Guru

Kate Solomon: Brits to Watch

Posted: 9 Nov 2011

Producer Kate Solomon has worked on films including Green Zone and BAFTA-winning United 93. Named as a Brit to Watch, she shares how she got into the film industry and her career highlights so far…

Kate Solomon. A woman with blond/brown hair tied up, wearing a blue patterned dress. She stands in front of American and British flags.
Credit: BAFTA/Barry J. Holmes

BWhat first inspired you to get into your craft?

KSI was at UCL, in the second year of my anthropology degree, about to head off to Nepal to start my fieldwork on the hugely populist topic of ‘Dress and Identity Among Gurung Women.’ Having spent a lot of the previous year in a dark room watching three hour films of various rituals from tribes around the world, I decided to make a film to accompany my dissertation – a friend lent me a basic digital camera and off I went. I came back with a lot of almost un-editable footage but was hooked.

BHow did you first break into the industry?

KSHaving quickly worked out I’d never be able to make a living filming tribal rituals I moved into TV documentaries. A few years in I went to see a company to pitch some projects I wanted to develop with them, they rang me a couple of days later and said that Paul Greengrass had just contacted them looking for someone to do research on a new film he was starting and would I like to be put in touch with him? I said ‘YES!’ I worked with Paul for the next five and a half years.

BWhich professional figure in your field do you find the most inspiring?

KSWorking with Paul on United 93 was a hugely inspiring experience. The way the film brought all those people together; the families, the air traffic controllers, the military, the 9/11 commissioners, the airline personnel, the group of actors and the crew was really amazing and I felt very privileged to be part of it.

BIf you hadn’t managed to break into your field, what was your plan B?

KSErm… not sure I had one. But a piece of advice I’d give is to be prepared to be flexible with your goals. Like a lot of people starting out I wanted to be a director, I was convinced that was what I should be, even though everything pointed at me being a producer. As soon as I realised that it all fell into place and I knew it was exactly the right choice.

BWhich film do you wish you could’ve worked on?

KSI’d have loved to work on Goodfellas – I watched it a lot when I was younger. It would be great just to see the whole process of that film. I bet it was a pretty crazy set.

BWhat single piece of advice would you give to a young person trying to break into your discipline and get noticed?

KSMake yourself indispensable! A job may start out as one thing (that might not sound like your perfect position) but if you make yourself essential to the process it can quickly turn into something you really want.

BHow important is knowing people? Is raw talent enough?

KSRaw talent is hugely important, but you need to get into a position where you can display that talent – and for that relationships are critical. Pretty much every part of a film involves other people and long hours, therefore it makes sense that you want to be surrounded by people who are full of energy and creativity and that you actually want to spend 14 hours a day with; you soon become part of a team and ‘know people.’

BHow do you think the UK film/TV/games industry will change in the next few years?

KSI guess it slightly contradicts the answer above but the ability for people to display their talent has changed immensely – it’s been revolutionised by digital technology. You can actually go out and make a feature for not very much money. I think we’ll be seeing a lot more young directors able to showcase their talent and have their voices heard much faster and that’s really exciting.

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