{"id":8979,"date":"2021-03-04T02:54:13","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T02:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/?p=8979"},"modified":"2026-02-03T04:05:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T04:05:54","slug":"interview-with-extraordinary-film-director-leif-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/?p=8979","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Extraordinary Film Director Leif Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tell us a little bit more about you and your film\ncareer beginnings. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> I\u2019m\na proud Mancunian living in the south of England. I work as a director,\ndirecting music videos and adverts as my day-to-day career. Outside of that I\nshoot narrative and produce music which excites me greatly. I have started to\ngain traction with my shorts on the festival circuit despite the Covid\npandemic. I am the biggest fan of film, music, art and alternative popular\nculture. I enthusiastically tread in the footsteps of those who inspire me and\nstrive to create narrative that excites and entertains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to shoot the films I want to shoot, I write the\nscripts which is just heaven to me. I\u2019m dyslexic which has never been a\nnegative thing. I find it helps me see life in different ways to the majority\nof people, visuals and sound being the same thing that tell a more compelling\nstory. I also love how Bruce Robinson (Withnil & I, The Killing Fields)\nwrites dialogue. It\u2019s music to my ears, it has rhythm and charm. I write in\nvery much the same way and get a big kick out of losing myself in the characters\nand the world they inhabit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My latest short is doing the rounds in festivals now and I\u2019m enjoying the feedback immensely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What was the most significant decision in shooting your\ncurrent film \u201c<\/strong>Satisfaction<\/strong>\u201d? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> My latest short \u201cSatisfaction<\/a>\u201d\nwas produced before lockdown at the end of 2019. It is a period film with a\ncomedy twist and is terribly British. There were a few decisions I made making\nthis film, some I will definitely be doing again and some not so much. One\nthing that is a must for my next feature, \u2018Freitag\u2019 will be improvised\nworkshops. I\u2019m looking forward to working with the actors to tweak the script\nand collaborate with them in a very open and grateful manner. I found that\ngreat actors can unearth some hidden gems when exploring their characters. They\nbring up some amazing ideas you would never have thought of when writing the\nscript. This also extends to the rest of the crew and collaborators, who bring\na fresh and un-blinkered view compared to your very focused view, this is the\ndanger when you\u2019ve lived with a script for years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What part of the script\/story best stood out for you and\nwhy? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> There are always little bits here and there in the script\nthat might seem inconsequential to start with but come to life once the actors\ntake on the roles. There are little lines or looks and moments that spike my\ninterest, more often than not when first seen in the edit or delivered on the\nshoot itself. Again, it is the actors who bring the script to life and surprise\nyou. It is also great to still be excited even when you are at the edit stage.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without giving it away, tell us a little bit more about\nthe characters and the lead actors. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> \u201cSatisfaction\u201d is set in the18th century our handful of upper-class protagonists are due to attend a pistol duel between Sir Thomas Arnold, who is many things but he’s certainly not a duelist. His adversary is a man of war and true grit. How will Arnold fair against Britain’s most prolific killer and will his betrothed give into her newfound feelings for a secret admirer? It is a film that doesn\u2019t take itself seriously and was a lot of fun to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How do you bring this story to life while staying true to\nyour vision as director?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> This was a new way of working actually. Writing a script\nbased on improvised scenes acted out by the actors who are also improv\ncomedians. They formed their own characters which I built on in the writing\nprocess, cherrypicking themes and one liners from the session to develop a\nfinal script. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Brits we have a natural propensity towards acting out\nperiod costume dramas with ease, it\u2019s part of our culture and staple viewing on\nBritish TV or stage. It also lends itself brilliantly towards comedy. I wanted\nto dip my toe in this world and try my hand at comedy while adapting my visual\nsignatures. I watched a lot of period films made in the 70\u2019s into the 80\u2019s (The\nduelists, Barry Lyndon and The Scarlet Pimpernel) which all have a unique\naesthetic of their own. I wanted to imitate how they looked and sounded. I also\nwanted to mimic the pace of editing which was much slower then. Keeping with\nthe Retro vibe, I was also influenced by Carry On films, which were always had\nbig and colourful performances.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What excites you about this project? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> It was different and a challenge. The budget was challenging,\nand we shot 22 pages in 1 day with a location change. The language used was\nboth of its time and modern, which I loved. I worked with Pieter Westerhof who\nis an amazing editor and reordered the scenes and gave the narrative new life.\nI also worked with Jon Duncan who scored and mixed the film, it was such a\nplease to have collaborated with such amazing talent.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What other works are you most proud of? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> \u201cKowloon Killers\u201d which was my previous short, it\u2019s still is a favourite short. That said, \u201cSatisfaction\u201d is just as rewarding but in a very different way. You can see Kowloon Killers<\/a> on Vimeo. My next film \u201cFreitag\u201d is currently in the works has been a real labour of love and is very much my baby. I am extremely excited about Freitag and can\u2019t wait to shoot this once the world is back to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What films have been the most inspiring or influential to\nyou and why?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> That is a big question, the same as \u201cWhat music do you\nlisten too?\u201d. I don\u2019t know how to answer that really. Growing up I was most\ninspired by Hong Kong cinema and the low budget mavericks like Peter Jackson\n(Before the Lord of the Rings nonsense) Robert Rodriguez, John Carpenter and\nSam Raimi. I\u2019m loving anything that comes from Korea and Japan at the moment.\nJust like my music tastes, I love unearthing hidden gems and film or music that\npushes creativity and challenges the norm. One film that is on my list to watch\nis \u2018House\u2019 by Nobuhiko Obayashi, it looks nuts!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you do to enhance the collaborative process when\nworking with actors, screenwriters, producers, and others creative members? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> I work with the same people as much as possible and weed\nout the weak and uninspired. I always make sure there\u2019s a positive atmosphere\non the shoot, as well as pre and postproduction. I love being surrounded by\namazing talent and beautiful temperaments. Filmmaking should be fun!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What experiences have you learned from in life? How did\nthat change you and your creative process and the way you go about making\nfilms? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> Filmmaking is my life! It has been since I was a\nteenager. It\u2019s all I ever wanted to do. I was excited by the world and by\nalternative and more creative pop culture. I wanted to be part of it and that\nhas never gone away. I love creating something from nothing; an idea or a\nsimple impulse to make something. Making stuff is what makes us human and I\ndon\u2019t trust anyone that doesn\u2019t have that urge. It\u2019s that urge that helped me\nescape the cold grey northern town I grew up in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m currently working on an concept album with Andrew\nChappell of \u201cPlain Sails<\/a>\u201d under the\nname Luxure XO<\/a>. I wrote 12\ndemos during lockdown and currently kicking them into shape for next year. I\nneeded to find something else while it is difficult to shoot anything. I am\nvery excited to get these tracks pressed and out there.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you see your role as a filmmaker? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> The guy who is constantly explaining what\u2019s in his head\nin the best possible way he can, so everyone can see what he sees. That and\nbeing able to put out fires left right and centre while smiling and being the\nmost enthusiastic person there.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do filmmakers have\nany responsibility to culture? What message do you want to convey with\nyour films?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a prerequisite to making anything, it should be an expression on one\u2019s self and you shouldn\u2019t be pressured to create anything with a forced theme, agenda or subject matter if it\u2019s not what you want to express. If that happens to be LGBTQ, BLM or Political issues, then great! But if you want to make a film that helps you escape the harsh tyranny of life and it happens to be the burning narrative inside you than that\u2019s just as valid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What other hobbies do you have? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> When I\u2019m not thinking about film, I\u2019m thinking about\nmusic and more often than not I\u2019m thinking of them both. I\u2019m lucky in that my\njob is like a hobby so it never feels like work. I love producing music in my\nspare time and when the climbing walls are open again I will be climbing whenever\nI have the time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you want to be remembered for in life? What\nvaluable lessons have you learned that helped you become the person you are\ntoday? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> I admire and remember those who dedicated their lives to\nwhat they loved and excelled in that due to their passion and dedication. I\nwant to live on through what I make. I want to inspire and entertain for years\nafter I\u2019ve gone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are your top five principles of success? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> I think I would have to be what I feel is successful\nbefore I can part any wisdom. But I would say be stubborn, understand it\u2019s only\nyou who can make stuff happen and keep focused. No one can take that away from\nyou. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s next? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leif Johnson:<\/strong> Next is my feature \u201cFreitag<\/a>\u201d. I\u2019ve never been so excited by anything so much. I have\nreally delved into the dark humour, cynicism and fragile humanity that seeps\ninto everything I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where can we keep up with your latest projects? <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website – nordicneonuk.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram – @leif_director<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vimeo – https:\/\/vimeo.com\/leifjohnsondirector<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tell us a little bit more about you and your film career beginnings. Leif Johnson: I\u2019m a proud Mancunian living in the south of England. I work as a director, directing music videos and adverts as my day-to-day career. Outside of that I shoot narrative and produce music which excites me greatly. I have started […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8979"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19199,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8979\/revisions\/19199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyglamour.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}