Jay Martin: "It was never
really a consideration of
whether the area would
hold me back."

Just as cameras finished rolling on the set of REDt’BLUE, the pandemic hit and the country was plunged into lockdown.

The film plots the political upheaval of Mansfield - Jay Martin's hometown - which, in the general election of 2017, voted Conservative for the first time in history. After a year of shooting, fundraising, and spending thousands of his own savings, Martin’s project was thrown off course.

He refused to let it become a setback. As he pressed on with the film’s postproduction, Martin found a job at a factory producing PPE for the NHS. He used the money to push the ambition of the project even further, paying for archive footage of Mansfield and hiring a musician to create an original film score.

It is an anecdote that perfectly captures Martin’s drive and determination. For the 22-year-old, adversity is an opportunity.

In Mansfield, the prospects for a young filmmaker are pretty unappealing. The post-industrial landscape used as the backdrop to the film has a high level of unemployment and little in the way of a creative industry. However, Martin felt he could use the town to his advantage.

“REDt’Blue is the first film to be made about Mansfield in 50 years, and that goes to show just how stagnated any kind of creativity has been in these areas. I think it does stem from the historical context of the area. Mansfield is an ex-pit town - it’s working class all over.

“I saw Mansfield as more of an opportunity than a hindrance because I thought: 'I’ve got the whole town to myself.' There are no other filmmakers that are making films in Mansfield, or about Mansfield, so I thought: ‘I’ve got my own little patch here.' It was never really a consideration of whether the area would hold me back."

Despite not being released yet, REDt’BLUE has already won critical acclaim and picked up various awards at film festivals. Martin has now been approached to create a series of political documentaries for the BBC.

While it has been well received, any film covering such a contentious political moment is bound to attract some criticism. Under the social media trailer for REDt'BLUE, one Facebook user writes: “Well, I didn't expect blatant propaganda for the Tories in 2021.” However, Martin is keen to point out he has never disclosed his political beliefs, and was determined to keep the documentary as neutral as possible.

“From my perspective, I thought the story was interesting enough without the need for me to inject myself and my own biases into it.

“I do have my own political opinions - quite strong political opinions - but for me it would have been quite selfish if I would have let them override the story."

Martin credits his interest in filmmaking to his secondary school teacher, Mrs Roberts. She ultimately encouraged him to pursue his ambitions.

“We did English Literature with her, so a lot of what I learnt about storytelling came from her. She was a great teacher.

"She was ridiculously supportive. Even to this day she reads what I write and she donated to the kickstarter campaign for REDtBLUE."

With Mrs Roberts' support, Martin applied for a BTEC in Film and TV Production at Confetti College in Nottingham. There, he made his first film. It was a short documentary about the Nottingham serial killer, Mark Martin, who killed three homeless women between December 2004 and January 2005. Jay likes to stress he is "no relation."

Despite his young age, the determined filmmaker secured interviews with a number of high-profile figures, including the lead prosecutor on the case.

“I wasn’t even old enough to drink. I was 17 but I managed to get interviews and I think it was just because I understood inherently the professionalism and the approach that you need to take.

“After that, I thought I wanted to make a narrative film, so I made a film called Catharsis.

“I ended up getting a job at Subway during the summer in the interim of my two years at college. I saved up two grand and I hired a proper crew; cameras, actors. So I spent my entire second year, on top of my college work, making Catharsis.”

Unlike most of his course mates, at the end of college Martin chose not to study film at university. He continues to self-fund his films and has remained at the factory to support himself through other projects.

“I am a firm believer that with artistic ventures, you have to just do it yourself. To me, there’s not much point in going to university to learn about filmmaking for three years. To me, you’re going to gain more by chucking yourself in at the deep end and actually doing it.

“I’m not at the level yet where I can do [filmmaking] full-time, so my approach has always been to work a full-time job. I’m not bothered what I’m doing, because that affords me the spare money to get projects off the ground. It’s just to fund the creative side of things."

As well as turning filmmaking into his full-time job, Martin dreams of moving to the states. Though he has enjoyed the success of his documentaries, his real passion is for narrative films.

“I think for me, from a writing point of view, sometimes it’s a moment - and that will be the spark. Or it will be a character, or a line of dialogue.

"Every time I go into a project, I want each thing that I do to be a massive step up.

"I want to get where I’m going pretty quick. I want to be able to party in LA while I’m still in my 20's.

"That’s the fire that keeps me going - not letting anything but my own ability hold me back.