About Blank Canvas Pictures

For now “us” is founder Sarah Boyks, myself.

I have produced 6 shorts, and was the Line Producer large scale shorts. Most recently I was the Production Manager on Steven Soderbergh’s latest Feature The Christophers and on an action thriller with Jean Reno in the lead.

I create Budgets and Schedules, mostly for independent features for funding submissions, where the majority of my in depth experience comes from - though I have worked on larger productions such as Queen Charlotte as well.

For a list of all the many productions I have worked on, please go to my IMDb pages:

IMDb Pro link

IMDb Link

Picture by T e r e z a   Č e r v e ň o v á

A woman with short brown hair, wearing a blue and gray leopard print sweater and black pants, leaning against a railing outdoors with a textured wall and window in the background.

My way to producing

All of my films address different sides of mental health issues, struggles we all have with what it means to push through and pretend we are fine - and often from new points of view.

I moved to the film industry in 2021 - and I might have moved up faster than most people, but I have many transferable skills and have been supported by great mentors who all saw something in me.

I have had many jobs and lived many lives it seems. I usually got bored every few years and changed careers and moved more times than I can count. Since working in the film industry, I have not been bored and doubt I will ever get tired of it. Think I am addicted to the chaos of it…

Since a day as a runner in 2021 and getting signed by Chapters People, I worked my way up from the Covid department to Production and am now an established Production Manager.

I worked on many large productions but also lovely indie features and please don’t make me pick - I love both.

Credit selection: Spencer, The Split, The Crown, Kaos, Eric, The Power, Queen Charlotte, Last Swim, All of Us, The Christophers and latest The Butler with Jean Reno as PM.

How I got my first producer job

After a twitter shout out looking for scripts for short films I started working with different writers and word spread that I was looking for things to produce.

A friend introduced me to Alexander Jeremy who was looking for a producer for his short Still There, which is now online on Youtube with 11k views within 3 months. After Still There I worked with Manjinder Virk on DEKHO which now is BAFTA Qualifying and I have been helping many productions since and rather proud of my slate.

For a list of all shorts I produced, do click here

Now I am developing my own slate of features and looking for funding for two scripts which are ready.

Some of my many jobs / previous lives:

  • Operations Manager in the Snowboard Industry for Rome Snowboards

  • Editorial journalist and PR assistant for a publisher in Austria

  • Librarian

  • Data Manager for Medical Research for cochlea implants

  • Sustainability Consultant / UN Sustainability Goals Embassador

  • Translator / Interpreter (German, Spanish and French)

  • Volunteered for many charities (Surfrider Hawaii and NYC, Surfers Against Sewage, Thames Water, Volunteer dog walker and trainer for animal shelters, Leilani Farm Sanctuary, ran sustainability events at Impact Hub in NYC)

  • Many, many, many hospitality jobs in every position you can think of – and I was also a Paddleboard Instructor and Yoga Teacher

Some of the things / trainings I did / what makes me a nerd:

  • Attended the London Screenwriter’s Festival twice as a producer during their “speed dating like” pitch sessions, helping up and coming writers with feedback

  • Part of the kindest indie producer network in the UK that helps each other

  • Alumni of NFTS Course Produce your First Feature 2022 with Jack Tarling while I was on The Crown

  • Short Course, Line Producer NFTS 2024

  • Mental Health First Aider via Dolly

  • BA in Economies and Tourism, University of Hertfordshire

  • Travelled for a year to research about sustainability in 2016. I did so many courses, online and in person, a few UN courses and went to many conferences in the US and Canada. Special interest in Gamification, Co Operative movements in New York, systemic solutions such as The Democracy Collaborative.

  • Went to Star Trek conventions way before being a nerd was a good thing, went twice to Star Wars weekends and collect DVDs for the audio commentary and BTS footage. 

  • I am a nerd with any kind of software. Give me a book or a demo and I’ll be an expert in no time. Not kidding… I look like a hipster but I am not one of them…

A woman feeding a pig an apple in a farmyard with green grass and a wire fence. In the background, a cat sits on a large round object, and a rooster is nearby.
Group of diverse people smiling and pointing at a large poster of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on a brick wall.
A woman with brown hair in a ponytail, wearing a black jacket, stands in front of a display of magazines and books in a store.
Why I love start trek

Contact us

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