‘My life juggling a training contract and making horror films’

Jacob Poole catches up with his friend and colleague, Alasdair Gretton, to chat about balancing life in law with making movies 🎬

When we were younger, my friend Alasdair Gretton and I always dreamed of making movies. I remember going to Alasdair’s house, enamoured by the never-ending box sets which covered the shelves from floor to ceiling. We spent many an evening in our early twenties watching sometimes as many as three films in one evening.

Years later in 2023, after many smaller projects, we premiered our first film, Masked Conspiracy, which we’d made with just our friends.

However, making films doesn’t happen in a vacuum. For me and Alasdair, managing our careers whilst focusing on other projects has been an ongoing process.

Right now, Alasdair and I work at the same law firm in West Didsbury, Manchester, at Pabla & Pabla Solicitors. My role is based in writing articles and providing advice for prospective clients, whereas Alasdair started off as a paralegal.

To celebrate and spotlight our upcoming film, Dead on Distribution, which will premiere on November 15 at Matlock Bath Grand Pavilion in Derbyshire, I sat down with Alasdair to ask him a few questions about his journey from film student to lawyer, all whilst still making time for filmmaking.

Alasdair’s successful change of career

Alasdair Gretton’s path to become a trainee solicitor wasn’t as orthodox as they come. Originally, Alasdair completed an undergraduate degree in filmmaking at Sheffield Hallam University. From there, he took a year out over the Covid pandemic to consider his options whilst working bar and customer service roles after struggling to find work in the film industry. I asked him whether jobs were easy to come by in the film industry.

“You can make a successful career working on sets, operating cameras, editing — freelance sort of work,” Alasdair said. “But I always worried that this would compromise my creative control. I’m not just a camera geek. I want to bring to life the projects that I wrote and directed.”

If he were to pursue a freelance career in the film industry without creative control over his projects, Alasdair could have fallen into the trap of a monetised hobby gone wrong. The modern adage, ‘Don’t turn your hobby into a job’ was no doubt on Alasdair’s mind.

As an alternative to film, Alasdair found a purpose in something originally unexpected: law. Fast forward a few years to 2022, and Alasdair had completed his LPC. By 2025, he’d got his training contract with Pabla & Pabla Solicitors. “There are clear pathways to become successful in law,” Alasdair said. “When I got my training contract, it really emphasised that I’d made the right decision about retraining.”

Law as a means to do good

Alasdair is currently working in a housing disrepair department, where we work together. Alasdair had retrained in the department with no previous experience. As for me, I have worked in hostels for the homeless and food banks and thus have a strong desire to help those in need. A combination of article writing and advisory-based work was ideal for me.

Both me and Alasdair have found a real sense of purpose in our roles. “I love the fact that I get to champion tenant’s right,” Alasdair said. “Often people call up in desperate need of help after ongoing neglect from their landlords. Although this can be stressful, I value that I have the means and expertise to help them.”

Housing disrepair claims have been rapidly on the rise in recent years. This is as landlords struggle to acclimatise to increased tenant’s rights, a crumbling housing stock with years of underinvestment, and budgetary constraints.

Increased legislation, such as the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, and the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, as well as the upcoming Renter’s Rights Bill have served to further strengthen tenant rights.

Alongside these new legislations, it is essential that tenants receive the relevant legal support they require in the form of practicing paralegals and solicitors. Those in these roles have a huge responsibility to champion their client’s rights, whilst exhibiting empathy and understanding.

By retraining in law, Alasdair finds that supporting tenants is a tangible way of making positive change in society.

How law helped shape Alasdair’s films

Alasdair has been successful so far in his career in law, but he is continuing to make films. His first feature, Masked Conspiracy, starring his childhood friend Callum Gascoyne, received multiple nominations from festivals such as Manchester Lift Off Festival, The Midlands Movies Festival, Derby Film Festival, and even Reel East Texas Film Festival.

Whilst Alasdair’s undergrad may have taught him how to use a camera and how to edit, he suggested that his LPC may have been more useful for his filmmaking. “My degree in law helped me gain skills that I never learned in my undergrad,” Alasdair said. “In my LPC, I learned efficiency, focus, and even just how to effectively communicate with people in a professional environment.”

“All of those skills are transferable to being a director on a film set,” Alasdair continued. “You’ve got to stay focused to get the right shots, keep your cast and crew informed and enthused, and make sure you are as efficient as possible.”

When working as a paralegal, Alasdair took five days annual leave to shoot most of his new film, Dead on Distribution, at Matlock Bath Grand Pavilion. He also took further days to scout for other locations. I was studying my masters degree at the time, so I could take days off with less consequence. Alasdair’s commitment and prioritisation of filmmaking has always inspired me.

On taking leave, he said: “I know it’s not the nicest thing to hear, but when you want to do something you love, you can’t take days of priceless leave just to relax around the house.”

Alasdair believes that his work in film can be managed alongside his career in law. Although it sounds overwhelming, he insists that low-budget filmmaking can be a way to hang out with friends, and to build and strengthen those relationships.

“I’m so lucky to have a driven and talented group of friends around me,” Alasdair said. “With Masked Conspiracy, we filmed it entirely with friends and family. Admittedly, some shoots were stressful, but we learned how to have evenings where the pressure was low. We would film cutaways and visual shots, that weren’t essential to the script.”

Working with shoe-string budgets

In amateur filmmaking, having a solid, motivated group of friends is essential to success. It’s not only the most cost-effective way of doing things, but the most fun as well.

Alasdair and I aren’t interested in making films on a low budget that mimic Hollywood flicks. Instead, we want to create our own sense of vibrancy and excitement, pushing the boundaries of what a low budget can do.

“I’m not comparing myself to Paul Thomas Anderson or Quinten Tarantino in their late twenties,” Alasdair said, citing over famous directors who found success from a very young age.

“Although they make fantastic films, they obviously had a lot of support to get where they are now. Paul Thomas Anderson’s first feature, Hard Eight, had a budget of $3 million. Although I’m ambitious in the long-term, right now, it’s not fair to compare myself to that.”

Instead, Alasdair references filmmakers like Roger Corman, Shinya Tsukamoto, and Robert Rodriguez. The latter made his first film, El Mariachi, for only £10,000. This might seem like a lot of money, but it is much more realistic than trying to raise millions.

Alasdair has an intimate appreciation for films made on a low budget. Regarding, Tetsuo the Ironman (dir. Shinya Tsukamoto), he said, “I love how unearthly it feels. The experimental nature of it, largely due to a smaller budget, truly creates something that has never been seen before.”

“There is an artistry behind low budget filmmaking that I will always love,” Alasdair added. “And who knows, if I’m successful as a lawyer, maybe in the future I’ll be able to fund all of my own projects.”

Alasdair’s new horror flick

After working on Dead on Distribution for just over a year, Alasdair, myself, and the rest of our team are excited to announce that the film will be premiering in November of this year.

We were lucky enough to work with some incredibly talented actors, including Brian Clarke, Kathyrn Georghiou, Gillian Shimwell, and Callum Gascoyne. Set in the 1980s, the film follows producer William Flagg (Brian Clarke), who is trying to get his new sleazy horror film distributed. When the producer becomes desperate for any kind of deal, he turns to Danny Felt (Jacob Poole), an unhinged actor who may take self-promotion a bit too far.

Be sure not to miss it: Dead on Distribution, set to premiere at Matlock Bath Grand Pavilion on November 15.

Jacob Poole is a journalist, researcher and paralegal currently working at Pabla & Pabla Solicitors. Based in Manchester and the Midlands, he is also a producer and writer, working on films, novellas, and in acting roles.