Each week we'll be profiling one of the six finalists in this year's Orange FilmFour Prize For Short Film.

This week: Jeff Povey, Writer/Director of Blowing It

Jeff Povey (pictured left with his kids), Writer from Herts

Jeff began writing in 1986. He explains that he wanted to be a film writer, but moved to TV with the onset of a young family and an unhealthy desire for luxury goods.

Jeff is a very successful TV writer, having written episodes for Eastenders, Casualty, Holby City, Grange Hill and London Bridge. He has also written films for Channel 4 including Holed and Hungry. Jeff has directed and performed by himself in the theatre with a one-act play called Esprit de Corps. Also performing in two other one act plays in London: Tidy and Buffalo Men.

He has written two recent screenplays: The Serial Killers Club, which was based on his novel for Canal Plus/Muse, and Secret Americans, which was shortlisted for the 2000 Orange/Pathé Prize. Jeff has three series in development and also a two-parter for Coastal/Robson Green.

We asked Jeff to introduce himself and Blowing It.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

39 year old Leo, married with four kids, seeks international acclaim as a writer/director of feature films. Having served 11 year apprenticeship as TV scriptwriter, now want to broaden horizons and bring things you would never normally think of to a cinema near you. GSOH essential. No time wasters.

What is your short, Blowing It, about (without giving anything away)?

It's a romantic comedy. But only if you squint. It's about a couple who don't know they're in a rut and it's going to take something truly special to reawaken what they loved about eachother in the first place. That something special duly arrives...

Did you think that you had a good chance of getting onto the shortlist for the Orange FilmFour Prize For Short Film?

To be fair I've been a professional writer for 11/12 years so I should be able to write a half decent script (at least that's what I keep hearing from script editors)! The trouble with writing is you suffer from occasional delusions of genius and this sets you up for a big fall. I entered my script thinking that the judges would be crazy to turn it down but reality quickly set in when I re-read it and realised it was completely flawed with under-developed characters and a plot that verged on the insane. I expected nothing but a public shaming after that.

How long did it take you to write Blowing It?

Five years wondering what I could do with the idea, fifteen seconds to read about the prize, two seconds to put two and two together, maybe an hour or so to write the script. So just over five years.

What was your inspiration for Blowing It?

I originally said it as a drunken boast at an EastEnders party after they'd wheeled out a certain leaving present for someone. I was so taken with the notion that I stored it away, waiting for the right moment to unleash it upon the world.

What is your favourite film or Shortfilm and why?

Favourite feature film would be impossible to say, though Woody Allen's Take The Money And Run along with Taxi Driver would be a good double bill. They both deal with geeky outsiders who want to be heroic. That's an ever present theme of mine. The loser finally achieving some sort of success or notoriety. Taxi Driver obviously works on other levels but that's what I get most from it. Man Bites Dog is another favourite - a documentary crew film a few weeks in the life of a serial killer, it's really black. Favourite short film would be the one where a man somehow gets himself locked in a telephone box and no matter who tries no one can manage to get him out. I know it's foreign and it's usually on at about 3 in the morning, but I don't know what it's called or who made it!

Who is your favourite director?

I'm hoping it's going to be me. But, failing that, if someone glued me to a cinema seat and told me I had to watch a certain director's entire back catalogue before they unglued me it would probably involve a play-off between Fellini or Woody Allen.

What are you most looking forward to about making your film?

For the first time ever I call the shots. This is about my vision, my instinct for comedy and above all it's about me making my script. My whole career has been about accommodating other people's input, and I have been at times staggered by some of the "creative" decisions that were made, so it's high time that I found out if I'm any better or more intuitive. If not, at least I had a go and I've got a gun if it does all go wrong.

What will you do with the money if you win the prize?

Pay for my beloved aunt's life saving operation, but don't let that influence the voters.

How did you find the day of the interviews?

It was the first time in years that I had been nervous, usually I just pretend to be so people will go easy on me. The interviewers were very friendly and calm which only made me even more anxious. Five minutes in and I knew I couldn't answer the question they most needed answering. How would I go about directing my film? I skated round it as best I could but I think it was pretty obvious to everyone that I was way out of my depth. I eventually resorted to showing them pictures of my four children and claiming they would be taken away from me if I wasn't selected.

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