Darlington<\/a>; and Eleanor Carter, 27, from Wheatley Hill – were already in position, chatting, laughing, and occasionally practising lines. All three hope to make acting their full\u2011time career, and watching them work, you get the sense they might just manage it.\n<\/p>\n\n Sam, who plays Julian, a man with \u201cthings to hide\u201d, told me this is his third film with Dean.\n<\/p>\n
\n ![\"The]()
Sam Phillipson, 24, from Cockfield in character during filming for The Stitcher at the Radisson Blu hotel (Image: ANDREW WHITE)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI love acting and playing dual roles,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s great to work with these guys as well. It\u2019s a good atmosphere and really chilled.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n When I asked about the difference between theatre and film, he said: \u201cThere\u2019s not much rehearsal. It\u2019s really fun and exciting because you don\u2019t know what\u2019s happening next. Dean keeps you on your toes.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Thomas, meanwhile, is new to Dean\u2019s projects. He\u2019s been part of the National Youth Theatre academy, but this is his first film.\n<\/p>\n
\n ![\"The]()
Thomas Richardson, 24 and seen here playing the part of Robbie, is making his first film for Dean. The Darlington man would like to be a full-time actor (Image: ANDREW WHITE)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019m finding the process very enjoyable,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019ve got quite a bit of experience in theatre, but this is quite different. You need different skills, there\u2019s a different environment – and it\u2019s great. I enjoy people working together to achieve a common purpose and a common goal.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n He plays Robbie, a postgraduate student who becomes a suspect.\n<\/p>\n
\n ![\"The]()
Dean directs the young cast, using just a mobile phone (Image: ANDREW WHITE)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI would love to be a professional actor,\u201d he added – it\u2019s clearly a driving ambition.\n<\/p>\n
\n Eleanor, who plays Nell – a caring, loyal character who looks after her friends – has been acting since she was eight.\n<\/p>\n
\n She has a drama degree from Newcastle University and has appeared in shows, adverts and several short films. This is her third time working with Dean.\n<\/p>\n
\n ![\"The]()
Eleanor Carter, 27, from Wheatley Hill has been acting since she was eight. Seen her during filming, she says she enjoys Dean’s easy-gong style (Image: ANDREW WHITE)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s quite easy\u2011going,\u201d she told me. \u201cDean is really easy to work with, very friendly, and if you\u2019ve got any questions he\u2019ll answer straight away, which puts your mind at ease. People bring different ideas and bounce off each other.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Acting is her main job, though she supplements it with other work, including for her dad\u2019s bathroom design business and she is also a qualified make\u2011up artist.\n<\/p>\n
\n ![\"The]()
Director Dean Midas captures the action for his latest horror short, The Stitcher (Image: ANDREW WHITE)\n<\/p>\n
\n Watching Dean direct them was a lesson in efficiency. He shot four or five takes of the scene, each one slightly different, each one done with calm precision. There was no fuss, no wasted time. For a man filming on a mobile phone, he has the focus of someone handling a Hollywood budget.\n<\/p>\n
An unexpected cameo<\/p>\n
\n After wrapping at the hotel, the team moved on to the city centre and Odin\u2019s Hoard, a new independent pop\u2011culture shop filled with sci\u2011fi memorabilia, horror collectibles and enough curiosities to keep any genre fan occupied for hours.\n<\/p>\n
\n Owner Benn Clarkson, 46, from County Durham, had agreed to let Dean film there – and found himself unexpectedly cast in a cameo.\n<\/p>\n
\n ![\"The]()
Benn Clarkson, 46, agreed to let Dean film in his shop, Odin’s Hoard – and ended up with a cameo role in his new film (Image: ANDREW WHITE)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cDean wandered in one day and took an interest in the shop,\u201d Benn told me.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI think he enjoyed the way it looks, especially the horror items. He asked if he could use the shop to film a scene – but I didn\u2019t know he would want me to take a part in it.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt was a little bit nerve\u2011wracking. I think anybody would be nervous. It was done on the spot, but I quite enjoyed it and I\u2019m really looking forward to how it looks.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n ![\"The]()
A nervous Benn Clarkson acts for the first time as Dean Midas holds the camera – a mobile phone – for a scene filmed in Odin’s Hoard in Durham (Image: ANDREW WHITE)\n<\/p>\n
\n By the end of the day, what struck me most wasn\u2019t the horror, or the tension, or the mystery of the plot. It was the sense of community.\n<\/p>\n
\n Dean\u2019s commitment to using local young talent isn\u2019t just a talking point\u2014it\u2019s the backbone of his work. He gives people opportunities, trusts them, and makes a positive environment where creativity feels natural.\n<\/p>\n
\n And for a film about fear, secrets and the unknown, that warmth is perhaps the biggest twist of all.\n<\/p>\n
\n The film is set for release on Friday, October 2 via Dean Midas Films on YouTube.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You never quite know what to expect when you\u2019re invited onto a film set, especially when the film…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":612074,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-612073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/612074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}