Sam Mendes: A Life in Pictures

Sam Mendes, BAFTA-winning director, producer and screenwriter shares how “getting involved” is essential for new filmmaking talent.

Mendes is best known for directing BAFTA-winning drama American Beauty, crime thriller Road to Perdition and Bond film Skyfall.

He told the packed audience at a special Life in Pictures event that establishing yourself as a fresh talent takes enthusiasm and will power.

“It is incredibly important for new directors to get proper training,” he said.

“A lot of [establishing yourself] is will power. Get out there and do it. Get involved and be part of it.”

• Read the full transcript from the 30 November, 2015 event

Mendes studied at Cambridge University before directing theatre after graduation, setting up and running London’s Donmar Warehouse for ten years. He made his first film, American Beauty, while still Donmar’s artistic director. Mendes said that right from his first read-through he recognised it as “a very beautiful, visually articulate script.”

The film was a huge critical and commercial smash which won six BAFTAs. Mendes told the audience he felt this was partly because of the timing: commenting on America’s concern with political relationships in a pre-9/11 world.

Sound is incredibly important to Mendes’ work. He’s collaborated with composer Thomas Newman on six of his seven features, insisting that “the best collaborators know when to say no to you.”

His work directing popular Bond films Skyfall and Spectre is perhaps his most-recognised by global audiences. He describes Bond as a character anchored in British identity that “walks the line between reality and fantasy.”

Whatever he’s directing, finding a working flow and rhythm is essential to his filmmaking, especially in the editing room.

“What defines you as a director is your rhythm, and finding the courage to shift rhythm,” he said.

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