INTERVIEW CARPE DIEM

THE DEFENDER | GARY J HEWITT

 

Many people enter the film industry through a family member or friend. In your case, how did you enter the film industry?

I never had any family or Friends who already worked in the film industry, instead I studied filmmaking and screenwriting around 10 years ago. My career took off with the release of my debut feature film Cleek in 2018, captivating audiences throughout its festival run. Garnering significant recognition, Cleek was distributed on Amazon Prime and DVD by Shami Media Group in 2019.

I also worked as a Casting Assistant, where I lent my expertise to commercials and shows aired on the esteemed platforms of BBC and Comedy Central.

 

Why did you decide to make movies?

Movies are a great way to escape the real world and venture into other places. I think this works both for the creators and the audiences. We get to leave our troubles behind or express our issues and thoughts on the big screen. 

 

Tell us about your project, why did you start it and how did it come about?

Before starting the project, I looked to see what types of films were doing well at the box office. Superhero films were holding a dominant position. What I decided to do was look at the structure and plot of these movies and see if it could be implemented into a more grounded story.

some of the cast and crew I had worked with before on previous short films. I reached out to both familiar faces from our previous collaborations and some new talents, we began conversations about this project and once the script was completed, we asked them all to read it. Like a lot of creatives, I think a lot of the cast and crew were eager to dive into new, fresh projects because we weren’t able to work on our artistic crafts during lockdown

 

Had you previously been in another project? How was your experience?

I directed the award-winning short film Mia, which received critical acclaim and secured distribution through Meridian Releasing. Mia attained over 10 distinguished awards, including the prestigious titles of Best British Film, Best Film, and the IAC Diamond Award at the BIAFF. Remarkably, I stand as the sole filmmaker to have triumphed in all three categories at the festival and furthermore, my most recent short film, DIG, has achieved the identical trifecta of accolades this year.

 

The best and the worst of this project is…

The best part of working on The Defender is the team. We were like a family and we strived to make a great movie but most importantly I wanted it to be an enjoyable experience for everyone. We all really bonded. 

 

The worst part of the production was trying to work around the covid restrictions. This delayed the fight scenes for months until lockdown lifted. 

 

If you could go back in time, would you change anything about filming or pre-production?

I would attempt to try and get more funding for film. 

 

What do you expect from festivals for your project?

I hope that the wins at film festivals will help spread the news about the film and get the project a good distribution deal. 

 

Do you have experience in film festivals, how has your experience been?

Yes, I also am a festival director and I run The HB Film Festival which is now on it’s 6th year. 

 

Many of the projects we receive are self-financed, without any producer behind them, which makes all the processes very difficult. Can you tell us what the pre-production process was? Did you do it, did they help you?

I have worked with the same producer (Diane Brooks) on a few different projects and we work great together. The Defender was written during 2020’s lockdown, so we decided to use this time wisely and stayed in Pre-production as long as possible to make sure we had everything planned correctly, such as casting, crew, scheduling and locations locked. When lockdown was lifted we could easily and confidently slip into production without any major issues. 

 

And your film preferences? What do you look at in a movie? Acting, direction, production, cinematography, soundtrack etc…

I think acting, direction, production, cinematography, soundtrack etc… are what make up a movie. If one of things is lacking in a movie it can lower the standard of the full movie. 

 

Your three favourite movies?

Silence Of The Lambs.

American Werewolf In London. 

Midsommar.

 

And your directors?

David Fincher & Danny Boyle. 

 

Can you recommend us an independent movie that you wouldn't recommend to everyone?

You Where Never Really Here. 

 

And the reason for this choice?

It is a director (Lynne Ramsay) who is local female filmmaker to me (Glasgow, Scotland) who has broken down barriers with great success.

 

And to finish, tell us three movies that you hate but that most people like.

Step Brothers, Tenet, Dracula (1992)