Wow, so it has been a long time, and really I have no one to blame but myself. The truth is, I’ve started writing for a gaming website called Padinga.com, and that takes up so much of my time that I scarcely get a chance to come over here and chat with you guys. I’m also surprised at how exhausting the Top 25 has been. Writing those freaking things feels like a mini-dissertation every time.
But it’s okay! Because I’m back.
I recently had a chance to attend the “Hero Complex” Film Festival, which was a great little three-day event held at the Chinese Theater. Each day, a couple of movies are shown, and then a VIP guest is brought in for a Q and A with the audience. I attended the second day, where they screened “Insomnia” and “The Dark Knight,” and then…gasp…they had Christopher Nolan. Now I’ve seen this man several times now in person, some of you may recall that I broke onto the set of “Inception” and even got to work on the flick a little, but it’s still great to see him again. Here are some bullet points from the conversation:
-He’s not thrilled with 3-D yet. He’s very cautious and put it gently, but he pointed out that calling a traditional movie “2-D” is a misnomer, since there’s not really much difference between the simulated depth cues of a normal film and the actual objects we encounter in day-to-day life. He also pointed out that 3-D makes an image incredibly dim, which he intensely dislikes. Wally Pfister, his DP, has pointed out before that Chris is one of the more knowledgeable directors when it comes to cinematography and things of the sort. Sounds like he was right.
-Nolan talked a little about Robin Williams in “Insomnia.” He said that it was one of the few performances he ever got which never wore down in the editing room. He also pointed out that Williams actually shot “One Hour Photo” before “Insomnia,” and many were worried about the two coming out too near each other. In general, Chris shruggingly conceded that he’s often in the situation where another movie is stepping on his toes. The obvious example is “The Prestige” and “The Illusionist.” His attitude is, there’s nothing you can do, you just have to focus on your movie.
-I didn’t actually know this, but Nolan revealed that he wrote the last draft of “Insomnia” before they shot it. He gave lots of credit to the credited screenwriter, and made it sound like his version was just a polish/tweak kind of thing.
-Nolan discussed a little bit what it’s like to shoot a movie. He admitted that directing, while exciting, is also pretty exhausting, and by the end of a shoot you’re just desperate for it to be over. He also revealed he has a particular fondness for the editing stage.
-Chris claims that he has neither email nor a cell phone. I literally refuse to believe that. It cannot possibly be true. His assistant’s job must be a living hell.
-Comic writer Ed Brubaker was in the crowd, and asked Chris to discuss his writing method. Chris responded that he does not actually outline his scripts, and even with non-sequential things like “Memento,” he writes the scenes in the order they appear on screen. His reason for this is that his first film, “Following,” was written in chronological order and then sliced up, and he found that this made the pacing and flow of the movie hard to control.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Ridley Scott attended and answered questions after a screening of “Alien” and “Blade Runner.” Be still, my beating heart. Here’s some of his highlights:
-He insists that his on-set tensions with Harrison Ford on “Blade Runner” have been overstated. He didn’t make a convincing case, though.
-He is doing an “Alien” prequel, and is actually hoping to make two of them. He wants to get into the Space Jockey from the original. In case you don’t recall, that was the corpse in that giant telescope-type chair that they come across in the U-shaped space ship. Ridley postulated that the gigantic body we see in that suit is actually some kind of mechanical suit, and the alien being died while wearing it.
-He staunchly defends even his bad movies, claiming he enjoyed making every single one of them, and does not regret any of them.
-I’ve heard him point this out several times, but Ridley re-emphasized his belief that directors should be autonomous, and make decisions that are sovereign on set. Directing “by committee” leads to confusion and chaos. I agree.
-Claimed that he cast Sigourney Weaver as Ripley because she was tall and physically impressive, giving off an air that was right for the part.
Anywho, that’s all for now, but there will be more soon!
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