Interview with Paul Morris: Glasgow College Student to Filmmaker
“For me, it was really about a kind of a self-discovery thing. It was that time of my life (where) I was trying to figure out, narrow down,” says former City of Glasgow College student Paul Morris, now poised for the release of his first feature film ‘Angry Young Men’ as part of the upcoming Glasgow Film Festival.
Paul both directs and stars in a project that was filmed over the course of five years on a micro-budget, described by the Glasgow Film Theatre as a “coming-of-age gangland comedy, richly infused with echoes of ‘The Wild Bunch’ and the films of John Carpenter.” While Paul agrees with that to an extent, he also cites other inspirations.
“It’s a surreal coming-of-age story which has got the emotional beats of a Scottish upbringing,” says Morris. “But it’s more about how it actually feels than it actually was – it’s not young teams or anything like that, it’s a surreal take on that,
“There’s a sort of mix between Ivan’s Childhood, Army of Shadow’s, Bottle Rocket, and Lord of The Rings so it’s a real mash-up for me. I’d call it an indie epic, it’s quite big even though it’s a tight film - it’s only 84 minutes. I wanted to be bold and ambitious and, tonally, it hits those notes.”
It’s been a long wait for the project to finally hit the screen, dragged out by the pandemic; the most important thing was keeping his cast motivated during that period.
“It was a long period of time, so really just keeping the morale up and trying to not take any liberties with the cast and understand that nobody was getting paid. The hardest part was really scheduling actors and getting everyone together on a certain day because everyone had other commitments – it went on so long that people were having kids!”
The premiere of the film at Glasgow’s Film Theatre on March 9th marks a significant milestone in Morris’ career as a filmmaker. From initially making “daft” sketches with his friends, Paul realised it was a path he wanted to explore further.
“I realised I was really into filmmaking, and I was watching more films – I thought, well what is it you’d rather do? (Do you) want to be in front of the camera or behind it,” Paul says, adding that he ultimately opted for the latter.
Part of Paul’s development as a filmmaker included a writing course taken at the City of Glasgow College in 2013, an experience that he recalls fondly for the opportunity to meet like-minded people, with Vince Gilligan’s ‘Breaking Bad’ provoking lively debate with his peers.
“It was great because you met these people who were all similarly minded; they introduce you to stuff they liked, and you discussed the films that were on. ‘Breaking Bad’ was on at the time, so it was great to hear their point of view.
“The community of the course was great. Also, getting this sort of technical aspect from certain lecturers was great. I realised from what we were told there was a great education because the bottom line was to make it happen. You have to go out and you have to make it, you have to do it yourself and push forward.”
“I’d call it an indie epic, it’s quite big even though it’s a tight film - it’s only 84 minutes. I wanted to be bold and ambitious and tonally it hits those notes.” Photo: Paul Morris
Indeed, Paul adds that it wasn’t just a case of doing the course and expecting to get a job straight from it.
“If it’s something you want to do, then there does come a time where you have to sit down and do it. That can be the hardest part, whether it’s putting pen to paper or booking days to film with people and getting over that anxiety.
“It’s not just a case of ‘I did my course; can I get a job?’ There needs to be an edge – what is it that makes you good at what you do? I think that’s true of filmmaking or writing, you do have to have that extra bit.”
So, what advice does Paul have for any students who may be inspired to follow in his footsteps?
“During your time there, soak it in, do as much as you can. Whether the medium is reading, writing, or watching films, making stuff, just do as much as you can. Enjoy your time with each other.”
While the premiere of ‘Angry Young Men’ on March 9th is sold out, tickets are still available for the screening the following day.
Paul will also be taking part in a panel discussion at the Centre of Contemporary Arts on Saturday 5th of March. Tickets are free and can be booked through EventBrite.