Notes — From the Lab
A Few Lines, Two Minutes
A few sentences in a book of Exeter ghost stories become two minutes of black and white cinema without a word. A note from the Lab on Dean Ferris's The White Lady of St. Johns Road.
Read articleWhat this film tells
A young man's journey down a quiet road ends with a supernatural encounter.
Why it matters
The White Lady of St.Johns Road uses the oldest tools of the ghost story: a dark street, a lit window, a figure in white. Dean Ferris keeps it to two minutes and lets the images do the work. Millicent Walker built the ghost’s look in layers of shading and texture, with the black and white already in mind, so that the eyes carry the fear. There was no production sound: Greig Baird made the whole soundtrack in post, minimal, slowly building and unsettling. It shows how much a genre can hold with very few elements.
Biography
Dean Ferris
Dean Ferris is an accomplished Exeter-based filmmaker, director, and educator with over three decades of professional experience in the television and film industry. His career spans corporate productions, cinematography, and narrative directing, with notable early credits working in various production capacities for major broadcasters like the BBC and ITV, as well as renowned studios such as Aardman Animations.
As a director, Dean has channelled his passion for visual storytelling into distinct narrative projects, recently gaining recognition for his folk horror short film, Knell (2025), which was selected for the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Dedicated to fostering future talent, Dean has served as a Film and Media Lecturer at Exeter Collegesince 2014. By utilizing a practical, hands-on teaching style, he bridges industry standards with creative education, effectively mentoring the next generation of UK filmmakers.
Images
Behind the scenes
Credits
Cast & crew
Key creative roles and featured participants connected to the film.
Crew
Director, Producer & EditorDean Ferris
WriterCraig Sullivan & Dean Ferris
CinematographyFelix Northover & Ben Wetten
SFX Make upMillicent Walker
Sound DesignGreig Baird
Cast
Cristie Bowcher-Royce as The White Lady
Charlie Court as The Boy
Festival circulation
Festivals & awards
Selections, screenings and recognitions that trace the public life of the film.
Official Selection
MORPHÉ Film Festival
Official Selection
Deep Fried Film Festival
Official Selection
Horror-on-Sea Film Festival
Official Selection
Lift-Off Global Network
Official Selection
Open Film Zone
Official Selection
Show Room Shorts
More like this
Films close to this one in theme, tone and form.
Community rating
Rate this film
How would you rate The White Lady of St. Johns Road? Your vote shapes the collective score.
—/10
No ratings yet
Rate this film
—
Conversation
Add your voice to this film
A film keeps working after it ends. Tell us what this one opened for you: an image that stayed, a question it left, a thought on what it carries, or where it meets your own practice. Filmmakers, artists, writers and viewers, all in the same room.
Sign in to join the conversation.
Loading comments...