Robbie McKillop

Class of 2000 FP, Robbie McKillop, took time out of his busy schedule to catch up with our Editor, Chloe Berridge, in September. Robbie had recently returned from filming a new television drama in Germany, for Sky, called Then You Run.

Graduating from the National Film and Television School in 2011, with an MA in Directing Fiction, Robbie’s graduation film Strays saw him chosen as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow. The film was also broadcast on Channel 4. He has directed on a wide variety of films and television series throughout his career, including the hit series Clique and award-winning BBC thriller Guilt. The latter, released in 2019, saw Robbie scoop up the BAFTA Scotland 2020 Award for Best Director (Fiction). Robbie’s portfolio of projects also includes ITV drama Cleaning Up starring Sheridan Smith, BBC family drama Our Zoo, Channel Four comedy Not Safe for Work and A Young Doctor’s Notebook and Other Stories starring Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm.

During our interview, Robbie got us up-to-speed with what he has been up to since waving goodbye to the Pillars.

Thanks for joining us today Robbie, it’s great to be able to speak with you. You’ve worked on several exciting and successful projects throughout your career, including shows such as Clique and your breakthrough Strays. Which has been your favourite project and why?

I’ve been really lucky that I’ve been able to carve out a bit of a niche for myself where I’ve steered away from quite conventional genres or projects that are relatively clear-cut. I’ve always been keen to try things that are a little bit different; projects that are a blend of genres allowing me to play with tone and strive to be original. Of course, there have been moments on every project that I’ve loved, but I would say that Guilt is the production that I’m most happy with. It was an amazing opportunity to direct an entire series and I was able to work with a multitude of genres: dark comedy, sibling drama, mystery and a touch of romance. The show had a little bit of everything. Neil Forsyth’s scripts were so brilliant; the cast and crew were on top of their game. We all had big ambitions for the show and wanted it to be seen worldwide, which it was. Guilt truly was a joy to make; it allowed me the freedom to do something really bold.

As a Director, you are very much responsible for setting the scene for your viewers and transitioning a script onto the screen. Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?

I have a broad taste and a wide variety of influences. I’m very visually orientated so cinema, television, photography and contemporary art all feed into my creative process, but so does contemporary dance, fashion, architecture and music. As a director you’re building an entire world and working with so many different creative disciplines from production designer/ art department, to hair and make-up and costume designers, to visual effects, to movement or stunt coordinators, composers and sound designers. So I try to soak up as much as I can from culture to feed into those creative conversations and exchange of ideas. Anything in life can be inspiration for your work, simply walking by someone in the street or overhearing a conversation or the noises you hear when you walk underneath a motorway. They all feed into your work. There’s a quote that I remember from Joe Strummer: “no input, no output” which I think is so important and relatable to directing.

It must be exciting, as a Director, to bring someone else’s vision to life via the big screen. Can you tell us a little about the relationship between the Screenwriter and the Director?

That’s an interesting question as it really depends on what you’re working on. For example, for a four-part mini-series like Guilt, Neil Forsyth was the writer and executive producer so I worked closely with him throughout the whole process. From the interview for the job, to reading over the scripts, to casting, to the final edit of the show you’re discussing how to bring the project to life with him and the other executive producers. If you’re working on a long running series that has a writer’s room (a team of screenwriters led by a showrunner), which is very common in America in particular, you might just have a couple of meetings with the writer feeding notes back about areas for potential development, then the rest of the process is working with the showrunner, producer, and executive producers.

Overall, there needs to be a sense of understanding between the director and screenwriter about the complexity and depth of the writing. Anyone can receive a script and shoot it. It’s about understanding the deeper core of the project and bringing out all of the themes and complexities that the characters are going through and showing this on-screen. There are many different aspects of working with a screenwriter. But ultimately you have to understand what it is they have written about and go beyond what’s on the page in front of you to bring the project to life in a way that’s unexpected to the writer as well. You want them to watch it back and think “that’s exactly how I wanted that scene to turn out, but even better”.

As a director you must get sent a lot of scripts so it must be quite time consuming deciding which ones to progress with. How do you decide which projects to take forward?

I read loads of scripts, sometimes for very big popular returning dramas, and I think “this isn’t for me”, as I like to lead a new and original series and set it up. Quite often I might not feel a connection to the script but other times I’ll know exactly in my mind how to make a project and I’ll feel that connection very strongly. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a personal connection to the script. I certainly didn’t read the script for Guilt and think “this reminds me of that one time that I ran someone over and fell out with my brother about it”! It’s a gut feeling where I can see myself producing something really great. You also sense a connection as you’ll recognise what the writer is trying to convey and do, so you feel like you know the story inside out even though you’ve only read over the script a few times. It’s the draw of doing something different, something that’s never been done before.

Strays was your graduation film when you left the National Film and Television School, which starred Game of Thrones actor Richard Madden. Can you tell us a little about what happened after its release as you were chosen as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow, which must have been fantastic?

After completing my undergraduate degree at Edinburgh Napier, I worked for a few years then did a masters at the National Film and Television in Beaconsfield, just outside London. It’s one of the best film schools in the world; about four hundred people apply for eight places on the Directing course. You make four films as part of the NFTS course, and your graduation film is the one people from the industry will watch in a showcase. The end goal from the graduation showcase was securing an agent. I had a very clear agenda going into film school and I wanted my graduation film to be full of vivacity and excitement with plenty of layers of emotional story telling.

Casting for Strays I remember being a big thing; I was looking for a particular chemistry between the actors. I saw Richard Madden’s image when I was looking through Spotlight and I noticed another actor who’d gone to the Royal Conservatiore at the same time and thought “they might be friends”. I wanted to cast people who were friends to create an instant chemistry on screen. Sure enough, Richard came in with the other actor, Andrew, and they were best friends in real life. Their chemistry was unbelievable; I knew the film would be great after that.

Can you tell us a little about what happened after you left film school? How easily did you manage to secure work on projects?

After film school, I secured a big agent which was fantastic. Strays really helped me get an entry-level film with Channel 4 on a strand called “Coming Up”. I made a film with Ashley Walters, a fantastic British actor. After that, I did struggle to get work. I had to keep doing general meetings, lots of interviews, waiting to get the break that I needed. Eventually, I was offered an amazing opportunity to do a series with Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm. You could argue that at the time these were two of the biggest actors in the world because of the Harry Potter franchise and Mad Men.

What was rather funny though was I had the two interviews and the only thing left for me to do before I got the job was to go and meet Daniel at his flat in London. At the time, I was also living in London and I remember as I was walking down Regent Street the nerves set in. It was the first time in the whole process I’d felt nervous. I knew this could be the opportunity I needed to change my circumstances. I was expecting my first child at the time so there was so much on the line. I ended up bumping into Mackie, who was a few years above me at school, and we ended up chatting. I remember telling him that I was on my way to meet Daniel Radcliffe and he was pretty chilled about it and wished me luck. Meeting someone I knew from Dundee really settled the nerves. Thankfully I met Daniel, got along really well with him and got the job.

Reflecting on your school days, did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in directing right from the get-go?

Whilst at school I developed an interest in film around the age of 15/16 and I set my sights on being a director. I fell completely in love with film and television and so I just knew that’s what I wanted to do. I think I’ve always been very visually aware and interested in the world around me. So, I got a stills camera and started taking black and white photographs and experimented with making sounds with musical instruments. I remember I had an electric guitar; I never played it properly, just made sounds out of it. I have no idea how my parents survived the racket coming from my bedroom to be honest!

Are there any teachers you feel supported you at school or who played a particular part in getting you to where you are now?

I was very fortunate that a couple of teachers in the History Department – Mrs. Hudson and Mr. Wilson – encouraged me. Mrs. Hudson was a great support; she was my guidance teacher as well as my history teacher. She supported me through any issues to do with my career ambitions, helped me with my personal statement, and UCAS application. If it weren’t for her support, I genuinely don’t think I would be where I am today.

What was your favourite thing about the School?

This might sound odd to say, but the physicality of the buildings. When I was a pupil, I always loved sneaking out of class to walk around the school as it had such an atmosphere about it. I’d look at how light would move through the corridors or the physicality of the space, or the perspectives of the long corridors. I remember the Pillars in particular feeling very epic. Whenever classroom windows were open, you’d always hear the buzz and draw of the city outside. I loved the fact the school was in the city centre, and the city lights were on when you finished school in the winter.

The Arts is a very broad spectrum now, with many different facets. We actually have several current pupils interested in a career within the film industry. What advice would you offer to any of our young people hoping to follow a career similar to yours?

Filmmaking, especially directing has traditionally been an incredibly hard profession to break into. I think that is probably still the case for directing, but the UK industry is currently going through a big boom and needs crew so there are more entry level possibilities than ever before. The industry changes so much, so there isn’t really one defined way to get into it. You need to persevere and maintain your drive. Invest as much time as you can into learning about the particular field you’re interested in as this will be beneficial in the long run. Never be complacent either, you should always strive to improve, broaden your understanding of the world, and remember that it’s a collaborative medium. Be interested in other people, passionate, enthusiastic, a good communicator, and put a lot of effort and preparation into meeting people from the industry.

You recently returned from shooting a project in Germany, which sounds very exciting. Are you able to share any details with us? And looking forward, do you have any new projects lined up?

It’s for Sky, an offbeat thriller called Then You Run. It’s about four young women whose summer holiday spirals into a dark and perilous adventure after they inadvertently cross paths with some of the most dangerous people in Europe. It’s a wild, anarchic and funny series, unlike anything I’ve seen before and will be out in Autumn 2022.

Your work focuses on the film and television industry so you must have an avid interest in film and tv shows outside of work. What would you say is your favourite film or show and do you have a goto genre when searching for something new to watch?

I have a very broad taste and watch everything from old movies to the latest series. There is so much to watch that I never manage to keep up, but I love nothing more than a trip to the cinema, especially old arthouse cinemas. My current favourite TV show is Stath Lets Flats on Channel 4 which is totally hilarious and reminds me so much of living in London.

If you weren’t a Director, where do you think your career would have taken you?

I have no idea as I’ve only ever wanted to do the job I do now from the age of sixteen. I've always loved dancing, but I think it would be a stretch to imagine I could have been a contemporary dancer!

And finally, you were born and raised in Dundee. What would you say are your three favourite things about the City of Discovery?

I love so many things about Dundee. The DCA will always be one of my favourite places; I try to go and see exhibitions there whenever I’m back. I love having a pint with my dad at The Speedwell Tavern, and the welcoming lively spirit of the city. Looking out over Dundee and the surrounding areas from the Law Hill, and walking along the beach with an ice cream from Visocchis in the ferry with my family always feels special.