Ru Howe's guest appearances

Ru Howe

Future of Film Podcast with Alex Stolz

Tough Cookies Podcast

OwlTail

Paul Raschid

This episode explores the evolution in interactive filmmaking with filmmaker Paul Raschid and Ru Howe, the Founder of Stornaway.io the development tool for interactive video.Paul is the director of a number of branching narrative feature film/FMV games including 2022's THE GALLERY - comprising of over four and a half hours of video content.In this conversation, Paul and Ru share insights of how they took a 450 scene 'FMV Game' script into the finished feature film utilising Stornaway’s bespoke platform. We also talk distribution and audiences and how releasing the film on gaming platforms has provided Paul with greater control over the releasing of his storytelling.About Paul RashidPrior to his work in the interactive format, Paul's second feature as a writer-director was 'White Chamber', which was shot in 12.5 days. In 2018, the sci-fi thriller/horror/drama played 10 film festivals around the world including Edinburgh, Sitges, Frightfest, Mumbai, BIFAN and Brussels. Lead actress Shauna Macdonald received the BAFTA Scotland Best Actress award for her tour-de-force performance. Between August 2019 and February 2021, the film was available to stream on Netflix in the UK, USA, Canada, Israel, Australia and New Zealand.Paul entered the interactive arena in 2019 when he directed 'The Complex', a sci-fi interactive feature film/ FMV video game, which released in 2020 on all major gaming platforms. Penned by Lynn Renee Maxcy, it stars Michelle Mylett, Kate Dickie and Al Weaver. It was produced by John Giwa-Amu and Jade Alexander.In 2020, Paul wrote and directed 'Five Dates', a romantic interactive feature film/ FMV video game. It was being made entirely remotely during the UK's national lockdown due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. It stars an ensemble cast including Mandip Gill (Doctor Who), Georgia Hirst (Vikings) and Marisa Abela (Industry).In 2021, Paul wrote and directed 'The Gallery' - an interactive hostage thriller that contains two narratives - before the film begins, the viewer must choose between a female protagonist (whose narrative is set in 1981 London) or a male protagonist (whose narrative is set in 2021 London). The cast is headlined by Anna Popplewell ('Chronicles Of Narnia' &amp; 'Reign') and George Blagden ('Versailles' &amp; 'Vikings'), who interchange roles as both protagonist and antagonist across the two narratives. It is set to release on major gaming platforms in September 2022.Paul is also in post-production for ’Ten Dates’, a sequel to ‘Five Dates’ following its critical and commercial success.About Ru HoweRupert started trying to code his first “Choose Your Own Ending” video game aged 9 years old. Frustrated with the limits of technology, he began working as a director and producer in TV and film making award-winning 16mm short dramas and documentaries including “The Real Bridget Jones” series for C4.  From 2004, he began experimenting with interactive films online and became a pioneer videoblogger and online video artist.  He was featured in Trine Bjorkmann Berry’s PhD Thesis “The Film of Tomorrow (pp 19-25) as the world’s first mobile video blogger and created YouTube’s first interactive video story “Indecision” in 2008.  From 2010-2018, he worked as a creative workflow consultant, leading digital transformation &amp; workflow projects for the BBC, Disney, News UK, the Financial Times and Melody VR.  Stornaway.io is his design.  A unique application to enable creative producers to map, script, edit and deliver interactive stories, simply and easily with no coding.

This episode explores the evolution in interactive filmmaking with filmmaker Paul Raschid and Ru Howe, the Founder of <a href="http://Stornaway.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stornaway.io</a> the development tool for interactive video. Paul is the director of a number of branching narrative feature film/FMV games including 2022's THE GALLERY - comprising of over four and a half hours of video content. In this conversation, Paul and Ru share insights of how they took a 450 scene 'FMV Game' script into the finished feature film utilising Stornaway’s bespoke platform. We also talk distribution and audiences and how releasing the film on gaming platforms has provided Paul with greater control over the releasing of his storytelling. About Paul Rashid Prior to his work in the interactive format, Paul's second feature as a writer-director was 'White Chamber', which was shot in 12.5 days. In 2018, the sci-fi thriller/horror/drama played 10 film festivals around the world including Edinburgh, Sitges, Frightfest, Mumbai, BIFAN and Brussels. Lead actress Shauna Macdonald received the BAFTA Scotland Best Actress award for her tour-de-force performance. Between August 2019 and February 2021, the film was available to stream on Netflix in the UK, USA, Canada, Israel, Australia and New Zealand. Paul entered the interactive arena in 2019 when he directed 'The Complex', a sci-fi interactive feature film/ FMV video game, which released in 2020 on all major gaming platforms. Penned by Lynn Renee Maxcy, it stars Michelle Mylett, Kate Dickie and Al Weaver. It was produced by John Giwa-Amu and Jade Alexander. In 2020, Paul wrote and directed 'Five Dates', a romantic interactive feature film/ FMV video game. It was being made entirely remotely during the UK's national lockdown due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. It stars an ensemble cast including Mandip Gill (Doctor Who), Georgia Hirst (Vikings) and Marisa Abela (Industry). In 2021, Paul wrote and directed 'The Gallery' - an interactive hostage thriller that contains two narratives - before the film begins, the viewer must choose between a female protagonist (whose narrative is set in 1981 London) or a male protagonist (whose narrative is set in 2021 London). The cast is headlined by Anna Popplewell ('Chronicles Of Narnia' &amp; 'Reign') and George Blagden ('Versailles' &amp; 'Vikings'), who interchange roles as both protagonist and antagonist across the two narratives. It is set to release on major gaming platforms in September 2022. Paul is also in post-production for ’Ten Dates’, a sequel to ‘Five Dates’ following its critical and commercial success. About Ru Howe Rupert started trying to code his first “Choose Your Own Ending” video game aged 9 years old. Frustrated with the limits of technology, he began working as a director and producer in TV and film making award-winning 16mm short dramas and documentaries including “The Real Bridget Jones” series for C4. From 2004, he began experimenting with interactive films online and became a pioneer videoblogger and online video artist. He was featured in Trine Bjorkmann Berry’s PhD Thesis “The Film of Tomorrow (pp 19-25) as the world’s first mobile video blogger and created YouTube’s first interactive video story “Indecision” in 2008. From 2010-2018, he worked as a creative workflow consultant, leading digital transformation &amp; workflow projects for the BBC, Disney, News UK, the Financial Times and Melody VR. <a href="http://Stornaway.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stornaway.io</a> is his design. A unique application to enable creative producers to map, script, edit and deliver interactive stories, simply and easily with no coding.

65. Paul Raschid and Ru Howe: Branching Narrative Filmmaking

Kate Dimbleby

This week Nic and Nat sit down with CookiesHQ's own clients for the very first time: Rupert and Kate, co-founders of Stornaway - a platform that enables creative filmmakers to plan and produce multi-linear interactive films without coding or complexity.Stornaway existed as an idea in Rupert’s head for many years, before making it to pen on paper that had been plastered all over an entire wall of their home. With a rich history in film, he was on the lookout for something to plug the gaps in non-linear story production. When, after a couple of years, Ru and Kate still couldn’t find anything on the market, they realised they really would have to build it themselves.They mapped out the product with wireframes and animations and started searching for someone to develop it - enter CookiesHQ!As a co-founding couple, Kate and Rupert talk about how important it is for them to build a business that supports their life together and share how their distinct but complementary skillsets are a big part of Stornaway’s success.With a history in the arts, the tech startup world was completely outside of Kate’s comfort zone. Having initially found the prospect daunting, she shares how she discovered that there’s actually as much creativity in a startup incubator as there is in a theatre rehearsal room, and the confidence to show up and be herself in business meetings.They touch upon the gender disparities that persist within the business world and how different it feels walking into a room to present yourself as a woman or a man - and how even in businesses built on numbers and data, you have to go with your gut feeling and nurture the relationships that make you feel good.Join the conversation on the CookiesHQ Twitter. Head over to LinkedIn to find out more on Kate and Ru.CookiesHQ is a technical partner for disruptive companies. Find out more about CookiesHQ here.

This week Nic and Nat sit down with CookiesHQ's own clients for the very first time: Rupert and Kate, co-founders of <a href="https://www.stornaway.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stornaway</a> - a platform that enables creative filmmakers to plan and produce multi-linear interactive films without coding or complexity. Stornaway existed as an idea in Rupert’s head for many years, before making it to pen on paper that had been plastered all over an entire wall of their home. With a rich history in film, he was on the lookout for something to plug the gaps in non-linear story production. When, after a couple of years, Ru and Kate still couldn’t find anything on the market, they realised they really would have to build it themselves. They mapped out the product with wireframes and animations and started searching for someone to develop it - enter CookiesHQ! As a co-founding couple, Kate and Rupert talk about how important it is for them to build a business that supports their life together and share how their distinct but complementary skillsets are a big part of Stornaway’s success. With a history in the arts, the tech startup world was completely outside of Kate’s comfort zone. Having initially found the prospect daunting, she shares how she discovered that there’s actually as much creativity in a startup incubator as there is in a theatre rehearsal room, and the confidence to show up and be herself in business meetings. They touch upon the gender disparities that persist within the business world and how different it feels walking into a room to present yourself as a woman or a man - and how even in businesses built on numbers and data, you have to go with your gut feeling and nurture the relationships that make you feel good.Join the conversation on the <a href="https://twitter.com/TheCookiesHQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CookiesHQ Twitter</a>. Head over to LinkedIn to find out more on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/katedimbleby/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kate</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruperthowe/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ru</a>.CookiesHQ is a technical partner for disruptive companies. <a href="https://www.cookieshq.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Find out more about CookiesHQ here</a>.