Dan Johnson: Film BA(Hons) graduate
SCENE: A dark night in Falmouth.
CUT TO: Ex-student on BA(Hons) Film Studies and film-maker Dan Johnson sharing some of the secrets of his success.
SO DAN, YOU STARTED YOUR FILM CAREER WITH A STARRING ROLE IN LORD OF THE RINGS. IMPRESSIVE.
Er, not really, I was a Fighting Uruk-Hai. I was the shortest one; I know because they lined up 120 of us in order of height and I was at the far end.
SO WHICH ONE WERE YOU?
Seriously, even I had trouble telling who I was. But I was with the group carrying the hobbits. We spent all day being filmed running over a hill. The shot lasted less than five seconds. Pause it and you’ll probably still not recognise me.
SO YOU WENT STRAIGHT TO LOS ANGELES?
Falmouth actually. I’d landed up on LotR by chance because I happened to be snowboarding in New Zealand when the film crew turned up. Afterwards they told me to go and get a film degree and make some contacts. I chose Falmouth because it was more like New Zealand than anywhere else.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
Brilliant. Falmouth has a great atmosphere. It’s a very young place, and they do keep making films here, which is great for the students. The film I’m working on now is called Keeping Mum. It’s a darker Mary Poppins with Rowan Atkinson, Maggie Smith, Patrick Swayze and Kristin Scott Thomas. I’m the production runner, working between the office and the set.
SO YOU’RE NOT DIRECTING, THEN…
No, I let Naill Johnson do that – he’d just written White Noise so his credentials are better than mine.
ANY RELATION?
Nope. We’re just spelt the same.
WHAT ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS?
I won best student film at the Cornish Film Festival for Kung Fu Stu, which I believe is Cornwall’s first kung fu film. I wrote, directed and produced it. I really enjoyed making it. Best time of my life. At least that’s how I remember it; my girlfriend claims I came home every night really stressed. It took a week, working 6am to 1am with 20 other cast and crew from the Falmouth film course. I chose them for their individual strengths. One of the great things about the film studies course is that it’s excellent at helping you find what you’re best at. It’s also great for contacts in the business.
SO, HOLLYWOOD NEXT?
In time, perhaps. I want to be a producer. I love organising. I’m rubbish at organising my own life; but other people - no problem. It’s hard work being a runner, exhausting. But it’s a step on the ladder. I really want to set up a production company and help people make the films they want to make.
AND THEN YOU’LL BE A DIRECTOR
Everybody wants to be a director. There’s less people who want to go into production.
SO WHAT’S YOUR DREAM?
I want to live where I want to live and do the job I want to do in the same place. Cornwall is that place, and with the money and talent pouring in here, it’s becoming more that place all the time.
AND YOUR FAVOURITE DIRECTOR?
Well, Peter Jackson’s up there. He helped create such a powerful bond between everyone on LotR. That, to me, is what good production is all about.
...THAT'S A WRAP
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