by Will & Simon
GRAN THEFT ORTHO
FROM DREAMS TO REALITY
BAFTA award winning film director/producer John Miller, has
recently taken on a new adventure by putting his own ideas to
the screen in his brand new film production Gran Theft Ortho.
Originally working with Steve Backshall in the hit children’s series
‘Deadly 60’ as the director and producer, John picked up a BAFTA
for ‘Best Factual Show’ along with James Brickell in 2011. The
series has come to a close for now, but John is still working on a
brand new series, ‘Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures’, for CBeebies.
Previously John has taken part in many hit series before going on
to start his own production.
John Miller with his BAFTA award
John Miller gave us his thoughts about film-making and how it has attracted so many people worldwide
to get involved.
As keen journalists we asked him how he develops an idea when he gets one in his head. “Once you’ve
got an idea you develop and write a synopsis”, explains John, “Once you are happy with it then the
scripting begins. The script to me is everything.” He then went on to say that “If you get this right (the
script) you are giving yourself the best chance at making a great movie.” John believed that the script is
crucial as he says “If the script is wrong then the movie will never work. This (the script) can take months
and many drafts. Once you are happy with the result then it’s time to get a Producer on board who will
realise the money to make your movie and help put the creative team and cast together.”
The recent closure of the 29-year-old family-friendly, worldwide shop Blockbuster has caused much
controversy around the world. Blockbusters was the centre of attention every Friday night but it has
been moved out of the way to allow the incoming hits of Netflix and lovefilm to come through. We ask
John what his thoughts are on this topic. He was not at all worried, replying “There is a bigger audience
for film as there are so many new ways to watch movies. Blockbuster closed because films are watched
in a very different way now via channels such as Netflix.” He enhanced his point by saying “Cinema
figures are very healthy with more people wanting the shared experience of watching a film with
others.” He then concluded by saying “I am not worried at all but rather I think it a very exciting time to
be working in the industry.”
The industry he works with influences people’s lives every day so we went on to ask him whether he
enjoyed his job as a film director/producer. He replied “I love my job as I love telling stories. Film making
allows me to explore all sorts of ideas and (hopefully) entertain people as I go.”
By Will Chalmers and Simon Amaeshike