Actors

Paul W. Franklin

Paul W. Franklin

Paul is a Kentish Man (not a Man of Kent), who now lives in Oxford, UK. He was educated at Dover College Prep School, Folkestone, before moving to Milner Court and then The King's School Canterbury. Academically he was always strong, but couldn't really be bothered with A-Levels. He snuck into The University of Nottingham to study manufacturing engineering, but quit just after a year. He switched to Business Studies at Nottingham Trent, but soon packed that in and gave up on academia completely to pursue a career writing films. His parents were delighted. He fell into gardening for a few years, before flying to Australia, where he spent most of the time in Sydney and worked in a sex shop called 'The Pleasure Chest'. Whilst attempting to write film scripts he also had some Erotica published, which is regarded as "Way better than anything EL James wrote". After returning from Down Under, he eventually moved to London where he soon found a 'proper job' in Press Cuttings, but got fired after a year. This pattern continued in his next job - a photographer for an estate agent - which he also left just after a year. He dabbled in the world of Film Extras, and consequently wrote a popular blog on the topic for cult website bleedingcool (which you can read on his website). In 2012 he finally pulled his finger out and made some films, and in 2013 won an award and much acclaim for an online advert for PlayStation. He followed this up with his directorial debut for Shell, which had millions of views worldwide, and went on to make numerous commercials for brands such as Chevrolet, Castrol and Shell. He also made a handful of music videos. His 2021 short horror 'Viola' was selected for numerous festivals, winning several accolades including Best Film, Best Director and Best Cinematography. Around that time he also wrote/directed a few films for Scott Jeffries (of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey fame). Paul would like to point out that these films were made for about £5k each, and he was forced to write to a ridiculous premise with very little time [3-4 weeks]. These should therefore not be seen as a reflection of how well he can write. He'd also like to point out that Scott never fed any of the cast/crew on any of those productions. Outside of movies he enjoys rugby, travel and correcting people's grammar. He played a 'Deatheater' in the final Harry Potter film, and as a choirboy he once sang to the Pope.
Paul W.S. Anderson

Paul W.S. Anderson

Paul W.S. Anderson gained a fair bit of notoriety in his native England when he directed the ultra-violent Shopping (1994) (which he also wrote), starring Jude Law and Sean Pertwee in a story about thieves who steal by ramming a car into storefronts. The film was banned in some cinemas in England, and became a direct-to-video slightly edited release in the United States. Shopping (1994) allowed Anderson to get the chance to direct Mortal Kombat (1995), an adaptation of the hit video game, which showcased his directorial trademarks - visually stunning scenery and quick-cut editing. The film did well enough for him to choose his next project, which was Soldier (1998) with Warner Bros., with Kurt Russell in the lead. Unfortunately, Russell decided at the time to go on hiatus, pushing the release date of that film into 1998. In the meantime, Anderson directed Event Horizon (1997) from a script by Philip Eisner, which featured Anderson regulars Sean Pertwee and Jason Isaacs. The science fiction/horror film, a Gothic horror version of Solaris (1972), was stylish and scary, but was critically panned and did not do well in the box office, which Anderson blamed on studio-enforced cuts to the story. (Anderson has promised a Director's Cut, though none has been announced as of yet). Soldier (1998) didn't fare well with critics and box office either, and Anderson's planned 2000 remake of Death Race 2000 (1975) was canceled. This forced him to think smaller, which led to The Sight (2000), a supernatural mystery movie that was a minor hit. He then resurfaced to direct another video game adaption, Resident Evil (2002). Long rumored among fans to be a choice comeback vehicle for zombie grandfather George A. Romero, the writing and directing credits eventually transferred to Anderson. He next was given the helm for the long-awaited film adaption of the popular Dark Horse comic book, AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004).