FROM delivering papers for pennies to shooting Hollywood films with some of the industry's biggest names, Scott Mann's hard work is paying off.

In secondary school the young Scott had already developed a love for filmmaking.

Fast-forward more than 25 years and the director/producer's latest movie, starring none other than Pierce Brosnan, is set to be released in UK cinemas.

Last week the filmmaker, originally of Newton Aycliffe, was back on home turf for the world premiere of action thriller Final Score.

Speaking to The Northern Echo, the 38-year-old said he was already laying the foundations of what would go on to become a successful career as a boy.

"I started doing films at Woodham [Comprehensive, now Academy]," he said.

"I got a camera at the age of about 12 from doing a paper round, delivering the Newton News for a penny a paper.

"I saved my pennies and got a camera and the first few films I made were projects at Woodham.

"The RE teacher let me hand in a video project instead of a written one. It was a really good way to learn filmmaking."

Thinking back to that childhood work, Scott remembers roping in friends and "travelling back in time to meet Jesus" for one assignment.

He was inspired by films from the late 80s and early 90s and was soon bitten by the behind-the-lens bug.

"I watched RoboCop and Terminator 2 around an early age.

"Those films in particular pulled you out of where you were and it was that magic of watching good films that got me into it.

"I also had a keen interest in art and science and those things converged.

"When you make people laugh or smile and see enjoyment from something you've created it gives you a kick.

"I knew early on, from my early teens, that I wanted to be a filmmaker. I was lucky that I fell in love with it so early.

"And one of the happiest memories of my entire life was one Christmas day when I got a camcorder."

After school Scott attended Cleveland College of Art and Design, in Middlesbrough.

And although he didn't "officially finish" his studies, he met lifelong friends Jonathan Frank and Nick Rowntree who have worked, and continue, to work with him on projects.

The pair helped Scott with action movie The Tournament, his first feature-length directorial debut which caught Hollywood's eye in 2009.

And Mr Frank, or 'Jono', helped write the redraft of Scott's second big feature film Heist - an American crime thriller starring Robert De Niro released in 2015.

Scott has also teamed up with Mr Frank on Final Score - an explosive action thriller described as “Die Hard in a football stadium”.

The independently funded British action movie promises the production value and spectacle to rival Hollywood’s behemoths and stars James Bond's Brosnan and Guardian of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War actor Dave Bautista.

Written by The Brothers Lynch, the film follows a group of heavily armed criminals who take control of a stadium packed with 35,000 football fans.

Ex-soldier Michael Knox (Bautista) is forced to use skills from his military background and everything at his disposal to save the spectators, including the life of a fallen comrade’s daughter.

It was filmed in the Boleyn Ground, Upton Park - West Ham United Football Club’s home from 1904 until 2016, when they moved into the London Stadium in Stratford.

The production team had only a short window to film inside the stadium, giving Scott an added pressure and leaving the crew feeling almost "imprisoned" onsite.

"The boxes were converted into hotel rooms and we would have a run before the shoot around the stadium.

"We got to live and breathe it for four to five weeks of preparation and then six to eight weeks of shooting."

It was at the time of finishing Final Score that Scott decided to make the move from his home of 15 years, in Manchester, to Los Angeles.

Scott and wife Sarah, who he met while working at Granada Television, packed up and crossed the pond last year with children Evie, five, and Joseph, eight.

The move has given Scott more time with his children and has been a huge benefit to his working and social life.

"In terms of work, personally it's been really nice getting the balance and being around.

"It's the heart of the industry. It blends into social life in a less separated way and it's a much more social experience now.

"Most of the work opportunities have been from social situations.

"It's been nice to make some new friends and everyone is in the industry.

"In Manchester I was the only director at the school gates and now there are five at my school."

Now he has settled in Los Angeles, Scott is turning his attention more and more to where he started out, in television.

With bigger budgets and more intense but shorter shooting periods, television is a better fit for a father of two young kids.

Final Score is in cinemas and on Sky Cinema from tomorrow.