Another interview with a newbie this time its Tom Pickering, director of the rather smart He Kills at Night.
NYX: Did you know from a young age that you wanted to work in the film industry?
TP: I did, but initially I don’t think I fully understood whether I wanted to be a director or just someone involved in the process of filmmaking. I remember watching Jurassic Park at the cinema and absolutely falling in love with films, but it probably wasn’t until I saw The Lord Of The Rings that I realised I wanted to direct films. Especially when I spent hours upon hours watching all the BTS and making of documentaries released with those extended editions. The magic of filmmaking, and in particular, practical filmmaking, captivated me and I knew from then that this was all I wanted to do.
NYX: Did the cast have much time to rehearse as they seem so comfortable in their roles?
TP: We did an initial rehearsal on zoom well in advance of filming, then I worked with the actors on certain parts throughout the build-up. Then in the week leading up to filming, the cast came round to my house and we did some full table read throughs. It makes such a difference when the actors get to rehearse and try different things, plus, we were on a very tight schedule with this film and had a lot of material to shoot each day. Some days we only had time to do two takes of a scene, so it was absolutely vital that the actors nailed their takes early on. It was a lot of pressure on them, for sure, but they did such a brilliant job and certainly made my life a lot easier by bringing so much to the roles.
NYX: This is your first feature as director, were you nervous the first day on set?
TP: I’ve directed a feature length documentary that was released in 2024, but this was my first narrative feature, and the process of making a doc compared to a narrative is extremely different, so there were certainly some nerves present. However, the key thing for me was constantly prepping. I did a lot of pre-work with the actors, and a huge amount of work with my DOP (Owain Wilshaw) and my brother James (who wrote and produced the film) in pre-production. This was absolutely crucial in ensuring we could be as organised as possible and try avoid surprises on shooting days, and for the most part, it ran very smoothly. I planned every single shot in advance with Owain so I could get straight on with blocking with the actors before turning the cameras over. I know some directors who are happy to chat with the DOP for 15 minutes before shooting and then roll with it, but I find the idea of that quite terrifying! Being prepared was the big thing that helped settle the nerves, and also having the confidence that we
NYX: What lessons in direction did you learn whilst making the movie?
TP: As well as being as prepared as possible, it was to trust my instincts. There was one particular day during filming where, despite the prep work, I had to throw the plan out the window and re-work a specific scene because it just wasn’t working as planned due to restrictions with one of the locations. It was quite a daunting task because it meant causing potential delays, plus there was the fact that shifting away from the plan could be a disaster in its own right. However, I had to trust my instincts because I knew I had a better way of shooting the scene in question, and I’m so glad I made that decision as it turned out really well. So, I think the main thing I learned from directing this film is you will always find yourself faced with moments like this, where you have to make a really difficult decision and everyone is counting on you to get it right. That sort of sums up directing for me – but if you believe in something you just have to trust yourself and go for it.
NYX: Was it all shot on location?
TP: It was all shot on location apart from the interior car scenes – these were shot in Kelham Studio here in Sheffield. The rest was shot in Stocksbridge, Holmfirth, Sheffield, Bridlington and Flamborough (all in Yorkshire). So many people I know in the industry have left to work in London, as they struggled to find enough work up North, so we were keen to use Northern based talent and shoot up here in an effort to show things can be done outside of London.
NYX: Did the winter weather hinder production at all?
TP: When I reflect on the weather I realise now how incredibly lucky we were, but bloody hell, it was freezing. Our first two days of filming were at the farmhouse, and I got a call about two or three days before production began from my brother telling me how it was going to be -11 degrees on day one and the location currently had about four feet of snow! My first thought was how incredible that would look on camera and perfect for a Christmas thriller, but then we spent the first two hours of filming digging out trenches for the vehicles and kit. Somehow, we managed to catch back up and finish on schedule, but everyone really had to put a shift in. We also had various vehicles get stuck in the snow and crew vans often couldn’t make it to the location because of how bad the roads were, but all in all, we managed to avoid any major incidents.
NYX: What was the hardest sequence to shoot (without giving anything away)?
TP: Possibly the scenes at the seafront, because we had such a small window to capture the wide shots while the tide was in, so everyone had to be on point to make sure nothing was missed. Then the fog rolled in halfway through shooting which was a bit of a continuity nightmare, and then myself and Owain had to head back there at a later date for some pick up shots and literally found ourselves stood in the ocean filming just to get the right shots! Then the car nearly rolled into the sea due to having to park so low on the lifeboat ramp (it was my own car used), and it fell on me to reverse it back up, completely burning out my clutch. I partially blame Levi (who plays Marie) – I had to put her on my insurance so she could drive the car properly in the film, and I’m certain she did something to it before this. Of course, she refuses to accept that and blames my own dodgy driving.
NYX: Its showing as part of the New Blood strand at FrightFest, you must be proud?
TP: I couldn’t be more proud – we poured our heart and soul into the film, and every single cast and crew member believed in the project and gave it their all. It was a real team effort, and it’s just so nice to land such a great premiere after all the hard work.
NYX: Will you be nervous when it has its world premiere at the event?
TP: A little, as it will be my first proper time watching the film with an audience. But it will also be really interesting seeing what parts they react to and getting a sense of the response from them. Hopefully they like it!
NYX: How much of a John Carpenter fan are you?
TP: I’m a huge John Carpenter fan. Ever since the day I watched Halloween when I was far too young I’ve been obsessed with his films and general approach to filmmaking. I think I just relate to the fact that he also came from this very independent background, but unlike a lot of the other big directors, Carpenter never drifted too far from that. He stuck to his principles and made the films he wanted to make. On a commercial level, I actually think he’s incredibly underrated. The Thing is one of the greatest films of all time in my opinion, and might actually have the best ending ever in cinema history.
NYX: So, what are you working on at the moment?
TP: I have a horror/comedy creature-feature with a dose of cannibal gore that I’m itching to get started on. The script is locked, but I’m just trying to sort the finances. That’s a film I wrote myself, then I’ve got another project lined up written by James with me to direct, which is a whodunnit slasher. Both films will be a lot of fun to make, so I can’t wait to get cracking on them.
NYX: Tom Pickering, thank you very much.
