The Making of The Silent Choice: A Thrilling Adventure in Silence (and a bit of Music)

Right, where do I even start with this? Picture it: I’ve just returned from a recce in Cornwall (if you’ve ever been, you’ll know it’s just as beautiful as it is windswept), and I’m making my way back to southeast London. The whole trip was supposed to be about plotting out the next big thriller-drama. You know, something with tension, the kind of edge-of-your-seat stuff that keeps you awake at night wondering if you’re ever going to get a full night’s sleep again. I’m not talking about the kind of tension you feel waiting for your Uber to arrive on a late night in the middle of nowhere with 5% battery (another story), I mean real, nail-biting stuff.

Now, here’s the thing. Before Christmas, I’d started scribbling down a script. I wanted to develop something with real oomph, a thriller-drama that makes your heart race. As I was writing, I found myself absolutely obsessed with one of the most iconic scenes in cinema: the opening of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds. If you’ve seen it, you know the one I mean: the French farmhouse scene. The silence. The tension. It’s stunning. I thought, that’s it, that’s the level of tension I want for The Silent Choice. No pressure, right?

With the script taking shape, I turned to the real challenge: casting. You know, choosing the right actors who could actually pull off that kind of tension. And wow, did we hit the jackpot. We had some seriously talented folks auditioning—everyone from seasoned pros to fresh faces who made the script come alive. Special shout-out to the Sylvia Young Agency. These guys really knew their stuff and helped us find a fantastic young actress who brought this immense level of sincerity to the role.

This was also my first time directing with the ARRI Alexa Mini LF. It’s a stunning camera. If a camera could win awards for being cool, this one would have a trophy cabinet bigger than mine. And naturally, I had to work with someone who knew what they were doing when it came to cinematography. Enter Ruaraid Achilleos-Sarll, my Director of Photography. Ruaraid and I spent weeks planning out how to use the camera to capture that atmospheric tension I was after—through mood boards and a location visit, we explored shadowy corners, long silences, everything just dripping with menace. It was like painting with light, only more stressful.

Of course, there were plenty of rewrites. You can’t make a great film without tweaking things—many redrafts later, we had a script that was just right. Or at least, I hope it was. Pre-production was in full swing, and as the shoot day arrived, everything went off without a hitch. Big shout-out to the 1st AD, Tarasin, who was like a clockwork machine. Nothing fazes this guy. He kept us on schedule and made sure we didn’t end up shooting until Christmas.

Now, here’s where things get a bit tricky. I had this radical idea: no music. None. I mean, who needs music when you’ve got top-notch performances, gripping cinematography, and sound design that makes every creaky floorboard feel like an earthquake? I wanted to see how much tension could be generated without the usual musical crutch. The result? Pure, unadulterated silence. And for a while, it worked… but, as always, the deadline started looming, and I thought, Am I really going to let this film exist without any music?

With only a week to go before the final sound mix, I had a bit of a crisis of faith. What if a piece of music—just a little something—could elevate the whole thing? Something that juxtaposes the heavy tone of the narrative? So, I got in touch with composer Lindsay Wright, someone I’ve worked with in the past, and as always, she stepped up to the challenge. We spoke briefly about the idea I had, and she whipped up a score that brought out the emotional depth of the film in record time.

Watching the film with her music layered in was like watching the story transform. Suddenly, the film had an emotive payload that it just didn’t have before. It wasn’t just a thriller—it became truly cinematic.

So, there I was, screening The Silent Choice at the BIFA-qualifying Beeston Film Festival in Nottingham. Watching the audience’s reactions to the ending was like getting a front-row seat to a rollercoaster ride—if you could actually feel the suspense and tension like they were. Check out the Q&A video above, where I discussed the film’s final twist, creative process, team building and you can hear some people’s thoughts too.

I couldn’t have made The Silent Choice without the incredible cast and crew. Honestly, they all brought their A-game. From the actors to the crew, everyone played a vital role in turning a small idea into something truly special. And I couldn’t be prouder.

So yes, The Silent Choice is moody, brooding, and at times quieter than a mime in a monastery. But when it finally speaks—my God, it sings. Not bad for something born out of Cornish wind, fourteen script rewrites, and a stubborn refusal to use music… until I did. And now? It’s touring the festivals, it has qualified for the 2025 BIFA Awards and tracking for the 2026 BAFTA Awards.

But there’s one last twist in this tale. Stay tuned—because the film’s not done surprising people yet. Not by a long shot.

Ranw Aso-Rashid
Founder/CEO
AR Studios