Interview: Warwick student filmmaker Joshua Glenn

Boar Film had the pleasure of meeting up and having a chat with aspiring University of Warwick filmmaker Joshua Glenn.

Ibtisam Ahmed: Would you tell us a little about yourself and how you became involved with filmmaking?
Joshua Glenn: Hi! I’m a third year Film student. My course is theory-intensive but I wanted to try the practical side of it. I met some likeminded people and started work- ing together. Although I help with conceiving ideas, I focus more on the filming aspect while my friends work on the scripts. There are obviously official channels like Warwick TV, but it’s actually more fun doing it on your own, as long as you learn from your mistakes along the way!

IA: What kind of projects have you worked on?
JG: We started with Long Shot, a five part web-series that follows a group of student filmmakers. It was weirdly meta and we were able to arrange a premiere in the Humanities Building. I really enjoy having big events like that, it gets people involved and is good publicity. Next, we did All’s Fair, about a therapist who has to treat Ares, the Greek god of war. Editing it was tough because it was our longest project at over 30 minutes, but we managed to premiere it in Leamington. We also made a short called Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow, about an out-of-work Bugs Bunny. It was a useful experience because it was for a competition and had to be five minutes, so it meant we had to be sharper with our editing. It is probably my favourite work so far. I am currently working on a film called Paris. The screenwriter was someone who contacted me with his idea, as opposed to someone I already knew beforehand, and it felt nice to be approached like that.

IA: Your projects seem to have a tilt towards absurdist, almost fantastical, humour. Is that something you are naturally drawn to?
JG: I do have a comic sensibility and helping with the conception of the earlier scripts probably meant that got infused into the work. But then, Paris has a more serious tone, and I am quite happy to work with any kind of script that comes my way.

IA: What’s the most fun part of the process?
JG: Different aspects have their moments of entertainment and boredom. The actual filming is definitely the best part because you get to really interact with the whole crew and you sometimes have people come up to you and watch you work, which is always flattering.

IA: Any tips and tricks for aspiring filmmakers?
JG: It sounds silly, but make sure you familiarise yourself with the equipment and be mindful of scheduling when it comes to your actors! It helps to leave your ego at the door; filmmaking is a lot easier now so you’re not special unless you put the work in. Most importantly, know your audience’s tastes and engage with them.

IA: Do you have any favourite locations to film in?
JG: We filmed parts of All’s Fair at the Jefferson Gardens in Leamington. It was autumn and the shots were perfect.

IA: Do you collaborate with the same people, and does that help?
JG: My friend wrote most of the scripts we filmed and it helps having an established rapport and similar sensibilities. But it’s also fun to challenge yourself and work with new people.

IA: We’ve spoken about the fun side of film-making. What about the challenges?
JG: Editing and tweaking. All levels of film-making involve that, but you can still lose sleep over it sometimes.

IA: Which filmmakers do you count as major influences?
JG: Each of my projects have specific influences, but overall, I have a lot of admiration for Richard Linklater. He has a really unique and distinct touch. I also respect Kevin Smith’s work ethic. He isn’t a good filmmaker, but you have to appreciate the risk he took with Clerks.

IA: Just for fun, if you could remake a classic, which one would you pick?
JG: Probably Joe Dante’s Innerspace, because it is such a brilliant concept but it has aged so badly. I also like the idea of making a film about remaking a film, maybe something like Remaking Citizen Kane. That being said, if anyone touches Back to the Future in any way, I would definitely lose it!

You can check out Josh’s work over on youtube.com/user/MinutiaeFilmsUK and facebook.com/MinutiaeFilms

(All images courtesy of Joshua Glenn)