Bird's Eye View

Jordan Scott Makes her Feature Film Debut

Cracks director: Jordan Scott

Jordan Scott has wanted to direct feature films for a long time – it was just a question of finding the right material. And when Cracks came along, she knew instantly that she’d found the script that she was waiting for. Set in an austere, all girls’ boarding school, Cracks is a dark and troubling story of obsession and loss of innocence.  Scott has directed short films – including Never Never and Portrait – and contributed a segment to All The Invisible Children, a collection of seven short films with a common theme, the exploitation of children, which also included sections from Spike Lee and John Woo. For Scott, 30, filmmaking is in the blood. Her father, Sir Ridley Scott, has directed modern classics including Alien, Thelma and Louise, and Gladiator. Her mother, Sandy Watson, is a producer and her uncle, Tony Scott, and brother, Jake Scott, are directors. She has also directed commercials for several leading brands including Prada, Renault and Land Rover. Cracks is her feature film debut.

Did you see the script first or the book?

I was given the screenplay to read. It’s a little different from the novel.  The book is set in South Africa in the sixties.   And the main character, Miss G, is very different - much more extreme.

The third very important character is Di played by Juno Temple who is besotted with Miss G…

I think Miss G is everything to all of the girls. If they see her as the big sister then that’s the role that she plays. Then she’s the mother to some of them, or the best friend. But to Di I think she’s big sister, best friend, and her guru. She’s everything to her and it very much plays on that idea of the platonic schoolgirl crush.

Jordan directing a scene from Cracks

Teenage girls have very intense relationships and these are magnified aren’t they by being at a boarding school?

Yes, 100 times over. You have to protect your happiness and your place in the pack. Plus everything in Di’s world is hinged on this woman, Miss G – and it’s the same for all the girls, because they’re all incredibly young and their fathers are officers in the army and they’re essentially abandoned for one reason or the other. So Miss G fills the shoes of all these absent family members. Di just idolises her, and she gets the most attention because she’s the captain of the (diving) team, and in a way Miss G sees the most amount of herself in this girl, that is until the new girl comes to the school. And what we start to realise about Miss G is that she’s completely narcissistic and that actually its not about these girls, it’s all about her.
When Fiamma comes in, Di’s entire world is threatened and completely undermined. She realises Fiamma’s better at everything and effortlessly so. She can outdo Di on every conceivable level, plus she’s going to be replaced and go down a step in the pecking order, so she has to do what she has to do to protect it.

Visually the diving is a striking image for a filmmaker. And of course it represents freedom..

Oh yes, it’s a fantastic image. The girls we cast as the diving doubles have been amazing. And I loved what the swimming and diving represented – the moment when they were fully in control of themselves and strong and fantastically expressive.

Did you go to boarding school yourself?

No I went to a day school.

But do you recognise the dynamic amongst the girls?

Yes, absolutely. I went to an all girls’ school. And you get this dynamic in all schools but especially in all girls’ schools. You just live and breathe everything with these people. It’s your entire life. And with girls those relationships are so much more intense, and so you put so much more weight and emphasis on them -  If you feel remotely rejected or cast out, not part of your peers, it can be devastating.

Was school a good experience for you?

I found it quite difficult. Anything remotely institutional frightens me. But I had a great school. I made wonderful friends. But school was hard. Nobody really enjoys it, do they? It’s an alien environment really.

Is it a different experience in England than in other countries, do you think?

We’ve sort of stuck by our traditions. The British school system is such an institution, especially when it comes to boarding schools.

Tell me about the actress, Maria Valverde, who plays Fiamma. Where did you find her?

She’s a very established young actress in Spain. And she’s just wonderful.

Was it important that you cast your Miss G first?

Absolutely. Because those relationships are so exact it had to be a very specific trickle down effect, and it starts with Miss G.

Eva Green as Ms G.

She tells me that you wrote to her about the role. So you hadn’t met her when your father did Kingdom of Heaven?

No. But he did tell me she was fantastic, But I had never met her before.

Why is it called Cracks? Is it because Miss G’s façade is coming apart?

We maybe need to change the name because it has other connotations too (laughter). But in the book in South Africa at the time Crack meant like a crush or a ‘pash’ (passion). So they used to talk about pashes and Cracks, meaning crushes. But yes it also means her façade is cracking.

You must have been on so many film sets. What was the first you can remember being on?

The first I can remember was Legend (1985), one of my dad’s films, and I was a stunt double for the main character, the Princess, which I though was the coolest thing ever.

Were they fun places for a kid?

Yes, it was always a magical experience, stepping into another world. But at seven, it was this perfect fairytale kingdom that existed on The Bond set at Pinewood Studios and you can imagine how enormous it was. It had these giant redwood trees and there were animals flying around. I think I thought this place actually existed and it was really exciting. It had a massive impact.

And do you remember other films dotted throughout your childhood?

Yes, but my dad was quite careful to not expose me to too much, and a lot of things were probably kept away from which I’m very happy about now. I never went to LA or anything like that. But if it was something like the Legend set he took me along.

But when did you start to think that you might want to become involved in filmmaking yourself?

Well, it was my whole family’s line of work.  So it comes at you from all sides. So pretty early on.

Where did you go to art school?

I went o the Art Centre in Pasadena, California, which was a great school. But I didn’t finish. It wasn’t for me. I just wanted to get out there and be in the trenches somehow. I just wanted to get a job.

Were you starting to admit that you’re future was in film at that point?

Yes, before I went I’d been working in a bit of video production and commercial production and started working in the art department, and it’s addictive so that was that.

And did you stay in LA?

Yes. I wanted to be near my family. But I divided my time between LA and London. I spent a lot of time in London because I think you’d go mad otherwise. But having so many family members in one place you do want to be there, and I started working on the production side of things and I wanted to try to direct something, and then the woman was working for said ‘see if you can find some band that are willing to take you on, and get yourself a video…’ And that was it.

And what was it like to find yourself on that side of the camera?

It’s different when you are doing it yourself.  Being on a lot of film sets and watching from the sidelines, it all seems so smooth and civilised until you are sitting in the chair (laughs).

But being able to learn at the feet of one of the best directors in the world must have been invaluable?

Yes absolutely invaluable - constant exposure and advice is very helpful.

Have you been thinking about doing a feature for a while?

Yes, but I never wanted to take the leap until it was absolutely right – most importantly with the right piece of material. Because you want to make sure that the first time out of the gate you’re doing the right thing, or the right thing for you at least, or it would be hopeless.

The cast of Cracks

Are you planning to keep going with the movie career now or do you think you might return to advertising?

Both! The great thing about doing commercials is that it was basically my film school. I figured it out through advertising. And I think it’s valuable to be able to do commercials between films, it keeps your head in that space because it’s great to be on a set and shooting. And if you have any mad idea you want to try out visually, well, it’s a great place for trying your new idea and inventions.

The more films that you do, the less people will mention the fact that you are Ridley’s daughter. But for now they are obviously going to bring it up. Does that bother you?

Not really because I have a great relationship with my dad and I embrace the idea of us working together, and I’m poised for the consequences! I also think that once you make that decision, you can’t worry about it. It’s pointless, so I don’t go down that road.

Cracks is out Friday 4th December.  For more information, visit our First Weekenders page.