James Howard’s A God Walks Into a Pub is a story about finding yourself. It combines poetry, music, voiceover and stunning shots to bring the viewer into the character’s world.
Howard wrote the poem for his undergraduate dissertation, and hopes the film will inspire people to play to their strengths.
James discussed his motivations for the film. He said: “I wanted my last ATVA to be a reflection of my goals, as a writer and a filmmaker.
“My previous films were made because I wanted to prove that I could make something good enough for the ATVAs. This film was for me to make what I wanted to, without worrying about what other people would think.”
A God Walks Into a Pub plays into this idea by following the protagonist as they do what they want to do whilst discovering who they are, no matter what is in their way.
The message behind this film
A film’s theme, or central message, is essential to show though the film’s storytelling.
Howard said: “The message I hope people take from my film is to make what you want, even if it’s weird.
“ I hope that it inspires other people to play to their strengths, and not be held back because their idea is something they haven’t seen represented before.”
While working on the film, Howard learned that people tend to be more helpful than one would expect.
He continued: “I was really stressed about getting permission to film in an actual pub, but the owners and the manager of Nicky Tams were really nice, and happy to let us shoot there.
“My pal Harry also immediately offered a guitar, after hearing that I needed one for the shoot. I think a lot of people are open to lending a hand if you just ask, and I’m really grateful for that.”
How to turn a poem into a film
Writing a screenplay for a film is already complicated. Adapting a poem into a film can be even more challenging.
The nuances and imagery in the words has to transfer to the screen to do the poem justice.
But A God Walks Into a Pub does this cleverly through the cinematography and voiceover.
Film poems can bring poetry into a more visual medium and still tell the same story.
“They’re an underutilised art form in the writing industry,” Howard said.
“What was your proudest moment in making this movie?”
Every artist, whether they are an author, filmmaker or sculptor, takes some level of pride in their work.
With an art form that requires as much dedication and attention to detail, filmmaking can bring creators great pride.
Howard’s proudest moment while making A God Walks Into a Pub was seeing the components come together.
The film consists of video, voiceover and music, which were created separately.
“I was concerned that they may not match up, so seeing them all meld together thanks to everyone’s hard work was amazing.”
You can watch the trailer and the rest of AirTV’s productions here.
Featured image credit: James Howard.
Third year journalism student. 2025/2026 Lifestyle and Comment Editor at Brig. Published in The Yucatán Times, Mi Campeche and The Mourning Paper. Host of From the 40s with Air3Radio.
