In the latest of Televisual’s interview series with top scripted directors, Susanna White (Generation Kill, Andor, Parade’s End); Saul Dibb (This City is Ours; The Sixth Commandment); Weronika Tofilska (Baby Reindeer; Love Lies Bleeding); Elliot Hegarty (Rivals; Ted Lasso) and Jon East (Killing Eve; The Last Kingdom) tell Jon Creamer about the art and craft of high-end Television and film directing
Susanna White
The first read of a script is crucial – I think your initial instincts really matter. I make lots of notes on the first read.
The key role of the director is creating a world in all its details. That involves the look and feel, who you cast, the metabolism of it, the mood and how that shifts.
I must feel a point of connection with the material. For Generation Kill I was really interested in what drove this group of young men to go to war and how it changed them. The film I’m going to start shooting in September is Prima Facie, which is about the law on rape. I felt a very strong connection with the subject matter and Suzie Miller’s material. Sometimes I’ve turned down projects which later became huge hits as I didn’t feel that they spoke to me and I don’t regret that. I must feel a passion for the work I undertake.
I’m not afraid to go outside my comfort zone though. I like the challenge of it. In Generation Kill, I’d never directed an action film before, and I’d never worked with CGI. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. When I started out in the business there weren’t very many women directing. Often my earlier choices were dictated by what I was offered. Now I’m at a point where I am lucky enough to be making some very deliberate choices. The projects I’ve currently have in development are films which have a lot to say while, in the beginning, I was just very grateful to be just given the opportunity. I am very excited to have now written my first film backed by the BFI; it’s my own coming of age story and it’s great to be working on something so personal.
Jon Creamer
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