To celebrate the launch of the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, we talk to award-winning theatre, television and film director and Jury Chair Justin Chadwick. He shares his thoughts on the film industry today, why the short film format is so powerful and what he'll be looking for in submissions to this exciting new program.
Alongside classics like Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) and The Other Boylen Girl (2008), you directed the award-winning short film Boy (2012). The nine-minute film tells the story of a carpenter (played by Timothy Spall) and his cyclist son. As a Director, what creative opportunities does the short film format offer when compared to working on a feature-length film?
With a short film, you’re not bound by anybody or anything else. You can take an idea, a personal idea, and are completely free to express yourself. It’s an incredibly freeing medium because you can be totally original in your idea. It gives you the opportunity to be precise: you can explore a single concept and service your story. That’s usually when the happiest moments of your career are: when you’re making a film with a group of people that share the same vision.
You’ve been nominated for a number of prestigious accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) and an Emmy Award. Why are awards so important for filmmakers?
I think recognition from the industry is always a great stepping stone for filmmakers. Awards mean your story has been recognized and that can open doors, which might have previously been closed. Bleak House was the first Period drama television piece to be made in high definition, and we brought a sense of modernity to the storytelling. The awards we won with Bleak House then enabled me to get my first film, so these awards really do provide a platform for filmmakers. It connects a filmmaker with someone who can really see something in their work. It can help build careers and also build an audience, which is ultimately what storytellers want: for people to connect with their films. The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards will certainly do that.
You’ve mentioned when starting out you were inspired by Spike Lee and Jane Campion’s first films. With the rise in popularity of subscription streaming services, where do you see the future of independent cinema?
Thank goodness for the rise of streaming services. There’s innovation and international storytelling there and we now have ways of accessing other films and stories that wouldn’t have been so easy 15 to 20 years ago. Home entertainment is a big part of everybody’s life but there’s nothing quite as special as sitting in a theatre with an audience embracing that collective experience of watching a film on the big screen – I hope that will never diminish. I think streaming services have an important part to play in the future of independent cinema by finding diverse and original voices with stories from unexpected areas. I feel this new award reinforces that.
The way that we are consuming videos is changing. Episodes can be 15 minutes long and the length can vary in a series too – take for example American filmmaker Barry Jenkins’ latest project. The perfect story can be told in 2 or 5 minutes, with full characterization (or a slice of life) an it doesn’t have to be big budget to evoke. People are reaching for new ways of telling stories and new ways of consuming films. It’s so exciting we have the opportunity to celebrate that.
All winning and shortlisted filmmakers in the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards will win a trip to Sony Pictures studio (Los Angeles) for a two-day workshop program, where they’ll gain unparalleled insight into the filmmaking business. With your experience in mind, why is this prize so extraordinary?
As a filmmaker, you’re usually trying to get your film made and trying to get people to believe in it. It’s such an unbelievable achievement to make a short film, so to have a film recognized and visit one of the largest studios that has made the biggest films in the world is incredible. To see the profession in action – how it makes, produces and distributes films – is an unmatched opportunity. To see the business side of the industry and be immersed in the machine of Hollywood filmmaking is amazing.
To be on the lot in Culver City is out of this world. When I made a film at Sony Pictures studio, I couldn’t believe the support that was there. Everyone was so keen to help and innovate in terms of technology. You get to see other filmmakers and departments working on other projects too. Filmmakers will be able to see how the studio operates on a day-to-day level. Seeing that process, the creative hub, is incredibly illuminating. The opportunity for winners and shortlisted filmmakers to share a collective experience is such an exciting prospect. Their talent will be recognized, supported and encouraged.
What three pieces of advice do you have for filmmakers preparing their submission to the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards?
Be bold, be brave and be original. Also, don’t be afraid of approaching people within the industry to help you. Make sure you prepare as much as you can. Keep your film short and precise. Don’t second guess yourself. We’re looking for originality. Enjoy it!
What is it about the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards that appealed to you to be the Chair of the Jury?
Knowing how Sony realizes that the industry, technology, and storytelling is changing and how they want to push boundaries. There’s a whole new generation of filmmakers that need a platform for their stories and the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards will play a part in that. If I had an opportunity like this when I was cutting my teeth as a filmmaker I would have jumped at the chance. To hear about a program that is celebrating new and diverse talent is something I very much wanted to be involved in.
Is there anything you hope to see in the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards submissions?
I’m looking for something extraordinary, in terms of an original voice and how a story can be told. I do want to keep an open mind, as I’m hoping that something really exciting and unexpected will be among the submissions.
Justin Chadwick
Justin Chadwick is an award-winning theatre, television and film director. He is Chair of the Jury for the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards. Read more here.