As the indie film scene takes more of a center stage to the world of filmmaking, we talk to Louis Findlay about his project Roadkill and the journey it has been getting there as both a creator and a performer.
Can you tell us a little about yourself, your career?
I’m 30 years old, my wife and I have just had a baby - our first, and I now have a dad bod!
I’ve always been excited by cameras, I was always looking in the Argos catalog as a kid and being excited by all the new cameras. I used to love going in Jessops and seeing them on the shelf and always dreamed of having one.
I got my first camera when I was 14 and used to make all of our Parkour videos which I did till I was 22 working as a professional soon also forerunner.
When I started acting I had no idea how to get into it and no one would give me a chance, so I started writing and filming my own scenes which soon turned into shorts and then features.
My first short film called Days To Come was loosely based on my own struggles with anxiety and depression, it won 4 awards in Europe and I won the best actor at the Los Angeles Actor Awards in 2017.
Since then, I’ve not looked back and continue to make my own work, I love it.
You have a new project that you are crowdfunding. Can you tell us a little more about it?
RoadKill is based on a short film me and some friends made in 2018. It centers around two brothers who are traveling across the country and during an argument, they crash the car and hit a girl walking along the side of a road and how they cope with doing the right thing.
The feature has come a long way since the short and very much centers around life at home between Ben and his mother Liz who’s alcohol addiction is not only affecting her life but Ben’s life too. He turns to selling drugs on the estate to pay the bills after losing his job and lands himself in a spot of bother. His older brother Josh returns from prison and is determined to turn his life around, connect with his ex and be the family man but he has no idea how hard life has been for Ben. Their mother is taken to hospital and doctors recommend she needs rehab to make a full recovery but they don’t have the money. They agree to do a job for Ben’s dodgy boss and if all goes well they’ll have enough money to cover the costs of treatment. This film focuses on broken Britain and the lengths people will go to in order to keep a roof over their heads and take care of the ones they love.
What is your goal as a filmmaker and what would be your dream project?
My goal as a filmmaker is just to continue telling stories and never stop. I don’t seek permission from anyone, if I have a story to tell then I’ll tell it. My goal is to focus on hard-hitting dramas and offer an insight into other people’s lives so that we can learn from others.
I don’t know if I have a dream job, I’m just very happy doing what I’m currently doing. But I guess the dream is just working with like-minded people and having fun along the way.
Is there any advice you would offer someone entering into the creative arts and media?
Do your research. Reach out to others for help start small. Work within your limits and make use of things you already have.
Have a bit of money behind you, never crowdfund without putting your own money in first. I like to think of crowdfunding as just topping off the glass. I always put as much money as I can into my films because if crowdfunding is unsuccessful, you’re not relying entirely on others to help you tell your story. You’ll have some money in your pocket to make a start at least.
“ If you have an idea, find a way to get it done no matter what, if someone tells you “no” but you're passionate about telling it, then tell it!”
To learn more about the project or to support the film see:
