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How I Made a Short Documentary About My Latest Novel
Introducing A Thorn in Winter: A Look Inside
As some of you may be aware, I recently caught the filmmaking bug again. After my last project (a short, no-budget psychological horror film called Safe Space, which you can watch on YouTube here), I turned my attention to A Thorn in Winter, the mystery thriller novel I’d managed to persuade Ireland-based publisher Ring of Culture to roll the dice on. I wanted to make a short documentary to provide more insight into the novel and bring it to life a bit, but how would I go about it?
The limitations of shooting with no budget on an iPhone once again proved a challenge. However, I wasn’t exactly inexperienced. In my previous television job, I’d produced and directed documentary pieces promoting other novels (not mine) or stories featuring dramatic recreations. Of course, in those days I had production budgets. Not to mention professional camera operators, editors, sound recordists, and audio post-production engineers who did the hard work, whilst I flounced around barking instructions. But on this project, since I was the subject, I had to rely on family members for any shots that featured me on camera.
My wife and my children were troopers in this respect. However, directing from in front of the camera is never easy, and this led to…
