Ben Wheatley
Encyclopedia
Ben Wheatley Animator
, Director
of internet viral ads, TV idents, TV adverts TV comedy shows and feature films.
, Essex
. He went to Haverstock School in North London and it was here during the sixth form that he met Amy Jump who is now his wife and co-founder of Mr and Mrs Wheatley. They have a son and live in Brighton
.
instantly gaining a wider audience. His viral clip "cunning stunt" which shows his friend Rob Hill jumping over a car has had over 10 million views. The hundred or so short virals, animations and games found on mrandmrswheatley.co.uk soon caught the eye of large media companies and Wheatley's work expanded into main stream media.
In 2006 Wheatley won a Lion at Cannes advertising festival for directing AMBX viral with the viralfactory.
In July 2006 Wheatley directed the live action sections for Modern Toss
, ("i live ere", "Alan", "Drive by abuser", "Customer services", "Accident and emergency", "Citizens advice", "Illegal alphabet"), which was aired on Channel 4
. Wheatley has also written and created clips for BBC Two
's Time Trumpet
and directed and appeared in sketches for BBC Three
's Comedy Shuffle.
Between 2007 and 2009 Wheatley directed series 2 of Modern Toss, The Wrong Door
and Ideal series 5 for BBC3.
In May 2009 he directed a feature film called Down Terrace
which won the Next Wave prize at Fantastic Fest in Austin and Best UK Feature at Raindance
in London.
He has also directed adverts for Blink Productions. He is the founder of Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley. Wheatley has recently completed shooting his second feature, Kill List
for Warp X
.
Ben's third film will be Sightseers. Sightseers is written by its stars, Alice Lowe
and Steve Oram with additional material by Amy Jump.
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
, Director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
of internet viral ads, TV idents, TV adverts TV comedy shows and feature films.
Early life
Wheatley was born in BillericayBillericay
Billericay is a town and civil parish in the Basildon borough of Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, has a population of 40,000, and constitutes a commuter town east of central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. He went to Haverstock School in North London and it was here during the sixth form that he met Amy Jump who is now his wife and co-founder of Mr and Mrs Wheatley. They have a son and live in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
.
Movie career
Initially a short film maker and animator, Wheatley moved his work to the internetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
instantly gaining a wider audience. His viral clip "cunning stunt" which shows his friend Rob Hill jumping over a car has had over 10 million views. The hundred or so short virals, animations and games found on mrandmrswheatley.co.uk soon caught the eye of large media companies and Wheatley's work expanded into main stream media.
In 2006 Wheatley won a Lion at Cannes advertising festival for directing AMBX viral with the viralfactory.
In July 2006 Wheatley directed the live action sections for Modern Toss
Modern Toss
Modern Toss is a British series of cartoon booklets and books aimed at adults, and a television series based on them. It is the creation of Mick Bunnage and Jon Link; their company is called Modern Toss Ltd, also going under the name '*hitflap' .The cartoons feature low-quality drawing, offensive...
, ("i live ere", "Alan", "Drive by abuser", "Customer services", "Accident and emergency", "Citizens advice", "Illegal alphabet"), which was aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. Wheatley has also written and created clips for BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
's Time Trumpet
Time Trumpet
Time Trumpet is a six-episode satirical television comedy series which aired on BBC Two in 2006. The series was written by Armando Iannucci, Roger Drew and Will Smith in a similar manner to Iannucci's earlier one-off programmes 2004: The Stupid Version and Clinton: His Struggle with...
and directed and appeared in sketches for BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
's Comedy Shuffle.
Between 2007 and 2009 Wheatley directed series 2 of Modern Toss, The Wrong Door
The Wrong Door
The Wrong Door is a comedy sketch show, first aired on BBC Three on 28 August 2008. The programme is the first comedy show in which almost all of the sketches have a CGI element. As such, it was produced under the working title of The CGI Sketch Show...
and Ideal series 5 for BBC3.
In May 2009 he directed a feature film called Down Terrace
Down Terrace
Down Terrace is a 2009 British crime film directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Robert Hill, Robin Hill and Julia Deakin.-Plot:Upon release from prison, Bill and his son Karl arrive home at Down Terrace in Brighton...
which won the Next Wave prize at Fantastic Fest in Austin and Best UK Feature at Raindance
Raindance Film Festival
Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates from various cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels...
in London.
He has also directed adverts for Blink Productions. He is the founder of Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley. Wheatley has recently completed shooting his second feature, Kill List
Kill List
Kill List is 2011 British horror film from Ben Wheatley, starring Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley and MyAnna Buring. When a British soldier returns home from Kiev, he joins an old friend as contract killers. His disturbed past surfaces as he spins out of control during jobs and ominous employers...
for Warp X
Warp X
Warp X is a British film production company, separate from Warp Films based in Sheffield, UK with further offices in Nottingham and London The company was founded in 2005 and produces feature films.-Company:...
.
Ben's third film will be Sightseers. Sightseers is written by its stars, Alice Lowe
Alice Lowe
Alice Lowe is an English actress and writer mainly in comedy, from the English Midlands.Lowe attended a comprehensive school and graduated from Cambridge University. She began her career co-devising and performing in surreal experimental theatre shows such as City Haunts, Snowbound and Progress In...
and Steve Oram with additional material by Amy Jump.