Chris Goulder On Looking Backwards

It’s fair to say that most New Director winners don’t need to go backwards – after all, it’s pretty much an indication that their careers are moving on to bigger and better things. However, in the case of Bare Films’ Chris Goulder, looking at things the wrong way is less to do with a career retrospective and more about his charming reverse-footage work for The Sunday Times.

Kicking off with a typically chaotic family scene, 'It All Starts With the Sunday Times' plays through a number of recognisable Sunday moments. The twist – all of the action is played out in reverse, leading to some smart imagery and likeable moments.

We were enchanted by the film and Goulder’s previous award-winning work, so took the opportunity to catch up with him to talk back.

How did you get involved with the project?

I took a read of Robin’s script and knew immediately that it was going to be something really fun to work on. We actually started shooting the job before it had all been signed off but we found a tiny window of opportunity to shoot a match at Twickenham, so Chris Clarke (the DOP) and Robin (CD) and I rushed down one evening to try and get the crowd shot. We were poised with the camera for 80 minutes waiting for the home team to score so we could capture their reactions but sadly they were unceremoniously beaten and we left with a few shots of very disgruntled looking faces.

We’re guessing the creative brief was always to have clips playing in reverse. Was that something you’d always wanted to play around with?

The reverse technique is nothing new, there are plenty of films, ads and music videos that have used it to great effect but of course trying to do it in your own style is a challenge I think every director would like to have. For me it was all about treading a fine line between keeping that observed feel so you get a glimpse into everyday life and it feels authentic but it also happens to look really great going backwards.

Did you use anything as inspiration for the reverse footage? Gondry? Lynch? The Red Dwarf episode ‘Backwards’?

Yes totally, luckily there’s plenty of great references out there, some more relevant for this than others. I started by looking through films, commercials, music videos, title sequences basically just learning as much as I could about what looks good in reverse but I was conscious not to try and be to ‘clever’ with the technique, it was tempting to use stuff like reverse phonetics or playing some elements in the scene forwards with others reverse which would have been fun and technically challenging but would have confused the idea.

What I actually found even more interesting was watching forward motion films in reverse. So I looked at films that showed family life with all its chaotic charm like 'little miss sunshine' and running with scissors' and films with more physical comedy like 'cheaper by the dozen'. They helped me work out how big an actor’s performance needed to be for it to be read the when it is in reverse and find true to life moments that added charm to the ad without feeling like we are presenting great stuff in reverse just for the sake of it.

How did you choose the images to shoot? Was it a case of ‘I bet this would look cool in reverse’?

It was really important to me that this film wasn’t a collection of the top 12 reversal shots possible, I wanted it to be more nuanced than that. I wanted to capture the truth and charm in each of these very relatable scenes and then find the element within it that looks great going backwards.

You didn’t skimp of the complexity of the shots (kids AND animals in one take… in reverse). Was there any point at which you thought ‘I might have bitten off more than I can chew here’?

Definitely, the film is bookended by the family kitchen scenes and both threw up mega-challenges. The opening shot is a reverse camera move through the kitchen that reveals a different action on the VO as the camera pulls back. Getting all these elements in one move was nerve wracking, it would have been ideal using motion control and shooting plates but that was never going to happen. We did actually steal the little kid running back from another take that the guys at Big Buoy managed to stitch together. The final shot was just really tricky as I had to choose the transition frame there on the day for us to line the next shot up to and with the dog not cooperating and time ticking the tension was mounting pretty fast.

Was there anything you were hoping to do but couldn’t for this one?

Ha! Yes there always is but it usually comes down to what you can achieve within the budget and time and making it work with what you have. I was really reluctant to use any stock shots and am pleased to say that apart from our crowd reactions we actually managed to shoot everything ourselves. Even the surfer shot I managed to find a DOP in Australia briefed him on what I was after, he found a mate of his to be the surfer and went and shot it for us. We got the shots transferred over just in time for our grade!

Did much change in the edit? Did any parts work better than you imagined?

The edit didn’t change enormously; we did switch some of the scenarios around because we found some cuts worked better than we have them in the script but on the whole it was pretty similar to the test film I shot.

You won the Best New Director award at last year’s Arrows. If it’s not too impossible a question to answer with modesty, what do you think it was that marked you out for the judges?

Oh gawd, not sure what to say? I’ve actually got no idea how they judge these things but I like to think what they saw in my work is good ideas that are executed with charm, wit and emotion at the heart of them.

Your ‘Deliveries Before Dawn’ branded short also picked up a Shark in Kinsale. Is that a form you enjoy working in? Is it a different experience to a conventional ad?

Deliveries was a great project to work on, it was one of those films that you could tell right from the start that it was going to be loads of fun to make. What was so nice about it was being able to write the idea, pitch it and then get to see it all the way to the end. That plus having that creative autonomy all the way through the project is what made it really different to conventional ad making. Yeah, I loved it and am doing more of the same, writing ideas and pitching them to clients.

You’ve managed to avoid pigeonholing into a particular genre, with comedy, documentary, sports and beauty in your repertoire (sometimes even in the same films). If there a form you enjoy more than others? Anything you’d like to try out?

Yeah, I’m really grateful for avoiding the pigeonhole but to be honest the genre doesn’t really matter to me it’s the idea that I’m most interested in. I love taking a good idea and bringing it to life in whichever way best serves the idea, there are some themes that emerge through my work like a strong sense of visuals and subtle performances, human truths and so on. I love working with cast but that can be both actors and (for want of a better expression) ‘real people’ so hopefully that will continue but I’d really like to do more comedy, not out and out comedy but a gently subtle comedy.

What’s up next for you?

There are a couple of ads that are hopefully about to confirm but I’ve recently started working with some very talented writers and actors on a project, no brands attached, just good ideas and full creative freedom. I’m also writing ideas for a band who want a few promos for their new album. Oh and a short film that is taking longer to write than I’d hoped.