This week on FILMD Chats, writer–director Rob Ayling breaks down a director’s most honest promise, the opening shot and how to make it declare the film’s thesis, set rules, and prime expectation from second one. He shows how Living in Crime Alley and Punching Bag use a singular first image to set tone and then flip what viewers think they’re getting hook first, subvert later. Rob shares a practical drafting mantra write the first draft for yourself, the next for the audience, then demonstrates how he re-engineered structure and beats to respect expectation without surrendering authorship. It’s a blueprint for choices that travel from page to lens. We also explore adaptation in a restless industry: treating tech as tool, not crutch; why the pendulum back to celluloid brings discipline and texture; and when to choose phone, DSLR or Super-16 to serve theme, not habit.
