Interview With Director Philippa Lowthorpe (H Is For Hawk)

Based on Helen Macdonald’s best-selling 2014 memoir, H Is for Hawk has been a feature at several major film festivals, including Telluride and London. With the film opening on the 23^rd January across the UK, we spoke to director Phillipa Lowthorpe about the unique challenges presented by the film, particularly in its breathtaking nature sequences. Philippa also discussed collaborating with Room author Emma Donoghue and the performance of Claire Foy as Macdonald.

When did you first become aware of the MEMOIR?

I was introduced to Helen’s memoir when I was first contacted about possibly directing the project. My own Dad had recently died, so reading it felt incredibly emotional and truthful. I felt I had to make this film.

How involved was Helen Macdonald in the film?

Helen was involved right from the start. They were incredibly encouraging and generous with their insights on the script as it evolved. Helen even lent us many treasures for our set for filming, including feathers, skulls, egg shells, pictures and a stone in a yellow macrame knitted covering.

How did you find collaborating with Emma Donoghue on the screenplay?

Emma is a wonderful collaborator and a brilliant writer. I had always been a fan of her novels so it was exciting to know that she was attached to write the screenplay. When I came on board, we spent time together at Emma’s home in Canada, discussing and shaping, and then continued to work from there.

Can you talk us through directing the sequences with Mabel and the nature sequences? That must have been something completely new for you and the crew?

Yes, this was totally new to all of us.

I started planning how to film the Mabel hunting sequences with Lloyd and Rose Buck, our Hawk experts, more than a year before we started filming. We knew early on that we would have to structure the filming around the hawks. Lloyd had trained his two Goshawks – Lottie and Yuha – to fly with little tiny drones next to them for Natural History documentaries, and also to tolerate a film camera being near to them. So the previous year, we spent time testing techniques and lenses and working out what we could do better. We filmed the nature sequences after the main unit had finished with a minimal crew, using local experts in wildlife cinematography, but also pushing them out of their comfort zone.

Most natural history is filmed in extreme slow motion so you can observe the creature, but DOP Charlotte Bruus Christensen and I wanted to have a much more visceral feel to our shots. We wanted the camera work to be rougher, and we liked the imperfections. We wanted to feel the excitement and sheer energy of Mabel’s speed, as if we were flying with her.

It took the natural history guys and Lloyd a bit of time to get their heads round that and trust us! But they are thrilled with the results. And we relied on their incredible skill to achieve this. Mark Payne Gill, a well known wildlife camera man, filmed many of the shots of Mabel flying straight to camera. He focusses the camera himself, without a focus puller – Charlotte and I were in awe of his skill.

To prepare for the earlier sequences in the movie when Helen is training Mabel in her house, I spent time with Lloyd watching him train the two Mabel sisters who would play Mabel in the film. Producer Dede Gardner had allowed us to buy the eggs from which the two Mabels were hatched in preparation for the film. I learned so much from just watching Lloyd. I understood that the camera had to be close to the hawk, and be free to move and readjust and react in the moment. We had a rule with Claire that we would film whatever unfolded in front of us. Charlotte is brilliant at handheld camera operating, and she captured many of these truly magical moments.

In Helen’s house, whenever hawks were on set, the crew had to hide in various rooms upstairs. We had to make the environment completely hawk-centric. Everyone had to wear dark clothes, no bright colours. Charlotte had to hide her bright blond hair under a dark cap.

Were there any particular influences for the nature sequences, an obvious comparison is perhaps Kes?

Goshawks are totally different from kestrels and fly in a completely different way. Goshawks are huge and fly very fast and close to the ground, while Kestrels are small and fly high. So, though I love it, we couldn’t use Kes as a comparison. There wasn’t really a comparison that we could use!

Instead, Charlotte and I studied a lot of natural history footage of Goshawks and quickly learned that we wanted to subvert the orthodox way of shooting natural history, which is incredibly slow and observational in style. We wanted our sequences to have a visceral energy and make us feel like we were flying with the hawk.

We planned the hunting sequences meticulously, with storyboards, just as you would an action sequence. So I think – although it sounds daft – action films like “Bourne Supremacy” were more of an influence for us.

With so much of the focus on Helen’s grief and relationship with Mabel, the casting was vital. Can you tell us about working with Claire Foy and her performance?

Working with Claire Foy was an absolute joy. I had worked with Claire on The Crown, so I was very excited to work with her again on Hawk. We needed an actor who could hold the screen visually and also express the interiority of a character, as there is often little dialogue in the film. Claire can do all this and more. The way Claire bares her soul to the camera is utterly compelling. She inhabits “Helen” so fully and authentically, and at the same time, she is dealing with a real-life Goshawk.

(Claire underwent falconry training with Lloyd and Rose Buck before we started filming, and luckily for us she turned out to be a complete natural.)

Also, the way Claire tracks Helen’s emotional journey is brilliantly instinctive and brave. Her performance as Helen is outstanding – powerful and raw, tender and heartbreaking.

You must have been delighted that the film was one of the Gala’s at the London Film Festival?

It was an honour to be selected for Telluride Film festival and then to be chosen for the Patron’s Gala at LFF was incredible. I’ve never had a film shown in such a huge auditorium before. The royal festival hall was packed with around 2500 people!

Is there anything else you’d like to cover on H Is for Hawk?

I worked with Shaheen Baig as casting director, and we were blessed with an incredible supporting cast on Hawk. Brendan Gleeson brings so much joyful energy and wit to his role of Helen’s Dad. It was wonderful to see Claire and Brendan’s genuine rapport shine through on screen. Their scenes together are gold. Similarly, Denise Gough, who plays Helen’s real-life best friend, Christina. Denise brings so much humour to her role and is so funny! Lindsay Duncan and Josh Dylan are perfect as Helen’s mum and brother, and Sam Spruell, who also had to undergo falconry training for his role as Stuart, brings a gruff humanity to his scenes with Claire. I am very proud of them all.

Hawk is a low-budget independent film which would not have been made without the dedication and determination of our producer, Dede Gardner. Making H is for Hawk has been an incredible experience, not least because of the many heartfelt and moving conversations I’ve had with audience members after our recent Q&A screenings; Claire’s portrayal of Helen’s grief, recovery and ultimately hope, through the crazy training of a goshawk, seems to really speak to people. Maybe because – as Helen says – H is for Hawk is ultimately about love.