From studying economics, philosophy, literature and political economy in university and working in magazine ad departments, to writing and directing in television and film on both sides of the border, Tim Southam‘s diverse career has helped him mine some of his favourite themes. Highlights include The Bay of Love and Sorrows, Drowning in Dreams, One Dead Indian, Trudeau: Maverick in the Making, as well as directing for series such as Flashpoint, Rookie Blue, House and Bones. He answered a few questions recently about his career through a Canadian lens:
Some of the current Canadian series you’ve directed include Rookie Blue, Haven, Flashpoint – any highlights (or dirt) to share about working on those?
Flashpoint and Rookie Blue are great examples of pan-North American thinking in Canadian TV production, and of a real home-grown confidence about the kind of story that can appeal to audiences around the world. We’ve had this confidence for a long time in movies and documentaries, and we’ve always known that we had the skills and imagination to do it in series TV. It’s just harder in series because of the sheer scale of the enterprise. Witnessing the producing and creative tour-de-force that put us in this position has been exciting.
Haven is less explicitly home-grown than Flashpoint or Rookie Blue, but it is an example of our ability to work the genre card to a fairly exacting level and then play convincingly to a niche audience worldwide. All three shows know exactly what they want to be. For a guest director this is a critical factor in delivering a strong result. You want a capable production team that can state clearly what it’s going for, and one that’s confident enough to trust the director to deliver it. All three shows have these qualities.
Continue reading Director Tim Southam on getting into bed with good ideas
