Tom Oliver sounds it out for Ella Douglas

What does it mean to you to win a YDA?

It definitely feels like a door onto a bigger stage. In such a crowded industry, anything that helps production companies and agencies take notice is hugely valuable.

I'm not going to pretend it isn't nice to have a shiny new trophy for the shelf, but for me it's always more about the work. I'm hoping the real value of the YDA is the doors it opens and the films it allows me to make. I can already feel that starting to happen, but fingers crossed the full impact reveals itself over the next few months.

How did you get into directing?

I always say I fell into directing, which I think is only half true. I picked up my first crappy digital camera when I was about 11, but my formal background is actually in Fine Art, so directing feels like the current form of my artistic practice rather than a career I had planned from the start.

directing feels like the current form of my artistic practice rather than a career I had planned from the start.

My first proper role in the film industry was as an editor, which gave me a real understanding of story, rhythm, how directors work and sometimes where they go wrong. So by the time directing opportunities started coming along, I’d built a patchwork of skills that allowed me to give it a go.

What was the inspiration behind Yellow Pages - Ella Douglas?

The film was inspired by Ella's collection and the world she'd built around it, drawing on her experience working in the back office of a car garage. There were a lot of ideas on the table so the key was distilling that into something cohesive and compelling.

Visually, the stripped-back production design was initially a nod to Severance, but set designer, Hannah Knowles, helped shape that starting point into something that felt more at home in the world of high fashion.

Sound was central to my very first pitch, so that made it extra sweet to win the YDA in the sound category. 

Sound was central to my very first pitch, so that made it extra sweet to win the YDA in the sound category. Whenever I have the chance to commission an original score, I like to build it from sounds that already exist within the world of the film. For Yellow Pages, that meant sampling drills, fluorescent lights, printers and other garage and office sounds, then gradually transforming them into the score. The team at Sounds Like These absolutely ran with the idea and elevated it beyond anything I'd imagined.

What was the most challenging aspect of the project?

A couple hours into the shoot day, we realised that we weren't going to be able to have all three models on set together as planned, so we had to rethink a lot the film on the fly.

Rather than forcing the original idea, I decided to split the set into three distinct spaces, one for each model, and rely on match cuts to connect them. Looking back, I actually think it made the film stronger. The cleaner structure suited the collection better, but it was only possible because I was surrounded by brilliant HODs who could adapt incredibly quickly.

Above: Some BTS photographs on set.

What have you learned during the process of making this film?

This project reminded me of the power of post. This was the first time I'd handed a film over to an editor rather than cutting it myself, which was slightly terrifying, especially because on set I wasn't convinced we'd captured everything we needed.

But when editor Amy Dang, at Avenues, sent over the first cut, I immediately realised we had something special. Some projects last months or years so it reminded me how important fresh voices are at different stages of the project, to bring in new energy and keep pushing it forward.

Do you plan to work in the advertising industry and if so, what most excites you about that prospect?

Yes and no. I'm pretty selective about the brands I work with. Social impact has always been central to my practice, so I'd rather make work that aligns with my own values rather than a soulless ad.

I’m drawn to work that challenges either myself, the client or the audience.

Everything for me depends on the brief. I’m drawn to work that challenges either myself, the client or the audience, whether that's a commercial, a documentary or a music video. I care much more about making something meaningful than simply making something with a bigger budget and more toys.