James Alton Films
← Back to journal

Director Notes ·

Directing The Letter in a small room

The Letter works for me because the scene is small enough that every choice shows. The room, the sisters, the letter and the Christmas practicals all had to carry pressure without making the film feel bigger than it was.

Marie Ashwood in a warm finished frame from The Letter.
Marie Ashwood in a warm finished frame from The Letter.

The room had to stay calm.

When a short is built around two people and one piece of paper, there is not much room for noise. I wanted the camera to let the silence sit there instead of decorating the conflict.

That meant thinking about where the sisters could sit, how long the frame could hold, and how much the room could say before anyone spoke.

Marie Ashwood in a warm close frame from The Letter.
The Letter This frame works for me because Marie's face is holding the pressure without the shot needing to announce it.

Directing meant keeping the pressure aligned.

Harrison Mendel shot The Letter, and I want that clear without making the note only about camera credit. My part was directing the scene: talking through the light and blocking with him, keeping the room calm, and making sure the frame served the relationship instead of the setup.

Those conversations are where I feel most like a director: not claiming every department's work, but pushing everyone toward the same emotional pressure.

Lighting and camera setup inside the Christmas room during The Letter.
The Letter BTS The BTS matters here because the finished stillness came from practical choices: where the camera sat, where the light could hide, and how much of the room to let in.

The finished frame needed to feel chosen.

The film was made quickly, but I did not want it to feel rushed. I wanted the colour, blocking and stillness to do fewer things better.

That is usually the work I trust more now: a small scene, a clear pressure, and no extra movement unless the moment asks for it.

Marie Ashwood and Shatille McInnes hold a tense Christmas-room beat in The Letter.
The Letter The wider frame stays simple because the scene already has enough pressure inside it.

Selected work