Michael J. Bassett
Encyclopedia
Michael J. Bassett is an English
screenwriter
and film director
. He has produced a variety of films, both for television and cinema. Bassett's first feature, the horror film Deathwatch, was set in the trenches of World War One. Bassett's most recent project, Solomon Kane
had a nationwide cinema release in the United Kingdom in 2010. It was also shown throughout Europe.
in the West Midlands
of the United Kingdom
where he was educated at Adams Grammar School. Here he enjoyed a life which he has described as a "safe, unremarkable childhood". Here he developed an obsession with wildlife
and nature, Bassett's fascination with films would not arise until much later. Bassett's childhood aspirations were of being a wildlife veterinarian in Africa
. With less than ideal grades in school, a veterinary career slowly became out of the question and at the age of 16, Bassett left school and became a wildlife film maker's assistant, where he would spend 18 months learning photography and film making.
After his time as an assistant, Bassett decided to go back to school to do A-Levels in the hopes of getting a Zoology degree. Once back in school, Bassett wrote to a variety of TV producers, looking for work as a nature presenter. Eventually, Bassett was contacted by Janet Street Porter, shortly after which he began working as a presenter on the children's show Get Fresh
where he presented the science and nature segments. He left to work on other programs but as work stopped coming in he was losing interest, at this point Bassett realized that he wanted to make movies. Still, this would require quite a risk, so Bassett worked for a year animating and voicing the puppet, Scally The Dog
on Children's ITV, while he thought things over.
After putting Scally the Dog to rest, Bassett produced several short films, as well as a 16 mm piece for broadcast television. All the while, Bassett worked on feature scripts which he used to try to catch producers attention. After a period of years, Bassett finally got some notice with a screenplay
titled No Man's Land. Many studios offered to purchase the script, but Bassett was determined to direct his film. Eventually, one company accepted and the film was retitled Deathwatch. Bassett works currently on the $10 million project The Unblinking Eye, a serial killer film with Jeffrey Dean Morgan
in the lead as detective John Calisto.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and film 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:...
. He has produced a variety of films, both for television and cinema. Bassett's first feature, the horror film Deathwatch, was set in the trenches of World War One. Bassett's most recent project, Solomon Kane
Solomon Kane
Solomon Kane is a fictional character created by the pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A late 16th / early 17th century Puritan, Solomon Kane is a sombre-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms...
had a nationwide cinema release in the United Kingdom in 2010. It was also shown throughout Europe.
Life and career
Bassett was born and grew up in Newport, ShropshireNewport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where he was educated at Adams Grammar School. Here he enjoyed a life which he has described as a "safe, unremarkable childhood". Here he developed an obsession with wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and nature, Bassett's fascination with films would not arise until much later. Bassett's childhood aspirations were of being a wildlife veterinarian in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. With less than ideal grades in school, a veterinary career slowly became out of the question and at the age of 16, Bassett left school and became a wildlife film maker's assistant, where he would spend 18 months learning photography and film making.
After his time as an assistant, Bassett decided to go back to school to do A-Levels in the hopes of getting a Zoology degree. Once back in school, Bassett wrote to a variety of TV producers, looking for work as a nature presenter. Eventually, Bassett was contacted by Janet Street Porter, shortly after which he began working as a presenter on the children's show Get Fresh
Get Fresh
Get Fresh was a children's television programme that ran from 1986 to 1988 in the United Kingdom.-Premise:Broadcast on the Children's ITV network, the show starred Gareth Jones , Charlotte Hindle, and a puppet named Gilbert the Alien...
where he presented the science and nature segments. He left to work on other programs but as work stopped coming in he was losing interest, at this point Bassett realized that he wanted to make movies. Still, this would require quite a risk, so Bassett worked for a year animating and voicing the puppet, Scally The Dog
Scally The Dog
Scally The Dog was a puppet mongrel dog character, who co-presented Children's ITV afternoons service, from January 1989 - March 1991 in the United Kingdom.-Children's ITV:...
on Children's ITV, while he thought things over.
After putting Scally the Dog to rest, Bassett produced several short films, as well as a 16 mm piece for broadcast television. All the while, Bassett worked on feature scripts which he used to try to catch producers attention. After a period of years, Bassett finally got some notice with a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
titled No Man's Land. Many studios offered to purchase the script, but Bassett was determined to direct his film. Eventually, one company accepted and the film was retitled Deathwatch. Bassett works currently on the $10 million project The Unblinking Eye, a serial killer film with Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is an American actor, best known to television and movie audiences as Denny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy, patriarch John Winchester on Supernatural, and as The Comedian in the 2009 superhero film Watchmen....
in the lead as detective John Calisto.
Filmography (directing)
- Deathwatch (2002)
- WildernessWilderness (film)Wilderness is a 2006 British/Irish horror film.- Plot summary :After the suicide of one of the inmates at a British young offender institution, a group of teenage offenders, along with a prison officer, are sent to a remote island, formerly used as a British Army training area, but now serving as a...
(2006) - Solomon KaneSolomon Kane (film)Solomon Kane is a 2009 epic action film directed by Michael J. Bassett based on the pulp magazine character Solomon Kane created in 1928 by Robert E. Howard. James Purefoy stars in the title role. Despite optioning the rights in 1997, filming did not begin until January 2008. The film is an origin...
(2009) - Silent Hill: Revelation 3DSilent Hill: Revelation 3DSilent Hill: Revelation 3D is an upcoming American 3D horror film due to release in 2012. Written and directed by Michael J. Bassett, Revelation 3D is based on the survival horror video game Silent Hill 3 and a sequel to the horror film Silent Hill, which is an adaptation of the survival horror...
Filmography (second unit directing)
- The Abduction Club (2002)
Filmography (writing)
- BugsBugs (TV series)Bugs was a British television drama series which ran for four series from April 1995 to August 1999. The programme, a mixture of action/adventure and science-fiction, involved a team of specialist independent crime-fighting technology experts, who faced a variety of threats based around computers...
(1995) - Deathwatch (2002)
- Solomon KaneSolomon KaneSolomon Kane is a fictional character created by the pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A late 16th / early 17th century Puritan, Solomon Kane is a sombre-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms...
(2009) - Silent Hill: Revelation 3DSilent Hill: Revelation 3DSilent Hill: Revelation 3D is an upcoming American 3D horror film due to release in 2012. Written and directed by Michael J. Bassett, Revelation 3D is based on the survival horror video game Silent Hill 3 and a sequel to the horror film Silent Hill, which is an adaptation of the survival horror...