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ALI ASAD
“THE ETERNA 250D IS REALLY, REALLY VERSATILE AND QUITE FLAWLESS.”
➤ 20 rolls for a three-minute promo. I worked a lot with a director called Badger Smith at this time. We’d literally just go, me and him, with the artists and travel across America. I’d load, focus pull and all that, and we came back with some really amazing stuff.”
He also got to work as clapper loader for the likes of Roger Deakins on The Kitchen Toto, and on com- mercials for the late Jack Cardiff, until his feature debut finally came on Julian Gilbey’s gangsta flick Rollin’ With The Nines in 2006.
“I never really got into commer- cials,” he continues. “You made good money on them but they were never really where I wanted to be. But with the first feature film I did Rollin’ With The Nines, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do.”
He reunited with Julian Gilbey for Rise of the Footsoldier a year later. Nines producer Nicholas ‘Pikki’ Fearon evidently remembered him too when he invited Asad to light Dead Man Running.
A thriller played out with pace and some dark humour, it pits ex-con Nick (Hassan) and his pal Bing (Danny Dyer) in a 24-hour race against the clock to raise the £100,000 that will appease no nonsense American gangster Mr Thigo (50 Cent). Finally shooting a feature on film, Asad has the air of a man who has hit the jackpot himself.
“Absolutely,” he beams, “I think that everybody on set gets a buzz when they hear you’re shooting on film because it feels like something real. Everybody’s excited and they treat it with more respect, the cast
and crew have been buzzing over it. Now in great demand for films, Ali Asad’s forthcoming features include Best Laid Plans – a version of Steinbeck’s Of Mice & Men for Shane Meadows’ production company – and The Long Weekend for Julian Gilbey once again. His most recent feature is Basement, a grisly horror tale starring Doghouse and Dead Man Running star Danny Dyer.
And in between he has shot well received short films, Butterfly – on Fujifilm – and Father’s Day. For a man who waited a long time to get the chance to shoot films these are heady days indeed and Asad is having a very good time finally living his dream.
“It’s nice when you feel that people recognise what you’re doing is good,” he chuckles. “Next year I
might be going to do something in America but I don’t really want to make movies in Hollywood. I’d much rather shoot low budget independ- ent British films here.” ANWAR BRETT
Dead Man Running, now on release in the UK, was originated on 35mm Fujicolor ETERNA 250D 8563 and ETERNA 500T 8573
Photos: Scenes from Dead Man Running
26 • EXPOSURE • THE MAGAZINE • FUJIFILM MOTION PICTURE