First time lucky as Michelle wins Oscar

The former Codsall pupil worked on 20-minute drama The Phone Call, starring Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, Edward Hogg and Prunella Scales, which picked up the gong for best live action short film.

After years of working her way up through the industry, Michelle says she was amazed to be involved in a project that won such a prestigious award.

And she hopes this will now lead to her enjoying a long career in film-making.

The film, written by Mat Kirkby and James Lucas, and directed by Kirkby, tells the story of a woman working for a crisis centre phone help line who receives a call from a suicidal older man, which changes the lives of all of those involved in the call.

Michelle, 37, who was raised in Wolverhampton but now lives in Oxfordshire, said: "It was quite unbelievable to find out that we had won.

"I am very proud to have played a part in the making of this film, the story is so strong and the cast were exceptional, so it was a joy to work on.

"I cried the first time I read the script.

"It has such a strong emotional story line and I knew we were going to make an amazing film from it."

Aside from the touching script, the chance to work with some of the finest British actors of all time was a selling point for Michelle.

She said:"Working with such a talented cast was an amazing experience.

"They are all true professionals and put their heart and soul into this project.

"Working with Prunella Scales was a dream as I have always admired her since the days of Fawlty Towers."

The Phone Call was Michelle's first attempt at producing a short film, but she claims her career in the film industry wasn't planned out from day one.

She said: "I studied graphic design and advertising at Bucks College so it was never a case of having my sights set on being a producer from a young age.

"I started off working in an advertising agency writing ads but then got frustrated with constantly talking about making ads but rarely making them.

"I decided I would rather be in production and make adverts and films all of the time.

"So I left what was a amazing job to start again as a receptionist in a production company, then worked my way up from there."

In her role as producer, Michelle was involved with every aspect of the making of The Phone Call, from costume choices to preparing meals for the crew.

She said: "When you have such tight budgets everyone ends up doing everything but I actually really enjoyed that.

"I really enjoyed producing the film, going out shopping with the director to buy the wardrobe, then being in the catering department and running around heating up soups for the cast and crew.

"I ended up working very long hours, but that is normal if you work in production in any way.

"I would say that we all had a great time during filming, although shooting in the location for the crisis centre was extremely cold.

"We were shooting in there around March time and we had snow, so keeping the cast and crew warm in a disused office location was a real challenge."

Michelle, who went to Dovecotes Primary School, Codsall Middle School and High and Stafford College, intends to continue in the field of film making in the near future and has other projects already in the pipeline.

She said: "You don't start out thinking about the eventual success of a project like this, you just want to do a good job.

"Short films are always a tricky thing to get going, financing them can be extremely difficult so you never know when one will really take off.

"They are made with a lot of love and determination.

"I have to thank all of the cast and crew who gave us their valuable time and talents for nothing, without them the team wouldn't be in the position we are in."

The Phone Call has won various other awards, taking home honours from the Aspen film festival, Heart of Gold festival and Dresden film festival, amongst others.

Michelle's mother, Kate Allsop, who lives in Ashmore Park, said she is proud that her daughter is reaping the benefits from a life time of hard work and studying.

She said: "Michelle has always worked hard and I have always been proud of her for being so determined and focused. She did well in school and when she went to University I was over the moon.

"Since then she has carried on working to try and achieve her goals and I am pleased that she has been recognised for doing what she loves so well.

"It is wonderful to think that there is someone in the family who has won an Oscar, to see her with the award was surreal."

Judges at the Tribeca Film Festival gave The Phone Call an award for Best Narrative Short, with feedback stating: "This film demonstrates the sheer power of the human voice to convey compassion and understanding via a one-on-one telephone conversation.

"We have selected it for its simplicity and directness in showing how emotional bonds can be formed by empathetic communication and for its beautiful performances."