David Slade

Director

• Born: September 26, 1969
• Place of Birth: Yorkshire, England

Contribution: David Slade is a British film director best known for his films Hard Candy (2005), 30 Days of Night (2007), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018).

Background

David Slade was born on September 26, 1969, in Yorkshire, England. As a teenager, Slade hung out with local BMX bicyclists and shot short videos of them riding. He attended Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England, where he studied fine arts. In school, he gained experience as a filmmaker by actively using the school’s film processing lab and shooting his own projects with a Super 8 camera. Although he took classes in film theory, Slade taught himself the technical aspects of filmmaking through hands-on practice.

While he was still in college, Slade shot a music video for the English indie band The Wedding Present. Slade has stated that he initially approached music videos as a learning experience, yet he treats music videos as if he were shooting a feature film. After graduating, Slade directed music videos for several popular bands, shooting the videos for “Donkey Rhubarb” by Aphex Twin (1995), “Sour Girl” by Stone Temple Pilots (2000), “Bliss” by Muse (2001), and “Aerials” for System of a Down (2002).

Career

Slade began directing commercials when he was hired to direct an advertisement for the PlayStation video game Silent Hill. This was the first time Slade worked with paid actors whom he did not personally know. In 2004, he directed the ten-minute short Do Geese See God? starring Blair Underwood, which garnered him positive attention from film critics.

After several years of directing music videos, commercials, and shorts, Slade completed his first feature film, the thriller Hard Candy (2005). The controversial film follows a fourteen-year-old girl, portrayed by Ellen Page, as she tortures a thirty-two-year-old alleged sexual predator she met online. Fearing that the producers would back out of the film due to its violent nature, the film was shot very quickly on a minimal budget. The film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and received generally positive reviews.

In September 2005, Slade was hired by Columbia Pictures to direct the horror film 30 Days of Night (2007). Based on the comic book series of the same name, the film tells the story of an Alaskan town invaded by vampires as the month-long polar night approaches. Slade brought in Brian Nelson, the screenwriter for Hard Candy, to rework the script. The film received mixed reviews from critics yet grossed more than $75 million worldwide.

Slade’s next film, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), was his highest-profile feature film to date. Eclipse is the third installment of the popular Twilight series, which focuses on a group of teenage vampires, werewolves, and humans. When he was given the project, Slade immersed himself in the books the films are based on and conducted personal interviews with the films’s teenage actors so he could help them clearly develop their characters.

The release of Eclipse broke midnight-release records in the United States, taking in $30.1 million on its opening night. Critics gave the film generally negative reviews, but it was a hit with the fans of the series and took in more than $695 million worldwide. The film was nominated for and won several awards, earning awards from the National Movie Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and MTV Movie Awards.

Slade then moved into television when he directed an episode of the popular AMC drama series Breaking Bad. Slade’s episode “Open House” aired on July 31, 2011, and it received high marks from critics, particularly for Slade’s direction and use of jump cuts. Slade then directed the pilot episode of the police procedural drama Awake. The pilot aired on March 1, 2012, to mainly positive reviews. Despite the encouraging reception, the show aired only until May 2012 before its cancellation. In 2012, Slade also directed the pilot episode of This American Housewife, a proposed series about the wife of a politician that never aired.

Slade was then hired to direct episodes of the NBC thriller series Hannibal (2013), based on the Hannibal Lecter series of novels by Thomas Harris. Slade directed three episodes of the show’s first season, including the pilot.

In 2018, Slade directed Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the first interactive film for adults from Netflix and a standalone story in the streaming service's Black Mirror dystopian anthology series. The film, about a young programmer whose grip on reality slips as he tries to adapt a choose-your-own-adventure fantasy novel into a video game, allows viewers to make similar choices of their own regarding the film's plot, which has five main endings. The film gives viewers a tutorial on how to choose different endings, then, at different plot points, allows them ten seconds to make each choice, although they also have the option to back up and make different selections. Viewers who do not opt to make choices will be shown a less satisfying default narrative. Bandersnatch won a 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding television movie. For directing the show, Slade shared a 2019 BAFTA Award nomination for best single drama with writer/producer Charlie Brooker and producers Annabel Jones and Russell McLean.

After directing two episodes of the television series Barkskins in 2023, Slade moved on to his next film project, Dark Harvest (2023). Set in the 1960s, Dark Harvest is a horror movie about a small Midwestern town terrorized by a supernatural entity known as Sawtooth Jack.

Impact

Like many film directors, David Slade made the successful transition from commercials to feature films. Even as the budget for each subsequent film grew, Slade continued to approach each project as a learning experience. He has utilized his hands-on approach and trademark camera movements to direct financially successful films and critically acclaimed television episodes.

Personal Life

Slade eloped with his girlfriend of eight years on August 12, 2011. They live in Los Angeles, California.

Bibliography

Buchanan, Kyle. “Eclipse Director David Slade: ‘I Have No Idea Why Anyone Would Hire Me!’” Movieline. PMC, 30 June 2010. Web. 2 Sept. 2013.

"David Slade." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm1720541. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.

Rubin, Peter. “How the Surprise New Interactive Black Mirror Came Together.” Wired, 28 Dec. 2018, www.wired.com/story/black-mirror-bandersnatch-interactive-episode. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.

Slade, David. “David Slade: ‘It Always Feels Like the First Time.’” Interview by Scott Macaulay. My First Shoot. My First Shoot, 15 July 2013. Web. 2 Aug. 2013.

Slade, David. “EP/Director David Slade Discusses Hannibal.” Interview by Kara Howland. TV Goodness. TV Goodness, 14 May 2013. Web. 2 Sept. 2013.

Slade, David. “Exclusive Q&A: David Slade Predicts the Next Twilight, Explains Vampire Allure.” Interview by Brooke Tarnoff. Next Movie. MTV Networks, 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 2 Sept. 2013.

Slade, David. “Mega-Interview: David Slade on Shooting a Serial Killer.” Interview by Jack Giroux. Film School Rejects. Reject Media, 15 Apr. 2013. Web. 2 Sept. 2013.