Reflecting on 12 years of filmmaking
Go edit your own showreel reel and be faced with a surprisingly educative moment of self reflection! As I was gathering my footage, I stumbled upon a behind the scenes video of my 2013 film Bird's Eye.
The videographer captured me just as I was discussing a scene with actors Gijs van Rhijn and Julia van der Vlugt. They were wondering exactly why Gijs' character was behaving "happy and enthusiastic". Those were the exact words in the screenplay.
My response: "Yes, the character is very happy and enthusiastic." I'm not noticing their puzzled looks. Has their director indeed just echoed those same words again? Offering no further clarification! Before they can protest, I proceed to describe the shot in the every technical way possible, detailing where the camera is going to be, how wide the frame is, how it will cut... Not a word do I mention about the story, its characters, or their motivations. Gijs sighs as he knows he is now left to direct himself. (Thankfully, good actors can balance out bad directors, so the picture turned out alright!)
Since that experience I have been on a number of really fun sets, where I was lucky to see some great directors at work. Nothing is more inspiring than meeting a director who is both empathetic and has a rich understanding of the actor's job, as well as being a technical craftsman!
Still, on my latest film Proxy, I found it hugely challenging to find the right balance between being an inspiring and kind leader to my cast and crew, and to keep the greater picture in mind. Watching the film now is a kind reminder that I still have so much to learn. Shots are too close, too many talking heads, we don't care enough for the characters, somehow we aren't connected to them enough...
But it also reminds me that filmmaking is a process, and that with every film I make, I grow. And that it is a long journey, painful at times, but in the end always worth it!
To really stress this notion of filmmaking as a process, I thought I'd be fun to incorporate some of my older stuff in this showreel. Some of the footage is from when I was 11 years old, when I got my first Sony DCR-HC17E camcorder. I also used some more recent BTS stuff to give an impression of what the job of the director entails.
I hope you like it and that it offers an insight in my journey.
This leaves me to thank all the brilliant minds that have inspired, supported and guided me on the way. You guys are in my heart and in my films! Kevin Grossett, Jason Cobbe, Anastasia Govtva, Klara van Zoest, Josefine Siebenand, Reece Smith, Gordon Napier, Michael Struwig, Johnny Moutzouris, Julie Janssen, Louka Hoogendijk, Jamie Biddulph, Glen Shepherd, Balázs Szövényi-Lux, Alberto Sueri, Ruaridh Mcintosh Turner, Hannah Robinson, Robyn Price, Esther Stevenson Conroy, Amir Tabrizi, Imogen Reiter, Olivia Millar-Ross, Skublics Gergely, Alan C. McLaughlin, Rodeo Whiter, David Cairns, Tracey Fearnehough, Itandehui Jansen, Nan Reunis, Nils Valkenborgh, Veras Fawaz, and Sven de Vries.