Quiet Thunder Films is the creative platform for Bristol-born and based filmmaker Sam Harvey:

I have been working in video production since 2005 and am a self taught filmmaker. Having spent many years running a production company in London, I am now back in my beloved Bristol focusing on more meaningful, passion-led video work and honing my craft as a writer/director.

I have worked on many diverse video/film projects with creatives such as comedienne Caroline Reid and iconic music group Sister Sledge, to organisations such as CLCH, Britvic, Unite and Merlin Entertainments. I cherish the rich tapestry that life can be, and value the teachings that come with every creative experience!

Quiet Thunder Films is the personal/creative branch of my film work. As a person and a creator I am interested in what lies beneath the everyday surfaces of life…the unknown, magic, the power of Shadow and am particularly drawn to The Divine Feminine. Social justice and the pursuit of human rights have also begun to inform my writing as they do my waking life.

Some of my work and information regarding projects in development can be found below. I welcome interest and collaboration alike. You can get in touch here.

ABOUT

FILMS

Valerie (Short)

Having been a practitioner of the occult for most of her life, 96 year old Valerie Rose reflects on forging one's own path, in order to find the universe within...

'Valerie' is a documentary short centred around 96 year old occult follower Valerie Rose. Having known this exceptional person for many moons, I was determined to preserve some of her story on camera. Though her long and eventful life has been a truly a remarkable one, what ultimately transpired in this film was the importance of Valerie's message. Many painstaking hours of editing took place to condense the essence of what this wise and articulate woman has learnt in over 65 years of occult-led experience. As a person, I strive to make a positive difference and to support others in their personal development. In sharing Valerie's message of self empowerment, it has truly been an honour privilege to action this intention as a filmmaker as well.

Valerie won an 'Award of Excellence' at the Impact Doc Awards, was selected by The Short Cinema International Film Festival, Short to the Point, Moscow Shorts and most recently screened at the International Freethought Film Festival in Pennsylvania, US.

Her Name I'll Sing (Short)

A mystic traverses the British countryside communing...and colluding with the natural world. 'Her Name I'll Sing' is a paean to the profound connection between woman and nature.

Between projects in 2022, I felt the urge to create but within my immediate means. I had the idea of forming a fictional narrative utilising various clips of footage I had captured whilst away in different parts of the West Country - a land I feel deeply connected to. A vision of a witch traversing the British countryside and communing with the natural world danced in to my psyche and I soon thereafter wrote the film's narration. Working alongside a fellow creative, we duly set off to shoot scenes I'd written to connect with the existing nature-based footage.

The film took on a life of its own and consequently 95% of the final cut was newly shot. The darker tone was an original intention but the sinister ambiguity that permeates the final moments evolved during the edit.

Though making the film was an informal process and somewhat experimental in nature, I submitted to several festivals and Her Name I'll Sing was made a finalist at the Austin Micro Film Festival in Autumn 2022.

It also screened at the Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival in London in November 2023 - more details here.

Hammer Unsung (Tribute)

In my early teens I developed a passion for gothic cinema that led to a life-long obsession with the famed British studio Hammer Films. Known for their celluloid adaptations of literary horror classics, the studio introduced audiences to previously unseen levels of blood and sexuality, in vivid colour.

The term ‘Hammer glamour’ was coined to reference the many beautiful actresses the studio employed, but in recent years I’ve found this term a little problematic. As I’ve evolved in my thinking, it’s been an increasing challenge to align my feminist ideals with my love for a genre of cinema that has historically objectified women. Yet time and time again I’ve found myself drawn to these stories and the sex/death enigma that has beguiled humankind for the ages. Though it’s impossible to divorce the ‘male gaze’ from much of Hammer’s output, one thing that I feel has been historically overlooked is the level of talent in so many of the actresses Hammer utilised. Genre giants like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee deserve to be lauded for their many fine performances, but actresses like Barbara Shelley and Veronica Carlson often go unrecognised.

And so, as a passion project, I edited together footage from over 20 Hammer films in to a melancholy ode to these brilliant women. This tribute also serves as an insight in to some of the inspiration behind much of my current writing.

Since Hammer Unsung, I've been inundated with requests for more such pieces and have now created a series of widely viewed tributes (including for actresses Barbara Shelley (right)) that can be watched here.

NEWS

Nov 2023. It was an awesome experience attending the Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival at the Screen on the Green in Islington, London to see my folk horror micro short; Her Name I'll Sing up on the big screen! The piece was in excellent company with some really innovative other films and it was inspiring talking with other independent filmmakers post event too.

Big thanks to such a lovely bunch of festival organisers and sponsors. I'll definitely be in attendance again. More info on the Unrestricted family of festivals can be found here.