Matthew Reynolds

This week’s Throwback Thursday is Matthew Reynolds, a former St Bede’s, Ormskirk pupil, who studied at Winstanley from 2018 to 2020, taking A-levels in Film Studies, Philosophy and Modern History.

At just 21, Mathew has already had great success as a filmmaker, with his original six-part series ‘Birchall’s soon to be streaming on Amazon Prime!

Matthew told us: ‘Winstanley had an extremely integral role in supporting me as a young filmmaker. Having been quite shy when I joined, I soon became part of the college's vibrant and diverse community which really helped me come out of my shell and meet new people who became huge parts of my filmmaking projects at the time.

I was required to make two films as part of my course, "The Music Man" and "Life & Lyrics", and I really loved that so much of the curriculum was dedicated to us getting out there and making films. The Film and Media department were always on hand to help with resources such as lending equipment or editing space, and my teacher, Leanne, was an amazing mentor when it came to giving me notes and advice. I was also lucky enough to go on the Media trip to Los Angeles in 2019, where I learned loads about Hollywood and where your success can take you. In college I felt like I could really express my creativity and that my achievements were being recognised.

'Birchall's Pints' started out as a silly idea with a simple concept- "what if we made a sitcom about a brewery?". The idea then went a little too far and we spent lockdown brainstorming for a six-episode script, which was completed in early 2021. The series is a dark comedy revolving around two brothers, played by my own brother John Reynolds and my best friend Conor O'Neill, who kidnap an M.P. to blackmail him into lowering their beer tax. Along the way, the brothers encounter an assortment of crazy, eccentric people, each creating their own problems over at Birchall's Brewery. We put together an exciting upcoming cast from all over the North West, and crowdfunded £2,500 to go towards equipment, locations and costumes. The show couldn't have happened without the generosity of, in the end, well over a hundred people who wanted to see our project succeed. After an exhausting two year post-production process, the show was submitted to Amazon Prime in September, and to our absolute delight we were accepted. I'm so excited that our three years of hard work will be showcased on such a prestigious platform.

With regards to the future, I suppose time will tell whether people think the show deserves a season 2! Other than making more films, I'm excited to be branching out into theatre, soon to be announcing my debut play which is coming to the Hope Street Theatre in Liverpool in May 2024.

I'd encourage students not to give up their creative aspirations if going down an academic path. My degree was in Philosophy at University of Leeds, but the whole time I continued to make projects and stay creative alongside my studies. I also think my experience at Winstanley as a whole helped with my creative ambitions- studying Philosophy I learned a lot about myself, and in History I learned about different perspectives on viewing the world. Very few colleges in the country can say they have a functioning television studio and an editing suite, so you should absolutely make the most of it while studying at Winstanley.’

Birchall's Pints will be streaming on Amazon Prime on 10th November, and you can follow Matthew’s filmmaking group @someguyswithacamera on Instagram for updates on progress and opportunities to get involved.