Director, Lead Designer, Storyboards
Listen To Me! | YEP’s & RCT Council | Animated Short Film
2023
Telling someone else’s story is a meaningful but challenging task, requiring a balance between honouring their lived experience and crafting an engaging narrative. Listen To Me is a film rooted in ordinary nightmares. Initially brought on as Art Director, I eventually took over the film’s direction, collaborating closely with the producer on narrative and production.
YEPS, Rhondda Cynon Taff Youth Services, enlisted Jammy Custard to create a film showcasing the experiences of the young people they support. A workshop with local youth identified key issues: anxiety, bullying, gender identity, and body image. Writer and Creative Producer Saoirse O’Connor-Tyrell crafted a script around these themes.
A first-person perspective was essential to connect the audience with the characters, illustrating life in two worlds, the external and the internal, where ordinary things can feel overwhelming. Four characters were developed to show diverse viewpoints and add depth. These characters weren’t direct representations of workshop participants but embodied their energy, interactions, and personalities. Insights from the workshop grounded the characters, aligning them with key themes and each other.
We were very aware that the film had to feel true to the lives of young people living in the valleys and they were heavily involved in the production, from shaping themes in a workshop to voicing the film. The production was supported by Radio Platfform at The Pop Factory, giving the young people involved the exciting opportunity to voice their stories themselves and gain hands-on experience in bringing a project to life.
Since its release, the film was a finalist for the Welsh Government’s Youth Work Excellence Award 2023 and has been used in sixth forms and youth clubs across Rhondda Cynon Taf, where it's been well received, with many young people commenting on how they connected with the themes and characters.
