In our closing session, Tom Harper — director of The Aeronauts and Wild Rose — discussed his fascinating career with former Directors UK Chair Charles Sturridge.
Scroll below for live-tweets and photos from the session. Find out more about Tom and Charles.
It’s now time for our last session of the day - In Focus: Tom Harper. We’ll hear from the director of @WRFilmUK and @aeronautsmov: @tomharps! Follow #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19 for the tweets. pic.twitter.com/1bAmGgriBC
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Fellow director Charles Sturridge welcomes Tom to the stage. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Charles asks Tom about his beginnings in short film. “I wrote to friends and family for funding - my friends in a band put on fundraising gigs.” #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom: I’d been a runner for films and done some small jobs at Channel 4 - looking back at it I realise how valuable that experience was. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom: I’d been a runner for films and done some small jobs at Channel 4 - looking back at it I realise how valuable that experience was. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
We watch a clip from Tom’s early short film, “Cubs”. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom says he was inspired to make Cubs when a friend told him about the subject of urban fox hunting. The story resonated with him as a young person in London. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom says he loved working with Shane Meadows on This Is England 86. “It was the best masterclass you could hope for.” #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
It was the first time I’d used improvisation in my work, and working with actors who were used to that was a great learning experience. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
#TomHarper #DirectorsCut19 pic.twitter.com/byy8Yz90kc
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Charles asks about how Tom directed This Is England 86’s famous party sequence. “It was mostly improvised and we shot loads of footage - the cast just went for it. It was harder to cut, and I went back and forth with Shane on sculpting the narrative” #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
On Misfits, Tom talks about shooting Nathan’s roof speech. “The weather was unexpected, but sometimes those things you can’t control push you into some fascinating directions - the same happened in The Aeronauts” #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom: for me I thinks it’s vital to have a balance of people you’ve worked with before and new talent, to bring some fresh ideas and keep you on your toes. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
But you also need allies - the occupation can be very demanding at times. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
We watch a clip from Tom’s series of War & Peace, starring Paul Dano and Lily James. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom: The real pleasure on working on something as big and challenging as War & Peace is you become a company, there’s this real sense of kinship amongst the cast and crew. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
On Wild Rose, Charles asks if Tom had always had Jessie Buckley in mind. “The script was amazing, but for me it was Jessie or no one.” #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom: She could deliver on both the acting and singing with exactly the right energy. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
We watch a clip from Wild Rose. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Charles asks how Tom pitched the Aeronauts. Tom: “Jack Thorne and I did this on spec, and we brought in a great producer and a concept artist. That was invaluable - people could then see exactly what was in my mind.” #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
We watch a short clip from The Aeronauts. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Charles hands it over to the audience for questions. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
A member asks about working with Jim Broadbent in War & Peace. Tom says that Jim had impeccable instincts - together they monitored the levels of charisma and theatricality in the performance. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
On whether he would encourage has child to be a director, Tom says that he’d support them - but not necessarily encourage it! His advice to them would be to just do it: the perfect project doesn’t exist, keep making work! #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom: On War & Peace, I really made sure I understood the emotional beats in any given scene. I still shot-planned everything, even though in the end I knew I wouldn’t stick to it too closely. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom: I still go through the process of shot-planning whenever I can, even when I know the final outcome will look different. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
A member asks whether Tom has come consciously avoided being pigeonholed as a director. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Tom: It’s not conscious at all - you take opportunities for different reasons, whether it’s working with an actor you find inspiring or - particularly early on - just to keep up the momentum! Whatever happens though, you have to engage with the story. #TomHarper #DirectorsCut19
— Directors UK (@Directors_UK) November 2, 2019
Have Your Say
Join the discussion on Facebook