Jonny & Jono on Inspiring Imprisoned Ironman short

It’s not easy to imagine an inmate become a sporting inspiration. Yet that’s precisely what happened to John McAvoy, the subject of Just So directors Jonny & Jono’s new docu short, Even When I’m Suffering.

Aged 22, McAvoy was imprisoned at London’s high security units Belmarsh, sentenced to life for conspiracy to commit armed robbery after he was caught planning his next heist. Kept alongside notorious prisoners like child killer Ian Huntley, former News of the World editor Andy Coulson and hate preacher Abu Hamza, McAvoy was inspired to turn his life around and began serious training within the prison’s walls.

Before long, he had broken three indoor rowing world records – including the longest ever continuous row, at 45 hours - and has continued his rigorous routine since his release, becoming a professional Ironman athlete and running programmes to educate others on a similarly-doomed path.

The directing duo - made up of Jonny Madderson & Jono Stevens - shot the film as part of Just So’s Postcards series, a platform that encourages shorts from emerging direcors. Consciously deciding to film it in a vertical short, so that it would resonate best with youngsters most likely watching it on their phones, the film reveals McAvoy's personal story, documenting his determination to get fit and turn his life around. The film even ends with McAvoy's personal email address so that viewers can directly contact him for advice and feedback. 

The spot has been rolled out online as well as on digital billboards and bus stops. shots caught up with Jono of Jonny & Jono to find out how the project was born and how they wanted to portray McAvoy.

What inspired the project and how did you stumble across the story of John McAvoy?

We were very lucky, JustSo has a story casting service so we got a heads-up and access to John before the story broke in a national paper. It captured our imagination because it isn't just a great underdog story; it's a story that really emphasises the lottery of birth. In that respect, it's aligned with the work we did with the Refugee Olympic team last year.

Did you know from the get go how you wanted to approach the project or did you have to brainstorm ideas?

Like any POSTCARD, we knew we wanted to the approach the content as film-makers, not journalists, and have fun with the form. We chose the vertical orientation because it reflected the viewing habits of the young people we were trying to connect with (higher engagement on mobile) whilst also hinting at the horrible claustrophobia of a prison.

For a documentary and for a spot under three minutes long, it’s still structured in a very creative way. How did you want to portray John McAvoy and how did you decide on what shots you actually wanted?

We were overwhelmed by John’s capacity to suffer. Once he knew where to direct that talent, he started to turn his life around. We had very limited time with John on the shoot day but we knew we wanted a controlled shoot that allowed us to express that ability. Contrasting the footage we shot with the archive footage and stills helped structure the film.

How long was the shoot and where did it take place? 

Half a day, in the cheapest building we could find, somewhere in Bermondsey.

A lot of the footage is in black and white, but you do also feature some multi-hued moments. How did you approach the use of colour in this short and what did you want colour to say about John McAvoy?

I’m not sure we normally would have combined B&W, colour archive, red and multi-hued effects in a 3-min film and that’s partly why we did it; it seemed to add to the story rather than distract from it. Using B&W in the film makes it feels even more desaturated if it follows a moment of colour. The red moment accompanies his decision to turn his life around. There was a lot of anger motivating that call, a lot of regret. All this is helped hugely by the brilliant score and sound design from FATHER.

And lastly, how did you find working with John McAvoy?

There was one problem on set; he was too fit. It was so hard to make him break a sweat. Other than that it was wonderful working with John. Not only is he a really lovely guy, he is one of the best communicators we have ever met. He is a truly inspiring man, not just because of what he’s achieved and how he’s turned things around but how he now prioritises his life. He is completely focused on helping others who, through the lottery of birth, might find themselves in a similar position to his younger self. The man is on a mission and we would like to do everything we can to help out.