WaddlingFilms is the first production set up by me, Fred Pugh. I am planning to use this company to front my university post-graduate projects. My dad made me this painting during a Bob Ross binge in the first COVID-19 lockdown and it inspired the name of the company and became the logo. 

My ambition for my career is to write and direct feature films in both live action and stop-motion formats, already building my skills in both mediums. I am many inspirations in terms of filmmakers who’s work I love but in terms of career ambition I would love to follow in the foot steps of Jon Favreau, Tim Burton and Wes Anderson. Favreau’s work on big budget projects (The Mandolorian, Jungle Book) which allowed him to show his technological expertise and, work with ILM to push new visual effects was a massive inspiration on my short The Coma and using technology to tell stories in the best way possible is certainly something I want to do. 

Burton and Anderson are not only brilliant in there dedication to maintaining clear and unique styles that are instantly recognisable but also in their ability to jump between formats. There are excellent live action directors and excellent animation directors but rarely do you see directors who can do both so consistently and brilliantly. Not only do they work in animation but primarily stop-motion, the reason I became a filmmaker.

 Inspired by “A Grand Day Out” when my parents showed me it at the age of 6, I always wanted to create and find out how things worked. This initially led me down the path of engineering and coding. Studying IT at college and originally having a place at University of Leeds to study Computer Science. I took a break from education after college and decided a job behind a desk wouldn’t work for me, I needed to create things. I had always had an interest in writing and acting, taking part in shows and performing my own stand-up when I was younger. This led to the career change to filmmaking in which I use my technological and problem solving background to enhance my creative, storytelling abilities.

I have also completed live action films that explore existential and introspective themes, like “The Coma” based on Alex Garlands book of the same name. This story allowed me to try creating a noir thriller with a more conceptual narrative undertone. It also gave me the opportunity to develop my own indie virtual production system inspired ILM and Jon Favreau’s work for “The Mandalorian”. I’ve also worked on comedy projects like “Infatuated Sinners” and “Girlfriend in a Coma”. “Infatuated Sinners” is a sketch show that I shot and produced, creating different aesthetics for each sketch and emulating different styles, noir, infomercial, vaudeville and reality shows. “Girlfriend in a Coma” is a more naturalist dark-comedy inspired by the song of the same name by “The Smiths” which satirises classic coming-of-age films like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (Hughes, 1986) and “The Graduate” (Nichols, 1967).

Outside of filmmaking I am primarily interested in cooking, reading and emerging technologies, these hobbies influence my work massively especially in my writing and my directing. As well as the aforementioned Burton. Favreau and Anderson I am inspired by many other filmmakers including, Bong Joon-Ho, Martin Scorsese, Wong Kar Wai, Xavier Dolan, Alejandro G. Inaritu and Damian Chazelle.

 For a better understanding of my work and inspirations here are some films I recommend watching, Isle of Dogs, The Lighthouse, Mommy, Okja, Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Manchester by the Sea and Eraser Head.