PRODUCTION


DIRECTING CRAFT


LISA GUNNING


and deeply for a character and their situation.


CREDITS The Power; Goldfrapp ‘Tales of Us’; ads for Amazon, Google, Ford, Subaru, Honda et al; editor for Anthony Minghella, Martin McDonagh, John Madden, Lasse Hallstrolm and Sam Taylor-Johnson


I get involved as early as possible! I have a huge respect for writers so collaborating with them at script stage is a pure joy for me. Because of my background as an editor, I love suggesting pre-edits, boiling it down to the fundamental things so we can focus all the resources and time in all the right places.


What attracts me to a project is anything that profoundly moves me! It’s quite physical really…something in my gut makes me feel truly madly


80 televisual.com Summer 2023


I always try to remember what got me excited as I was reading the script for the first time. Then I build on the essence of that visually and structurally. I also believe in a lot of prep, so I’ll research the world of the story, the history, the sense of place, politics, aesthetics etc so I can excavate as much truth as possible in the process.


I have so much respect and empathy for actors. I did some acting classes once (I was terrible!) and standing in their shoes is humbling. I do a huge amount of character analysis so I can be a true ally for them. I like to listen to them and collaborate with them as their ideas usually come from a truthful place. I always have a plan when blocking a scene, but I stay open to what might happen in the moment with them. I fight for as much rehearsal time as possible! Working with actors is one of my favourite things about directing.


I have very specific ideas which I see as the foundations of the work. Then I like to build on that with ideas from my trusted HoDs. I come with a lot of visual references, books, movies, music etc…Then I like to encourage brainstorming to make things as brilliant as they can be. On set, I’ll always explain the scene to the crew before we do the rehearsal so we can always be on the same page as a team.


I always have a very solid plan. For complicated sequences I love to cut boards together with sound to help with timings and angles. I like to film and cut action rehearsals on my iPhone to give a head start on the shoot day. But some of the best things come from being flexible and spontaneous so I’m always open to that.


The editing process is hard because I have to resist the temptation to grab the mouse/ pen and cut it myself! But I’m working on being more trusting in the process, there are way


better editors than me out there! When I grow up, I’m hoping I’ll be able to sit back and just be the director in the cutting room!


Trust is the most important skill. I’ve been lucky enough to edit for some of the most iconic directors in the business. For me, Anthony Minghella had the best approach. He had a forensic compass for the most important things the film was trying to say and he would nudge everyone in that direction whilst trusting them to make it better. He didn’t obsess over the small things.


I started as a commercial editor and that helped with cutting movies… pushing conventions and trying to be a bit more experimental. Same with directing. I’m always cross-pollinating ideas from commercials to long form. It works the other way round too…after a few months of TV directing it’s glorious to be on a commercial set. It’s a real joy to craft each second with that meticulous attention to detail!


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