John McPhail, a talented individual, embarked on his cinematic journey by studying Cinematography at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. It was during this time that he formed a lasting professional bond with Tyler Collins and Andrew Lanni.
In 2013, McPhail took the initiative to establish his own production company, Worrying Drake Productions, reuniting with Collins and Lanni to produce a trilogy of short comedy films. The trilogy, comprising Notes, V for Visa, and Doug and Steve Big Hold Adventure, received widespread critical acclaim in the United Kingdom and abroad.
As McPhail was filming the comedy trilogy, he penned a short 3-minute film, Just Say Hi, to participate in the 2013 Virgin Media Shorts Competition. The film, starring Collins and featuring Lanni as producer, tells the poignant story of a blossoming romance between two young individuals who meet daily at a bus stop. Just Say Hi made it to the top 13 out of a list of 250 shortlisted films, impressing both the judges and the audience at home. McPhail's film won two out of the three awards available, a remarkable feat that cemented his status as a talented and accomplished director.
With the success of his short films on the domestic and international festival circuit, McPhail launched a crowd-funding campaign to finance his first feature film, Where Do We Go from Here?. The campaign was a resounding success, raising £10,630 in just two months. Production commenced in the summer of 2014, with McPhail directing the film in 16 days across various locations in Scotland.
After editing the film himself, McPhail began submitting Where Do We Go from Here? to festivals worldwide. In late October 2015, the film premiered at the Sydney Indie Film Festival, where it won three of the seven awards it was nominated for. The film is slated to have its UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival in February 2016.
