Interview with Jason Ferguson (Aspire Films): Who, What, When, Where and Why

It is always good to see your friends doing what they love. For this edition, I had the pleasure to interview a college friend, Jason Ferguson.

I have seen Jason's work via social media channels and I had the pleasure of having Jason film me during my Burger Challenge. With his new film Ties of the Ribbon coming out soon, it felt like a good time to do an interview.


ABOUT:
​Jason Ferguson has had a passion for the creative industry from a young age, musically gifted he naturally fell into the UK music industry where he worked for 5 years working with artist’s such as Amy Winehouse and Jay Z.
He also had a strong passion for visual story-telling and bought his first camera at 6 to take photos in his spare time, for the first year he carried the camera around everywhere with him in his bag learning and honing his craft.

He taught himself how to Edit, Colour Correct, Shoot and compose a scene, all the while learning and honing his skills. 
After a chance conversation in a Soho edit suite, he met an animator that inspired and gave him the courage to follow his dreams and produce content.
Now after a year studying under some amazing DOP/Directors on commercials and Short films, Jason is ready to show the world how far he has come and excite them on where he is going.

Not many people from his background make it to the big screen but Jason aims to break these restrictions and show his talent and passion to a wider audience.

Who inspired you towards Film and your own company?

So for me I really admire the discipline of cinematography, Christopher Nolan, Danny Boyle and Tony Kaye to name a few are great inspirations to me. They really are able to marry a creative visual to an amazing narrative. The business of film is a very hard industry, it's not for the faint of spirit. To have my own production company allows me to create projects and work on content that showcases both my ambitions and the creativity of the production team behind the scenes.

What makes a great Film?

This is such a subjective question for me; what makes a great film is not knowing it is a film, when the film draws you in and provokes a conversation beyond the confines of the cinema. A dramatic hollywood blockbuster is for escapism, I don't need to have a deep psychological connection with the audience, I want to escape for that short period be thrilled. On the other hand it's also a place where if you are doing a compelling story it's very important that the visuals marry with the narrative.

When did you get into Film?

I can tell you the year I fell in love with the lens, It was 2008 when I got my first DSLR camera. I carried it around in my backpack for a year everyday from work and taught myself how to shoot by walking through the park everyday. Since then i have taken my craft very seriously and progress into working with the moving image from TV , Film and Weddings.

Where has been your favourite place to Film?

My best project to far has been my first short film, Ties of the Ribbon, it's definitely a labour of love and I just the love the journey!

Why Ties of the Ribbon?
​Ties of the Ribbon was envisioned over two years ago and has received support from experienced documentary filmmaker Vanessa Van-Yeboah (BBC/Channel 4) and talented colourist Michelle Kort (Ex Machina/The Crown/The King’s Speech).

When writing the script, I really wanted to capture the essence of classic 80/90’s thrillers like Basic Instinct, War of the Roses and Body Heat, but with a modern take on the story. With the film being a short, it was crucial for me to capture key moments while taking the audience through a series of layers.

In order to create a cinematic, visual masterpiece on a short film budget, we have pulled-in favours from our contacts all over the film industry, as well as some very exciting emerging talent, including our Sound Design team that has worked with the likes of Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Wretch 32, Noam Murro, 20th Century Fox, Biscuit Filmworks, Pantene, Universal Music, Tilney, Grey London and Sony Pictures.

Ties of the Ribbon explores the relationship between two men and their unusual connection to a string of disappearances. The film opens with Mr. Violet, who awakes to a flurry of texts from a familiar source. He chooses to ignore the texts throughout the day, leaving the viewer wondering if the sender is a spurned lover, worried spouse, or something worse, creating a tension that lingers throughout as we explore Mr Violet’s relationships.

and finally...

as it is a food blog:
Which are your five fave restaurants at the moment?

Top 5 in the Big Smoke

• Il Cavaliere Italian Restaurant in Finsbury Park (Blackstock Road) Such a great host and superb Italian food made with love!
• Dutchies in Croyden - great Jamaican restaurant with 2for1 drinks all the time !
• Itchiryu in Tottenham Court Road Great Japanese Udon Noodles, Not to be confused with Ramen
• Catina Carnitas excellent Mexican in London Bridge - They even imported the Food truck from Miami!!
• Yosma Turkish food thats fine dining !! excellent cocktails and excellent drinks in Baker Street

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Seeing Jason do what he has done over the years has been truly inspiring. He is one of the reasons why I started my blog. Seeing people take their passions into something they do for a living is great. 

Keep your eyes peeled for his future work Ties of the Ribbon and his company Aspire Films.