British 23-year-old filmmaker and director Jim Longden about humor and his Chronicles of a Tumour: «I thought if I’m going to die, at least I could have a legendary final set of photos
Early interest and fascination for filmmaking – Jim Longden
Life experiences, songs, and stories all spark inspiration for director Jim Longden. Now 23, already with three short films and countless photography collections, Longden explains where it all started. Growing up in a multicultural household in the UK, he became fascinated with VHS tapes and DVDs, «The fascination started when I was young, times where a child should be playing with toys». Their tangible element sparked interest at first, even before he explored the contents.
Jim Longden – In the Mood for Love and Les Choristes
Before long, he fell into different genres of film, even ones he was too young to understand. Longden names the likes of In the Mood for Love and Les Choristes as his introduction to the elements making up a well-rounded film. From a young age, he understood the balance that must be struck between cinematography, acting, and music.
His fascination with film gave Longden a head-start, which proved useful later on. Having dropped out of school early, Longden never pursued traditional film or photography education. What he could have missed from that front, he made up for with his long history of analytically watching movies. Combined with his skillful balancing of the budget scales by knowing where to step back without compromising the vision, Longden is already making his mark on the filmmaking world.
Traditional film training versus alternatives in Jim Longden’s work
As soon as he left school, Longden embarked on a journey of finding his place in the filmmaking world. «I pretty much did the solo, generic, young guy in the city trying to do what he loves», he jokes. Freedom and figuring things out emerged as two opposed concepts throughout this phase.
Learning from people and the way they work was a heavy process for a 16-year-old at the time. This knowledge came at the price of wondering how things may have worked out if he had pursued traditional education. Despite acknowledging the bittersweet feeling, Longden is quick to distance himself from regret. His route gave him more time and freedom to explore, which he admits having taken advantage of to the fullest.
Jim Longden, Larry David without the humor
Longden reminisces of a time when he snuck into a university lecture that his close friend was enrolled in. Expecting a large room with bright-eyed students, disappointed would be an understatement given what he encountered. Just a handful of people, all wondering who he was, were listening to a professor who Longden describes as «Larry David without the humor». The moral of his lecture? It’s all about who you know.
This was a very demotivating stance for an aspiring director. Longden looks back at how all he could do was think about the effort he was putting into research and creating his films. To him, making it in the industry is about your determination and problem-solving skills. Of course, showing your films at festivals and screenings, or having them on good platforms helps, but it’s what you manage to make of it all that counts.
Jim Longden: being a young talent in the film industry
«I was very much doubted by every production company I approached with my first film», Longden recounts. He would leave most meetings feeling uninspired and not understood. Even approaching with a vision of a multiple location, 20-minute short film, he was received with the expectation of filming it on a small handheld digital camera and basing it all in one room.
Sticking to his goal and vision, Longden persevered until he came across the production company Curly, whose owners he was introduced to by a friend. They put their faith in his work, especially given that he was able to raise all the funds himself with the support of friends like Dexter Navy and Lily Gavin. The result was a film with the same trailer that everybody had rejected and made it seem impossible, which was in the end seen by thousands of people. «It obviously made me very happy that I’ve managed to get to that point, but also very upset that nobody trusted me at the start».
Longden points out the countless companies emphasizing their support for young filmmakers yet never following up on this billboard motto statement. The constant hustle and struggle of borderline begging for support to make independent films puts many young talents off. Understanding that companies aim to be careful with their investments, the fact that most claim to support the young generation more than they do remains hard to reason with.
Jim Longden – photography and keeping a sense of humor in work
Just when he was convinced that his love for films could not evolve anymore, the pandemic hit. «Films were the closest thing we had to reality», Longden explains. That Christmas, he was taken to the hospital and found out he had Covid. This birthed a series of events that led to Longden realizing he had a brain tumor.
Luckily enough, it was a benign tumor, but it still had to be removed via surgery. A battle of his subconscious and conscious minds developed, one believing he was going to die while the latter convincing himself he would stay alive. Nevertheless, he had his 35 millimeter camera with him the whole time. «I thought if I’m going to die, at least I could have a legendary final set of photos».
Jim Longden’s Chronicles of a Tumour
The photo series, Chronicles of a Tumour, is one of the best examples of Longden’s sense of humor reflecting itself onto his work. Staying positive and active not only literally kept him alive, but also taught him that as an artist, he had to be completely there for himself and not rely on others. During his six-month recovery, he once again kept his leash on sanity through the comfort of films.
Longden’s shoot for Lampoon also carries the same spirit and approach as his other works. It all ties into his film work through Lily Gavin, who not only aided him in this shoot, but was the first person to ever invest in a film of his. The shoot came together quite sporadically, as Longden calls it, with Gavin photographing him as they ran around in the rain in London.
Jim Longden – the thin line between collecting and obsessing
Longden’s interest was initially sparked when he was going through his childhood photos taken by his mother. A touching moment, it reminded him of the very concept of remembering. He then started to carry a camera around with him at all times, aiming to capture our times in the world which could be forgotten.
Evolving into a more artistic form of street photography, he still tied everything together with the idea of keeping memories. «In a hundred years’ time, you never know which type of photos will be used to show what time was like in our day and age», he adds. Editorials are similar, and it’s all about exploring and finding out what he can get up to.
Jim Longden: I want to be able to show growth without becoming obsessed
Collecting also took the form of collecting movie tickets throughout his life. Longden points out the thin line between collecting versus obsession, and hints that this will be the focus of his upcoming feature film. With this in mind, he sorts filmmakers into two: ones that put out new films more often, and those that make a film every few years while putting their all into every one of them.
Longden wishes to be in the prior category, steering clear of obsessing over one work in a way that could play with his mind, and contributing to his dream of having a rich filmography in the future. His goal is for people to be able to feel the phases in his life and feel his opinions and state of mind through the evolution of his work over time. «I want to be able to show growth without becoming too obsessed with one project».
Creative process for filmmaking and Jim Longden’s plans for the future
A blank notebook is Longden’s go-to when he gets his creativity flowing. Avoiding computers, he opts for the sense of satisfaction that ticking things off paper gives him. This was also how he worked on his latest film, Puddles of Muddles. Moving to Glasgow for a few months with his girlfriend, he gave himself time and space to work on the script, while his friend worked on the storyboards and animation. Despite the satire and almost dark atmosphere of the film, Longden expresses how content he felt.
Playing the Spanish guitar also helps, and sometimes puts him in a trance of emotion, which triggers moments of action, emotion, or dialogue within his films. Having done all the original scores for his films so far, he also credits Matt Elliott, «who’s much better than me», in creating what he views as one of the most crucial elements of a well-rounded film.
Jim Longden – Where You Are When You Don’t Know Where You Are
With the added motivation after he left the hospital, Longden entered his new era of a new awakening. He took all his films off the internet and will be releasing a DVD containing all three. This move to more traditional formats is supported by another project, which will have a famed cinema releasing all of his films in a ticketed screening. A book of short stories is also in the works, called Memoirs of a Balloon, which will feature ten short stories including some film ideas that lacked budget.
Another book Longden is working on is called Where You Are When You Don’t Know Where You Are, and it’s a collection of a hundred photos he took over several years. To keep active between his projects, he has also signed to three production companies based in the UK, France and Germany to represent him for videos and commercials. Perhaps the most exciting upcoming project is his debut feature film. Past and future successes all add up to even more reason to keep Jim Longden on a list of directors to keep an eye out for.
Jim Longden
Jim Longden is a 23-year-old filmmaker and director. After his three short films – To Erase a Cloud, Don’t Look at Me, and Puddle of Muddles – he is now developing a full-length feature film. Aside from his work in film, he is also active as a photographer and video maker.
