'Solitary' is a contained sci-fi film about a man who wakes up inside a room to discover he's a prisoner sent into space to form Earth's first colony, and worse - his cell mate Alana is hell bent on destroying everything.
Outlandish
2. Were there other titles you came up with before Solitary? If so, what were they?
Solitary was my debut feature film, however it was not the first feature length script I wrote - it was about the 6th or 7th, and I’d made about a dozen short films prior. My two most recent were a sci-fi about surveillance in London (SHADOWS) and a spy thriller/whydunnit involving some MI6 agents (THE SERVICE).
3. What is the genesis of Solitary?
We made a short film of the same name which was only a few minutes long. It was about the idea of prisoners being sent into space because the world of the future needs to form a colony on another planet, and prisoners are the cheapest way to build it. It was inspired by history and how the British transported prisoners to penal colonies in Australia. The studio we were talking to about a different script liked the short film and asked us to write a feature based on it - so that’s how it came about.
4. What was your writing schedule when you wrote Solitary?
I was on a tight schedule because we had interest and I didn’t want to keep them waiting. I tried to write 5 pages a day, and most days I did. It can be tricky to make yourself knuckle down and write even with a plan but the first draft actually came together quickly in about 3 weeks.
5. Did you know how Solitary would end or did it come to you while writing the script?
I always map out the whole story, characters, plot, all the big beats etc. before I start writing to make sure I don’t mid-way through because once you’re dealing with 90+ pages I find it’s very hard to make changes without starting over unless you have a plan to manipulate. So yes I did know how I wanted it to end which is somewhat of a closed loop with how we started in the capsule, with a closeup shot of eyes opening - and we realise that it may not over but I left it to the viewer to decide if they make it safely back to earth or not… That open ending has really divided people!
6. What was your favorite scene to direct in Solitary?
That is a really tough question because it was my first film and I enjoyed every moment of it and learned a lot! I did really love the scene where the tension boils to the surface in the capsule and Issac and Alana receive a call from control where she tells them he is attacking her when he isn’t, which builds to a fight. Johnny and Lottie were great and it that was a fun scene.
7. Could you give a fun fact about your experience working with Johnny Sachon, Lottie Tolhurst, Michael Condron, Michael Absalom and/or any other cast members in Solitary?
Johnny’s father David Sachon played the judge, and they couldn’t be in the same room during their performances or it would understandably put them off! So David sentences his son to a life of servitude in the movie. Michael Absalom is a real life tv presenter and an old friend so he kindly came down to do a little piece for ‘KNL news’ for us. I call Tolhurst by her last name because my wife is also called Lottie and she was the costume designer for the film. It got confusing for everyone on set! Michael Condron has an Irish accent but switches over to RP like throwing a switch, it’s really amazing - a talented actor indeed.
8. What film/s has most influenced your life?
I honestly don’t think I could name any one particular film, there are just too many amazing films. Some standout favourites are; Inception directed by Christopher Nolan, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick. Goldeneye by Martin Campbell. Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle. The David Yates Harry Potter films for their amazing tone and world. All of Edgar Wright and James Cameron’s work - Kathryn Bigalow’s work. Also the Star Wars films by George Lucas. There are dozens more - obviously you could go back to Hitchcock, but these ones left an impression on me.
9. Do you recall how your interest in directing or writing originated?
My grandad taught me to use a VHS camera when I was ten. Shortly after that I made my first short film with some friends. That was when I knew I wanted to direct films! I had no idea what i was doing, how hard it would be, the history of the craft, how many people wanted to do it but fail, or how the industry works but I just knew there was something magical about it. My writing has always been borne out of necessity but I really enjoy that part of the process.
10. You did the visual effects for the universally-acclaimed film “Avengers: Endgame”. Could you talk about your experience with the film?
End Game was my fifth Marvel film as I also worked on Iron Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Ragnorok and Infinity War. I enjoyed working on all of them. They’re full of really big juicy VFX shots and the team behind those films really know what they’re doing and what they want, I feel really lucky to have been a small part of that franchise and they also taught me a lot about film making.
11. What was your favorite scene to work on when you did the visual effects for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them?
I got to do some wand effects and big creature shots for Fantastic Beasts which, having grown up as a Potter fan and being a VFX artist was really exciting to work on.
12. What were the most challenging visual effects you did for the film Skyfall?
Skyfall was my third film working on VFX and probably my favourite to have worked on because I’m a huge Bond fan. 007 films are really different because they try to do as much as they can for real, so the VFX have to be as imperceptible as possible to support the practical special effects, so to keep that magic alive I won’t say what I did ;)
13. If you could direct a film-adaptation of any article/ short story/novella/ novel, which one would you like to do?
I really wanted to tackle Artemis Fowl but I guess Kenneth Branagh got there first!
14. If a self-published author is seeking a screenwriter/ director, how would one get you or any expert to read his or her story to see if it would make a compelling movie?
I would reach out to them either directly or through their agent and send a logline and synopsis and ask if they’d be interested in reading it and feeding back on whether they think it has any potential. If they are then by all means send it over. There’s probably more value in going to a screenwriter or a producer in the first instance than a director because they are more likely to make happen.
15. If you have your own talk show, who would your first three guests be (besides me, of course)?
Haha, well obviously you of course! Well, if I was so lucky, I would want to interview my favourite directors to see what I could learn from them. Picking three is very hard but Christopher Nolan has to be in there, Martin Campbell, and Danny Boyle. Wow - I chose three British directors. That’s interesting isn’t it? I love lots of American directors too for the record!
16. What’s your motto in life?
Never give up.
17. If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, comedy, romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction, etc.?
Well I don’t think my life story is particularly movie worthy to be honest but I suppose we could come up with a rom-com about how I got together with my wonderful wife!
18. Last question, what is your favorite snack from the United States and UK?
I used to live in Houston, TX for two years when I was a kid, so not going to lie, popcorn is great but I do enjoy a hot dog when watching a movie.