Filmmaker’s First Feature Film is love Letter to Lancashire

Blackpool’s (Lytham St Annes) Ryan J Smith is 24 years old; he achieved his bachelor’s degree from the world famous MetFilm School aged just 20 (he was accepted aged 17) and is continuing to make name for himself in the film industry. Not only is he multi-award winning, he has just completed his first feature film, Lottery, soon to be shown at Regent Cinema Blackpool.

There’s a kind of symmetry in this, Ryan’s first ever film, a LEGO stop-start animation that he created as a primary school project (Roseacre) was put on at the Blackpool Odeon. .

Ryan said: “I remember seeing the credits, my name on the huge screen: ‘Directed by Ryan aged 8’. That was a feeling! So, I’ve had a great deal of encouragement from a very young age. I can’t remember a time when I was ever going to do anything different other than make films.”

The idea for Lottery, first came to Ryan at Metfilm School, he said: “It took me a couple of years to land on a solid script worth shooting, but we got there in the end. I spent two years after film school shopping the movie idea around every studio and production company in the country - all of which, predictably, said ‘no’.

“The lesson I learned was to listen to my gut, which by that point was screaming for me to become my own studio and own what I do, both creatively and financially.

“I’m glad I waited on this movie and didn’t shoot it back when I was 19 and doe-eyed, it would’ve been a very different film, much more straightrazored — whereas now, I feel it’s shifted into something more mature - although my fingerprints from the past are still all over it, it’s more of a tattoo than a film for me.”

Ryan explained how different it is to shoot a feature length film compared to a short, he said: “The physical reality of shooting comes down to wearing comfortable clothes, eating a good breakfast, and getting enough sleep. It’s not glamorous by any stretch, which is why I’m always a bit suspicious of anyone with wellmanicured behind the scenes photos.

“My shoots tend to only last eight or nine days, because I’m very time efficient. A lot of it comes down to your attitude towards time and money, especially if you’re running the studio and making the movies, like me.

“That’s also why I finance my own movies, so that I know what’s being spent and where. It’s all about the ‘bang for your buck’, and not being taken advantage of by other people’s laziness. It’s never about credit — I’ve no interest in becoming a celebrity or anything like that — it’s simply a case of creating a professionally-fat-free environment for the cast and crew to productively play in.

“I can’t imagine a situation where other people are doing most of your job for you, that’d kill me, mentally.”

Ryan has called his film studio, Skint Film Company, it’s not difficult to work out why. Ryan said: “Lack of time and resources are always the pitfalls with filmmaking. There’s never enough of either.

“The goal with this movie was to make £7,000 feel like £700,000, that’s always been our angle with promoting Lottery.

“The challenge, and the fun, comes in tackling the problems of each production creatively, instead of purely financially. Embrace the fact that everything will go wrong, and you’ll love every minute. If, as a filmmaker you’re not into rapid-fire problem solving, you’re going to have a bad time.”

Fun is of huge importance to Ryan, he explained: “For me, the best part of filmmaking is being able to work with your friends, I’m constantly working with Adam Bentley and Lewis William Robinson who I met at MetFilm School. Making a movie like this will eventually drive you insane because it’s not a small peak you’re climbing — which is why I’d rather climb it with friends.

“The filmmaking process goes from being a clinical affair in a series of offices, to chatting with friends in living rooms and cafés. The funny thing is that on Lottery, I had seasoned, professional actors coming to me saying it was one of the best productions they’ve ever been a part of… purely for the safe and creative environment the Skint Film Company had created for them.

“I try to be a good friend first; the whole filmmaking thing comes second.”

Although Ryan is only in his early 20s, he’s been making films for over 15 years, and is constantly learning, but ‘trust you gut’, he says is one of the most valuable lessons he’s ever learned, he said: “It’s a blessing and a curse — because by now I know it’s never wrong, which can be heart breaking. But in other instances, trusting my gut has led to all kinds of fruitful endeavours, such as building my own studio infrastructure from scratch.

“It’s how I cast actors now, too. You can be the best actor in the world, but if I’ve got a bad feeling about you, I’m not going to want to spend six months of my life dealing with you. It’s that simple.

“The process of establishing the Skint Film Company as a self-sufficient studio has been a revealing one. I spent years trying to get my foot in the door of ‘the system’ alongside well-known companies and producers — and all it did was reveal how scared they all are of change, it’s the reason I decided to setup on my own.

“I wanted to create a studio that pulls the trigger and makes movies, whilst creating jobs and healthy working environments for genuine talent.

“Build your own empire and see what happens, there’s a life to be had in there somewhere.”

Lottery was shot in Lytham St Anne’s, Blackpool and Garstang. It’s a Lancashire-centric movie.

Ryan explains: “I grew up in a lot of the shooting locations. I’m also just very loyal to Lancashire. The region is very accessible and friendly towards filmmakers, as is the case with most places in the North of England. There are no landmark shots in the movie, so in that respect, there was never any reason to shoot in a major city.

The Regent Cinema is one of Blackpool’s most iconic buildings. Lottery is in some ways a love letter to my hometown, so I always wondered if I’d be able to get the movie in with the Regent team. I’m very grateful they welcomed me and my studio ethos so warmly. I’m a big supporter of independent cinemas.”

Lottery will be screened at the Regent Cinema Blackpool on Friday 18th November with a possible longer run in more cinemas over next year and will be hitting streaming services this winter.

Ryan raised the money needed to make Lottery by working for a year as a photographer in a Botox clinic. Ryan said: “I’ll always be very honest about that part of my life because I don’t want anyone being able to say they’ve outworked me.

“We shot the movie for eight days in November 2021 — then edited it all together over four months. Most of the journey after shooting the film has been on the business end with the Skint Film Company. Distribution, press, getting more projects lined-up, etc.

“Lottery is my first feature film. It’s also the ‘shotgun’ opener for the Skint Film Company — and it’s already paved the way for a diverse slate of projects going forward.

“All of the responses so far have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. People crying is something I never expected. It ended up being a much stranger film, emotionally, than I thought it’d be — certainly more mature.

“Audiences have been picking up on little things here and there that have deepened the story for them and made them want to go back and watch it a second and third time, which is good news for us, the filmmakers. The goal is always to make something that works differently for everyone. It’d be boring if everyone took the same thing from movies and television, I feel.

“Regarding this movie’s impact; if it’s enough to convince one person to roll up their sleeves and make movies — I’m a happy man.”

Ryan’s next movie is a thriller Talking To Ghosts, Ryan said: “we’re shooting it in November, for a summer 2023 release. It’s about an arms deal gone wrong. It’s going to be a strange one, there’s a lot more to it than you’d think — without giving anything away.” 