Jack Leigh is founder and creative director at Eight Engines, an award-winning film production company based in Manchester.
Before launching the company, Leigh has worked on a mix of well-known films and TV series including Fast and Furious, Skins, 71 and Northern Soul.
From a shoot for the BBC in the Midlands to a mix of interviews and b-roll, he shares a recent week in his life…
Monday
Mondays always start the same way at Eight Engines, with our Monday morning meeting. The meeting starts at 10am, but thanks to our flexible working system and us all being lazy creatives, everyone arrives at the office for 9:59. After 15 minutes of lukewarm banter, we get down to brass tacks, discussing the week ahead. We always start by checking in on our values, which might sound a bit corny, but it helps keep us on track and makes sure we’re still being who we want to be even when its busy. Then we chat through the week and month ahead.
After watching a few of the edits we have on the go, I walk the puppy back home to work on a pitch for a commercial. I love turning project goals into strategy and then finding a creative that achieves the strategy. I sit down at about 1pm and the next thing I know, it’s 7pm and my wife’s home.
Tuesday
Tuesday’s plan involves a shoot for the BBC in the Midlands. Thankfully I’m being taken out to lunch by another agency we collaborate with, Tricks, so Rupert, our other director, manages the shoot. After rinsing Gordon at Tricks for a starter, main, desert AND side at Veitshack, I head back to the office to run a pre-production workshop for a client. Then spend some time signing off a couple of edits with Maretha, our head of post production and the real star of Eight Engines, before going to the Midlands myself for Wednesday’s shoot.
I get to Coventry at about 7pm, meet the team and we all head to a Chinese restaurant – this might be turning into a food diary – for a dinner and a chat about the next day. I’m involved with long haul shoots less these days, so I love spending time messing around with the team before a shoot.
Wednesday
Wednesday is the first shoot of the week for me. I start early, going over the production documents. If there’s one thing I can pass on about film production, it’s to plan meticulously. Two hours of planning is well worth it if it save five minutes on set. We’re working with one of my all-time favourite clients, and the day goes smoothly with a mix of interviews and b-roll. Our team has a shorthand from working together for so long, there’s lots of “Remember on that job where we got that lovely shot. Do that but in reverse”. After wrapping up, Josh and I stop at Norton Canes, the UKs third best service station, and eat enough KFC to feed a small army. Alan Partridge Audiobook. Home. Bed.
Thursday
Thursday involves another shoot, this time in the comfort of our own city. It’s a studio shoot with lots of animals, lovely stuff. We start at 9, spend a couple of hours lighting then the mayhem begins. Ewa, a freelancer we’ve worked with for about 6 months, started full-time as a Junior Filmmaker with us today. She’s always been a delight to work with, and it’s great to have her join the team permanently.
We finish the day with a couple of long-time friends and collaborators who join us on set to borrow some equipment for a passion project. We all head to Manchester’s greatest pub, The Edinburgh Castle, for a pint of your friend and mine, Guinness.
Friday
Rupert, Josh, Ewa and a couple of the freelancers are off on another shoot, while I’m puppy-sitting at home, catching up on admin. I have a borderline intimate relationship with Monday.com, so I spend the morning enjoying filling in data points and watching coloured boxes change. Then comes the yearly task everyone loves – renewing our insurance…
