Coming Full Circle

From the dystopian cityscapes of Blade Runner (1982), through the iconic deserts of Thelma & Louise (1991), to the evocation of 2nd century Rome in Gladiator (2000) and chilling psychological scenes of Hannibal (2001) – Scott is an innovator of the filmic form. In 2018 he received the highest accolade from BAFTA, the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement

This year, Scott’s company created a film for the RCA. Directed by Juriaan Booij (MA Visual Communication, 2009), the film launched GenerationRCA, the College’s largest fundraising campaign to date and a celebration of every past, present and future generation of talented RCA students and staff. Here he talks about his time as a student at the RCA and the process of making his first film, Boy and Bicycle (1965), with his brother, the late filmmaker Tony Scott.

‘From an early age, it was film that attracted me. All my free time in Stockton-on-Tees was spent at the local cinemas, watching everything and learning. You never stop learning. You can even learn from so-called ‘bad’ films and television; there is usually something that makes you react or ponder.

I was a Graphic Design student so there were few opportunities to work with film while at the RCA, although I was fortunate to be offered a one-year course in Film and Television Design that gave basic training in film-making to a select few students. There was no department as such, only a Bolex clockwork camera, an instruction book and a light meter. The head of the course was George Haslam, a talented television designer, who was our tutor, adviser and supporter. I presented my script for a short film Boy and Bicycle to George, who allowed me to borrow the Bolex for a month to shoot the film in North Hartlepool. I was also given £65 to finance the film and processing; a big budget, and something I’m still grateful for.

While at the College films of different genres, languages and locales, especially those with a certain grittiness, had a particular impact on me. I should name Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), The Seven Samurai (1954), Citizen Kane (1941) and The Third Man (1949) – Kurosawa and Welles were masters.

There aren’t very many devices I employ cinematically that I can trace back to my student days. You try not to repeat yourself, or at least, I try not to. At the RCA, I was focused on my own desire to become better; curiosity and determination are still needed on every film I make and develop. That process never stops.’