Hi John.
I just want to say a huge thanks for your work regarding the videos you did at the BMAD festival this year.
They are without doubt totally professional.
The videos portray exactly what the festival is with a fresh approach to filming, editing and narration.
Wishing you all the best.
Kelvin Halloran. Founder of Bikers make a Difference
John and Emberlense have worked with the BrixFest team in the past to craft National Lottery funded heritage films for the Brixham Heritage Trail. John was asked to produce a film which captured the true meaning behind the stories told by local people of all generations - and the film which he produced did exactly that. His compassion, enthusiasm and dynamic photography ability means that he could accurately yet sympathetically represent everything we needed while simultaneously doing the stories justice, without exploiting them.
This year BrixFest returned for its eighth year and John created the official movie for the weekend. We expected a short, three minute clip which covered a few of the key elements of the festival and a few plugs for sponsors. What we received, was an incredible 11 minute film which perfectly recorded the visitor's experience at a BrixFest festival weekend. The value gained by the festival from this film will be immense, both in terms of added value for sponsors and when it comes to showcasing what we can do for awards, or new perspective visitors.
John is a pleasure to work with. His ability to produce complex, intimate video clips with speed but without compromising quality is to be commended. We're all looking forward to working with him on the next one.
Harry Bower Brixfest Chairman ( June 2019 )
John and his team at Emberlense were extremely easy to work with. From the initial stages of the ideas for content for the film, throughout production to final stage amendments, John was creative, willing and efficient despite us not given him a deadline. I would not hesitate to recommend him if you are looking for a video to promote your business . We are very happy with the finished product and feel it depicts what we had in mind exactly
Richard Cuming Owner Bygones
“It was a pleasure working with John of Emberlense. Professional. Skilled. On time. Approachable. All essential qualities when desiring a marketing video”
Martin Brook Director Torbay Holiday Helpers Network
I just want to say a huge thanks for your work regarding the videos you did at the BMAD festival this year.
They are without doubt totally professional.
The videos portray exactly what the festival is with a fresh approach to filming, editing and narration.
Wishing you all the best.
Kelvin Halloran. Founder of Bikers make a Difference
John and Emberlense have worked with the BrixFest team in the past to craft National Lottery funded heritage films for the Brixham Heritage Trail. John was asked to produce a film which captured the true meaning behind the stories told by local people of all generations - and the film which he produced did exactly that. His compassion, enthusiasm and dynamic photography ability means that he could accurately yet sympathetically represent everything we needed while simultaneously doing the stories justice, without exploiting them.
This year BrixFest returned for its eighth year and John created the official movie for the weekend. We expected a short, three minute clip which covered a few of the key elements of the festival and a few plugs for sponsors. What we received, was an incredible 11 minute film which perfectly recorded the visitor's experience at a BrixFest festival weekend. The value gained by the festival from this film will be immense, both in terms of added value for sponsors and when it comes to showcasing what we can do for awards, or new perspective visitors.
John is a pleasure to work with. His ability to produce complex, intimate video clips with speed but without compromising quality is to be commended. We're all looking forward to working with him on the next one.
Harry Bower Brixfest Chairman ( June 2019 )
John and his team at Emberlense were extremely easy to work with. From the initial stages of the ideas for content for the film, throughout production to final stage amendments, John was creative, willing and efficient despite us not given him a deadline. I would not hesitate to recommend him if you are looking for a video to promote your business . We are very happy with the finished product and feel it depicts what we had in mind exactly
Richard Cuming Owner Bygones
“It was a pleasure working with John of Emberlense. Professional. Skilled. On time. Approachable. All essential qualities when desiring a marketing video”
Martin Brook Director Torbay Holiday Helpers Network
Read more Testimonials at
https://www.emberlense.com/testimonials.html
https://www.emberlense.com/testimonials.html
Beard Envy: a smile-enducing surreal journey on a quest for a beard
Aug 2018
Beard Envy is a surreal journey into an aspirational, envy-ridden day-mare. Based on the spoken-word poetry of Robert Garnham, it tells the story of one person’s dream to have a beard.
The beard envier – Dan A Beard – is played by the wonderfully wide-eyed fresh-faced Jack Allum, who is constantly perplexed, amused, confused but mostly envious of the beards he encounters.
And what a range of beard-based brushes they are! From bumping into the South West’s most famous pirate Cpt’n Blackheart in a historical setting, through a tidal wave of beard competitors, science lab, barber’s shop and a wistful bus journey.
The first beard encounter is at Torquay Museum, and along with the location of Paignton’s The Lucky 7 Club, the settings add a sense of the real to this very other-world adventure, making it even more tangibly bizarre.
What’s lovely too is that the crowd of beardies are real… well… beardies. They combine with a range of actors, who sprout their own sense of ‘odd’. And Robert’s own dryly enthusiastic narration captures a sense of another, slightly off-set consciousness.
Quick-paced, the short film comes in at just over five minutes, and we can’t even guess at the length-of-beard-per-second ratio.
There are strong visuals from the duo of DoPs Jacob Brandon and Julian Kemp, and screenplay by Tom Eastwood has transferred the essence of a live stand-up to a the opportunities of a multi-faced media environment.
Beard Envy belongs in that pantheon of engaging off-kilter flicks – it’s a quick excursion into the smile-enducing surreal.
Directed, produced and edited by John Tomkins, Beard Envy is beautifully British, eccentrically English and fittingly hopeful for hirsute heroes and wannabes alike.
DC FILM
A DARK TALE
A Dark Tale is a blackly comic little gem that is both theatrical and cinematic in perfectly balanced proportions. Not many films can withstand any aspect of theatricality at all, but John Tomkins manages this almost as well as legendary directors Ingmar Bergman and
David Lynch— in his own inimitable and bleakly humorous fashion.
The film’s strength lies in its storytelling, which is philosophically and moralistically profound, but camouflaged so that these academic qualities are not evident. Equally fine is Tomkins’ choice of actors, and his careful direction of them, so that all characters, as eccentric as they are, seem completely real. I especially enjoy the movie’s silent moments, where the imagination can run wild among faces and landscapes, both interior and exterior.
Any weak points in the film are so negligible as to be rendered nonexistent, in my critical opinion. A Dark Tale will definitely satisfy any film lover’s palate, and is strongly recommended.
Read more: http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/74999/#ixzz2tnBuHY8U
FEB 2014 Amy R Handler
A DARK TALE
A Dark Tale is a film so whimsically eccentric, it is impossible not to enjoy at least in some small part. There is much channeling of the Tim Burton classic Beetlejuice here, and it is no mean feat that this short film aspires to comparable levels of character invention and design with such a shoestring budget. Much of the film’s appeal comes from its visual merits – from highly impressive make-up courtesy of Sarah Hartley and Sally Morley, to the grand location that acts as the setting for the afterlife. Not short on dark comedy, much is also owed to a solid screenplay from the minds of Tomkins and collaborator Tom Menary. Cotter is impressive as the stuttering and bumbling Bob, a performance well-supported by his fellow actors’ turns as their respective quirky characters.
Despite some small technical issues with sound and picture, A Dark Tale is a triumph of creativity that cuts no corners and aspires to a level that betrays its small production scale. From location to costume to make-up, the film makes a point to establish a consistent and intriguing visual style, and is at no point let down by the story or characterisation that supports this. An excellent introduction to John Tomkins’ work for this reviewer.
THE LONDON FILM REVIEW (JAN 19TH 2014 ) JAMES CHERRY
THEY'RE COMING
Nevertheless, considering the non-existent resources with which it was made (including a backpack standing in for a steady-cam rig), They’re Coming is a coherent and engaging piece of storytelling, which wraps up its convoluted machinations confidently. Tomkins has cast the film strongly (Morgan’s sinister voice is noteworthy) and successfully throws in much humour which works a treat (several moments focusing on characters running out breath during the various chase scenes are a delight).
Above all, it fulfills John’s wish to put Torbay on the cinematic map: there was a very particular thrill in seeing a character pursued across the footbridge near Torre Abbey Sands, with the sun gleaming off the calm sea in the background. Elsewhere, a confrontation on top of a car park is lensed in beautiful, noirish light with the lights of Torquay in the background. Not only does the film show off Torbay to a wonderful extent: it also showcases the enormously talented people within the community itself.
SEAN WILSON
DEVON AND CORNWALL FILM MOVIE REVIEWER
They're Coming looks and sounds terrific, and makes good use of the talents of its volunteer cast.
Tom Menary comes believably unravelled in the main role, and receives sound support from fellow cast members Mark Vernon Freestone, Lexie Carducci, Kirsty Anne Symonds and more.
GUY HENDERSON THIS IS SOUTH DEVON THE HERALD EXPRESS
For general inquiries email: info@emberlense.com
© 2020 John Tomkins / Emberlense Productions . All Rights Reserved.
A Dark Tale is a blackly comic little gem that is both theatrical and cinematic in perfectly balanced proportions. Not many films can withstand any aspect of theatricality at all, but John Tomkins manages this almost as well as legendary directors Ingmar Bergman and
David Lynch— in his own inimitable and bleakly humorous fashion.
The film’s strength lies in its storytelling, which is philosophically and moralistically profound, but camouflaged so that these academic qualities are not evident. Equally fine is Tomkins’ choice of actors, and his careful direction of them, so that all characters, as eccentric as they are, seem completely real. I especially enjoy the movie’s silent moments, where the imagination can run wild among faces and landscapes, both interior and exterior.
Any weak points in the film are so negligible as to be rendered nonexistent, in my critical opinion. A Dark Tale will definitely satisfy any film lover’s palate, and is strongly recommended.
Read more: http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/74999/#ixzz2tnBuHY8U
FEB 2014 Amy R Handler
A DARK TALE
A Dark Tale is a film so whimsically eccentric, it is impossible not to enjoy at least in some small part. There is much channeling of the Tim Burton classic Beetlejuice here, and it is no mean feat that this short film aspires to comparable levels of character invention and design with such a shoestring budget. Much of the film’s appeal comes from its visual merits – from highly impressive make-up courtesy of Sarah Hartley and Sally Morley, to the grand location that acts as the setting for the afterlife. Not short on dark comedy, much is also owed to a solid screenplay from the minds of Tomkins and collaborator Tom Menary. Cotter is impressive as the stuttering and bumbling Bob, a performance well-supported by his fellow actors’ turns as their respective quirky characters.
Despite some small technical issues with sound and picture, A Dark Tale is a triumph of creativity that cuts no corners and aspires to a level that betrays its small production scale. From location to costume to make-up, the film makes a point to establish a consistent and intriguing visual style, and is at no point let down by the story or characterisation that supports this. An excellent introduction to John Tomkins’ work for this reviewer.
THE LONDON FILM REVIEW (JAN 19TH 2014 ) JAMES CHERRY
THEY'RE COMING
Nevertheless, considering the non-existent resources with which it was made (including a backpack standing in for a steady-cam rig), They’re Coming is a coherent and engaging piece of storytelling, which wraps up its convoluted machinations confidently. Tomkins has cast the film strongly (Morgan’s sinister voice is noteworthy) and successfully throws in much humour which works a treat (several moments focusing on characters running out breath during the various chase scenes are a delight).
Above all, it fulfills John’s wish to put Torbay on the cinematic map: there was a very particular thrill in seeing a character pursued across the footbridge near Torre Abbey Sands, with the sun gleaming off the calm sea in the background. Elsewhere, a confrontation on top of a car park is lensed in beautiful, noirish light with the lights of Torquay in the background. Not only does the film show off Torbay to a wonderful extent: it also showcases the enormously talented people within the community itself.
SEAN WILSON
DEVON AND CORNWALL FILM MOVIE REVIEWER
They're Coming looks and sounds terrific, and makes good use of the talents of its volunteer cast.
Tom Menary comes believably unravelled in the main role, and receives sound support from fellow cast members Mark Vernon Freestone, Lexie Carducci, Kirsty Anne Symonds and more.
GUY HENDERSON THIS IS SOUTH DEVON THE HERALD EXPRESS
For general inquiries email: info@emberlense.com
© 2020 John Tomkins / Emberlense Productions . All Rights Reserved.
