Ellie Heydon of Siberian Lights Gets On Point With PRAGMA

I am a Director/Producer/Creator with a background in theatre and dramaturgy, and a mild obsession with female-led dark comedies. The darker the better. I love working collaboratively with writers in the development stage, to world-build together and to really do their vision justice. I trained as an actor, so was introduced to screen working in front of a camera on TV shows (Harlots, Hulu/BBC) and Features, and was always fascinated by what was happening behind the camera.

I started directing in 2017, and now have several multi-award-winning shorts under my belt. My latest film, PRAGMA, was Executively Produced by Emmy Winner Jason Sudeikis and stars SAG Award Winners Nick Mohammed and Phil Dunster. PRAGMA premiered at Underwire Festival in the UK, will make its International premiere at TriBeCa in June 2022, and serves as a proof of concept for a TV series that I am now co-developing with Monumental Television.

I am also currently in pre-production for my first TV Directing role, working as Lead Director on a brand new Comedy. I’m co-founder of Siberian Lights, a platform working to unite, celebrate and provide opportunities for female-identifying creatives around the world, and am incredibly keen to find more balance in gender in the crew!

Watch the official trailer for PRAGMA as written by Lucy Heath and directed by Ellie Heydon

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indieactivity: Are you only directing your own projects, or you’re open for hire?
Ellie Heydon (EH): I started out directing my own projects but have recently started directing for other people. I love being involved in projects in the development stage to really get under the skin of a script, but as long as the story is great and the people are brilliant, I am very much open for hire!

Do you hire a casting director, or do you like to choose the cast yourself? If so, what criteria go into your casting?
Ellie Heydon (EH): It completely depends on the project really. Coming from an acting background, I know a lot of actors and so often will already have a certain person in mind for a part the moment I read a script, and make offers directly. I love going to the theatre and watching short films for that exact reason – to see what juicy talent there is out there.

I have also done a bunch of work with Casting Directors which has its own brilliant perks: I LOVE auditioning people and meeting actors I don’t know yet. That is always the moment the film feels like it comes to life – suddenly the words you’ve read on the page a million times are on their feet. Actors are magic!

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What went into the casting process for “PRAGMA”?
Ellie Heydon (EH): The casting was done through a variety of different avenues, and although there were difficulties about shooting in covid times, it did mean we had access to our dream cast because so many people were out of work – I think would be somewhat impossible now as they are all out in the industry smashing it! Our cast centered around Lucy Heath and Phil Dunster, who were also the Writer and Producers on the project so that was the easiest job.

Phil is currently working on Ted Lasso, so it was through him we got the excellent Emmy Nominated Nick Mohammed involved. Then the rest of our cast came through our brilliant Casting Director, Lucy Amos. Especially for all the montage of terrible male suitors, we had such fun getting tapes in for those parts, and every actor bought vibrant, new energy to the set – we spent a LOT of the shoot trying to stifle laughter.

Who is the “FILM” for? Who do you think would enjoy it the most?
Ellie Heydon (EH): This film is for anyone who is, or ever has been single. It is a funny, warm look at how the fresh hell we’re supposed to approach dating in this day and age, with some actually quite solid relationship psychology thrown in so you should watch this film in order to have a laugh, learn something, and hopefully not feel so alone in the wild ‘love landscape’.

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When did you form your production company – and how did that come to life?
Ellie Heydon (EH): I run a production company called Pelican Productions with my sister, Lydia Bland, who is a badass and has been working on the production side of Visual Effects for years. We’re both obsessed with film and also best mates, who have always worked together in some shape or form so it felt like a very natural step to start making films together and we founded in 2017.

How long did it take to shoot the entire film?
EH: PRAGMA was a four-day shoot.

How long was the post-production process?
EH: The post took ages, as is the way when you’re pulling in favors left-right, and center, and working around everybody’s schedules. I have worked with the same editor, Dave Davis, for years now and ADORE working with him so the post is one of my favorite parts of the process.

What are your goals with “FILM”?
EH: We want to get the film out to as many as people as possible as we are so fascinated by how people have been responding to it, and what that says about the modern-day dating landscape. It also serves as a proof of concept for the TV series version that Lucy and I have been developing for nearly 2 years now, so that has been so useful to be able to have something solid to show people your vision.

What’s next for you? What are you working on right now?
EH: I am currently in pre-production for my first TV show. It is a new family-led comedy and we are about to shoot in 7 weeks so am very much knee-deep in prep right now, which is such a treat. I love watching the different departments work their magic and bring your ideas to life. And alongside that, Lucy and I are pitching PRAGMA to networks so keeping our fingers crossed there!

What would you recommend to a new director at the beginning of his/ her journey? Any special courses, workshops, or helpful books they can read?
EH: I found the most helpful thing is to just ask questions, no matter how silly they seem. I have asked so many random people for a snippet of their time to pick their brains on what their process is and have learned so much through that, far more than reading books, etc. I think that might be because it really comes to life when people are explaining their own journey. People are generally so willing to help and give you the time – especially women!

Who is your favorite director? Why?
EH: I love directors that manage to strike a balance between really believable, engaging central performances and relationships, and also somehow pushing the boundaries of how they film stylistically. So I love people like Jorgos Lanthimos, Miranda July, and Wes Anderson, who put eccentric, stylized performances on color co-ordinated, aesthetic backdrops. My favorite film is Monos by Alejandro Landes.

What advice would you give directors around the world?
EH: Always work with nice people who care about the project as much as you do! I think creating an upbeat, supportive set is the most important part of making a film great.

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