Interview with Rhys Miles-Thomas, Managing Director at Glass Shot: Accessibility × Virtual Production

About Glass Shot – what we do 

Glasshot is a company that makes the inaccessible accessible in the film and TV industry. Established in 2006, our prime aim is to give deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people more opportunities – especially the opportunity to work in the creative industries and to take away any barriers they might face.

We’re all about working with the person as opposed to demanding that they fit into whatever we’re doing… From the beginning we were interested in working with people who lived a little outside the mainstream – folks who were on the fringes of society. We were always interested in helping people find their voice, to give them an opportunity or a way in through the door. In the beginning, we worked with groups of LGBTQ people, with Victim Support. As my disability developed, we focused more on working with deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creatives.  

As a company, we devise and conceptualise new ideas then put them into practice. We do full scale productions, a fair bit of R&D, and we advise and help organisations understand the steps involved in bringing deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creatives onto set.  

A pivotal moment  

There’s a moment in my past which I feel has led me to this point in my career – championing the cause for accessibility. When I look back on my time as an able-bodied actor, there was a scene for American TV in which we had to fly to the top of a mountain in Turkey. You could only get to the top via a helicopter, so all of us cast went up in the baking sun. Looking back, it was completely and utterly inaccessible to anyone who wasn’t able bodied.  

Years later, thinking about this chapter, I was talking about it to my colleague Paul Burke, wondering if I’d ever be able to do something like that in the future and how I might achieve it, given the accessibility problems. He was working in virtual production at the time and encouraged me to look at this as a possible mechanism – it really all grew from there. Virtual Production allows for any situation, any scenario, whether you’re under the sea, on top of a mountain or speeding along a highway.  

Any situation, any location can be made accessible…  

First forays into R&D   

We obtained Media Cymru R&D funding to look at using whether you could use technology – particularly virtual production technology – to improve access for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people into the film and TV landscape. 

We started off with a year-long project, working with prestigious organisations and TV/film companies around the UK, researching and discussing with directors and producers what we could do and how we could do it. We looked at the technologies available, exploring how we could use certain technologies to both get the best out of both the technology and support people on set at the same time.  

After the project, our report became a bit of a stand-out report – highlighting approaches for accessibility on set and it was heralded by major players in the industry, which was incredible to see. Nobody had appeared to properly address the matter and do a study like this before.  

Building on the first phase of R&D: changing culture on set   

We developed our idea further when we had a second round of funding from Media Cymru, so we really wanted to put the theory into practice. We set up two test shoots, which not only found that virtual production could be used to improve accessibility, but also we changed the whole ethos of what the culture is like on set.  

We had an access coordinator on set from the get-go. We had “access passports” before people came to the set so we knew exactly what their needs would be. We had quiet rooms and regular breaks.  

The whole experience during the test shoot was very much about the person as opposed to the product. So as opposed to the high pressure “you must do this; this, and this within this short space of time!”, we wanted to do things differently. So we had a virtual environment where we explored the use of technology, but we also adapted our way of thinking, we gave people a chance and the results in the video speak for themselves…

We worked with a deaf actor during the process who said that normally they’d be left out of conversations, wouldn’t know what was happening at any given time and felt quite lonely on set. We also worked with a crew member who on previous jobs was too afraid to reveal her neurodivergence. Both said they felt empowered on our set, they felt included. The crew member said she’d always hidden away things that were really problematic for her on set. They told us we’d created an open environment where they felt comfortable and respected.   

We had an art trainee on set who has autism and was very, very fearful and scared of the set environment and couldn’t stop shaking. At the end of their first day, one of the art department crew members had called them to ask them if they’d encountered any problems or if there was anything more that they could have done to support them. They replied “No, it’s been the best day of my life!”  

The innovation became about the people and the environment…

While we started out wanting to innovate around technology, the innovation became more focused on the people, about creating the right environment. This whole experience was transformational in many ways. This goes much further than “being inclusive” because it’s the right thing to do, it’s about expanding the talent pool, bringing in fresh voices, new perspectives and ideas. It wasn’t just about disabled and deaf people either – everyone wins in this environment. Our approach means that single Mums and Dads can still be there to pick up their kids from school, LGBTQ people can feel safe.   

We were intentional about removing barriers. Film sets can feel very “macho”, people want to stretch and push themselves to prove themselves. We took all that away. Everyone had an important part to play, and they were respected for who they were and what they had to offer. On our test shoots, thanks to the environment we’d created we got more out of people. They wanted to do and give more because the culture was right – they were enjoying themselves. It is a radical way of thinking I suppose – people want to do it, but they don’t necessarily know how. Media Cymru funding allowed us to test the concept and prove it can be done.  

Following on from our R&D work, we’re pushing the boat out even further – Glass Shot has landed a few opportunities building on what we’ve accomplished through our Media Cymru work – an immersive sound project with the Wales Millennium Centre and other partners via the Interactive Media Fund, which will explore how it feels from the perspective a disabled person experiencing a hospital stay. The aim then is to follow this up with a full production next year.  

It’s the perfect culmination of our journey with R&D the last few years and links right back to where we started as a company in 2006 – giving a voice to the voiceless.  

Wales’ creative potential  

In Wales we have the talent, the might, the power and knowledge both within Wales and further afield to be world leaders. I’ve seen wonderous things happening here that I’ve not seen elsewhere across the globe, having worked and travelled internationally. But without the support of programmes like Media Cymru in the future, though – what then?  

I’d hate for this talent and knowledge to be lost because who will be there to give people a chance? This industry can be a bit of a rat race and we’re all just surviving until the next job – there isn’t always time or space for R&D and think about the next big idea, you’re dancing to someone else’s tune.

Final reflections: my R&D journey 

I think a lot of people might envisage creating a bit of tech or a piece of kit that will set the world on fire. But I’d say it’s better to begin with a burning question you simply have to investigate. In our case, we asked the question of what it would be like to use VP technology to make film and film sets more accessible…and in the process, we explored a radical way of flipping the way films are made and transforming the way film sets operate from the bottom up.  

Linking back to my early memories of the film set, the helicopter and the mountain – I wanted to think about how I could get back to the top of the mountain, bringing others with me who might have a variety of needs. For deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people, this is the social model of disability… yes, perhaps I have an illness or a condition and this brings me challenges, but it’s society that keeps me disabled…

About Rhys Miles-Thomas

Rhys is an award-winning, Welsh disabled film, theatre, TV director and producer who specialises in virtual production, immersive experiences, working with actors of all abilities and creating innovative accessible media.

A graduate of the Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Film School of Wales, he has over two decades of experience as a creative, having worked for A&E, Fox, Hallmark, Film Four, BBC, S4C and ITV as an actor. As a writer, Rhys has written for stage and screen including co-writing the 8-part TV series “Y Ty” for S4C. As a director, Rhys has worked across theatre, TV, and film, with a speciality in virtual production and inclusive practice with actors of all abilities.

Rhys serves on the board of trustees of Theatr Cymru, is an advisory member for accessible technology for the TV Access Project, and the disabled representative on the BECTU South Wales Freelance Committee. He is also the Fuseable Inclusivity Champion, 2024.