Interview with Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford is the director of The Easy Lift, an action thriller short film, which was screened at Fighting Spirit Film Festival 2020. The short film entails Veronika Castle, a private investigator finding a grifter in her office, looking through case files.

What does film mean to you?

It’s everything. Film isn’t just one type of medium, it offers so much for us all and is never ending. Film connects us, teaches us and entertains us. It’s part of almost every single person’s life in one way or another, big or small and the world would be a poorer place without it.

What got you interested in filmmaking?

Watching The Matrix for the first time really inspired me to want to actively learn more about the movie making process. The film blew me away and I wanted to know how they made such a film. In 1999 there was no YouTube or social media scene like there is today however The Matrix released a special DVD to accompany the film called Revisited and it allowed the audience to become immersed in hours of BTS content. That became my bible and I must have watched it at least 50 times, just absorbing everything it had to offer. I knew at that point then that I was going to work in film.

Who are the filmmakers that inspire you?

This is such a hard question to answer as the list is ever growing but right now I’d say the following inspire me regularly - Chris Nolan, Ava DuVernay, Steven Soderbergh, Zack Snyder, Edgar Wright, Guy Ritchie and Dexter Fletcher.

How would you describe your filmmaking style? 

Loose! I do try to keep to a plan of how I want the scenes in my films to play out but I like to work with my actors on set and explore how they see the material themselves. I think I’m quite a fast director too, I don’t like to spend too long on retakes. 3 or 4 are normally my limit before we move on. I’m a big visuals guy so I work hard with my team before any shoot to make sure that my vision aligns with theirs and when it’s time to walk on set, I can trust them to excel at what they’re there to do. I believe that a good director knows when something isn’t working and that means being a good listener, watching everything closely and being confident enough to stop everything and change whatever isn’t working.

How did you work with Vincent Jerome to create the story?

The story belongs to Vincent so I can’t claim any glory there, our film is a great little snapshot of a world that he’s created around these characters. Vince sent me the script and asked what I thought of it, I played it cool and said it was great but was secretly hoping he would want to explore turning the script into something more together!

How did you assemble the crew and what advice would you give to assembling a crew? 

Well I knew that if I wanted to do the script any sort of justice I would need to bring onboard a producer that could handle the heavy lifting and help put everything into place. Grace Sargeant is a wonderful producer that I’ve worked with many times before so she was my first port of call. Then whilst exploring the characters more with Vince, which was essentially lots of conversations and WhatsApp messages, I began to dream up the look and feel of the film with one of my go-to cinematographers, Phil Thomas. Once we had a decision in place for the lighting and composition of the film, we began pulling in a crew that was built from people that we’ve either worked with before or had been recommended to us from trusted peers.

I think when it comes to assembling your crew, communication is key. Be straight with everyone and they will understand what you ask of them. It’s a team effort and as the director you’re one of the voices at the top, steering the ship. Encourage and trust people to do their best and make sure you thank them for their hard work at the end of the day.

What were your main influences for The Easy Lift?

Visually John Wick and Sin City played a big part here. I also watched Collateral quite a few times in the lead up to shooting, I liked the idea in that film of the network of assassins across the globe and how one of our own characters could quite easily be a part of that same world.

Can you talk us through working with Warren Sollars on the action sequences.

Warren is an extremely talented actor and fight choreographer. He had the job of not only performing in our film, but also training our remaining cast into learning the choreography for their action sequences before his character has even graced the screen. Warren prepped for the film by rehearsing with the cast a number of times prior to the shoot date. We made a plan to shoot everything chronologically and Warren made my job very easy because he wanted to know how I wanted the scenes to play out from a visual perspective. Together we’d identify where the camera would be for each moment of every sequence and he would then tweak the fights to work for specifically for those angles. I still cannot get over how fast Warren is when he works! The man is a talent and I hope to work with him again very soon.

Can you talk us through the lighting design of The Easy Lift?

Phil and I wanted it to really feel like a dingy detective’s agency within a busy city late at night, somewhere shady. We realised the light source should be from outside of the office and chose a to build a neon sign outside the main window. The colours on that sign we then reinforced with our own lights when we needed to go in for tighter angles but on the wides, the light from outside is doing all of the work. We wanted the location to feel like it was sitting above a bar or club and I think we achieved that.

Can you tell us about your experience of filming The Easy Lift.

It was fast paced and full on! We had negotiated the use of an office location for a single day at a weekend so we knew we had our work cut out. We had to dress and light as fast as we could in the morning with turnover being scheduled at 12pm. The challenge with shooting action sequences is that normally you want room! Room to move the camera, room to allow your actors enough space to move well for fight scenes. But the office wasn’t huge and we had to make that work, ultimately deciding that the lack of space could play really well on screen, our characters bouncing off the walls and crashing into furniture.
What was your favourite part about filming The Easy Lift?

Watching back, the first take of the action sequence between all three cast members, it was the trickiest part of the day and I wasn’t sure about how it would play out on a wide angle. But because of the prep, planning and talent of everybody on set it just played out perfectly. Everyone watched it back on the monitors and had the same reaction, a huge smile. That was when I knew we had the action in the can and could have fun with it.

How do you hope audiences react to The Easy Lift?

I really hope audiences enjoy it. I wanted to try and pack as much of a punch into as short of a film as I could. It’s a tase of what could be. A snapshot of this vivid world that Vincent has dreamt up and I can say that we’ve had conversations about returning to that place if audiences like what they see! Who knows, maybe someday we’ll find out what happens next!

Do you have any upcoming projects you can tell us about?

I’m getting ready to shoot my first feature film, which is pretty crazy. It’s been in development for a couple of years now but everything has fallen into place and cameras will roll in July. It’s a heist movie set in the heart of modern day London. I think its got something for everyone - including a mini action sequence in an elevator! I’ve also just finished working on a sci-fi mini series that I have some high hopes for, we’re talking with some reps out in L.A to drum up interest for that particular project so keep your eyes peeled!

How has your experience been with the Fighting Spirit Film Festival?

I was really impressed with the community and sense of family with Fighting Spirit. The festival went to great lengths in keeping us updated with the film’s progress, the premiere plans and did a fantastic job in putting us in touch with fellow filmmakers also taking part in the festival.

Speed Round. Pick one film for each category.

What is your favourite film starring your favourite actor?

Dumb and Dumber & Jim Carrey.

What is a film that you think is underrated and deserves more attention?

A Scanner Darkly

Which cinematic universe would you like to live in? (e.g. The Grand Budapest Hotel, X-Men, MCU)

Austin Powers

What is your current favourite film?

Inception

What film are you looking forward to watching this year?

James Bond, No Time To Die.

For more information about The Easy Lift, check out the Facebook