RYAN J. SMITH
Ryan grew up making short films and music videos. At age 16, he made a student-level feature film which earned him a place at the MetFilm School Ealing Studios. After graduating film school with over thirteen shorts, two features and a documentary feature under his belt, Ryan founded Skint - a full-house production studio capable of delivering high quality feature films to streamers at a fraction of the cost of traditional productions.
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Skint's first film Lottery was produced for just under £7000 and recieved ditstribution through Apple TV, as well as being featured in British Cinematographer. Talking To Ghosts followed in a similar vain, landing on Prime Video. Skint's third and most recent film, Kid, premiered at the BAFTA-qualifying Manchester Film Festival and is slated for a summer 2025 release across major streamers.
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The Skint Film Company is now positioned to take on bigger projects with an array of financing and distribution partners, with multiple high-budget projects in the works intended for wide theatrical release.
FILMOTOMY INTERVIEW - MAY 2025
Hi Ryan, can you give us an overview on your movie background and how you started in film?
I started out making stop-motion animation films using LEGO as a young child. I then made short films and the occasional scrappy feature film as a teenager using my own minimal resources and usually zero money. This all led me to setup my own production company in 2019, Skint Film Company, under which I have produced three movies for streaming services — Lottery (2022), Talking To Ghosts (2023) and Kid (2025).
Which directors, writers etc. have inspired your filmmaking career so far?
Gareth Edwards and his journey making Monsters (2010) was always a big inspiration to me growing up. I don’t have any family connections to the film industry and have had to put my own blood, sweat and tears into it, which isn’t the norm at all. It’s an increasingly-closed industry, especially to working class people. So I’m glad I cut my teeth very young and learnt how to kick down doors.
What are the three best screenplays you’ve read that you would recommend and why?
Great question because I’m a terrible reader. I can write a lot, and fast, but if I’m reading I have to read the same page a few times before it goes in. Scripts-wise, I’d say The Green Mile (1999), The Hurt Locker (2008) and Edward Scissorhands (1990) are my favourite to read and skim-through whenever I’m short on inspiration. They’re also my favourite films, so I’m biased.
Do you have any thoughts, advice or insights to inspire upcoming filmmakers and how they can get started in the film industry?
Don’t wait. If you want to make a movie, it doesn’t matter what length or what genre, or how cheap it is (the cheaper the better) — go make it. The physical act of you having moved off the sofa and made a movie, no matter how it turns out, will land you in meetings with financiers to take on bigger projects. I guarantee it. But not everyone wants to take that first step because it does mean putting yourself out there for others to judge. If you make a movie with your friends, you can take it directly to streaming platforms. Or to YouTube and you can have people around the world watch the movie and also make money from it. Get started and have fun. Keeping it fun is the main thing. Work with a friend whenever you can.