Nico Hambleton directed 2021 WMFF feature “Lock Down Rock Up,” the story of a young man named Jerome Mowat taking us through the challenges he faced as a front-line paramedic during the global pandemic and how he used climbing as an escape. We asked him a few questions, see our Q&A conversation below:
What is in your gear bag/kit?
Canon C500 MK II with it’s beautiful full frame sensor! Canon L Series Primes and Canon 70-300mm. Fuji XT-3 on a Ronin M gimbal. DJI Mavic Air 2. Ropes/ascenders/Petzl ID. Food and a few other bits and bobs!
What item can you not live without?
Lots of food and water. And a nice refreshing beer to finish the day!
How do you choose music for your films?
In Lock Down Rock Up I used my multi talented brother and he composed the music to the film. It’s a luxury when you can have your own composer rather than getting music off the internet and in this case it really payed off!
Most necessary character-quality for a director?
Be nice and approachable – You get so much more out of your team and contributors that way. And then it’s easier to give direction and get super creative with shots!
Who has been most influential in your directing career?
Industry friends who have helped me get to where I am and who give me pointers of help 🙂
Favorite on-set memory?
Filming Jerome in the back of an ambulance on blue flashing lights! And having those moments where everything falls into place such as the beautiful sunset shots with Jerome and the drone!
Craziest on-set/en route to set adventure?
So many to choose from but one that springs to mind was a 10 pitch multi pitch in France. A huge golden eagle flew past us within metres of us. It’s surprising how big they are and their huge claws! If that wasn’t worrying enough, we then had vultures salivating whilst watching us hungrily. Then adding to the drama I was belaying my 2nd on the last anchor in a bee’s nest! The descent was pretty mental too!
More About Nico Hambleton
Nico is a lighting cameraman and film maker who specialises in documentary filming, but also has experience across a broader spectrum of projects such as entertainment, sports and live/pre-recorded studio.
Hugely passionate with extreme sports, his favourites being climbing, skiing and kitesurfing. Lock Down Rock Up was his first adventure/outdoor film and plans on making a lot more!
For more info check out his website www.nicocam.com
