john smith studied film at the royal college of art. after graduating in 1977 he became involved in the activities of the london filmmakers’ co-op. strongly influenced by conceptual art and the structural materialist ideas which dominated british artists' filmmaking at that time, but also fascinated by the immersive power of narrative and the spoken word, he has developed a body of work which reworks and transforms reality, playfully exploring and exposing the language of cinema.