Snapshots of the Cast - Men of Convention

Amir Ejaz - Lead Actor

Amir Ejaz (pronounced 'Aamir' not 'Ameer'), is the main player on the ground in this film, he's the guy introduced in the opening scene, moving with purpose and urgency, the camera zooming on his riverside walk to meet his first contact.

I found his phone conversation portrayal so convincing, I had to ask him whether he was on a genuine call during the filming. He wasn't, it was just a good performance.

Amir is also the first of the four figures convening on the elevated riverbankin the final scene.

Ibrahim Khan - Supporting Actor

Ibrahim Khan, in the real world a fine footballer, who makes a cool looking job of shaking hands here (figure on the left), was pulled in at zero notice but went about his work with good humour and quality delivery. Ibrahim also is one of the four silhouetted figures gathered under the twilight sky in the final scene.

Qasim Ejaz - Supporting Actor

Qasim Ejaz, brother of lead actor Amir Ejaz is a civil engineering undergraduate at the University of Surrey (Guildford). His improvised gestures and expressions here were expertly performed. He made this role his own and now it goes down in history as a five second masterpiece. Qasim appears also strolling to the final twilight gathering of four in the final scene.

Saqib Ali - Supporting Actor

Saqib Ali, fitness fanatic and strength conditioning expert, again, as with the rest of the cast, was pulled in for his acting debut at about five minutes notice. He is our second character to appear in Men of Convention, being our lead character's first contact. Saqib was feeling a bit cold so he commandeered my jacket (he didn't really, I offered it to him, but I have never used the word 'commandeered' in a written sentence before) and it suited his character here well, he also in the second take of his scene put my shades on, and that clearly added to the nature of the meeting and its suggested implications. Saqib is also one of the four figures in the final scene silhouetted against the twilight sky.

Zayd Depaor - Supporting Actor

Well this is me, playing here Mr Stripe Shirt (as seeing as none of the characters in this film have names). I had to shoot all these indoor scenes the night before the film was completed, I thought these indoor scenes up at the last second as a gel to bring the outdoor scenes together. Mr Stripe Shirt seems to me like a No.2 in a hidden hierarchy. The man in the shadows in a hat being No.1

I meet a sinister looking figure in a black leather jacket, at the beginning of the film and again towards the end (in this scene above), who remains faceless for the whole film. In the scene above I stare across at him as I receive the notebook, a look to confirm the seriousness of the work and the mutual desire to see the next phase smoothly implemented.