A Story Well Told: Justin Bull P’25 ’28 Takes a Character-Driven Approach to Film and Education
Justin Bull P’25 ’28 is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and head of the Visual Arts Department at Concord Academy. Whether in the classroom or on set, Bull is guided by a commitment to character-driven storytelling and immersive world-building.
This fall, as Bull welcomes the start of the school year, he is also celebrating a major professional milestone: the release of his latest screenwriting project.
The Cut, which hits theaters on September 5, was written by Bull and directed by Sean Ellis. The narrative film follows a boxer preparing for a grueling comeback match, enduring extreme weight-cutting measures along the way.
The project began as work for hire. A producer approached Bull with the concept: a dramatization of the physical and psychological toll of fighters’ weight-loss regimens. With input from the director, Bull immersed himself in research.
Through interviews and analysis, he discovered parallels between his own artistic process and the mindset of professional athletes. “I’m constantly exploring that fine line between obsession and perfectionism, pursuing ‘greatness,’ and the risk of pushing yourself beyond healthy boundaries,” Bull says. That insight became key to unlocking the complexity of the main character.
Bull says he views filmmaking as a deeply collaborative and ever-evolving process: “Films are never what you write. Films are something totally different. Acknowledging that, I do find it satisfying to see most of the scenes that I wrote in the film, and intact as I wrote them.”
The Cut was filmed during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, which prevented Bull from making any script revisions during production. Normally, the writer would continue to refine scenes throughout filming, but with union restrictions in place, the director had to step in to make script-related decisions—adding some exposition around the boxer’s mindset.
Bull attended the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. One of his favorite moments was seeing the cast bring his words to life. The film stars Orlando Bloom, John Turturro, and Caitriona Balfe.
“Seeing the actors take on the performances is always delightful,” Bull says. “I’d be sitting there thinking, ‘Oh, what fascinating things they’re saying.’ And then I realized, oh, I wrote that stuff. But they make it sound so much smarter. They’re actors and they’re really good at what they do.”
For Bull, the best art invites conversation. He welcomes the range of takeaways he has heard from audience members. He hopes the film sparks a conversation about the relationship between male body image and identity in sports.
Bull’s screenwriting projects continue to span genres, from the 2021 horror thriller movie A Banquet to the hilarious 2023–24 comedy Cassie Crowe’s Mid Life, CA’s most recent student-created feature film. “I think the only unifying thread of anything I’m writing is that it’s usually character-centered work,” he shares. “It’s coming from characters with authentic needs and objectives, then building the story around that.”
That same ideology anchors his approach as a member of the faculty at Concord Academy. Alongside a fellow film teacher, Computer Arts Department Head Ben Stumpf ’88, Bull emphasizes narrative at the heart of CA’s film program: “You can get really quickly lost in the technology, in the bells and whistles, of what’s the best lens choice for this particular shot. But ultimately, we’re passionate about enabling CA students to find a way to use these mass storytelling mediums to reveal a bit about themselves, their worldview, or shape their understanding of others.”
This year, Bull is piloting a new initiative: The Sitcom Project. After six Feature Film Project cycles, he’s turning his attention to serialized storytelling, an evolution inspired by the new Centennial Arts Center (C.A.C.).
For the first time, in the C.A.C., CA has a space where students can build standing sets and immerse themselves in a true studio experience, in the Spencer and Colton P3 (Process, Presentation, and Production) Lab. It’s a game-changer for student filmmakers.
Bull will co-teach the course with theater teacher Shelley Bolman P’27. Together, they’re exploring the intersection between performing and visual arts inherent in sitcom production—from set design and linear screenwriting to performing in front of a live studio audience.
At the center of Bull’s teaching philosophy is sustained creative collaboration. “To really get to know one another as creators, respect one another’s ideas, and enjoy the momentum of starting with absolutely nothing but a nugget of an idea, building out an entire world of story that exists with the same characters, the same settings, and know that all of these students built this together is pretty great,” he says. “Collaborating with students is the reason I work here.”
Pictures by Cole and Kiera Photography
