In the driving seat
Jamie Payne directed The Driver. He has worked on some of the UK's most successful shows including Call the Midwife, Ashes to Ashes and Primeval. He recently directed the Dr Who Christmas special 'The Time of the Doctor' which saw Peter Capaldi born as the twelfth doctor. Here, Jamie talks about car chases, anti-heroes and what it was like to work with David Morrissey.
An anti-hero is provocative and flawed and tests the empathy of the viewer and I feel audiences like to be challenged this wayJamie Payne
Tell us a little bit about The Driver.
The Driver is a three-part story about Vince, a cab driver who is unhappy with what he perceives to be a mundane life. He is reunited with an old friend who introduces him into a world that initially excites him. He soon realises that he is getting in over his head. The story follows him through a series of bad decisions and how they affect him and his family. It's a tense story with action, humour and heart.
How did you get involved with the show and what drew you to the script?
I was told by my agent that I was going to be sent a script written by Danny Brocklehurst, produced by Jolyon Symonds and executive produced by Nicola Shindler with David Morrissey attached to play the lead. That's one hell of a pedigree... I was excited before I had read the first page! I read the scripts and immediately fell in love with it. They were tightly plotted with strong characters, brilliant, honest dialogue and a fantastic storyline. Directing it was an amazing experience on every level.
You have directed episodes of some of the UK鈥檚 biggest shows in recent years - including Ashes to Ashes and Doctor Who 鈥� how does working on The Driver compare?
As a director, I need to be excited about the story, characters and the world in which they exist. was already established before I joined the team. I was a fan of the show as the writing was inventive and engaging, and the cast were excellent. To join an established series you have to complement what has come before whilst adding your own creative mark. With there had been 50 years of storytelling before I joined the team. I felt like a guest at a very brilliant party and for a short moment it's your responsibility to co-host a small part of it. I had the privilege of doing the 800th episode that was not only aired on Christmas day but also included regeneration. Dr Who is hard to compare to any other show... It's in a universe of its own.
With The Driver I got to lead the creative interpretation of Danny's script without having the weight of established expectation... just the weight of not screwing up the realisation of a great script!
Writer Danny Brocklehurst has described the show as 鈥渂oth a thriller and a family drama.鈥� How did you set about creating this vision?
The Driver is a family drama first and foremost. It only becomes a thriller because we happen to join this family at a particularly difficult time. The audience has to care about the family before it can engage with the jeopardy they are put in. My biggest responsibility was to reflect the continually growing pressure without losing sight of the truth at the heart of the family. There are moments of great jeopardy, tension and action. I had to work hard to make sure the tone of the drama didn't shift too much. The tension is important but too much of it will alienate an audience. The humour and honest family complexities are a vital ingredient that needed as much, if not more, attention than the high octane moments.
What was your approach to shooting the car scenes?
Filming car sequences can be a technical and time consuming nightmare. I wanted the chase that opens the story to be as emotional as it was exciting. Everyone agreed that we had to feel that we were in the car with Vince keeping him at the heart of the action, reacting as an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation. I felt strongly that it should not feel too flashy or full of stunts as this would betray the tone of the rest of the piece. It had to feel visceral and real.
I felt the best way of doing it was to use the same 鈥榩od鈥� system that was used in the Bourne films. This enables the camera to be with Vince in the car as he hurtles in and out of danger. The stunt driver controls the car from a cage on top. We see Vince hurtling towards other cars and buildings and the camera panning between him and the danger, but in fact it was all controlled from above. I think it is the first time this has been used in TV. I planned each shot weeks in advance and used toy cars to illustrate to our brilliant stunt team what I wanted to achieve. I had to create a very detailed breakdown of each moment not only for our team but also in the hope that we could convince Manchester city council and the police to let us do it. Thankfully they were very supportive!
How was your experience working with David Morrissey?
David Morrissey is an extraordinarily generous and brilliant actor. We had worked together once before which enabled us to hit the ground running on The Driver. I loved working with him, as he is massively supportive as a leading actor and as an Executive Producer. David is pretty much in every scene. As we shot his character's incredibly difficult journey completely out of order, it required massive focus from him. He did it with such grace and good humour and I think his performance is one of his best. We were also lucky to have such a strong producer in Jolyon Symonds who is also David's business partner. They make a great team and I am sure David's trust in Jolyon allowed him to focus on his performance without it being clouded by his role as executive producer.
Vince McKee joins a long list of morally ambiguous characters in television. What do you think it is about the 鈥榓nti-hero鈥� that audiences find so attractive?
For me the anti-hero stories are attractive because they allow the audience to have a complex relationship with the characters, while not always agreeing with their actions. An anti-hero is provocative and flawed and tests the empathy of the viewer and I feel audiences like to be challenged this way. I also think characters with a moral complexity are easier to relate to.
What was unique about filming in Manchester?
I grew up just outside of Manchester and have very fond memories of this great city. As a location it offered us everything and more. It would have been practically impossible to achieve the drama of the driving sequences in any other city on the budget we had. Manchester has an incredibly strong and diverse pool of talent, both creative and technical.
