ZeroFacilityFilms.com was an idea started by Mat Johns and Rob Lucas after making several films together. Primarily it serves as an online portfolio of films created by them, and films they have collaborated on. Because their social circle includes people who work in the industry in some way, it seemed a logical step to join forces under one banner. They are…

Mat Johns

Ever since Mat saw Terminator 2, as a wide-eyed eight year-old boy, he knew that he wanted to make his own movies. Mat now writes, directs, shoots and edits short films, both on a professional and independent basis. Working as a freelance filmmaker for the past five years has enabled him to practice elements of the craft, perfecting his style and incorporating the latest digital filmmaking technologies. This job allows Mat to work on his own films, something he would love to do full-time under the Zero Facility Films name.

Rob Lucas 

 Rob has always had a passion for music. He first learned to play piano at the age of five and began learning guitar, aged twelve. Through studying music to university level, Rob has developed his guitar and vocal techniques to a high standard, and structured his compositional skills towards working in film. He now primarily writes music for independent short films, as well as working on several community-project films in the Greater Manchester area. Rob’s musical influences are extremely varied, his speciality being adapting unexpected styles to best fit the mood of the production.

Tim Limon

 Whilst on summer holiday one year, Tim started quoting Terminator 2 and Spaceballs - reeling off scene after scene for the entertainment of his family and friends. With an obvious flare for the dramatics and film he pursued a means to express his interest by training in drama, and was an active member of the Northern Theatre Company for 12 years. Following on from this Tim actively took steps in pursuing a career in the industry that got him excited in the first place - Film. After achieving a degree in Media Practice he then went on to work in the industry exploring the means and practice of working behind the camera, a career which continues to this day - managing and facilitating a Camera and Grips Rental house in Manchester. Although he has now branched back to writing, directing, producing and lighting to consolidate his passion and experience in being creative.  Since his introduction to the team, he has worked tirelessly on shorts on behalf of ZeroFacilityProductions.com, and also plays Piano and Clarinet.

Phil McDuff 

Unlike the other members of ZFF, Phil had no deep abiding childhood love for movies, preferring to spend his time buried in novels about wizards who could never get the hang of Thursdays, messing around on whatever passed for the internet back in the day and recording amateur rock bands and church choirs in a crappy northern industrial town. This translated into a career as a freelance sound engineer, working with every band you’ve never heard of as well as with acts such as The Prodigy, The Specials, Ryan Adams and London Community Gospel Choir, and designing and engineering festivals and events all across the UK and Europe. He has also tried his hand as a writer, drawing on his experiences traveling around the world for both work and pleasure. However, upon moving in with Mat Johns sometime back at the turn of the century, Phil found that he actually quite liked movies, and that the skills he’d picked up, wrangling bands and moving PA systems from city to city, were pretty useful in getting short films made, as well as being able to put his sound editing skills to good use. Finding a niche in the collective as a jack of all trades and master of one or two, Phil brings the skills involved in running bands to movie sound and production management, as well as taking an interest in the legal issues affecting filmmakers and acting in a couple of Mat’s productions. So far, Mat has only killed him half the time, which gives him a good survival rate for the average ZFF member.