Interview with Grant McPhee- Scottish filmmaker

Sally Wanless
Jul 10, 2017 · 4 min read

Interview #2 Grant McPhee

by Sally Wanless June 10th 2017.

Thanks Grant for doing this!

For those who haven’t come across you, what’s your background and how did you get into directing?

GM: My day job is a camera operator and technician on movies. Directing is something I really fell into. I wanted to photograph a film that had a really bold and interesting look but couldn’t find a director who’d let me so I just went and did it myself, and found I quite liked it. The documentaries were more something that grew arms and legs. I wanted to see a documentary on Postcard Records and ended up making it with the help of some friends.

How do you find being a director in Scotland funding wise?

GM: I enjoy working independently, you’re allowed to do things you’re normally not allowed to do when you receive traditional funding for commissioned work. You always have to make compromises but I find the financial ones you have to consider when making independent films outweigh the artistic ones when you have watchful eyes over you. It does make things very tough when starting out on a new project though. However, we’ve been very lucky in that we have received funding and support from CS and BBC, and been allowed to make the films we want. You just have to take risks and believe in what your doing. While there’s not as much financial support as there should be there are a great many people who’ve supported me, offered advice and help with all aspects of production and that’s made things so much easier when learning. And the exciting thing is there are always new things to learn. I’m quite idealogical about independent filmmaking, and a lot of that has probably come from speaking to some of the musicians. The process should be as important and it’s also equally important to be thinking of a wider filmmaking community when you make films. Don’t just make them for you, make them to help an independent scene grow.

You’re premiering Teenage Superstars Movie at the Edinburgh Film Festival next month Congratulations! How does it feel to have the end result now and being able to get it out there and show people?

GM: It’s great and EIFF have been fantastic. Without their support for Big Gold Dream it never would have reached as many people. We’re lucky that we do have such an internationally recognised festival on our doorstep and having their support can really change how a film is perceived. The films have gone way beyond just being my film as the music scene has given so much support to them and so many people in the film industry have also. Because of that the excitement is that everyone gets to see all their hard work on screen and written about. The Big Gold Dream screening was pretty wild and party like so I think this will be the same. It’s far from the end though. Big Gold Dream is still out there and not fully finished, this will likely be the same. It’s difficult to express how difficult and time consuming the more paperwork based aspects of these films are, and what is required for the them to go to a wider audience. Because they are so grassroots based we can only release them gradually as funds and time permit. So the Teenage Superstars full journey is going to be a long one.

You’re looking at your dream home right now, what does it look like?

GM: Right now I’m in a recycling plant in Glasgow and it’s 02:30

Who would you most like to collaborate with in the future?

GM: Like minded people. And people I like. How people work and what they want to achieve is far more important to me than seeing an amazing end result with no context as to how it got there. Finding teams that work well together with similar goals is what I most want to do. That’s a good part of what interested me — other than the music — in the documentaries, they were a a mission statement for what can be achieved with working with the right people. The process will always be revealed in the end result.

What was the most interesting part of directing Teenage Superstars Movie? + anything you learned?

GM: Getting to meet a lot of very inspiring people. I don’t think Scotland as a whole recognises the cultural importance of ‘indie music’. We always talk about whisky, oil and deep fried things but in many ways guitar based indie pop is Scotlands biggest and best export to the world. Scotland can write pretty amazing pop songs.

A vibrant music documentary that looks at the story of the hugely successful pre-Britpop Scottish music scene. A follow-up to 2015 EIFF Audience Award winner Big Gold Dream and is directed by Scottish filmmaker Grant McPhee.

@grantmcpheefilm @soundofyoungsco

Funding link on Indiegogo in order to get this film out to more audiences, check it out.

Sally Wanless

Written by

Art Director & illustrator artist www.studiowanless.com

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade