Jon Spira is a film-maker and writer based in London, UK.

He makes independent feature documentary films and also

video essays, mini-docs and video promos for companies such as the British Film Institute, Arrow Video, Eureka, the BBC and others.

Jon is a trained and experienced film producer, director, screenwriter, camera-operator, lighting designer, sound recordist and editor and has often found himself performing all of these roles at the same time.

As a writer about film, Jon has been published by the Daily Telegraph, The Huffington Post, the BFI, BAFTA and various other sites and publications.

He has self-published three books, all fully funded by successful Kickstarter campaigns.

In his spare time, Jon likes to... watch films. He also enjoys writing about himself in the third person.

Below is a chronology of most of the things Jon has done professionally. Anything in caps and underlined is a clickable link which will take you to more info about that subject.

REVERSE TIMELINE

2020 - Currently in post-production on

HOLLYWOOD BULLDOGS: THE RISE

AND FALLS OF THE GREAT BRITISH

STUNTMAN, my latest feature film.

THE LONG-LOST AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF

GEORGES MÉLIÈS, my latest book, to be

released in July.

2019 - Contributed video essay to Eureka's blu-ray

DER GOLEM.

World premiere of my feature documentary

JEWISH BRITAIN ON FILM. Narrated by

ISY SUTTIE

Contributed video essay to Arrow's blu-ray

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON.

Programmed and hosted FORGOTTEN

FILM CLUB LIVE event at the PRINCE

CHARLES CINEMA, London. A screening

of Morons From Outer Space followed by

a Q&A with Mike Hodges and Griff Rhys

Jones.

Edited special features for Arrow's blu-rays

of MELO and CRIME AND PUNISHMENT.

2018 - Wrote WHEN SITCOMS GO LARGE for the

BFI.

Made IDA LUPINO'S TWILIGHT ZONE

video essay for the BFI

Conducted red carpet interviews for the

BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL.

Wrote VOX POPULAR piece for BAFTA.

2017 - First book VIDEOSYNCRATIC written and

published. Foreword by Susie Dent.

Edited special feature for Arrow's blu-ray

RAMROD.

Wrote MOUSTACHES AND

TURTLENECKS for BFI.

Wrote and published THE FORGOTTEN

FILM CLUB VOLUME 1 book. Foreword by

Frank Turner.

Directed and produced live event filming of

ZUBIN MEHTA GALA for IPO.

2016 - My feature documentary ELSTREE 1976

gets worldwide release.

Made WALKING INTO FILM HISTORY:

ALAN CLARKE'S STEADICAM SHOTS video

essay for BFI

Filmed and conducted interviews for

THE POWER OF THE DALEKS blu-ray

for the BBC

Filmed and edited coverage of the BFI's

national BFI2022 ROADSHOW.

Coordinated and managed BFI's entire

video filming and delivery output for the

BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2016.

Edited A UNITED KINGDOM PREMIERE

video for BBC FILMS

Made IAN MCKELLAN/FILM IS FRAGILE

fundraising video for BFI.

Directed, produced and edited BFI FLARE

30th ANNIVERSARY video promo campaign

for BFI

Left full-time employment with the BFI

when they closed the in-house video-

production unit. Retained as freelance

film-maker.

2015 - Promoted to AV MANAGER at the BFI -

full time position running all BFI filming.

- Commissioned the installation of fixed

remote-controlled camera filming in NFT1

- Produced and oversaw all video

production including on-camera

interviews, documentaries, promo pieces,

live Q&A and event filming.

- Coordinated all BFI filming for BFI London

Film Festival and BFI Flare, along with

smaller guest festivals.

2014 - Directed and produced Lifetime

Achievement Award

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH SPEECH

for THE PEABODY AWARDS

2013 - Hired as full-time AV PRODUCER for BFI.

The role is essentially in-house

documentary filmmaker. Responsibilities

included producing, writing, directing and

editing a range of filmed content such as

mini-documentaries, promo pieces for BFI

seasons and interviewing film talent from

A-list Hollywood stars to retired British film

technicians. I was also usually camera-

operating and recording sound myself.

Examples of the INTERVIEWS and also

MINI-DOCS and VIDEO ESSAYS can be

seen by clicking these links.

2012 - Worked for WRITERS' WORKSHOP as

screenplay editor and lecturer at live

events such as THE FESTIVAL OF WRITING

along with running weekend screenwriting

courses.

2011 - My debut feature documentary ANYONE

CAN PLAY GUITAR had its premiere to a

sold-out audience at BFI Southbank. The

film was introduced by ADAM BUXTON who

also hosted a LIVE Q&A afterwards with me,

Ed from Radiohead, Gaz from Supergrass,

Mark from Ride and Nick from Candyskins.

The film took five years to make and was

narrated by STEWART LEE

2010 - Produced 11 monthly XTREME IAN

Facebook challenge videos for PRINGLES.

2002 -

2010 I owned and operated a chain of two indie

video stores in Oxford called

VIDEOSYNCRATIC. You can see a mini-doc

about them HERE

2003 - I worked as camera operator and sound

recordist for various interviews and

commentaries for the Directors Label

DVD series

including THE WORK OF SPIKE JONZE

and THE WORK OF MICHEL GONDRY

2002 - Screenwriter on TOCA RACE DRIVER

video game. It reached number 1 in the

video games charts.

2000 -

2001 Screenwriter on Canadian Sci-Fi TV series

LEXX.

1995-

1999 Attended the Scottish Film School in

Edinburgh and graduated with a BA in

Film, Photography and TV.