Then the front door opens and Cai quickly ejects the unmarked VHS from the video player before his father realizes what he’s been watching. It’s 1986, Cai is 6 years old - and this is where his fascination with Horror and film begins. Yes, he’s probably too young for this Film, but this is the 80s and we did things a little differently back then.

Horror was Cai’s first love. It still remains a mystery to Cai why this genre in particular, is so maligned in the Film industry. At it’s best it can arguably be the most innovative and creative of all genres. Low budget horror, in particular, free of the restraints and pressures that come with high budgets, act freely in their pursuit of perfection. Sure, there are some misses along the way, but there are more than enough diamonds in the rough. The lack of funds, more often than not force the creators to dig deep into their creative souls, which often yields remarkable results.

Born in 1980, he was raised on a diet of Kung Fu and Horror flicks which he would rent from his local ‘Video Shop’. This town had no Blockbuster, just a grumbling local who would rent whatever to whoever. By age 16 he had consumed hundreds, possibly thousands of films.

After graduating as an Actor from one of the UK’s leading Drama schools, Cai moved to London where he worked in TV, Film, Theatre, and Voiceover. In his downtime he would practically live at the cinema, taking full advantage of his unlimited cinema pass. It was during this time that Cai discovered Jia Zhangke, and from there ‘Slow/Contemplative cinema’. Tarkovsky, Ozū, Béla Tarr, Reichardt, and the list goes on.

And so a new love was born. The thrill of Horror combined with the laid-back, simplistic approach of slow cinema. Not wanting to choose one love over the other, Cai decided that he would approach both styles, with his own unique voice.

Cai approaches his photography slightly differently. Never looking for ‘perfection’ in the modern sense, Cai uses post production sparingly. He prefers to capture what he can in the moment, allowing the apparent flaws to add texture and meaning to the story in the image.

Cai’s first camera was a used Yashica 35, which his father passed on to him in his childhood. Shooting with film at an early age taught Cai to develop patience in order to capture the right moment.