jay mcneil (Dir + dop)
JAY IS A LONDON-BASED DIRECTOR AND DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY WORKING ACROSS NARRATIVE FILM, MUSIC VIDEOS AND COMMERCIALS.IN 2025, HIS FILM SLEEP WON BEST SCREENPLAY AT THE ACADEMY AWARD-QUALIFYING DRAMA INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL AND WAS NOMINATED FOR THE BAFTA AND BIFA-QUALIFYING LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL.HIS WORK EXPLORES CLASS, SOCIETY AND ETHICS, OFTEN DRAWING ON HIS WORKING-CLASS UPBRINGING. VISUALLY, HE IS DRAWN TO TEXTURE AND IMPERFECTION, USING THE IMAGE TO REFLECT THE GROUNDED, TACTILE NATURE OF HIS FILMS.
JAY MCNEIL (DIR + DOP)
OKAY BLUE - HOME RUN | 3m 37s
Okay Blue are an indie-rock band grounded in the idea of being homemade, so I wanted to bring their music off the stage and back to where it began, at home, following core members Oscar and Aidan as they perform separately throughout the house before gradually coming together with the rest of the band for a final performance in the heart of the home, the living room. Incorporating MiniDV helped create a sense of visual nostalgia, while the gradually warming colour palette reflects the band being formed throughout the video, moving from separate individuals towards a unified whole.
DIRECTOR + DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JAY MCNEIL, FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR + PRODUCTION MANAGER RAYNER GOH, SECOND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR + PRODUCTION ASSISTANT AVA VICTORIA NEWMAN-PRESS, CAMERA OPERATOR ELIO DAL LAGO, FIRST ASSISTANT CAMERA BRUNA VIEIRA, SECOND ASSISTANT CAMERA SAM RIGG, GAFFER + COLOURIST EMMANUEL ADELOYE, EDITOR LUCY VICKERS, KIT EMMYLAND
THE FLAT BELOW | 10m 29s
The Flat Below is an intimate and unsettling portrait of an isolated elderly man whose growing paranoia begins when the sounds from the flat below start to echo his every move. Beneath its haunting surface, the film explores how society abandons those it once relied upon, capturing the quiet, systemic struggles of the aging working class.
WRITER + DIRECTOR: JAY MCNEIL
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LAURENCE MASON-GUETTA
PRODUCER(S): JAY MCNEIL + SAAR ZUTSHI
FEATURED ON:
SLEEP | 9m 39s
In this sharp, surreal dark comedy short, Antonio Aakeel (Eaten by Lions, Slow Horses) plays Chris, a burnt-out cleaner one worktime nap away from losing his job. Determined to stay employed, Chris tries everything to fight off fatigue. But fatigue won’t quit. Just when all hope seems lost, a strange encounter in a corner shop offers an unexpected fix. It works. Maybe a little too well…
WRITER(S), DIRECTOR(S): JAY MCNEIL + COS MANDIS
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: JAY MCNEIL
PRODUCER: MALAK CHRAIM
AWARDS
Best Screenplay – Drama International Short Film Festival
Best Student Film – Soho London Independent Film Festival
Official Selection, Lo-Budget Mayhem – London Short Film Festival
Screened - Thessaloniki International Film Festival
FROM FERGUSLIE | 3m 25s
A short documentary exploring a blacksmith’s life decades after leaving his hometown and the therapy he has since found in his craft.
A FILM BY JAY MCNEIL
AWARDS
Official Selection – Cinemagic Young Filmmaker of the Year 2025
JAY MCNEIL (DIR + DOP)
IF YOU WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT MY WORK, ME, OR WHATEVER, YOU CAN REACH ME HERE:
EMAIL: [email protected]
PHONE: +44 7496 274502