THE FILMMAKING JOURNEY OF PHIL HAWKINS

In the latest addition of Lemonade Spotlight we sit down with The Visionaries director Phil Hawkins to discuss his journey as a filmmaker.

 Phil discusses how Jurassic Park blew his childhood mind and sent him on a path to become a director, crafting imaginative and cinematic worlds that he's now made his trademark in both commercials & features.

Most recently Phil directed his first feature length movie PRANCER, A sky Original starring legendary actor James Cromwell!

We also blast off in our X-wings to a  Galaxy Far Far Away for Phil's fan-made Star Wars Origins, which was a huge success, even getting the thumbs up from Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. 

What were your earliest endeavors into filmmaking?

I was probably 11 years old when I made my first short pulling in my mates and teachers to give their time so I could figure out this whole filmmaking thing. I was obsessed with Spielberg and Lucas as well as THE X-FILES, which was a big influence on me. I made countless films all trying to fix something I wasn’t happy with from the last. I suppose that was my film school. I didn’t grow up in a place where people were filmmakers or even worked in film. It seemed unattainable, I supposed, but my passion for it drove me forward. I made these rip off/homage’s of STAR WARS, THE MATRIX, JURASSIC PARK and a lot of shorts that could have been X-FILES episodes. All on VHS, edited with two video recorders with all my special effects (if you could call them that) done in camera. Ironically I would revisit the “fan film” much more recently with equal ambition but probably more tools to try and pull it off.

Your filmography feels like a love letter to big blockbuster directors of the 70s - 80s like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Do you have any distinctive memories of watching their films for the first time and what kind of impact did they have on you?

My filmmaking obsession came after watching JURASSIC PARK for the first time. I was completely in awe of the film and the magic Spielberg and his team created to make something I knew was artificial absolutely real. It blew my mind. I spent so long going over the very limited amount of behind the scenes images from the set to try and figure out how it was done. This was pre-YouTube, pre-internet… there wasn't a wealth of information available so I basically wore out my copy of the VHS studying the movie.

STAR WARS came a little later for me. I guess, with hindsight, I related to Luke Skywalker as I too was that kid trying to break out and do something more with my life. Following the dreams of becoming that rebel pilot, so to speak! I was always drawn to that scene of Luke looking out over the binary sunset not really knowing why.

Film is escapism for me and I’ve always wanted to tell big stories that speak to as many people as possible. We’re unified by that sense of wonder… accessing that childlike viewpoint on the world. Some can be disparaging about Spielberg’s style and heightened emotional viewpoint on a story but that is so, so difficult to get right. And you can't deny that it works. He’s an absolute master. And it’s not just with stories involving children, look at some of his more ‘grownup’ movies and that wonder is always there.

How did you get into commercial filmmaking?

Early on I used to work on every student film, music video or short film set I could get my hands on. Always for free just for the experience of getting stuck in and learning from others. It also usually meant you were wearing multiple hats so you’d be running, the grip and the boom op for one, the 1st AD for another. Totally unqualified really, but I’d immerse myself in finding out everything about the role and try and do it justice.

There was a screening of one of the student films I’d been a 1st AD on for a couple of days that also happened to be shown on the same evening as a short I made that was funded by the BBC. I got talking to those students - now working for an ad company in Manchester - who were shooting a commercial the very next day. I jumped at the chance to be a runner which led to more and more work with the same company. The bosses of the company then saw my short films and took me under their wing. I started assisting other directors and editing ads too which is where the real schooling in commercial filmmaking began.

Luckily my first few commercial directing opportunities were successful and won a few awards here and there which led to me having a bit of a reel so I could start pitching as a junior director… and the jobs kept coming! My first professional gig as a director was when I was 20 but carried on assisting and editing until burning the candle at all ends wasn’t great personally or professionally so made the scary leap into solely freelance directing and been lucky enough to keep on growing ever since.

What are the biggest restraints with working in commercials compared to working on features?

I supposed the biggest difference between features and commercials is working with clients and creatives but it’s not really a restraint. I welcome the collaboration. I’ve never been one of those people that drink the cool aid and believe advertising is some kind of high art. It’s artistic, yes. It requires an amazing amount of skill, creativity and narrative focus to communicate a message/story in 30 seconds or less. But I’m not pretentious about it. So, I enjoy that partnership with creatives and clients instead of trying to make “my” film as if “theirs” is some sort of artistic sell out. Of course, there can be disagreements but a huge part of my job is listening and understanding the perspectives and sometimes differing visions of the people involved and try and find that creative solution - some may call it compromise - to make everyone happy. I’m always looking at it from the perspective of an audience… the same way I approach making a film. In my experience, what is the best way to communicate an idea visually. Usually all conflicts can be solved just answering that question.

There are probably more restraints on features when compared to commercials! Much, much less time. A lot less toys. Smaller budgets comparativity to the amount of shoot days, for example.

What was it like to create something set in the Star Wars universe and did you feel any added pressure to deliver something authentic but familiar?

There was definitely personal pressure. Let’s face it, fan films have a certain reputation of being amateurish and cheesy. People who don’t know/understand fan film basically see it as people playing dress up with plastic lightsabres in the woods… and, to be honest, a bunch are. They’re a great way for new filmmakers to learn the craft and for fans to become their heroes on screen for a day. It’s fun. It’s why it has that reputation. But there are a few standouts. Look at Joseph Khan’s POWER RANGERS short that had a lot of IP controversy a while back. That’s definitely not made by amateurs.

I know when people found out I was making a fan film they wondered why. They probably still do if they haven’t seen the movie. I mean, I’d directed five feature films and had a healthy commercials career. But it’s only when people saw the first trailer they realised I was trying to do something a little different. STAR WARS ORIGINS is not set in the Star Wars universe… it’s about the Star Wars universe. The origins of what we know as the saga. It’s a huge distinction. I didn’t want to make a film where you’d always be on the visual backfoot trying to show Vader or Luke without having James Earl Jones or Mark Hamill. Again, it’s amateurish.

I’d always wondered what “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….” actually meant. It’s saying this is all based on a “true story”. It happened. I always wondered where Earth would be as part of the Star Wars universe. I mean, Spielberg and Lucas both played with the idea of element of Star Wars in Indiana Jones and ET which I always thought was a lot of fun. This film was a fresh way of looking at how Star Wars as kind of transcended pop culture and become myth and legend. What if it was actually real. How would George Lucas have found out about it?

And, of course, only a fan film would mash up Indiana Jones and Star Wars! This was my love letter to both genres and the work of Spielberg and Lucas that inspired me to become a filmmaker. Funnily enough, we got a bit of push back when the trailer was released because some people thought that’s exactly what Disney was doing because it just looked real to them. I supposed that’s the biggest compliment. I guess shooting on location in the Sahara Desert isn’t automatically what people think would happen for a short film so presumed it was a feature length movie. We got a lot of buzz from that trailer.

Are there any other popular IPs you would love to explore in future projects?

Obviously I’d love to do an actual Star Wars movie/episode but I’m not looking to spend another three years making a fan film off my own back. Hopefully STAR WARS ORIGINS shows what I could do with existing properties to give a fresh spin. I love the idea of taking something that has a pre-existing fan base and turning it into a movie. There’s a lot of responsibility to the fans. I had no idea if ORIGINS would be rejected by Star Wars & Indiana Jones fans because it was so unconventional as a fan film… luckily it’s been embraced!

PRANCER is your first studio film, how much space and freedom did the studio give you to create something you wanted to make and how did it compare to working on your other features?

Universal & Sky Studios were great creative partners. I wish I had some story here about big creative fights and disagreements but once we had the script sorted, they definitely understood my vision of the film. When I first came onboard the script was a lot more of a “kids” movie than a family movie. There was a lot of fun but no real soul… it felt a little superficial for me. My whole pitch to get the gig was to bring some more depth thematically. Yes, it’s a fun magical adventure but the film for me is really about loss. How we latch on to the smallest of details in grief… and how we can find ways of letting go and finding closure. It just so happens that in our story, Bud (James Cromwell) finds some sort of connection with a reindeer and his late wife that takes him on this journey. That’s a lot more interesting as a family audience of kids and grownups. There is hopefully something for everyone. I mean, is it even a Christmas movie if you don’t shed a tear or two? I have to thank my producer Raffaella De Laurentiis for all her support and backing for this vision too. She’s a bit of a legend in her own right having made movies such as Dune and Backdraft, for example.

In comparison to other features… well, it was nice to not have to raise the money! It was also great to be able to attract actors like James and Sarah-Jane Potts (Kinky Boots), Joe Millson (Casino Royale), Stephanie Levi-John (The Spanish Princess) and Aaron McCusker (Bohemian Rhapsody).

What was it like working with the screen legend James Cromwell?

It was a gift! What a wonderful experience I had working with him. I know every director says that about their cast but, come on, BABE, LA CONFIDENTIAL, STAR TREK, THE GREEN MILE… he’s worked with so many great directors both stage and screen that he brings a wealth of experience but never let his reputation proceed him. He was so giving and supportive of my ideas... especially when I wanted to shoot five pages of dialogue in one shot at times! He totally understood. He’s a director himself so could understand the reasoning too.

I also admire his activism for animal rights. He’s doing great work for brilliant charities alongside a very busy acting career. I learned a lot working with him both as a director and a human being.

You’ve also worked with other big names like Christoper Walken, do you ever get a little star stuck on set?

Not really. I have moments where that little kid in me who made those VHS short films can’t believe that I’m giving direction to someone like Chris and they’re actually listening to me but never star struck. We’re all doing our jobs at the end of the day. I supposed that’s what keeps it grounded.

What was it like working with young cast?

My touchpoints for Prancer weren’t exclusively Christmas movies. They were films like Paper Moon, Black Stallion, Up and, of course, ET. Miracle on 31st Street and The Father were great inspiration too. Paper Moon was the big one as the leads of the film are a grandfather and 10 year old granddaughter who needed to have such a lovely and real bond on screen. Darcey Ewart played the granddaughter in her first leading role and she was absolutely brilliant. The film would have been absolutely terrible if Darcey was nothing but brilliant.

There is so much personality that she brought to the performance. I basically just had to give her the ‘permission’ to trust her instincts and encourage her to make the role her own. I think the tired cliché of “never work with kids” comes from those who are afraid of spontaneity and needing complete control of a performance. You wouldn’t ever micromanage an experienced actor so why a child?

And why a Christmas movie? I guess I’m always looking for that sense of wonder at the heart of any story and Christmas movies allow a huge dollop of that. They’re also films that, if you make a good one, can stand the test of time so, who knows, maybe PRANCER will be around for a long while to come? Let’s hope so.