Tracey Larcombe

Having come out of college and failed at various auditions for drama schools, I applied for a job as a TV production assistant for the Essex Police Force. Initially I had no idea what this would involve but I did think it sounded exciting. I spent the next two years learning SO much. Not just on the TV production side which included news gathering, presenting, script writing and editing, but also about the police force itself and how it works. And, perhaps more importantly, about people. I worked with various different levels of officer – from Cadet to Chief Constable, from various departments, and came away with a real understanding of police mentality and procedure, which has helped immensely in so much of the directing work I do now. I feel that was a really important step, though certainly not an obvious one, to achieving my eventual goal. I then travelled a VERY winding and rather long road to get to the next stage. 

After the police job, I spent two years in the US as an au pair, during which I worked a little for Channel 7 as a runner, which was great fun and gave me an insight into the US networks behind the scenes. On my return I had no idea how to get into TV or Film so ended up, out of necessity, taking a job in advertising. I think there are two points to take from these experiences. 

One is that there will be times, most of the time for most of us, that when you just have to earn a living you just have to get a job, any job. So sometimes you just have to take what is in front of you. Even if it seems to take you off of the path you feel you should be on, to where you eventually want to be.  That’s just how it often is in the real world. But in doing this and by putting your best efforts into that job, those people, you will ALWAYS get something out of it; it will be what you make it. I ended up working for six years in advertising and yes, I always think I would now be a younger more experienced director at this point if I’d come to it sooner. But the experience in diplomacy and the creative process between different parties has proved invaluable to me now. For example: Think, ITV exec – versus independent writers – versus director – versus producer. Everyone has to agree on a cast, and you as a director want to get what you want, the same as everyone else. But not everyone will agree with each other’s choices most of the time. And that whole process was played out time and time again in the advertising agency, so put me in great stead to navigate my way through the process as a director, and still, with a few compromises, get what I want.  

The second point is that if someone offers to help you with some work experience somewhere you are interested in working, or in something you think may be useful, TAKE IT.  Even if it’s unpaid, and sometimes may even end up costing you money, TAKE IT.  With the right approach and enthusiasm you will a) make contacts; b) get experience; and c) you may even get a job at the end of it. This is how I made my first move into TV production for the BBC. I took voluntary redundancy from my managerial job in advertising and, aged 28, through a contact in a media firm who knew someone in sport, went to do work experience in BBC Sport. I played rugby at the time (I know, right?!), and someone once told me, if you are in unchartered territory, go with what you know. And I knew about rugby. Very little about other sports, but I bluffed my way through those. After the two weeks of work experience I was offered a three-month contract, then another six months, which was then extended into a two-year contract. I LOVED working for the BBC, despite the politics and the, at times, rather bizarre working practices (so many people I know at the BBC can’t watch W1A because of how scarily accurate it is!), but I was proud to work there. After two years I was approached by Sky Sports to produce and co-present their weekly rugby programme and moved across to the dark side.

I spent three very happy and fun years there but, having realised that rugby was great to play and watch, but when you worked in it, not only were you never at home, but for ever after any game of rugby for pleasure felt too much like work. I NEVER feel that way about film and TV. So, I emailed the head of entertainment at the time, Sophie Turner-Laing, explaining that, having worked in sport for three years there, I would love to make the switch to movies. The head of movies, after all, came from Soccer AM. Assuming she would a) ignore the email or b) get one of her minions to reply directing me to the Sky job website, to my surprise she emailed me straight back and we had a chat. After a day of shadowing one of the producers there, I was put on a fairly low daily rate to come in on average a day or so a week, log tapes and basically do the donkey work. But I didn’t care, it was where I wanted to be. As I’d had experience of editing way back in the Police TV unit, and then at Sky Sports, the machines didn’t intimidate me too much and I soon found myself being offered a staff job as a producer. I was ever closer to where I wanted to be, though there was still a little way to go yet. Again, two things to point out here that may seem obvious but even if you think something is a crazy long shot, i.e. emailing the head of the 2nd biggest department at Sky asking for a job from a completely different department. And getting that job.  Secondly, the phrase ‘do something that scares you every day’, is a popular phrase for a very good reason. I had NO clue really about interviewing movie stars, only that I’d had plenty of experience chatting about films and interviewing sports stars, how different could it be? Then putting together programmes for Sky Movies, being in charge of a channel, making a movie show for that channel all fitted into place and became second nature, having seemed so terrifying at first.  The other thing I learnt from interviewing producers, as well as being one was, along with the knowledge that I NEVER WANTED TO DO THAT JOB AGAIN, I had an invaluable understanding of what they did and just how tricky their job was. So, much like actors, I have nothing but respect for the good ones. As with everything, there are great producers and there are terrible producers… the skill is hoping you can spot the difference before you get stuck working with the latter. 

After a couple of years doing film junkets, meeting some fantastic actors and directors and watching as many films as I could get my hands on, I left Sky and spent a year in LA.  Again through a producer I met randomly on set, stayed in touch with, and when they said, “Why don’t you come to LA?” they, unlike so many times when you hear that phrase over here, really meant it. So I booked a flight, left my flat and friends in London and set off for LA. There I made some more excellent contacts and got some more amazing experience in and around the industry. For me, it took away the mystique of the place and, in many ways, the intimidation for when I work there in the future. I went there not really wanting anything from it and came back having gained so much. People say many things about LA; it’s vacuous and cut-throat, glamorous and exciting. Yes, it can be all of those things, but it is largely about choosing how you spend your time, and most of all who you spend it with. I came back full of confidence and enthusiasm and decided the only way to make some money to make my own short films and stay in the business I knew I wanted to have a career in, was to set up my own production company. Initially making EPKs (electronic press kits for films) and behind the scenes features, with a view to bigger projects and my own features. The one thing about working with so many EPK’s at Sky was that I knew which ones were really well made and therefore, the ones we would use to promote films, and the ones we wouldn’t, that helped immensely when pitching for jobs. 

Two of the best things that came out of this venture was a) money – I could earn a living working in the industry I loved and felt I belonged; b) working on so many film and TV sets again meant I getting to meet and interact with some fabulous actors/directors and producers. But mostly I got to watch and learn from some amazingly talented directors.  Many of whom I still see and am lucky enough to have been mentored by and worked with, which I will be forever grateful to them for; and c) I learnt how to shoot and edit my own material, thus saving me money and giving me another skill which is uber useful as a director. Besides the huge bonus of being able to edit my own showreel, but also, having experience of cutting material together, learning about sound and grading, really helped me to understand and appreciate the process of the editors I work with now. It also means when you read a script and shoot scenes, knowing exactly how much material you need and editing it mentally while you’re shooting, so you tend to over shoot much less.  

Within a few months of being back from LA, I landed my first proper paid directing job. One of my fellow producers at Sky, who had left to join UKTV, called me up and asked if I could direct a 5-part online series called FC Dave. Saying yes, despite being terrified I couldn’t actually do it, was one of the best decisions of my life, and a huge turning point. My friend had given me the best opportunity ever, and I couldn’t let him down. I will also be forever in his debt. Directing on set was not only the first time I genuinely felt like I had come home, but it was the most fun I’d EVER had; that was it. I may have to do more EPKs and BTS features, but directing was where I NEEDED to be. 

Soon after that, I was asked through one of the guys we had cast in the mockumentary to direct a short film. As the script was initially, there was a small cameo role for the entertainer Lionel Blair. So, I got the phone number for his agent, and he listened to my proposition, asking if Lionel would be prepared to do a small cameo in a short film.  That same afternoon my phone rang.  It was Lionel Blair. On my phone. Now, don’t get me wrong, only people of a certain age will get this now, but he was a LEGEND in entertainment when I was growing up, so this was big. 

Again, I can’t say enough, and still do to casting directors who are reluctant to go out on a limb and ask the question, don’t EVER be afraid to go after someone, whether it be cast or crew, even if you think they’ll never do your job in a million years. You JUST NEVER KNOW!  

Lionel Blair not only said he would be happy to be in the film, he was buzzing about it. I felt this was an opportunity not to be missed. But, we had to make his part bigger, and that meant challenging the writer to a bit of a re-write.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t keen to do this, and after many iterations and the usual to’ing and fro’ing of scripts and, eventually, the writer, I ended up writing my own script, based around Lionel Blair. It was called Being Lionel, a bitter-sweet tale of jealously, revenge and regret. The process was challenging and fun and again, I leant on the contacts I’d made doing EPKs and begged borrowed and stole time, equipment and people – and it was another brilliant experience. The post-production side was more of a challenge but after more persuasion and a few disappointments and favours the finished film was screened with cast, crew and friends in January 2013. A mere 15 years after my first job at BBC Sport, and 23 years after my first TV job for the Police Force.  I don’t regret a single year, but I relish and appreciate every single day I am a director now because of how long it took me to get here.  And when I say ‘here’, it’s all relative, there’s a little way still to go before I direct that Bond film.