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About
After several self-produced short films, I created 3 introspective documentaries detailing my life experiences living with Asperger's Syndrome. One of which "Asperger's: And What Of It?" received attention as a finalist in the National Autistic Society's "Autism Uncut" Film Festival of 2017.
From this, I was approached by a Producer to create my professionally credited BFI-funded, award-winning short film "Snapshot".
Recently, I have Directed an upcoming Horror short named "Small Changes."
Following on from this, I was successfully chosen for an Arts Residency with Metal Culture in Peterborough, developing an anthology of short films that challenge the perpetuated stereotypes, that disabled people are either seen as lazy or lionised as celestial superheroes with unrealistic expectations from others.
I have also been intermittently drafting my debut feature length screenplay for the past decade or so.
Present and upcoming projects aspire to be based on life experiences and societal observations, exploring; fortitude, subjectivity, objectivity, introspection and inner conflict within the world around us.
Social realist stories, blended within Psychological Drama and experimenting with various other aspects of other genres, story depending.
ScreenSkills Training Passport
John Clark has completed the following modules within the ScreenSkills Training Passport.
Experience
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Writer/Director
I am exploring the perpetuated false narrative that “All people on benefits are lazy” or lionised by developing a series of short fictional film vignettes capturing often underrepresented voices within the City of Peterborough, that in turn would resonate with other working class voices nationwide, both niche and universal in nature.
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Co-Trainer - Autistic Expert By Experience
I am a Oliver McGowan Autistic Expert Co-Trainer. Qualified in Tier 1 and Tier 2 Training, I share my personal lived experiences with Autism, whilst delivering said module as part of the mandatory Oliver McGowan Training to those within the health sectors, particularly within the NHS.
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Writer, Director, Editor
I applied for the opportunity to create a commission for Esutary Dreams, a creative collective within my hometown of Basildon, as part of Creative Estuary's Estuary Festival 2025. This project came from Estuary Dreams, a one-week experimental moving image workshop funded by Creative Estuary’s Co-Commissioning Programme. A workshop was hosted within The Towngate Theatre to encourage creative stimuli surrounding the topics of environmentalism. Encouraging Experimentalism, I wrote a Free-Form Abstract Poem which was then overlayed by footage that I remotely Directed, then Edited together a short film that is to be screened with similar Poetry Work as part of the Festival.
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Interviewer, Director, Offline Editor
The National Autistic Society approached; Biggerhouse Films, Hidden Pictures North and I to help create and produce a series of short documentaries for them. Entitled "In Our Words", it celebrates and chronicles the charity's tireless; research, campaigning and advocacy that has been happening for over 60 years, focusing on their contributions towards shaping better lives for Autistic people within society, and the subjects that often surround Autism, such as; diagnoses, masking, support, services, their campaigns, as well as societal perception. On this project, I helped draft interview questions aimed at various people who themselves have contributed, or knew of those that helped found the NAS and pioneered the way, as well as those various carers and services the charity provides and has provided. Further interviewing Autistic people who give their vast knowledge, wealth and insight within the services they've had to use themselves. The project's logistics were co-ordinated via Microsoft Teams Meetings, and was filmed in various locations up and down the country, with myself directing on set, and sharing offline duties during Post-Production, creating selects of not only the interview footage, but the interspersing B-Roll, as well as digitised archive footage provided to us by The National Autistic Society.
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Writer/Director
Writer and Director of the BFI-Funded short film 'Snapshot'.
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Video Editor, Narrator
I was hired to edit and provide voiceover work for an explanation video on CETR's. Care, Education and Treatment Reviews within the NHS, around Autistic people and those with Learning Disabilities. I assembled the provided rushes, and created basic Visual Effects and Supers to illustrate the narration, which I co-wrote and provided for the video. It also includes case studies and interviews from those sharing their experiences highlighting the importance of a CETR, when someone is taken into care during a Mental Health Crisis.
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Video Producer
I engaged and helped create a series of Videos surrounding Employment Support's work with helping Autistic people with work around Sheffield and South Yorkshire.
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Independent Filmmaker
Between 2014 and 2016, I created a series of introspective short documentaries around my lived experiences of Autism, and my prior diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, and the many barriers faced whilst growing up. I began by writing the narration and recording it, before collecting hours of footage (both archival and self-shot) to create a triptych of work. The third being a paraphrased version specifically created for The National Autistic Society's Autism Uncut Film Festival Awards that took place in 2017, where the short; "Asperger's: And What Of It?" earned a Finalist position in the Aspiring Filmmakers category.
Education and training
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Getting into the screen industries
ScreenSkills Funded
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Demystifying financing in film
ScreenSkills Funded
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Work well series
ScreenSkills Funded
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Coronavirus basic awareness on production training
ScreenSkills Funded
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How to perform well in a screen industries interview
ScreenSkills Funded
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How to apply for work in the screen industries
ScreenSkills Funded
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How to find work in the screen industries
ScreenSkills Funded
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How to identify the right role for you in the screen industries
ScreenSkills Funded
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Diversity, equity and inclusion for the screen industries
ScreenSkills Funded
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Introduction to working in the screen industries
ScreenSkills Funded
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Safeguarding for all: basic awareness for the screen industries
ScreenSkills Funded
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Addressing unconscious bias: basic awareness in the workplace
ScreenSkills Funded
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Introduction to mental health awareness at work
ScreenSkills Funded
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Tackling harassment and bullying at work
ScreenSkills Funded
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Step Up to first time feature filmmaking for disabled directors and producers
ScreenSkills Funded
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Coronavirus basic awareness on production training
ScreenSkills Funded
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Coronavirus basic awareness on production training
ScreenSkills Funded
Certificates
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Getting into the screen industries
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Diversity, equity and inclusion for the screen industries
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Safeguarding for all: basic awareness for the screen industries
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Introduction to mental health awareness at work
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Tackling harassment and bullying at work
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