We like Sam Wall’s unusual short You Know Too Much. We like it so much words fail us, but, for you, we’ll give it a go. It’s a hypnotic mobius strip through unnatural nature unfolding to the laid-back menace of a William Orbit track – beautiful, foreboding and tinged with intangible weirdness. Or something like that. But the weirdest thing? The young Scottish director ain’t even been signed up yet.
So, tell me about your childhood.
I grew up in Scotland, in the countryside. It was an incredible place to grow up. Rivers and trees and sandstone cliffs. Sometimes it was lonely but there was another kid my age who lived there too, so we were friends.
Growing up, I remember being attracted to film in a general way – for the excitement and glamour. When I was a teenager though I got a book called ‘Thirty Frames Per Second; The Visionary Art of the Music Video’. Around that time I started thinking I’d like to be a director for the sake of being an artist, being creative. So what attracts me to directing has developed over time.
How did you get into directing?
Well, I don’t know, I’m still trying. I studied film at Paisley University in Scotland. So far, everything I’ve directed has been made independently. I’d like that to change.
Are there any directors, films or styles that particularly influence you?
Yes, there are lots. Some favourites are Chris Cunningham’s Bjork, David Fincher’s Fight Club, Jean Pierre Jeunet’s Amelie and the Coen Brother’s Fargo. I admire these directors for their ability to create atmospheres and temperatures, and above all, art which is moving or enlightening. Right now, I’m in a Gus Van Sant phase, he’s a very interesting guy. I read that his characters are often ‘obsessives and seekers doomed to fail, but in losing, they somehow win.’ I admire his style.
Mark Workman’s Three Muses was a key inspiration for You Know Too Much
What’s the story behind You Know Too Much? It’s got such a striking, unusual aesthetic – what were you trying to achieve with it?
For You Know Too Much, I was interested in a narrative that involved some sort of time loop or Mobius strip. I also wanted to have a character who would be affected in a significant way by something he wasn’t aware of and that didn’t seem to matter. For the look and mood of the film I was influenced by a contemporary landscape painter called Mark Workman. His landscapes are strange but familiar, slightly romantic but with a sense of foreboding. Whatever he paints, he always makes you want to be there. His work has a quirky humour as well, for example one painting shows three cows grazing in a field at sunset, and it’s called ‘The Three Muses’. So, broadly, You Know Too Much was a combination of those ideas and influences.
The film looks really complex – how did you make it?
I shot the film on HD with a Canon HV20. I filmed a lot of live action elements separately then composited them in After Effects. Now I have folders on my PC with names like ‘grass’, ‘spider webs’ and ‘jet trails’. Some of the elements are CG. The floating helicoper seed was CG. I modelled it on a real one I found in the park. Some of the background elements like the telegraph poles, electricity pylons, aeroplanes, barbed wire and so on are CG as well. It’s not the most sophisticated CG in the world, but CG modelling is difficult. I read that it takes five years to become fully proficient with a program like 3D Studio Max, the one I used. So its like learning to play a musical instrument. I’ve only been using Max for a year or so, so the CG is actually fairly basic, though I was pleased with how my helicopter seed turned out.
‘You Know Too Much’ took you two years to create – how did you motivate yourself to keep going and finish it?
I don’t find it difficult to motivate myself to make videos. I find it difficult to be content when I’m not making a video. Also, I didn’t know when I started it that it would take so long, so that always helps.
Are you currently signed as a director or are you looking for representation? Have you got a website?
I don’t have a website at the moment. I’m not signed, I’d love to be represented, yes.
