Edinburgh Film Festival Interview

 David Leon, director of 'Man and Boy'
Dazed Digital: Man and Boy was your directorial debut. What made you decide to give it a go?
David Leon: I'd been working as an actor for about 6/7 years and got into it because of my love of film. The more work I did the more I realised how much film is a Directors medium.

DD: What do you think the experience taught you?
David Leon: It taught me everything and left me craving the need to know more. The beauty of it is that you can never know enough, whether it be technical or creative, there are always new inspirations and influences.

DD: Man and Boy is based on the real life case of Scott Campbell. What was it about his story that captured your interest?
David Leon: Cinematically it was the injustice of the situation and the fact that in character terms the roles were reversed. The antagonist in reality is an underage boy who doesn't have the maturity to understand the consequences of his actions and as a result, the events which unfold. However the empathy lies with the character most people would immediately associate with being evil. It makes you question your perceptions and raises the idea of whether people deserve a second chance.

DD: The film's narrative is non linear, shifting perspective, time and location. What do you think the effect of that is on the audience/ what position do you think that puts them in?
David Leon: It was a choice that was made early on in development. It was felt that in order to keep suspense the story couldn't be told in a linear fashion. By cutting back and forth in time you continually re evaluate where your sympathy lies and who to root for. When it transpires that what you imagined to be the case is not, I hope it challenges people to not always judge a book by it's cover.

DD: Man and Boy features some well known actors including Geoff Bell and Eddie Marsan. How did you work with them on their performance?
David Leon: I'm a big believer in casting well and creating an environment whereby people feel like they can make mistakes. As long it is part of a constructive process I think that's how people eventually produce moments of brilliance. Character is so important because I believe above all in lasts far longer in the memory than plot so getting good performances is key.

DD: What are some of the challenges involved in making a short as opposed to a feature length film?
David Leon: I think time and resources are the biggest challenge. You're doing everything on your own, producing, scouting locations, hiring equipment... It all results in limited time to think creatively, you have to really make time to sit down and prepare for the scenes ahead in the way that ultimately matters most.

DD: What is your all time favourite short film?
David Leon: Paddy Considine's short Dog Altogether is very powerful and has a definite feature sensibility, it stays with you and feels like it's part of something much bigger. Soft which is Directed by Simon Ellis is a brilliant example of how to use the medium to it's fullest, it works within the constraints of 19 minutes or so brilliantly with an excellent ending.