John Cade
Bradford-born John Cade started his creative life as an actor, before quickly realising that he would rather be making films. Having graduated with a first from the Northern School of Film and Television, he made his short horror film QUARRY for £100.
What training have you received?
I graduated from the Northern School of Film and Television in 2006 with a BA in Film and Moving Image. Most of my film knowledge comes from watching films, studying them, and reading about them. I really started to learn once I’d left the security of film school and started making them by myself.
Does your budget limit what you can explore in your films?
I’ve never had the privilege of a budget, as all of my films have been self-funded. I can only go with the ideas that I can afford to make, and it gets incredibly frustrating having to hold back, but I’ve learned a lot about storytelling from having my resourcefulness tested. Having no budget doesn’t so much restrict what I can explore thematically, as much as the ways that I can explore them, but it teaches a lot of discipline. Having said that, I’m working on various ideas that are unfeasible without funding.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a low-budget filmmaker?
That any young filmmaker should simply get a camera and make a film of any kind, and keep practising. I know that sounds simplistic but I think that’s the best advice anyone could give. Funding options are especially limited for first-time filmmakers and it’s hard to get off the ground, so I took out loans to buy my own equipment and just started making them. I recently read Mike Figgis’ book on digital filmmaking and I’d highly recommend it to anybody starting out in independent films.
Most significant moment in your career so far?
I’m still very early on in my career, but finishing my first short was pretty significant. Leaving film school is daunting and there are no set paths to follow, but once I’d made that first move, I found some momentum. There were only two of us on the crew and we hardly had any money, so we developed the idea around the locations and actors that we had available to us. The film ended up being short-listed in Zone Horror’s CUT Short Film Competition. It was the first time I’d been acknowledged professionally and it was a good feeling.
You’ll die happy when…
Truthfully, I find it hard to imagine myself ever feeling satisfied. If I died tomorrow, I’d be pretty disappointed.
