Richard Warden is a Canadian film producer based in Glasgow who regularly teaches producing and production management. After programming for the Renfrewshire version of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival for a number of years, Richard is now the national Film Curator.

For the most part, I’ll skip my first five non-film jobs, which include various tourism-related posts in my birthplace of Niagara Falls – a town where the circus never leaves! Running a ferris wheel when you’re 16 feels like a huge responsibility, but it’s nothing compared to the importance of handing out raincoats for the Maid of the Mist, the boat that travels to the base of the largest cataract. If I’d stayed in Niagara, I’m certain I would’ve continued my rise through the hometown ranks to be mayor now instead of my high school chum… he was merely selling snack cakes back then.

Volunteer – Toronto International Film Festival:
Almost exclusively, this involved moving chairs and people around an industry forum. The biggest thrill was meeting Bob Geldof, who delivered the keynote address (I still have the speaking notes he left behind buried among my possessions somewhere). While the work was mostly unremarkable, the connections made at the event led to my first paid employment in Toronto, so I’ve appreciated the potential inherent in volunteering ever since. Good thing, as much of my film work has turned out to be that, whether intended or not!

Executive Assistant – Canadian Film Centre:
I had the good fortune to assist a producer who was overseeing Canada’s national film school at the time. He was very generous with what he had learned ‘in the trenches’ of independent filmmaking, which greatly eased my first forays.

Programme Coordinator – Canadian Film Centre:
A second role at the Centre allowed me countless opportunities to observe Canadian and international film talent at the peak of their game. Many years later, I continue to be inspired by the creative bravery I witnessed there.

Production Coordinator:
An unpaid position on a short drama offered invaluable insights regarding how to lead a film project. It was a trial by fire, having not worked my way up via production assistant and production secretary gigs, as is often the case. However, having survived it gave me the confidence to leap into producing.

Producer:
Four shorts, three feature-length films, and I’m still at it – my fifth film job continues. I love the variety of doing other things as well. Teaching requires me to organise and better understand what I’ve learnt along the way. And being Film Curator for the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival is not only an honour given the important work it does, but also keeps me on my toes as a filmmaker. Many of the films I have the pleasure of viewing challenge me to improve my own craft, as well as to see things in new and exciting ways.

With over 300 events across Scotland from 1 – 19 October, you can find out more about this year’s Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival on Central Station here.

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We’ve asked professionals in creative industries what jobs they have had in the past to get their foot through the door (or at least pay the rent). For more in the “My First 5 Jobs” series look here.

Hello, my name is Simone Louise Smith and I’m a filmmaker and theatre professional from Glasgow. After making a couple of music videos over the last few years, earlier this year I wrote, produced and directed my first short film entitled RED.

RED is an experimental, psychological drama in which a photographer is haunted by visions of war. See the trailer below:

RED takes place in an eerie quarry just outside of Stirling. Extreme wind and rain, broken umbrellas flying off the grid, a drenched cast and crew climbing back and forth over piles of rocks, a rifle (not loaded of course!) and a dark and confrontational storyline…  you could call it a crazy shoot over three weekends. Cast and crew performed amazingly throughout though. It felt like everyone just soaked up the pressure and channeled it into the craft. Everyone worked for free too which was amazing (super and forever thankful to all involved!)

Once I finished the edit, I decided to submit it to the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. Organized by the Festival de Cannes, the Short Film Corner is the essential rendezvous for filmmakers. Directors get to show their latest work, talk to possible buyers and attract as much attention as possible to their shorts. It also increases the chances of seeing your film selected by other international festivals as many top festival programmers and directors are in Cannes on the hunt for fresh new films and emerging talent.

Wonderfully, it was accepted and added to the festival’s annual catalogue of films.

This was pretty cool! Suddenly I got very excited about going to CANNES! The biggest film festival in the world… I figured if RED got in then I’d promote it like hell and as a reward (from the stormy shoot in Stirling) I’d soak up the sunshine and dip my toes in the French riviera.

Topping up the good vibes was that I’d made RED on a zero budget and it was self-produced. All I could literally afford was money to cover petrol costs and snacks for the cast and crew so it was quite a feat getting to this point. The possibilities were now endless. Yeah, you could say I felt pretty unstoppable at this point.

On the weeks running up to the festival I mellowed out my Cannes thoughts. Other film projects ticking away were taking my full attention so I didn’t have time to think about the festival or devise any kind of plan…but now, with only a couple of days to go, my business brain snapped into action. I need flyers! I need accommodation! I need to pack my case.

I got my flyer designed by my designer friend Wil Freeborn and got around 100 printed off. I figured having a bunch of flyers to dish out to the big industry players wherever and whenever I’d bump into them was essential.

So here I was ready to brave the world of the Cannes Film Festival on my own.

Mon arrivée en France!

I arrived on Wednesday afternoon, having flown into Nice Airport the night before. I stayed with friends in Nice (thank you Johan and Ana Is!) and travelled back and forth to Cannes by train.

It’s a pretty surreal experience watching the film industry’s cream of the crop fluttering around in such close proximity. The street towards the Palais was packed with paparazzi, spectators and seemingly very important people. Lots of lavish middle aged men with suntanned skin, silver hair and quirky hats… women with dogs in handbags, fully clad in glittery frocks… so many people shoving and jostling, holding up placards with requests for invitations… all eager to get into a film screening or premiere. C’est bizarre!!!

I could feel myself slowly turn into a pap myself… (perhaps using my camera as some sort of defense mechanism)

Viggo Mortenson!

My next port of call was to explore the Short Film Corner. I arrived during ‘happy hour’ and with my first alcoholic beverage in Cannes, I began to relax and soak up the atmosphere. Everyone discussed their films and hopes for the future and it was clear that everyone was on it networking-wise. There was an amazing buzz in the air.

Numerous film flyers on the wall

Inside the Palais

Going to Cannes on my own was exciting but there were moments when I felt quite overwhelmed. Everyone seemed to be with someone and knew where they were going. I felt lost in the maze. The festival is HUGE by the way. It has a complex structure to it and more or less everyone I met was surprised that I came on my own so I felt a little out of it at points. However, that feeling soon transformed the moment I got a supportive text message from a friend. So I stood up and thought ‘Da hell with this, I got a film to promote.’ Liberated, I went for it and started dishing out my flyers, talking to everyone. Immediately afterwards, everything just flowed. I ended up meeting loads of people, getting invited to parties on the beach and was able to meet one person or another in the industry who would then connect me to another person that I could talk to about my film.

Rob and Richard

Another nice moment was meeting my friend Rob (by chance!) who was a sound recordist on a feature film ‘Sightseers’ (directed by Ben Wheatley) and his friend Richard (actor in Sightseers) I had such a good time hanging out with those guys. It was a relief getting the chance to share stories and laugh at all the madness, and again meet more contacts that night.

My big career highlight there would have to be attending a Short Film Corner breakfast. There I ‘speed dated’ with some of the biggest players in the short film industry (festival programmers, distributors and buyers). I pitched my film to a few of those guys and three distributors asked me to send it to them right away. Filmmakers and Producers came up to me randomly (and emailed) telling me that they “loved RED”, asking me where the idea came from. It was a great feeling.

What’s next for RED?
Through the Short Film Corner I’ve been invited to enter into other international film festivals. I’ll be speaking to distributors next week and one Producer asked me to be in his documentary when he shoots in Glasgow this year. Haha, no idea what I’ve to do though. Overall it’s been an awesome experience and I feel like I’ve learned loads. I understand how the festival works now and most importantly, I met loads of cool people who share the same dreams as me.

I didn’t get to see many films as I was busy fluttering around the marketplace but my fave short film was Tram directed by Michaela Pavlátová. A brilliant and bold animation about a sex mad tram operator. Hilarious.
My favourite feature film was Mud directed by Jeff Nichols starring Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, and Reese Witherspoon. A truly moving and inspiring story about life, growing old, love, and freedom. Still thinking about it. On the Road directed by Walter Salles (based on a novel by Jack Kerouac) was the perfect movie to end on before catching my flight home… got me thinking about the true meaning of adventure.

Tips for Filmmakers
Submit your film to the Short Film Corner, find accommodation in Cannes (book well in advance), bring plenty of flyers (even some screeners of your film) watch at least one film a day and believe in yourself. Believe in your film and know why you’re there. Talk to everyone. Enjoy the ride. And when it’s all over, go for a swim in the sea!

View Simone’s trailer for RED here and visit the production company website here. Follow the Production company on Facebook and keep up with RED film updates on Tumblr. Follow Simone on Twitter here.

I Am Do Filmmaker is a hub for filmmakers in the North East of Scotland. However, there’s an immense amount of useful podcasts for any budding filmmaker, including interviews with Storytellers, Producers, Filmmakers and advice from a range of people at the BBC. Visit their website here: iamdofilmmaker.co.uk

Interested? Follow I Am Do Filmmaker on Facebook here or Twitter here.

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For more creative delights we’ve Spotted on the web take a look here.

But what did he do before all this? Find out below.

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1. Suppose the first job I had where I was paid money was being a busker on the streets of Liverpool. I used to play Bunnymen, Teardrops and even Soft Cell on the acoustic. Youth by the latter sounded really good unplugged. But i guess my choice of music was too much of a niche to rake it in. My other competitors would play the Beatles and I’d be history. Also, I spent a lot if time being attacked by body poppers, religious nuts and small kids. I’d keep going with blue cold hands. Only stopping when i’d snapped all of my strings.

2. My second pitstop on my illustrious career saw me coming up with the notion that I ought to get real job. So I signed up to work at the sickness benefits department at the department of health and social security in a poor part of Liverpool.  I worked in an oppressive red building that looked like a stazi outpost. I worked with Pete Best’s brother, Rouge, he was a drummer too. Mentioning Ringo was a no no at the tea break. Anyways, I’m not allowed to talk about it but rest assured that there was a very eccentric bunch used to sign on. One time somebody thought it was funny to play “Money money” by Abba. By the time the track hit “must be funny – in a rich Man’s world” – all of the claimants were smashing the place up. I’d never seen chairs embedded in concrete ripped out of the floor before.

3. About this time I thought my creative life was over until my old tutor Dave Clapham gave me the chance to work in his Liverpool studio. You can see Dave in Bad Night For The Blues, he plays the lord mayor. I used to cut promos for him for the likes of Deaf School, Icicle Works and The Farm. Working for with Dave was my third job. I made a little animated film called Safari. With that I got into art college.

4. My fourth job was weekend job while I was a student. I worked in Farnham Hospital. I was a cleaner and gave tea to geriatric patients. I’d steal the daffodils from the hospital garden and give them to the old ladies who would burst into tears. Most of the patients thought I was the gas man. I of course would oblige pretending to read their gas meters. I really enjoyed working there. I love talking to people.

5. My fifth job was the one which really connected me with animation. After college I was taken on as a runner at Paul Vester’s Speedy Films. They were the production company that made lots of ads. Milky Way two cars racing, Reach flip top man, Vitalite and Paxo the rooster booster. I became the production manager and worked on a film about New Yorker’s who had been abducted by aliens. I managed to escape the invasion and I’m thankfully still here to tell the story.

Photo by Louise Haywood-Schiefer

More: Website | Twitter

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We’ve asked professionals in creative industries what jobs they have had in the past to get their foot through the door (or at least pay the rent). For more in the “My First 5 Jobs” series look here.