your actors and your crew. Are they getting frustrated? We’ve done this take 5, 6 times. You, as a Director, feel like you’ve got it and you’re happy with it. Sometimes, that’s the difficult thing when a CD comes in, but that’s where you’ve gotta be strong and just say no. I don’t really have a problem with saying to someone no, this is honestly how I feel about it.
   At the end of the day they are the bosses, so if they want to get it again we’ll get it again, but what’s really nice is, a lot of the time they agree.
   In most cases, it’s usually the first or the last take. You don’t use any of those ‘nice to haves’, so the thing I’ve now grown to hate is ‘one for safety’. You’ve got in the bag, you do one for safety, and then something goes wrong. A light goes out, or someone fluffs a line or something, and then everyone’s going ‘oh s**t we need to redo’, and we’ve all forgotten the fact that we already have it. You end up re-taking a safety. It’s pretty pointless.”

Another common phrase… but ad agencies and clients please hear us - no one wants or needs another safety. Trust the Director when they say they have it and move on.

There are minor and major frustrations that happen on a set, and this varies on every single shoot because no two shoots are the same. The unpredictability, despite rigorous, blood sweat and tears planning, is actually what makes it exciting. You never quite know what you’re going to get, even if you think you do. Jonny airs some of his minor frustrations… Crew this one’s for you.

“I hate a messy set. A prime example is where you’re in a small space and you do Pret runs. If I finish a coffee cup, I’m going to put it in the bin, but then sometimes at the end of the day some people have 3 coffee cups and a yoghurt pot surrounding them. I’m a big fan of kit that’s not being used out of the room. It’s a very simple, easy one that winds me up. That’s when it’s great to have someone there who’s keen to learn (a trainee, a runner) who can look out for things like this. It might not feel like you’re filmmaking here but it is really crucial to a tranquil set.”

On larger shoots, the runners, trainees and PA’s who instinctively go around cleaning and tidying when they’re not busy doing something else are golden, and are far more appreciated than we probably verbally give them credit for.

Production and crew are usually stretched in all directions and can get incredibly stressed so to have someone monitor loose cables, hazards, rubbish and recycling is extremely valuable. It also reduces so much time clearing up after wrap when all anyone wants to do is pack up and go home - or for wrap drinks.

I asked Jonny if he has a particular shoot story that stands out. He had a few health & safety mishaps (eeek, Producers worst nightmare)...

“We were in Spain the other week and a shoot got cancelled a few days before because the product didn’t arrive on time. We were out there with all the kit, so we just hired bikes with the crew and asked if we could shoot 2 of them. We coined up an idea really quick and Paddy’s hanging out the back of my car with the boot open. A seatbelt wrapped around himself. We’re driving around these beautiful Spanish hills getting cycling stuff, and then suddenly the boot just closes. Paddy’s hand is just stuck out the bottom still recording and we‘re all just cracking up. It's stupid but s**t like that happens all the time. (Paddy is alright though!).
Another time, I was in a grade suite dropping the drives off. We plug the Lacey in and the f*****g computer explodes, but it doesn’t just explode, it fizzes, f***s his computer, every single computer that’s attached to it, the grading software, everything. The colourist was like ‘oh my god.. Nothing’s happening’. The spare drive is back in Bermondsey at our office.. The delivery was for that day and it was all just a bit nuts. It turned out to be defunct harddrive that broke things. I leave to get the back-up drive and suddenly I’m stuck in traffic as Extinction Rebellion are protesting. I get out of the cab and I’m running across London for 45 minutes. I will get that drive!
The delivery was delayed by 24 hours but there was contingency in the timings. That was a lesson, no one’s dying over this and we are on schedule, but of course there I am running across London and stressing out.. and it was all fine.”

When your job becomes your world because you have a huge responsibility riding on your shoulders and the last thing you want is for something to go wrong and it be on your head. Even so, as Jonny said, no one is dying over this ad being made (let’s hope!) and it’s really not the end of the world if it’s delivered a day late. It’s something everyone in the industry will learn at some point. I asked Jonny what advice he has for the green generation of Directors looking for work whilst also developing their skills and making a name for themselves in the industry.

“One thing I’d say to directors is you’ve gotta do a lot of things to be able to direct a set. If you want to be liked on set, you’re a director - people will do what you tell them to do, but it’s easy to lose their respect. They’ll do what you say but have they enjoyed working with you? That’s why I think it's important to have a fundamental knowledge of lighting, camera and sound. Ask soundies for a crash course in what things are called. I struggle a bit when you’re listening to someone and they don’t even know what a mattebox is, or a key light. I need to back you here and get on your wavelength but you don’t even know what a key light is. Maybe I‘m way too harsh but I think it helps a lot to have that knowledge and what people do as their jobs. Then you can check in with your crew so they feel like you’re thinking of them, and they’re not just a drone that’s achieving this thing and you’re getting all the credit as Director.”

Finally, in the spirit of paying it forward, I asked Jonny to recommend a standout professional in the industry who he loves to work with. He offered up three.

“Sound Designer Will Berridge who I highly recommend. He’s awesome, we will always try to get him in on any sound design gig, to the point where if it causes scheduling problems because he’s too booked out, we really fight for him. He’s just so talented.

Andy Watzon Audio, he’s one of the best, a brilliant person to have on set and a really safe pair of hands. Someone that adds so much more than just their job role. I really like people like that.
Also, Jim (DOP) at Rolling Vision, for the same reasons. The value he brings to the crew. Collaborative sets are the one. Doesn’t mean you lose your hierarchy either, the Director is still making the calls, it’s just appreciating that we’ve all got a job to do.”

If you’d like to book Jonny/ Perch or any of his recommended crew on your next shoot, you can get in touch with them below.

Director Jonny Cass

🖥️ www.perch.film

🎃 @perchfilm

📩 jonny@perch.film

🎞️ https://vimeo.com/385039481

Sound Designer Will Berridge

🖥️ willberridgesound.com

🎃 @willberridgesound

📩 info@willberridgesound.com

Sound Recordist/ Audio Post Producer Andy Watzon

🖥️ www.watsonaudio.com