Patrick Smith

I spent much of 2024 working with the wonderful @rowanedeacon filming with ex-members of a tantric yoga school, speaking out after realising they’d joined a cult. Their bravery to relive their experiences for our cameras was hugely moving to experience. I hope we did their story justice. We shot master interviews in locations loosely themed around the wellness environment, avoiding the overly dark and leaning into the spiritual where possible. To capture the “internal” world of mindfulness, we moved away from static shots and used a range of specialist custom motion-control systems, some slightly homemade, to track around and above the contributors as they practiced yoga. To enhance the visual layers of the story we shot at 3 Mills Studios to create the elaborate yoga dance sequences, all produced in-camera with the amazing help of animator Phil Davies, creative @mryoavsegal and mapping projectionist @sbavila . We had cameras rigged to various systems moving through these semi-real imagined spaces to help realise Rowan’s vision of the tantric. I had the pleasure to work with a wonderful team put together by @lightboxent that included: ACs @joshfspear @ohyeahitsclaire @marco.mitchell Moe Owoborode Sound @andy_paddon @steveanshu Martin Kier Gaffer @abi.hurcomb Producers @lilysobituary @callummccullochfilm Claire McFall Production @katebullions @fishpuxley Editing Jobe Gee Elliot Gee Production design @evefinnie @frugstagram Special Effects/Animation Phil Davies @mryoavsegal @sbavila

So happy to hear that Stolen Gold a film I shot back in 2023 for @espn has won Best Sports Doc at the Broadcast Sports Awards in America. Such a moving film telling Ramon’s story, a truly remarkable and inspiring man. The film explores the Spanish intellectually disabled basketball team’s journey to the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the shocking aftermath of their victory and subsequent disqualification. We worked in Spain for the documentary elements with Ramon and Cape Town with the excellent @trilogycreative for the drama elements. Beautifully crafted by director @suemay_oram and her awesome team @pulsefilms . Such a pleasure to have worked on this one.

I was asked to shoot the master interviews for the new Victoria Beckham series by @dorothystpictures and @Netflix and had a great time working with a lovely and hugely dedicated production team. My awesome gaffer @abi.hurcomb used some really big lights ☀️

Very proud to have been a tiny part of this wonderful film about an amazing man, and very happy to be working with @Curiousfilms1 , Charlie Russell, Harriet Bird and Yasmin Heidary. Also got to play with some (maybe not so) top tier tracking systems expertly driven by Freddie Lange Hewlett!

One of the most intense interviews I’ve ever shot. A real pleasure to work with Charlie Russell and @curiousfilms1 #chanel4 #documentary #canon #tilta #rocknroller

I had the absolute pleasure to work with @colette.camden and @five_mile_films again. We made Married to a Paedophile in 2018 and I’m still very proud of how that one came out. I’ve not seen this yet but very much looking forward to it tonight… Did they find the bugger??? ** disclaimer - Colette did the bulk of the filming herself so I’ll blame her if there are any dodgy shots. I shot only the pretty shots ;) ** Also wonderful to work with lots of my best workmates; Additional Camera @robinfox_dop Sound @andy_paddon Steve Hopkins Paul Thompson Doug Dregger ACs @joshfspear @ohyeahitsclaire @dan_dimartino @bensbrokenboard @banayo

I had a wonderful time shooting with @jo_shallott telling the story of Jonathan, the Dutch serial sperm donor. I did the interviews on this one and a few small bits of the cheeky drama elements. A fun project to be involved in and always amazing to work with Curious Films. Congratulations to all involved for the amazing streaming numbers this series has achieved. @curiousfilms1 @netflix

This was a series I started working across a couple of years ago as we came out of Covid madness. I had the pleasure of working with the hugely talented @jamesjonesfilm along with his inspiring team @h_hp1 and @katehardiebuckley . We travelled to Lebanon and Japan, amongst other countries, both amazing places to go especially at that time. We told the crazy story of Carlos Ghosh’s daring escape from Japanese incarceration with interviews and drama reconstruction. Thanks to the people at Apple we had the means and time to make some really nice stuff. Congratulations to the team for their Emmy nomination a few weeks ago! A huge thank you to the wonderful ACs who worked on this one. I’ve known and worked with each for many years and their support means a huge amount to me. @joshfspear @dan_dimartino @bensbrokenboard @banayo @boxtoboxfilms @applefilms

I had the pleasure of working with @chloecampbelldirector and @alicemcmahonmajor on this series telling the story of 30 Greenpeace activists facing extreme repercussions for their actions against the burgeoning power of Putin. A fight on an oil platform in the middle of the Arctic Ocean and various remote soviet prisons on a moderate budget wasn’t easy to recreate but we had a good go and I think it turned out well. Such a lovely, dedicated and talented team to work with. @curvemediatv @bbc

I had the pleasire to work with @paddywivell1 on this very moving film. I only shot for a couple of days but worked with such a brave and inspiring family. Definitely worth a watch. . I’ve not posted in a while so apologies for a couple more posts coming about films I didn’t get round to posting about on time :/

I was extremely proud (and anxious) to have been nominated for a Bafta award for factual photography last night. We didn’t win. Outrageously my director from that project won for his camerawork on another film, what has the world come to? Very much enjoyed working on the film and thrilled to have been nominated. Cheers to @benedict.sanderson and Blast and @dixipoppins at Sky and to @joshfspear my AC who joined me for the night and on the stage as everyone else went downstairs to drink and dance with their awards. Not bitter ;) . #bafta

I had a very enjoyable time working with director @chloecampbelldirector and producer @raissabotterman on their BBC film about the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior. I shot the drama elements in the UK and some of the northern hemisphere IVs. A crazy story.