EMERGING ARTIST SESSIONS
THE PORTFOLIO

BRANCHES ARC

Branches Arc is a UK-based indie arts collective. Their debut album Forward Through Forests is available now, and they regularly perform live in and around London.

The video for The Ramshackle House was conceived, filmed and edited by James Hamilton, Chris Witherall and Paul Fitzgerald.

The album was written by Chris Witherall and features performances by both Chris and James, alongside other collaborators. The artwork was created by Paul Fitzgerald.

Branches Arc are currently writing, producing and recording new music, continuing their collaborative approach across sound, film and design.

august ‘96

August ’96 is a short film written, filmed and edited by Paul Fitzgerald. Having previously won awards for short film scripts, Paul brought the project to life in collaboration with James Hamilton and Chris Witherall, who co-produced the film. Despite being created on a shoestring budget, the project demonstrated the team’s ability to deliver high-quality creative work with limited resources. James recorded all audio on set and composed the original soundtrack, ensuring the film had a distinctive sonic identity to match its visual storytelling.

hamilton effects

James Hamilton is also the founder of Hamilton Effects, a UK-based boutique guitar pedal company. Hamilton Effects has developed a reputation for high-quality, hand-built designs showcased at guitar shows across the UK, and featured in the rigs of musicians locally and nationally.

The brand demonstrates James’s ear for sound, technical skill, and commitment to craft. These same qualities underpin the Emerging Artist Sessions, ensuring that artists benefit from professional-standard audio production shaped by years of experience in tone, recording and creative presentation.

CHURCH & COMMUNITY

James, Chris and Paul have strong ties to the local church and wider Crawley community. During the Covid-19 lockdown they partnered with local charity Love Your Neighbour, recording and producing a series of music sessions for a livestream that brought people together at a time of isolation.

The project included both audio recording and video production, with James recording, producing and mixing the music, and Paul handling the filming and editing of the music videos.

See video sections: 19:46, 44:44 and 1:01:00 for examples of the relevant sections.