Bio
Phil Hawkins is a reality TV contestant on the filmmaking reality show On The Lot.
Phil's On The Lot Q&A:
Location: Manchester, UK
Hometown: Manchester, UK
Occupation: Freelance Director
Age: 22
Why am I here?
To make films! It's an obvious answer to the question but nothing excites me more than having the chance to make short films every week and entertain millions of people...well, that and the talk of a "24" movie!
A quick tour of my life
Go straight past the massive DVD collection of movies and every single episode of 'The X-Files,' turn left at the suitcase archive of tons of previous short films, continue through my work as a director of television commercials, turn right past family photos of my mum, two brothers and two sisters, then continue straight on towards my goal to direct feature films.
Describe yourself in one sentence...
Passionate, creative, strong-minded and a little too sarcastic (sometimes)
Your theme song?
'A Certain Romance' - The Arctic Monkeys
First movie you ever saw?
First movie at the cinema was probably 'Jurassic Park' - it's also probably the movie I've most watched. I wore out my VHS copy!
Favourite line from a movie?
"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." - Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) - Silence of The Lambs, 1991
What made you want to be a filmmaker?
From an early age, I was always interested in theatre and working with actors to entertain and inform audiences through storytelling. Through my passion for watching films and TV shows such as 'The X-Files,' the technical nature of filmmaking really appealed to me. So I picked up a camera, got a load of mates together, made a film, and have never looked back.
When you make a film what do you want the audience to leave with?
I love films that mess with the audience's heads. Whether that's a surprising plot twist or a story that questions reality, films that make the audience sit and watch half of the end credits as they calculate what they've just seen is a rewarding experience. I want to make a film that entertains and is enjoyable, but always something they won't forget after they leave the cinema.
When I'm behind the camera...
...I feel at home.
What do you think it will be like working with other Directors?
I think it will be a very creative and exciting experience. We're all here as different types of filmmakers and we're all brilliant and rubbish in our own ways. Hopefully we'll be able to pull together to make some great films. Yes, it's a competition, but I'm not interested in stabbing anybody in the back...
Favourite joke about Directors/Actors?
Q: How many actors does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: 100: One to do it and ninety-nine to say "I could've done that."
Movie that best encapsulates who you are?
Probably 'The Truman Show' these days...
While On The Lot you have a week to make a film every week. What's the biggest challenge?
Probably my own expectations. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to filmmaking and I don't particularly like to compromise just because of a tight time frame.
Putting it another way... if it's thought I won't be able to achieve something just because of time, I'll take that as a challenge to complete it. Every film I make I want people to be amazed with what can be achieved in a week.
When you get the power, how will you use it?
Creatively and carefully. 'The Power' for me is just the ability to finally start making the films you want, so it won't change me as a person.
What's more important talent or ego?
Talent, definitely... but ask me again when we see who's in the final!
Phil's favourite's:
FILMS
The Truman Show, The Sixth Sense/Signs/The Village, 21 Grams, Rope, Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Pulp Fiction, Panic Room...
DIRECTORS
M. Night Shyamalan, Alfred Hitchcock, Michel Gondry, Steven Spielberg
PRODUCERS
Kathleen Kennedy, Sam Mercer, Phil Kerr
WRITERS
Andrew Niccol, Charlie Kaufman, Aidan Magrath
ACTORS
Kevin Spacey, Samuel L. Jackson, Forest Whitaker, Matthew McFayden, Anthony Hopkins
ACTRESSES
Laura Linney, Toni Collette
SOUNDTRACKS
James Newton Howard, Ludovico Einaudi, Mark Snow