Interview with short filmmaker Greg Ash

British filmmaker Greg Ash with eight short films under his belt has been always creating: writing, taking photographs, and, most importantly, making films.

Recently he went overseas to present his brand new comedy “Fired!” starring James Hillier and Kieran O’Brien. It’s about a Dad who is fired by his seven year old son, in a world where parents can be replaced. I got in touch with Greg right after the exclusive Fired! premiere in LA and spoke about the project.

Fired! Short Film Trailer

Julija: What did you want to convey in this film?

Greg: As well as entertaining people and hopefully making them laugh, I also like to get them thinking. I therefore prefer to leave audiences to take what they want from my films. However, when I was writing “Fired!” I was inspired to explore the freedom of choice we have in the modern world. We live in an era when reality television can cause us to treat relationships like a popularity contest, and I was interested in transposing this flippancy into family life. We have a boy who fires his Dad and replaces him with a “better” model, but as he comes to realise, unlimited choice is not necessarily a good thing.

Julija: How did you decide that Fired! had to be a comedy?

Greg: I’m naturally drawn to comedy as I think it’s an effective way of exploring the gap between illusion and reality. There are certainly dark undertones to Fired! and it could probably be a much more savage film. However, overall I wanted to convey a positive message. I think there is already enough suffering in the world, and that comedy can be a subtle way of inspiring people to make positive changes.

Julija: How many days did it take to shoot the film?

Greg: We filmed “Fired!” over 4 days in South London.

Julija: In what ways is it different from your previous films?

Greg: “Fired!” is more light hearted than my previous short “Mr. Mzuza”, and I think appeals to a broader audience from young kids to grandparents. Technically it was more ambitious, with a larger budget, bigger crew and more equipment, and I therefore hope the result is a more accomplished, bolder piece. I’m also happy to have included some great music from Portland band “The Shivas”, which really ties the film together. Overall, I wanted to make something that seemed at times surreal and stylized, but at others mundane and down to earth. It plays like a strange combination of family comedy, western and satire, which is a hopefully unique combination.

Julija: Are you satisfied with the result?

Greg: Filmmaking is a process of constant development, so it is sometimes difficult to be completely satisfied in hindsight, but overall I believe “Fired!” is the close to the best version of that story I could have made. I put a hundreds of hours of work and all my energy into it, and that’s all I can hope to do. It’s already been well received at screenings, and was just nominated for Best Foreign Short at the LA Comedy Festival. I really hope that the passion and efforts of everyone involved have resulted in a film that people can enjoy and be touched by.

Julija: What’s next for you?

Greg: I am currently directing and acting in a US comedy series called ‘Super Chill’ (superchill.tv) and writing my debut feature film ‘Bigfootville’. My latest short film ‘Mr. Invisible’, starring Julian Glover and Omid Dijalili, will be screening at festivals throughout this year.

Find out more about Greg Ash