Emily Harris - Women in Production Interview
In our next interview for our Women in Production series, we speak with Emily Harris, a fantastic director and visual storyteller. Read on to find out what she is most proud of in her career so far, what new skills she would most like to learn, and her love for creativity.
Tell us a little about yourself and the work you do
I think I would describe myself as a visual storyteller and not strictly a filmmaker because I don’t mind what the canvas is as long as I get to tell a story visually. My canvas of choice right now is undoubtedly the screen, I love the creative possibilities it provides, however I have also explored the canvases of theatre, exhibition and immersive installation. The borders between art forms are being crossed in exciting ways at the moment and it’s a great time for filmmakers to be as rebellious with form as they dare.
What route did you take to begin working in your role?
My journey to filmmaking was somewhat indirect and unforeseen. I have always loved image-making within a frame but on a very solo level - painting, drawing and printmaking. I studied fine art, first in New York and eventually at the Glasgow School of Art, but I soon found that for me just putting images on the wall in a gallery space didn’t feel like a satisfying enough conclusion to the process of making the work. So I started integrating actors into these spaces and directing them to surreptitiously do surprising things which an unsuspecting gallery viewer would think was real. This evolved to scripting the actors rather than merely setting up scenarios and this subsequently led to me writing and staging a play for a paying audience in an actual theatre. After a short career doing that, I decided to push the form a bit further and explore committing my ideas and stories to film. I completely fell in love with this medium as a tool for telling visual stories. I love incorporating film into an immersive exhibition experience and am equally learning how to inject an immersive quality into the single screen experience as well.
Why did you want to get into the film/television industry?
It was never the intended end goal but rather a natural progression that felt compatible to my creative process. I really love ‘process’ and the ultimate creative satisfaction for me is when that process is collaborative and highly disciplined. I am yet to find a more collaborative and disciplined visual art form than film, but if/when I do I am bound to give that a go as well.
What is your proudest moment of your career so far?
My proudest moment came rather recently when I met some negative criticism and rejection with relative ease. I used to take it quite badly yet in that moment I handled it quite well - it’s a small proud moment but a significant one for me. When you pour your heart into something that feels sincere and it’s met with a form of rejection, be it a funding application, a pitch or a reviewer not getting your work, the immediate dejection can make you reassess and feel compelled to change and conform to what they had expected or wanted. I think I’ve learned to let it be water off a duck’s back and keep going, to stay true to my own vision regardless. It has taken me a long time and I am sure I will struggle with it again but recently having a moment of being okay with a negative review felt … well not ‘good’ as such but it was a proud personal moment for me none the less.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
Well I hope it’s not too much of a cop-out but I’d say my biggest challenges relate to my previous answer about handling negative responses to my work or to my efforts in trying to do my work. I have found it extremely difficult over the years applying for grants and funding only to be met consistently with rejection. Film is a difficult medium to realise on ones own and to power on and galvanise talented teams despite lack of funds and create work that defies the lack of time permitted in which to make it, has been at times overwhelming and exhausting.
What new skills would you like to learn in the next few years?
I suppose in light of what I’ve just said, I should probably take some time to learn the skills required for effective pitching and grant-writing! In terms of a new creative skill though, I’d really love to learn more about what goes on inside an actors mind and their internal processes. Not in order to ever attempt acting myself! But in order to be able to be a better actor’s director.
What three things do you always have on your bedside table?
A reading lamp, water bottle and a book.
If you could have worked on any film in history, which would it be?
That’s an easy one - Synecdoche New York. I find that film infinitely watchable and mesmerising and compelling on many levels. I would have loved to have been witness to the process of achieving such complexity in both its narrative and visuals. The film reaches such emotional depths while remaining completely rebellious with realism.
Could you tell us some women who work in your role/sector that you admire the work of?
I really admire the work of Ildikó Enyedi who made My 20th Century and more recently On Body and Soul. I can’t wait to see her new film The Story of My Wife.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am currently working on a new script that explores identity, memory, relationships and the narratives we create for ourselves that end up defining us - and what happens when those personal narratives become undone or proven to be false.
