Sally Potter is one of the most acclaimed and unique voices in cinema, with films like ORLANDO and THE TANGO LESSON giving audiences an intellectual perspective coupled with true artistic merit.
Film And TV Now spoke with the film-maker about the short.
FILM AND TV NOW: When you are looking for a specific story, what criteria do you aim for?
SALLY POTTER: I am looking for what excites and intrigues me to write (as I write all the films I direct) – stories that have hidden layers I can explore, characters whose trajectories are surprising, themes that resonate and feel urgent.
FTVN: You are well known as a feature director with the likes of ORLANDO and THE TANGO LESSON. What did your experience of features feed to you when directing this short?
SP: Every detail matters, but always hold onto the overview; you earn spontaneity in the moment of shooting by preparing as deeply as possible beforehand; build trust and an atmosphere of mutual respect with cast and crew; work fast and decisively but don’t rush, there is always enough time to find the right solution; ban the word ‘compromise’; remember to notice the sheer joy of making work with beloved colleagues, even when under extreme pressure – perhaps especially then.
FTVN: Tell us about your working relationship with Javier Bardem and Chris Rock and were they your first choices for the film?
SP: They were. Such splendid and individual presences! I was aware that this would be unpredictable casting as a pair and that was a thrilling prospect. What they have in common is a deep seriousness of intent. Stand-up comedy is a demanding form; you are totally exposed on stage.
Big film roles are another form of exposure. So the vulnerability that is part of every performer’s life became part of the bed of experience to draw on whilst working on the roles and the scenes. I worked closely with each of them, one on one, before the shoot. They were generous and committed in the working process and located both anger and tenderness in the characters they were playing.
FTVN: Tell us about your production team.
SP: The great Carlos Conti, who I have worked with on five features, designed the brilliant sets and we searched together in New York, tirelessly, in freezing conditions, for the rooftop that plays such an important part in the story.
This was my third experience of collaborating with Robbie Ryan, ace cinematographer, a person of great energy and inventiveness. Christopher Sheppard produced – we have worked together since making Orlando. It is wonderful to work again and again with people you trust and respect; the long-term understanding that develops means you start to read each other’s thoughts.
It is also good to work with new people too. For example, Luke Cresswell, who started STOMP was a key advisor and new collaborator for this film.
FTVN: Where did you shoot and for how long?
SP: We shot the interiors in London for four days and the rooftop in New York City for an afternoon through into darkness.
FTVN: Drum rhythm is very much a character of the film as the two male protagonists. What fascinates you about this aspect of music?
SP: Rhythm is behind everything we do – whether heartbeats or breath or footsteps…we live in a sea of rhythms. Drummers can tap into this primal force. Savion Glover, a unique and supreme tap dancer, creates rhythms with his feet. The story is held in the crosscurrents between these two ways of experiencing and creating beats.
FTVN: Would you be keen to develop more short form content like LOOK AT ME?
SP: Short forms are fascinating and as challenging as long forms. Many people now absorb the moving image in smaller bites; that is a challenge to feature filmmakers but can inspire new ways of thinking more akin to poetry, haiku…you can do a lot with a little.
FTVN: You’ve worked across multiple artistic media through the decades. When you break down all your projects, what elements are always the most challenging?
SP: There never seem to be enough hours in the day. I am always hungry for more.
FTVN: Where do you feel you’ve evolved most as a filmmaker and what key discoveries have defined your development?
SP: Maybe others can see my evolution more clearly than I can. I am just always excited by what is coming next and I have noticed that each time feels like the first time. One key discovery though is that of creating an atmosphere where people feel they can take risks without censure. And to face my own mistakes, don’t gloss over them; welcome them, in fact, as they are my teacher.
FTVN: Who and what are your key cinematic influences?
SP: So many; some very eclectic and some classic; ranging from early Russian cinema (Eisenstein) to classic American musicals (Singing in the Rain); the works of Satyajit Ray, Orson Welles, Godard, Warhol, Bergman, Powell/Pressburger...the list goes on and on.
FTVN: When you were starting out as a filmmaker, what key advice did you heed from more established filmmakers?
SP: I didn’t get that much advice; I never attended film-school, I often learned alone. But the advice I gave myself was to persist and to only work on things that I believed in, even if nobody else did.
FTVN: Tell us about your working relationship with your cinematographer and editor on this short.
SP: Robbie Ryan is highly inventive, always operates himself (vital, as far as I am concerned) and has a fantastic sense of humour as well as an astute eye for what is working, or not working.
Emilie Orsini and Gareth Scales worked on different aspects of the edit, each contributing excellent ideas. The cutting room is always a happy place for me and, in effect, the final re-write.
FTVN: How has the festival circuit helped your film?
SP: Early days to answer that!
FTVN: What’s next for you?
SP: A new feature, which I have written and am currently casting. And a music project. I have been writing a lot of music in recent years, not just film soundtracks, such as the music for LOOK AT ME.
FTVN: Finally, what are you most proud of about this short film?
SP: Bringing the three unique performers – Chris, Javier and Savion – together in one cohesive short story.
Alluding to themes of unjust incarceration, problems of addiction, and the complexities of relationships without explanation or polemics. The explicit tenderness between two men who, despite everything, truly love each other; which is revealed as the film ends, but is perhaps how their story truly begins.Â
