I directed and co-wrote The Hollow Men this year. I intended the film to be an exploration of how genre can be used as a backdrop to explore characters and theme. The genre in question was that of the western, or more specifically neo-western, and the themes were those of depression, mortality and existentialism.
Over the course of the writing process, as a consequence of feedback from those who were kind enough to give us some of their time and seemingly constant revisions, the screenplay developed a lot. However the characters of Ellis, Kane and Sonny were present in some form in most of the earliest drafts and their essence never really changed. Early in the process, I realised that in many ways Sonny and Kane were actually representative of two sides of Ellis. So we developed that idea and made it part of the very make-up of the film itself. To me the plot and genre were a lot of fun, but they were only ever the backdrop to the characters and ideology of the film. However, it was always important to me that the film also does function effectively in a more surface-level, plot sense. We wrote the film as the ideal film we wanted to make, irrespective of budget, with the intention of working out how achievable it would be later. In the end, we really didn’t need to alter the script very much at all, because we managed to find low-budget solutions to most of our problems. I really struggled to write the camp scene in particular, but I enjoyed collaborating with Aaron and I’m proud of how much the script developed.
I do struggle to separate writing from directing into two different processes in my mind, because I do think they are very closely linked. However, at a certain point my attention certainly shifted towards other aspects of my job, like casting, rehearsals, storyboarding, location scouting and costume for example. I try to make my films as collaborative as possible and this was no exception. It was really rewarding to develop the film in ways that I might never have come up with on my own. For example, sitting down with Juliet, the sound designer, and working out what Ellis’ internalised thoughts would actually sound like. However, that’s not to say everything was always plain sailing. Admittedly, I did struggle to work with Ruth, the producer, at times. Her approach could be quite overbearing and made effective communication difficult. Several members of production had to reach out to me to tell me how they were struggling to work with her. However, I don’t feel it’s fair to anyone involved try to summarise a complicated situation in just a few words, so see my blog for more information. Perhaps I need to pay more attention in selecting the right crew for each project, in the same way I would look for the right cast for their roles. Ruth is obviously a very talented producer, with whom I have worked very effectively in the past, but perhaps this particular film just wasn’t her thing, and that’s fair enough. In saying that, ultimately I’m proud of what we managed to achieve as a crew.
For me, the most rewarding aspect was perhaps working with the actors. We really put the time into casting, and I think it made all the difference in the world. We wound up with three very talented actors who clearly connected with the material and were committed to the film. I spoke to them all for countless hours, discussing the characters, the world of the film and the various philosophical ideas touched on at various times. This meant that by the time it came to going through the script, they already understood exactly who their characters were and what the film was. I know this probably sounds simple, but it’s not really something I’ve had the opportunity to do before and I found it very rewarding.
I think I was effective in my roles this year and I’m proud of what we have achieved. I think largely we did manage to do what we set out to do with The Hollow Men, even if there is room for improvement. Is the film going to be to everyone’s taste? Absolutely not. However, I firmly believe in making the film you would want to see as opposed to just making something you think other people want to see. I am proud of each and every single one of my collaborators and I have learned a lot from making The Hollow Men that I will carry forwards to future projects as I continue to develop as a storyteller and as a collaborator.
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