A WINDERMERE filmmaker has promised viewers drama and tension from his latest production, which wrapped last week.

Thomas Gardner, who directed a documentary about the Windermere Children entitled ‘Route to Paradise’ in 2019, was taken back in time to World War One for his latest film ‘The Fronts of War.’

The eight-minute feature is co-written with screenwriter Olivia Lewis-Brown and focuses on the personal lives of two soldiers in the trenches in The Somme, 1916.

It began production in Maidstone, Kent where Mr Gardener worked closely with Andy Robertshaw who served as historical and military advisor on Steven Spielberg’s ‘War Horse’ and Sam Mendes’ BAFTA award winning ‘1917’.

Scenes were also filmed at Friar’s Crag in Keswick.

"You can expect a lot of drama," said Mr Gardner.

"It follows the lives of two soldiers in the trenches who are good friends and they both get a letter from the same woman, who is married to one of them.

“I wanted to focus on the personal lives of the soldiers rather than the actual war itself. Some of the personal trauma they had to go through they would have kept to themselves and I wanted to try and extract something from that to create tension in an already intense atmosphere.”

Mr Gardner has a strong interest in history, heaving previously considered becoming a history teacher, and was inspired after watching Peter Jackson's First World War documentary ‘They Shall Not Grow Old.’

The film is expected to make its debut in the Norwich Film Festival and continue its way around the festival circuit throughout the year.

“Once it’s completed the festival circuit, we’ll release it online,” said Mr Gardner.

The 24-year-old first discovered his love for film making while he was studying theatre at the University of Central Lancashire.

“I starred in some university films and I realised I preferred being behind the camera rather than in front of it,” he said.

“I was intrigued by the making of the films.”

Mr Gardner’s next project involves another documentary 'Windermere - A Brief Encounter' by Brendan Higgins.

“We start production on that next week,” he said.