James Smith

James Smith was born in 1965 in Surrey, England and brought up in the USA and South Africa before his family returned to Essex in the late 1970s. Following college stints at Chelmsford and Leicester, he embarked on a career in the computer business. This, however, was short-lived as he spent much of his time indulging in travel, outdoor sports, and creative pursuits, including music, painting and photography. Taking advantage of the digital video revolution, Smith began making sports promos and documentary films in 2004, developing a mix of hand-held techniques melded with evocative static compositions that hallmark his style today. When directing actors, he often employs improvisation to add realism and dynamism to his work. His award-winning documentary Gentlemen of the Night (2006) was screened theatrically, the latest on its tenth anniversary to packed venues. His short film Keep Up If You Can (2009) was selected from 3500 entries for Rutger Hauer's "I've Seen Films" International Internet Contest in Milan, whilst his début feature Do Something, Jake (2018) was premiered in September 2018 to rapturous applause at a packed Odeon Cinema in the Midlands, UK. These films were followed by experimental thriller Agent Kelly (2020), cyber-crime thriller Cyberlante (2020), and horror-whodunnit Surveilled (2021), the latter two films shot using smartphone technology and adapted lenses. James and the Raya Films team are now taking things to the next level with Casting Kill, an Hitchcockian 'smart horror', which is now in pre-production and scheduled to shoot in 2021.