Whitecell: Salvation from Bin
In December 2004, I was eight months into starting Shooters Media, my corporate video production company co-founded with Accrington and Rossendale College classmates Zahira Ali, Chris McNulty, and Craig Smith. At the time, our fledgling company was kept busy producing promotional videos for a fudge factory, a step-by-step dress-making DVD, a showreel for a Flamenco dancer, and the occasional Asian wedding.
However, our real passion lay in creating independent films. Shooters had already won awards in short film competitions and completed a sitcom pilot as part of our final college project months earlier.
Paul Sparkes, who had taken a year out of his education, approached us about his own final project. After several late nights brainstorming in his ground-floor bedroom in Oswaldtwistle, the concept for Whitecell was born.
Looking back, the production itself went surprisingly smoothly. The team shared a clear vision, and we managed to build an impressive set in my grandparents' cellar. Zahira expertly line-produced the film, bringing her exceptional organisational skills to the project. Sparky directed and I handled the filming with Chris as the second camera operator and initial editor, while Craig was invaluable in building the set and contributing some much-needed elements to the final script.
Owain Shaw joined the project as Jeffery Blake, having previously helped us on my final production 12 months earlier. The role of David Stone, however, was cast at the very last minute. Our original choice, selected from a host of auditionees, had to drop out days before filming. Thankfully, Zahira stepped in and brought on her old school friend, Karl Thompson, a Newcastle-based performance poet, who was fantastic.
After the first day of shooting, we reviewed the rushes in a dingy flat above a Chinese restaurant with the rest of the production crew and together we felt there was too much lighting in the scene. In hindsight, we should have left everything as it was—it was perfectly fine. However, during post-production, Sparky had to contend with the consequences of that decision: the footage was too dark.
For the 2005 final edit, amidst juggling other assignments, work, and lack of sleep, Sparky adjusted the brightness and contrast as best he could. He then dubbed the master onto VHS, giving it a grainy, lo-fi look, burned it onto a DVD, and submitted it as his final production. After that, Whitecell was packed away in a box.
Fast forward nearly 20 years: with advancements in software, AI technology, and some 'unenthusiastic encouragement' from Sparky, I decided to revisit Whitecell.
In December 2024, we dusted off the old hard drive, re-imported the footage into Adobe Premiere, and began a new edit. The goal was simple: to see what was possible. In the process, I not only re-edited the film but I spent my Christmas condensing over 10 hours of camcorder footage into a feature-length Behind the Scenes documentary.
Reflecting on the original production, it’s clear that just a few small adjustments could have changed everything. This was before the widespread use of LED lighting, where now you can buy a decent bedside lamp for under a tenner. Back then, Shooters had only three 800-watt Red Heads, which got very hot. We didn’t have DedoLights or an array of LED panels at our disposal back then.
Some basic fairy lights to better define Owain’s face, or a heavily diffused tall lamp to separate the background from the subjects, might have been affordable solutions. Alternatively, we could have directed Owain to leave the set door open - or his character could've simply switched on the main light in one of the scenes. It would've made all the difference.
Our focus on creating a dark, moody tone for the film perhaps blinded us to simpler fixes. Compounding the issue, the monitors we used during filming made the footage look great at the time. It was only when viewed on different devices closer to Sparky’s assignment deadline that we realised how dark the film really was—and by then, it was too late to properly fix it.
Audio was another area where we could have made better choices. We could have hidden the boom mic in a cluttered bath or placed it on the floor out of frame, which would have captured clearer dialogue. These small oversights affected our confidence in the final edit. In hindsight, had we identified these issues earlier, we might have salvaged them in post-production and felt prouder of the finished product - and that stuck with Sparky and I for many years afterward.
Using modern tools like Lumetri Color for colour masks, Topaz for upscaling and denoising, and AI enhancements to improve the audio, I’ve been able to bring more detail out of the darkness. While it’s not perfect—some masking was required, and a film grain overlay helps conceal colour compression—it’s a final product we can now enjoy.
Original MiniDV footage in Standard Definition
Dark areas crudley brightened in Adobe Premiere
x2 Upscaled and de-noised with Topaz Video 6 and then reframed in Adobe Premiere to 16:9
Footage duplicated with 20% opacity with intensely brightened colours and 'Screen Overlay' blending mode brings out highlights
Subtle flickering blue mask on the right-hard side to replicate the TV screen
Subtle red coloured mask in the top left to replicate Christmas tree lights
Added LUT to help contrast the colours
Super 8mm Film Grain overlay give consistency and to hide de-noising artefacts
One of my key takeaways from revisiting this project is how valuable it was to have filmed some of the rehearsals. Back in our early twenties, we never gave much thought to capturing those moments, but they proved transformative for the new edit. Owain and Karl were phenomenal too, and I hadn’t fully appreciated the level of effort they brought to their performances and the project as a whole.
Two decades late, but Whitecell is finally here. It’s still a bit rough around the edges, and the AI-enhanced dialogue can be inconsistent, but I’m happy with the outcome. At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate what an achievement it was to make a decent little film with four mates and some talented actors who generously lent a hand.
I’d like to thank everyone involved. Though we’ve naturally gone our separate ways over the years, I hope the Behind the Scenes footage brings back some fond memories.
Paul Coppack
Adobe Premiere Pro 2025
Adobe Audition 2025
