Life After Death (2013)

A five part series of educational short films covering the various philosophical theories and perspectives on the subject of Life After Death.

In part it was quite tough to visualise something which, generally speaking, you cannot experience in such a definitive way as to come back and tell everyone about it. Indeed, the nature of life after death - or if it even exists - is the subject of much varied opinion. The most interesting segment to create, for me, was a sequence detailing the story of the 'Enfield Poltergeist'. Similar to the third film in the Problem of Evil series, in which we shot a segment based on "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fydor Dostoyevski, we had to craft a piece in a short time with just what we had around us - and I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Below you will find more information about the series, including short video clips from each film.

Click "READ MORE" below to continue...

The Problem of Evil (2012)

This five-part series of educational films, aimed at 16-18 year old students of theology and religious studies, discusses some of the complex ethical issues surrounding one of the biggest questions: if there is a God, why is there evil in the world? Examining various theodicies linked to the topic, The Problem of Evil has one central evil at the heart of it – to help tie everything together – and that is the Holocaust, represented sensitively-but-honestly with stunning archive film.

 

The main four films (which I shot and edited) provide the in-depth starter knowledge to help inspire and sustain informed and passionate debate within the classroom, while the fifth film (for which I wrote the script and edited) provides an optional brief history of the Holocaust, from the election of Adolf Hitler, through the end of World War II, and beyond to the present day.

 

Editing this series provided some interesting creative challenges (as evidenced in the third video clip below), not only in continuing to produce visually-arresting educational films that didn't resemble the staid affairs I remembered from my own high school days, but also in sensitively dealing with tragic subject matter – most specifically the Holocaust. The main four films all exhibit sequences relating to the subject, but the key was to not push too far with the footage, while maintaining an honest and educational approach to the material.

 

However, we also felt that it was important to provide an optional extra on the DVD – the aforementioned The Holocaust: A Brief History – which fully lays bare the horrors of those events in a truthful manner that avoids audience manipulation. It isn't required viewing in a class room, but teachers have been provided with the choice to show it, or alternatively utilise the script (provided on the DVD with comprehensive teacher's notes).

 

Once again, by working on an educational DVD, a challenge was offered to create strong and interesting visual representations of the complex theological issues and ideas being put forward by the narration. I was able to tweak and improve upon previously used techniques, as well as try out some new ideas across all the films, to keep the presentation fresh and absorbing.

Click “READ MORE” below to watch preview clips of all five films featured in The Problem of Evil, and see what people think of the films themselves...

"The Problem of Evil" - a new educational DVD...

Joe and I recently finished a new educational DVD titled "The Problem of Evil", which deals with one of the most fundamental ethical issues relating to theology and the philosophy of religion. The clip below (which we referred to as "the Russian sequence") from The Irenaean Theodicy (the third of five films to be featured on the soon-to-be-released DVD) was my favourite experience while making this DVD.



I was given a quote from Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" and had to design, shoot, and edit the whole sequence from the ground-up to match it. Shooting in rural Herefordshire - independently, on a low budget and with few resources - we had to make our idyllic surroundings fill in for the wilds of Russia.

You can view more sample clips from the upcoming DVD release of The Problem of Evil by visiting the Ethics Online YouTube Channel.

Ethics Online's 2012 Promo Reel...

Check out the new promo reel that I cut together for the educational DVDs of Ethics Online - this video covers the range of topics currently on offer: War & Peace, Gaia & Genesis, Sex & Ethics, and Abortion: Ancient & Modern.

Abortion: Ancient & Modern (2011)...

This project (three films between 15 and 20 minutes each) was a chance to further build upon my previous experience with educational DVDs, and what I've done with them in the past. Being on the topic of abortion, which is a difficult thing to represent on-screen, due to its controversial nature but also in terms of a concept - it's incredibly hard to be literal about it (due to a lack of footage, but also not wanting to get exploitative and visceral), so I had to develop a more metaphorical and ambient approach to the visuals.


On previous educational DVDs we used a lot more Public Domain 'Public Information Films' (PIFs), but here it wouldn't have worked, so combining modern day stock footage and photos with more ethereal elements such as water, smoke, and light, in our own established style ("video collage" as I often put it), proved to be a successful way to present the subject - both visually and as a topic of discussion and information for Sixth Form students.


Below are some examples of feedback that we have gained, as well as sample video clips. Visit www.ethicsonline.net for more information about Abortion: Ancient & Modern.

"I congratulate you warmly on this production, well balanced and full of fascinating history. Well worth screening outside classrooms too."
Lord David Steel, Architect of the 1967 Abortion Act

"A brilliant resource. All three films are extremely thought provoking and material is presented in a sensitive manner."
Sarah Hopkins, Religious Studies Subject Leader, Bishop Hedley High School

"These films are of an exceptionally high standard. They are well-researched and ideal for discussion. Highly recommended."
Tina Hollingsworth, Westminster College

"Very insightful and challenging.... really good."
Beth Aston, A Level RS Student

More info and clips for Abortion: Ancient & Modern...

Saunter over this way - to the official Ethics Online website - to see three new clips from Abortion: Ancient & Modern, as well as further information about the films that comprise the DVD. You can also purchase a copy of any of the DVD sets featured on the website.

The first response is in too:
“I congratulate you warmly on this production, well balanced and full of interesting history. Well worth screening outside classrooms too.” - Lord David Steel, Architect of the 1967 Abortion Act

Abortion: Ancient & Modern clips...

The new educational DVD - Abortion: Ancient & Modern - is now complete, and below you can view a clip from each of the three films that make up the disc.

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

Abortion: Ancient & Modern - Part 3 Screenshots...

The new educational DVD - Abortion: Ancient & Modern - is complete, and below are some screenshots from the third film in the three part series. This third film was the most complex of the lot, on a project that proved to be quite the editing challenge - the find a way to not only maintain our visually arresting style, but to wrestle with a topic as controversial and tricky to visualise as abortion.

Abortion: Ancient & Modern screenshots...

Film Two is now at the 'Beta Edit' stage - as I like to call it - the penultimate stage where the only thing left to do is make any final tweaks, stick on the credits, and render the final file.

As promised a couple of weeks back, here are some screenshots to get an idea of the visual style of these films that I've been working on recently.

Film One:

Film Two:

It's certainly proving to be an interesting and enjoyable creative challenge. With each new educational DVD project, I get to try out new visual ideas that help produce a visually arresting series of films that have proven popular with students and teachers alike nationwide.

What have I been up to lately?

Editing - that's what. A new educational DVD, this time on the topic of Abortion. It'll be three films, and the first is pretty much done - what I'd call a 'penultimate draft' (so there's just a tiny bit of tinkering left to do, whack on the credits, and do the final render).

And it looks a bit like this ... on the edit timeline anyway.

I'll post some screenshots in due course, but suffice to say I'm quite chuffed with the first film, and what's more it doesn't drag - it moves along at a nice swift pace, and it's never boring to look at - something I'd always aimed to achieve with these educational films we've done, because I remember watching such films when I was in school and they were always so dry, dull and ever-so-earnest in their presentation. What we do, on the other hand, is much more interesting - and we've been told just that by the students themselves (and indeed their teachers).

About Me

For Want Of A Nail (Trailer):

View the full film on YouTube now.

Nick Thomson is a writer and freelance film-maker, best known for the multi-award-winning short film 'For Want Of A Nail' (which was inspired by his own experiences with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), as well as his work in documentary shorts and educational films, which have screened around the world at festivals and on television, gathering a host of nominations and wins.

He is also the author of the horror novella 'Dug Deep' as well as the 'Celebrityville' series of books, and has reviewed genre and exploitation movies for publications such as 'Sleaze Fiend Magazine' and 'Exploitation Nation'. He is currently working on an adaptation of 'For Want Of A Nail' for television, in addition to his new novel “Murder at the Grindhouse”, a coming-of-age murder mystery set during the last notorious years of New York City's 42^nd Street.

Brother of Mine:

What is this blog?:
A gathering place for various posts about various things, including filmmaking, writing, and film reviews.
 
Biography Continued: 

I graduated with a dgree in Film & Television Studies from the University of East Anglia.

"Contempt of Conscience", is an independent documentary about UK protest group The Peace Tax Seven, on which I acted as cameraman (as well as some additional editing, and consulting). It has gone on to be shown at film festivals (both foreign and domestic), on TV, and is available to view online at YouTube and TopDocumentaryFilms.com.

"The Racket" is a short documentary about World War One and profiteering. I acted as editor, camera operator, and script editor. It was nominated twice at the St. Tropez International Film Festival, and gained further nominations from other film festivals - including a nomination for Best Editing in a Documentary Short from the Porsmouth IFF. Watch the trailer HERE.

I have worked for Ethics Online for many years, in numerous capacities, on educational DVDs such as “Sex & Ethics”, “Gaia & Genesis”, "War & Peace", "Abortion: Ancient & Modern", "The Problem of Evil", "Life After Death", and "Ethical Theories I & II", which are designed for GCSE and Sixth Form students. These award-winning films have been well-received by teachers and students alike. Follow the links for Ethics Online's Website and YouTube Channel.

Of the many filmmakers who influence me, some are: George A. Romero, Sam Raimi, John Carpenter, James Cameron, David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Danny Boyle, Rob Zombie, David Cronenberg, Neil Marshall, Kevin Smith, Christopher Nolan, Sergio Martino, Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, Umberto Lenzi, Andrew Dominik, Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, Tobe Hooper, Brian De Palma, Sergio Leone, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Mike Flanagan, Frank Henenlotter, and Stuart Gordon.

To view my Top 50 Films of All-Time, click here.

Nick Thomson
https://deadshed.blogspot.com/
MARCH 2022

Ethics Online Promo Reel:

North Berwick, Scotland:

The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man:

Skinner: