What does it mean to be a director and how do you approach directing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I guess to be a maker and having complete creative control? I think there are so many ways of answering that question, depending on the context and at what point you\u2019re at in the project. But overall, I would say for me it boils down to just having something you love and making sure that that thing is the best thing it could possibly be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think makes a good director?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to say attention to detail but I think all that is usually just natural. Maybe love for the project? Because if you have that, there\u2019s no way you\u2019re going to do anything that you don\u2019t think matters and the attention to detail will come automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I also think good directors ensure that every cog in the machine is given the oil it needs to whir smoothly. Basically they make sure everyone is given the resources they need to make their best work. So having the right creative conversations, making sure the notes are really on point and being digested correctly, making sure everyone is feeling comfortable and in the optimum mind-set for whatever is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you think it\u2019s easier to direct your own scripts?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know because I\u2019ve not directed anything that isn\u2019t my own script. But I think it\u2019s different for everyone. I\u2019ve got some friends who find it much easier directing work that isn\u2019t theirs because they have an objective distance. It may be already at a great place in script form and then they can take it to another level by adding their thing. I love writing as much as I love directing, though they\u2019re very different disciplines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When does the \u2018directors role\u2019 first get brought into the film?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m always imagining how I\u2019m going to shoot things whilst I\u2019m writing, so for me it\u2019s right there from the beginning. Thinking back to the idea of being a \u2018control freak\u2019, it\u2019s just as important to let go and to allow yourself to move away from the script. To have new ideas that you write in the moment, on the day. For me it\u2019s kind of jumbled, I\u2019m directing whilst I\u2019m writing and I\u2019m writing whilst I\u2019m directing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could you explain the relationship between the director and producer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For me my producer should be my comrade in arms. I find it works best for me when I have complete trust in them. It\u2019s someone who is your right-hand man that you can completely lean on. But the support and appreciation goes both ways too. It\u2019s not just someone who\u2019s taking care of the logistics, it\u2019s someone who you can go to at any moment and ask \u2018What do you think of this? It\u2019s someone who has such a firm hand on everything so that when things are going wrong, they can problem solve on that logistical front \u2013 which gives you the space to concentrate on finding the creative solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Casting is so important in bringing the film and its characters to life. How do you go about casting your films and what do you look for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I look for someone who has some <\/em>quality of the character, but they might not necessarily match everything I have in my head – it\u2019s a two-way street I think. I enjoy meeting someone in the casting process and thinking, \u2018Oh I didn\u2019t see them this way initially, but this is an interesting spin\u2019 and then letting the character mould to the actor. It\u2019s very different each time, but generally I look for people who embody some of the character\u2019s traits and who also have interesting mannerisms and ways of being \u2013 and something behind the eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does a typical day on set look like for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re all completely atypical! My time on set always goes past in such a flurry. I find it quite difficult to remember as I\u2019m so immersed in it. I will be running through what we\u2019re shooting that day, checking over all my notes. Usually, I\u2019m playing catch up with anything that I\u2019ve missed the previous day as well and trying to find ways to incorporate its subtext and meaning into the scenes we\u2019re shooting that day. So it\u2019s always a really fluid, changeable thing \u2013 as new ideas will also come about through this process. I\u2019ll be thinking \u2018How are we going to slip back in there? How am I going to fix this thing that didn\u2019t really work in that scene? How am I going to inject this into what we\u2019re shooting today?\u2019 \u2013 and that will sometimes bring about new moments not in the script that often end up being my favourite parts of the film. I\u2019ll be going through all my documents and ensuring that everything that I meant to get in there is in there. But also letting things be free and loose. So much of it is this paradox of being intensely hands-on about getting everything you wanted and also giving yourself the freedom for things to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How does the \u2018director\u2019 role carr<\/strong>y on during post-production?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The role is completely there in post-production, as you\u2019re just really hands on every step of the way. There is as much directing in post as there is on set. I usually will be doing some of the editing myself, then working with the sound designer and composer \u2013 I\u2019ve started to do this thing where I work towards the score with the composer ahead of actually shooting. This way I have something to listen to that guides how I\u2019m seeing things. I listen a lot whilst writing too \u2013 so working on that after shooting always feels like finishing off rather than beginning. Then yeah, I suppose having all these creative conversations and back and forth with HoDs. It\u2019s exciting being in post, as you start to almost reform the film working with the material you have, which might be pretty different from how you initially pictured it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the film festival process like as a director?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I love being able to meet other writers and directors when you have your film screened somewhere. That\u2019s really amazing and that\u2019s something that I feel I\u2019ve missed out on a bit with so many festivals being online. I think it\u2019s so lovely to get to meet other filmmakers, see their work and to feel part of a community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you have any advice for other young female directors\/filmmakers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In general, make the work that you want to make without trying to fit it into what you think people want. If you stay true to what you want to make, it really does shine through. That sounds cheesy! But, when things get hard \u2013 which they definitely do when you\u2019re making films, it never feels like hard work, it just feels like you\u2019re doing right by this thing that you love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I would say have the confidence to be firm and to not think you\u2019re being too much. If your concerns aren\u2019t being listened to or taken seriously, find a way to re-phrase things because your gut is often right and it\u2019s not just a \u2018worry\u2019. Also have the confidence to call yourself a director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also \u2013 one other little thing is that sometimes characteristics that are seen as particularly \u2018female\u2019 traits can be strengths. I think being a conscientious and considerate director is great, personally, and doesn\u2019t stop you from being a good \u2018leader\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sophie’s short film Know the Grass<\/em> is playing in competition at the London Short Film Festival running January 14-23 2022. Tickets available now at\u00a0shortfilms.org.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.watershed.co.uk\/film-academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/0004481-R1-06-7-1024x692.jpg\")
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