Andrew Naylor T. +44 (0)20 3214 0899 anaylor@unitedagents.co.uk
United Agents Ltd. 12-26 Lexington Street London W1F 0LE
www.unitedagents.co.uk
RICHARD ELSON
Director References
EMMA KINGSMAN-LLOYD
(Producer ‘M.I.High’, TV drama series)
Richard Elson directed 11 episodes of MI High for me over three series from 2008-2011.
Richard is a really inventive director who worked brilliantly within the confines of an
ambitious children’s drama that never the less had a very limited budget. Utilising his
background as an editor, Richard has a very strong visual eye and brought some wonderfully
imaginative flourishes to our stories.
The MI High scripts were surprisingly procedural and Richard was very strong on the plotting
and structure of the scripts, often pushing to make them more complex and intriguing for
our young audience.
For Richard’s first episodes (in series 3) he was working with a mixture of both experienced
adult performers and completely inexperienced child performers. Two of the leads
introduced in series 3 had never acted in front of the camera before.
Richard was able to strike up an immediate, easy relationship with our young cast and
worked closely with them, helping them to navigate the perils of the schedule. He was
endlessly patient with the young cast and really helped them to develop as performers
across the three series.
As an ex editor, Richard was very clear on how he wanted to structure the episodes in the
edit but was always open to the notes from Producer, Exec and the Channel. He was always
the most inventive of the directors in the cutting room.
Contact available on request
Andrew Naylor T. +44 (0)20 3214 0899 anaylor@unitedagents.co.uk
United Agents Ltd. 12-26 Lexington Street London W1F 0LE
www.unitedagents.co.uk
MARTHA FIENNES
(Director ‘Chromophobia’, feature film, executive producer ‘Scrutiny’, drama pilot)
I have worked with Richard Elson for several years now and would highly recommend him to any
production. I know him professionally both as an editor and as a director.
He has worked on many projects with me, editing my last three commercials and most recent feature
film, Chromophobia. I have helped to advise him on his writing and directing projects and found him
to be completely fluent, fast and able in all aspects of film-making.
Very quickly into our working relationship he emerged as someone with whom I could seek creative
opinion and collaboration. His overall creative contribution to Chromophobia was considerable and I
have come to trust him completely.
Aside from his thoroughness and ability, he is clearly sensitive and conscious of a film’s creative needs
and its potential. He always conducts himself with the utmost sensitivity earning my complete respect
for his thoughts, judgement, imagination and generosity. I am indebted to him for his input on the
projects we have worked together on.
In addition, his charm and considerable humour are a wonderful relief to have in what can inevitably
become a stressful and oftentimes exhausting working environment.
This is an exceptional and very talented person. I cannot imagine any production would not benefit
enormously from his involvement.
Contact available on request
Andrew Naylor T. +44 (0)20 3214 0899 anaylor@unitedagents.co.uk
United Agents Ltd. 12-26 Lexington Street London W1F 0LE
www.unitedagents.co.uk
BRUCE LAMBERT
(Owner, Gripped Communications)
I have worked with Richard Elson since 2009, hiring him as both a director and an editor for
Gripped Communications. I have always been extremely impressed with the films he has
made for us, both in terms of the quality of his work and the speed with which he turns it
around.
Most recently we trusted a project to Richard filming for Unilever and various charities they
support. It involved him travelling to some of the poorest countries in the world to direct,
film and edit the content by himself. He was key to coming up with a style for the project
and developed each script closely with the client. We have been very pleased with the end
results, as we have always been with Richard’s work.
He consistently seeks to push a film, looking for the key message and how best to bring that
out. His determination and energy are present in all the films we have made together, some
of his work has influenced future productions in terms of style and execution. As well as
directing individual films for us we have been able to leave Richard as the key co-ordinator
for our company when the managing directors have been away on shoots.
On a personal note, Richard’s calm manner and good humour make him a pleasure to work
with. He would be an asset to any production and I couldn’t recommend him more to any
company considering working with him.
Bruce Lambert.
Contact: bruce@grippedcommunications.com
Andrew Naylor T. +44 (0)20 3214 0899 anaylor@unitedagents.co.uk
United Agents Ltd. 12-26 Lexington Street London W1F 0LE
www.unitedagents.co.uk
ELLA TODD
(Producer ‘Shadow Trade’, documentary)
Over the last few years Environment Films has employed Richard Elson as a director for a
number of productions and I would highly recommend him to any production.
Richard has directed a wide range from short films for corporations and charities to long
form documentary work, always to a high standard and within budget. He is equally
comfortable working with a large crew or as a self-shooter on intimate case studies, as he
did for us on a series of jobs for TFL. His background in editing means he can either edit the
projects he shoots for us or give a clear brief when dealing with post-production.
Our clients have excellent feedback for his work and he has always upheld the values of our
company and the brands we work with. His dedicated creativity, organisation and talent
mean he is someone I would trust completely with a project.
Richard presents as an important and reliable colleague and comes with the highest
recommendation to any who are interested in his work contribution.
Contact: info@environmentfilms.org
ROGER HOPKINS
(Producer ‘Spotters’, TV documentary)
I have known Richard Elson professionally for a considerable number of years, during which time he
has creatively advised and contributed as senior editor on a number of documentary productions for
Moviemedia. Richard’s outstanding abilities as a director and editor are second to none, and we are
extremely impressed with his ability to strengthen the integrity of a programme through a keen
understanding of its message. Richard recently transformed the footage of a very difficult shoot for
us, creating a classic comedy documentary which is currently selling worldwide. One of the main
reasons for the success of this show is Richard’s extraordinary ability to balance the content of a
programme, and to create a powerful and meaningful structure to the journey. He understands
perfectly how to capture the viewer from the first frame.
On a personal note, Richard is clearly of good character, and in tandem with great determination and
energy, he possesses an extremely infectious sense of fun. He has an easy and gentle manner, but
knows his mind professionally and is keenly prepared to express his views to colleagues. He responds
well to working in a team, but is equally at ease when operating independently, where in our
experience, his work takes on a much higher level. Reliability is also a reason to have Richard Elson
on one’s team, and his dedication to completing a programme on time is faultless.
In particular, we always enjoy Richard’s good heartedness, in that nothing appears to be too much
trouble, even in the face of a sometimes demanding and troublesome producer. He presents as an
important and attractive colleague, and comes with the highest recommendation to all who are
interested in his work contribution.
Contact: moviemedia@clara.net
Andrew Naylor T. +44 (0)20 3214 0899 anaylor@unitedagents.co.uk
United Agents Ltd. 12-26 Lexington Street London W1F 0LE
www.unitedagents.co.uk
KEITH MARSHALL
(Producer ‘Pure Freedom’ and ‘Alfred Russel Wallace’, Single dramas)
Richard Elson has directed several projects for Marshall Productions and our collaborations
have always been very successful and enjoyable.
Our first project together was a 45 minute docu-drama about the Pilgrim Fathers called
‘Pure Freedom’. Richard took the story and research, developing it into a well-paced and
informative script. The filming was conducted across the UK and in America, Richard’s skill as
a director was invaluable throughout. He worked well with a small crew and used great
imagination to achieve a period setting from the locations available.
After the success of ‘Pure Freedom’ we asked Richard to write, direct and co-produce our
next venture, ‘Alfred Russel Wallace’. This film, shot entirely as period drama, told the story
of a man who came up with the theory of evolution at the same time as Charles Darwin.
Richard researched the subject thoroughly and brought to life a much overlooked historical
character. He managed to re-create exotic global settings in local sets and locations. Acting
as both director and producer he organised the various departments exceptionally to ensure
a smooth production while maintaining creative flair.
Richard’s understanding of history combined with outstanding film making talent have
helped us create films that are both dramatic and informative. I would urge any production
to take him on board as they will find his contribution invaluable.
Contact available on request