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14th December 2018
The Comeback Kid
Title of film: Graduation film: Comeback Kid
Director: Ian Robertson
Production Company: National Film and Television School
Ian Robertson used to make music videos that we loved to showcase on 1.4 and then he went quiet. We talk with the unsigned director about his decision to go to film school and learn the art of narrative longer form.

We’ve always loved your work, from the early animation days through to your live action music videos for Oliver $ & Jimi Jules, Duke Dumont and Dizzee Rascal. So what prompted you to go to film school when you were already being picked up for exciting work? 

I think I went to film school out of frustration.  After some early success in music videos I had a long period of not winning any pitches, my music videos weren’t turning into commercial work and I when I did win a promo I was given one day to shoot the thing which I found pretty unfulfilling.  Then I got accepted to do Directing Fiction at the National Film and Television School and I saw it as a good opportunity to take a break and develop my long form filmmaking.

How would you describe the last few years at film school – do you feel your work has changed and of so in what ways?

Film school was really intense, but great.  You make four shorts on the trot in eighteen months so it’s non-stop! I met and worked with so many super creative people, so that automatically elevates your work. A big revelation for me was writers.  Coming from promos I was used to writing myself, but I realised that I much prefer working with a writer on scripted work.  I like having a bit of distance from the material; it helps me see the bigger picture.

Excellent grad film – how did the narrative come about?  

Sam Steiner, one of the writing students at the school, pitched an idea about a child who is the reincarnation of a cuckolded man and it was one of the silliest ideas I’d ever heard, so I knew this was the story for me! I really wanted to take this seemingly bonkers idea and treat it with complete sincerity to create a complex tone with buckets of dramatic irony. 

I’m really inspired by films like It Follows and Timecrimes.  They have outlandish concepts but the characters take everything completely seriously because it’s very real for them of course. Suddenly you can have a film that’s both silly and dramatic and I love that!

What were the main challenges of shooting the film?

Casting young actors is always a challenge.  For the protagonist, Hugh, we looked at a number of 16 year old actors but they couldn’t quite deliver.  I scoured Spotlight for days and days and eventually came across Tom Cawte, who was 21 at the time but very experienced in theatre, and he had these big innocent eyes and I knew he’d make the perfect Hugh!   

It must have been a tricky role to play because he spends much of the film acting on impulses that he can’t explain, but he totally nailed it.  There was a really amazing team behind the film, so apart from the usual filmmaking struggles, it all went remarkably smoothly! 

What have you been up to since graduating?

I’ve been trying to build my commercial reel by working directly with agencies.  I did two social media spots for IKEA with Mother London; one of which was stop-motion animation, my first for five years! And I’ve been developing a couple of dark comedy features and a TV show in the background.  I’d love to get back into music videos too, especially now that I have other irons in the fire.

LINK

Ian Robertson

Credits
Comeback Kid, short film Director: Ian Robertson Writer: Sam Steiner Producer: Nathan Craig Cinematographer: Jon Muschamp Production Designer: Ana Martínez Fernández Editor: Zsófia Tálas Sound Recordist: Kirsty Wright Sound Designer: Michalianna Theofanopoulou Composer: Hollie Buhagiar Colourist: David Sheldon 1st Assistant Director: Ewan Stewart Costume Designer: Sophie O’Neill Make-up Artist: Coral Todd Title Sequence: Bijun Zhuge Title Sequence & Thumbnail Design: Dinamitalight IKEA, Hooray Director: Ian Robertson Producers: Nathan Craig & Adam Rae Lead Animators: Luke George & Adam Watts Cinematographer: Jon Muschamp Editor: Zsofi Talas Composer: Hollie Buhagiar Sound Designer: Michalianna Theofanopoulou Production Designers: Kat Hawker & Jade Mortimer Production Designers IKEA: Marie Tenglund & Clotilde Passalacqua Gaffer: Max Halstead Spark: Luis Santos Assistant Animators: Justin Smith & Joana Silva Animation Riggers: Robin Jackson & Tim Warren Food Stylist: Katy McClelland Colourist: Dan Moran VFX: Matt Moyes Edit Assistant: Mdhamiri Nkemi Runner: Oskar Brock FROM MOTHER LONDON: ECD: Hermeti Balarin Creatives: Georgina Brisby & Marcelo Duarte Head of Mother Studios: Mike Clear Agency Producer: Kate Congreve Production Director: Emma Davenport Duke Dumont feat. A*M*E, Need U (100%) Lead Actor: Rique UK production Company: Offkey Creatives US service Company: Doomsday Producer: Sarah Tognazzi Executive Producer: Steve Whiteley Line Producer: Paul Bock DOP: Cale Finot Art Director: Jeremy White Prosthetics: Hugo Villasenor Stylist: Bex Crofton Atkins Editor: Thomas Grove Carter at Trim Grade: Houman at the Mill Commissioner: Caroline Clayton Oliver$ & Jimi Jules, Pushing On Director: Ian Robertson Producer - Corin Taylor & Brian Welsh (US) Executive Producer - Nathan James & Tamsin Glasson (US) Production Company - Colonel Blimp DOP - Pablo Berron 1st AD - Travis Knight Choreographer - Tamara Levison Art Director & Stylist - Alexis Johnson Editor - Peter O'Donovan @ Final Cut London Colourist - Houmam Abdallah @ ETC Commissioner - Caroline Clayton