1 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:07,520 It may sound a little bit strange uh to 2 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,920 hear what qualifies me for this because 3 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,799 I'm somebody who has never learned how 4 00:01:12,799 --> 00:01:15,760 to make films. I was never assistant 5 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:17,759 somewhere in the industry, nor was I 6 00:01:17,759 --> 00:01:21,360 ever at film school. And since I grew up 7 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,720 uh in a very remote uh place in the 8 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,439 Bavarian mountains, we had to flee from 9 00:01:27,439 --> 00:01:32,400 bombardments of Munich, I had no running 10 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,920 water, for example. We had no um yeah, 11 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,640 we had electricity not all the time. We 12 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:43,119 had only an outouse as a toilet. And uh 13 00:01:43,119 --> 00:01:46,640 I did not see films until I was 11. In 14 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:51,759 fact, I was not even aware that cinema 15 00:01:51,759 --> 00:01:55,119 even existed until I was 11. It's hard 16 00:01:55,119 --> 00:01:57,600 to say what I hope from from your side. 17 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,640 I do not know who you are. I do assume 18 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:04,560 that um most of you are younger than I 19 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:07,759 am obviously and that you are aspiring 20 00:02:07,759 --> 00:02:09,360 filmmakers. 21 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,319 And of course, I know there's something 22 00:02:12,319 --> 00:02:16,200 I can pass on. 23 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,560 The terrible thing is it was like meat 24 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:31,920 in a butcher shop. 25 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:35,680 Who are you, Timothy? Who are you, Amy? 26 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,959 And what happened to you? 27 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,599 I'm curious and I still keep learning. I 28 00:02:43,599 --> 00:02:46,800 have done good battle. I mean real good 29 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,920 battle and have my scars and have my 30 00:02:49,920 --> 00:02:54,160 defeats somehow uh you may see me as an 31 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,959 example. How do you survive in in this 32 00:02:56,959 --> 00:03:00,400 industry? How do you still uh against 33 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,280 all adversity are capable to make films? 34 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,360 You see, that's the kind of man you have 35 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:10,480 to deal with uh if you want uh to look 36 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,879 at my master class about directing 37 00:03:12,879 --> 00:03:15,879 movies. 38 00:03:16,159 --> 00:03:20,000 Ultimately, ultimately my own goal is uh 39 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,200 to be a good soldier of cinema. 40 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:27,440 And if I can inspire one or two of you 41 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,519 out there to 42 00:03:29,519 --> 00:03:32,319 uh become a good soldier, then I have 43 00:03:32,319 --> 00:03:37,720 done everything I I should do here. 44 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:40,400 I'm Wa Herzog and this is my master 45 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,400 class. 1 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:15,920 You should know you have to deal with 2 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,119 someone who has not learned how to make 3 00:00:19,119 --> 00:00:20,800 films. 4 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,600 I'm self-taught. 5 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,720 Um, in fact, 6 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,519 uh, during the end of the Second World 7 00:00:29,519 --> 00:00:32,559 War, Munich was bombed and I was only 8 00:00:32,559 --> 00:00:34,640 two weeks old 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:36,559 and 10 00:00:36,559 --> 00:00:38,160 my mother and my brothers were 11 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:42,399 displaced. We fled to the most remote 12 00:00:42,399 --> 00:00:46,559 mountain valley in the Bavarian Alps. 13 00:00:46,559 --> 00:00:49,039 So, I grew up without even knowing that 14 00:00:49,039 --> 00:00:52,079 cinema existed. I didn't see films until 15 00:00:52,079 --> 00:00:56,239 I was 11 and I I only noticed that 16 00:00:56,239 --> 00:00:59,280 something like cinema existed. Later 17 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:01,359 when I was in Munich uh during my 18 00:01:01,359 --> 00:01:02,879 adolescence, 19 00:01:02,879 --> 00:01:07,040 I saw Tarzan and Dr. Fuman Shu and films 20 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:08,960 like that. 21 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:11,920 Of course, uh what would be very highly 22 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,040 advisable is watching other films. Uh 23 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,280 it's not really my thing. I've never 24 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,000 watched many films. I see three, four, 25 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:21,840 maybe five films. Sometimes at a 26 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:26,080 festival a little bit more. Um, but I 27 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:28,240 know for example all the French film 28 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,600 directors from the novel vari 29 00:01:34,159 --> 00:01:36,000 and so on. They were sitting in the 30 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,280 cinematic watching three films a day. 31 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,680 Foreign films without subtitles like the 32 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,159 illiterates. They had to learn they had 33 00:01:44,159 --> 00:01:46,159 to learn how to understand the film and 34 00:01:46,159 --> 00:01:48,479 the story. Anyway, it started for me 35 00:01:48,479 --> 00:01:51,119 with a very primitive film when I was 36 00:01:51,119 --> 00:01:55,680 14, uh, Dr. Fumanju, and I noticed uh, 37 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,640 it was one of these BC pictures that in 38 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,200 a gun battle, a guy was shot from a rock 39 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,680 and he somersaults through the air and 40 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,399 disappears in the ravine. And 10 minutes 41 00:02:06,399 --> 00:02:08,560 later, another gun battle. And all of a 42 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:10,640 sudden, I see these three seconds of the 43 00:02:10,640 --> 00:02:14,879 same guy doing the same kick in midair. 44 00:02:14,879 --> 00:02:16,800 And I knew this was there was something 45 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,520 fake. I always thought it was it was 46 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,120 true what I saw. And I started uh to 47 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:24,879 tell my friends there was something. 48 00:02:24,879 --> 00:02:27,040 Didn't you notice in this other gun 49 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:28,879 battle the same guy was shot down from 50 00:02:28,879 --> 00:02:31,440 the rock again? And nobody had seen it. 51 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,400 And I started to see things films a 52 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:38,080 little bit like this. How uh how was uh 53 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,120 suspense created? Very very important. 54 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:43,599 How do you do that? Hitchcock is a good 55 00:02:43,599 --> 00:02:46,879 one, but not the only good one. Um, how 56 00:02:46,879 --> 00:02:50,560 do you follow a character and sometimes 57 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,360 lose a character and still have him in 58 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,319 the back of your of your mind? How do 59 00:02:56,319 --> 00:02:58,000 you 60 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,879 analyze I hate to use this word, but how 61 00:03:00,879 --> 00:03:04,640 do you analyze the flow of a picture and 62 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:08,560 the the technical means with which it 63 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,440 was made? uh and what I see very often 64 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,680 in film schools 65 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,920 even very selective group of of young 66 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:20,720 people who go to film school when you 67 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,360 are into the very prestigious ones for 68 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,200 them film history starts with Star Wars 69 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,280 they've never heard of Vivat Zapata 70 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,760 they've never heard of David War 71 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,760 Griffith uh in the silent era never 72 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,319 anything they have not heard of Bonuel 73 00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:40,000 or whatever 74 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,680 So um see films I'm speaking to 75 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:46,879 filmmakers or future filmmakers you have 76 00:03:46,879 --> 00:03:50,560 to watch films sometimes first with awe 77 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,200 you just are floored by it but then see 78 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:55,440 it again see it again see it again and 79 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,920 try to figure out how it was made 80 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:01,519 technically uh internally in terms of 81 00:04:01,519 --> 00:04:05,200 story flow and all these things and uh 82 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,920 this precision of of understanding the 83 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:09,599 flow 84 00:04:09,599 --> 00:04:16,160 uh of a story uh is something I I always 85 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,600 uh would advise 86 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:24,280 uh anyone who wants to make films. 87 00:04:27,759 --> 00:04:32,320 I have a wonderful film, my favorite by 88 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,520 uh Ilia Kazan 89 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,960 um Vivatapata and we can show here the 90 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:43,199 opening a delegation of Indians. We are 91 00:04:43,199 --> 00:04:45,840 back in the year 1909. 92 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:50,160 enters the uh president's palace 93 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,400 and 94 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,120 they come with a quest 95 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,800 of um big land overs invading their 96 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:00,080 terrain 97 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:02,400 and this 98 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:06,639 it is extremely wellcraftrafted uh how 99 00:05:06,639 --> 00:05:09,280 you see 100 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:11,919 they're entering with humility 101 00:05:11,919 --> 00:05:14,720 and among them is the leading character 102 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,520 Marlon Brand O and he's one of them. You 103 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,320 do not spot him. Even if you try hard to 104 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,520 spot Marlon Brando, you don't see him. 105 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:25,280 The way the leading character is 106 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:28,160 introduced is absolutely ingenious. It's 107 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,120 the best opening of a film that I know 108 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:33,360 in the best introduction to a leading 109 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:35,680 character and you you immediately are on 110 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,960 his side. The moment he shows up, you 111 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,600 are completely as an audience on the 112 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,080 side. And it's important because the 113 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:45,440 audience 114 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:48,000 The audience has to be with a story. It 115 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,800 has to be with the leading characters 116 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,840 and very often it's overlooked. 117 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:56,400 Uh what's important is inside of the 118 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:59,520 audience there's very often a separate 119 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,080 independent parallel story that we 120 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,960 develop inside of us. And here this is 121 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,759 one of the cases. You see in in a way we 122 00:06:07,759 --> 00:06:10,639 are very easily on the side of the 123 00:06:10,639 --> 00:06:13,440 peasants here who are coming with a 124 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,400 complaint and now he dismisses them the 125 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:17,039 president 126 00:06:17,039 --> 00:06:18,319 many other matters to attend 127 00:06:18,319 --> 00:06:21,280 very patronizing my children 128 00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:24,880 for 34 years 129 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:26,800 it's not an easy job being president 130 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,199 now comes one of the great glorious 131 00:06:29,199 --> 00:06:30,400 thank you 132 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,039 moments in film history now to the right 133 00:06:33,039 --> 00:06:35,759 there's Brando 134 00:06:35,759 --> 00:06:37,440 and he stands his ground. 135 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:39,039 We can't verify the boundaries, my 136 00:06:39,039 --> 00:06:41,039 president. 137 00:06:41,039 --> 00:06:43,120 The land is fenced and guarded by armed 138 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:44,720 men. They're planning. 139 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:46,560 And the authority of Brando is 140 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:47,680 unmatched. 141 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:49,919 And I think they gave him long 142 00:06:49,919 --> 00:06:52,560 eyelashes, dark eyelashes to make his 143 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,919 look very sleepy. It's just really 144 00:06:55,919 --> 00:06:57,440 beautiful. 145 00:06:57,440 --> 00:06:59,520 Ever won by country people. 146 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,720 Has your land been taken? 147 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:06,080 My father's land was taken long ago, my 148 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,560 president. 149 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,120 My children, I'm your father, your 150 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:13,680 protector. I'm of your blood. But 151 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:17,120 believe me, these matters take time. You 152 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:19,599 must be patient. 153 00:07:19,599 --> 00:07:22,400 When we see uh Marlon Brando in this 154 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,319 opening scene, 155 00:07:24,319 --> 00:07:26,800 from that very moment on, we as an 156 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,840 audience start to race ahead. 157 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:33,280 uh we start to at within minutes of the 158 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,880 opening of the film we uh we know this 159 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:40,080 is the leading guy we know man is he 160 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:41,759 powerful 161 00:07:41,759 --> 00:07:45,280 and what an impressive man there is and 162 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,560 it's Emiliano Sapata and we start to 163 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:50,800 race ahead 164 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:53,520 how will the conflict with the president 165 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:55,759 and with the with the big land owners 166 00:07:55,759 --> 00:07:58,479 how is it going to uh develop of course 167 00:07:58,479 --> 00:08:01,360 it does develop And of course things are 168 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,919 happening and the film gives you time 169 00:08:03,919 --> 00:08:06,240 some it's very important that you have 170 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,639 some moments where 171 00:08:08,639 --> 00:08:11,520 um as an audience you have the time to 172 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,400 depart and and the plat platform to 173 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,680 depart when the president makes a circle 174 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:20,160 around the named Tapata 175 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,360 and when Brando leaves it's very very 176 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:25,440 quiet and from that moment on we start 177 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,039 to race race ahead because it's not like 178 00:08:29,039 --> 00:08:31,919 uh today where there would be cut cut 179 00:08:31,919 --> 00:08:34,399 action action action action where you 180 00:08:34,399 --> 00:08:36,959 don't have the time to breathe. Here we 181 00:08:36,959 --> 00:08:39,760 have the first moment where you take a 182 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:44,480 breath and you start to 183 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,920 uh enter into your own story as a 184 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:49,440 audience. 185 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:52,240 With your permission, my president, 186 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,399 we make our tortillas out of corn, not 187 00:08:54,399 --> 00:08:56,800 patience. 188 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:58,640 And patience will not cross an armed and 189 00:08:58,640 --> 00:08:59,440 guarded fence. 190 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:01,519 You see the force inside of the man. 191 00:09:01,519 --> 00:09:02,240 Do as you suggest. 192 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,160 And you see this is great acting. The 193 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:05,600 face twisters 194 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:07,760 as I keep saying and they're real actors 195 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:08,880 and he is a real one. 196 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:10,720 I cannot possibly exercise such 197 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:11,920 authority. 198 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:13,360 Would you advise it? 199 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:17,160 I can only advise. 200 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:24,240 And naturally, my president, we will do 201 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:26,959 as you advise. 202 00:09:26,959 --> 00:09:29,040 Just when you look at Brando, you know 203 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:32,560 that's the glory of film making. 204 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:34,080 Can't get any better. 205 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:36,800 You 206 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,040 now how he points at himself. Watch 207 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:40,080 this. 208 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:40,640 You 209 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,480 just his hand on his chest. 210 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:44,080 Yes, my president. 211 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:46,320 What is your name? 212 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:47,920 Subupata. 213 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,320 What is it? 214 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,000 Emiliano 215 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:57,000 Subata. 216 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:12,959 So papa is it's how the film starts. And 217 00:10:12,959 --> 00:10:16,360 look at Brando. 218 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:21,440 It invites you because it's so awesome. 219 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:25,839 It's a beginning of such uh great 220 00:10:25,839 --> 00:10:29,279 mastery of of cinema that that you 221 00:10:29,279 --> 00:10:31,839 gladly sort of form your own cinema 222 00:10:31,839 --> 00:10:35,360 parallel to it and uh the film catches 223 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,279 up with you and leads you again into new 224 00:10:39,279 --> 00:10:42,720 uh uncharted territories. So, I really 225 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,399 love this movie and and uh everybody who 226 00:10:46,399 --> 00:10:48,160 should 227 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,279 learn about how to introduce 228 00:10:51,279 --> 00:10:54,160 a character and how to introduce a story 229 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:58,120 should should watch it. 230 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,959 I think when you are watching films uh 231 00:11:04,959 --> 00:11:08,079 and watch films in film history and 232 00:11:08,079 --> 00:11:11,200 watch films from other countries uh you 233 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:13,120 notice very quickly yes there's 234 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,079 something universal about them. How does 235 00:11:16,079 --> 00:11:20,399 the flow of a movie uh somehow 236 00:11:20,399 --> 00:11:23,120 articulate itself? How do you create 237 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:27,920 suspense in a movie? How do you start to 238 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,240 get the audience on the side of your 239 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,120 protagonist? It's very universal, very 240 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:37,519 simple things and uh you have to work 241 00:11:37,519 --> 00:11:40,959 towards it. We are all in the same basic 242 00:11:40,959 --> 00:11:44,320 profession and film making has universal 243 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:48,880 rules. Uh whether you are in silent 244 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:51,040 movie era, we are here shooting in the 245 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:54,240 Max Senate studio 1916. 246 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,560 it was in operation already and you see 247 00:11:56,560 --> 00:11:59,279 the old walls behind me. So and the 248 00:11:59,279 --> 00:12:01,200 rules of film making were the same and 249 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,279 there is the same in India and the same 250 00:12:03,279 --> 00:12:05,839 in Brazil. Uh it's a little bit like 251 00:12:05,839 --> 00:12:08,639 making children has universal rules. You 252 00:12:08,639 --> 00:12:11,440 do the same thing in Africa and in 253 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:15,040 Usbakistan to to make children and there 254 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,839 are very simple universal rules and you 255 00:12:17,839 --> 00:12:20,399 adhere to 1 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:10,880 Read, read, read, read, read, read, 2 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,639 read, read, read, read, read. You have 3 00:00:14,639 --> 00:00:17,600 to read because you develop a sense of 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:19,920 storytelling. You develop a sense of 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,920 flow of something. you develop a story 6 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,800 um just uh even if it's completely 7 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,039 remote from what you have read all of a 8 00:00:29,039 --> 00:00:32,160 sudden something sprouts out of it just 9 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:35,040 very recently I give you an example I 10 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,280 read about Winston Churchill in his 11 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,200 early days when he in 199 12 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:42,960 or whatever 13 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:45,120 uh he was in parliament 14 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:49,039 and uh from the other side of the aisle 15 00:00:49,039 --> 00:00:54,320 a woman, I think the first female uh 16 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,160 member of parliament, she had a very 17 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,800 screechy, unpleasant voice, shouts 18 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,559 across the aisle, "Mr. Churchill, if I 19 00:01:02,559 --> 00:01:06,479 were your uh if you were my husband, I 20 00:01:06,479 --> 00:01:08,880 would put poison in your coffee in the 21 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:10,960 morning." And he, without missing a 22 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:14,560 beat, shouts back, "Madam, if you were 23 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,960 my wife, I would drink it." 24 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:19,759 You see it's it's so beautiful and it's 25 00:01:19,759 --> 00:01:22,799 it will linger. Maybe it will pop up as 26 00:01:22,799 --> 00:01:25,200 something similar as a dialogue. Maybe 27 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,799 it will pop up as a sequence somewhere. 28 00:01:28,799 --> 00:01:30,479 And this is something completely 29 00:01:30,479 --> 00:01:34,000 overlooked. I see film students at very 30 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,400 prestigious film schools and no none 31 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,960 nobody of them is reading. They just 32 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:43,520 don't read. And uh they will all be 33 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:47,040 filmmakers mediocre at very best. They 34 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,680 will never make a great film. And you 35 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:51,600 can tell 36 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,040 some of the truly good great filmmakers 37 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,280 are people who read. Errol Morris for 38 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:01,119 example, he reads voraciously. Uh Terren 39 00:02:01,119 --> 00:02:05,280 Malik uh he reads reads reads. Uh uh 40 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,600 Francis Ford Copa he has his own 41 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:10,959 library. Uh recently I've been in closer 42 00:02:10,959 --> 00:02:14,000 contact with uh Joshua Oppenheimer who 43 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,680 made the act of killing one of the most 44 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:20,640 important films that you have seen in 45 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:24,080 the last 25 years. He reads reads reads. 46 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:26,800 So it's my encouragement to everyone 47 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,200 just read. 48 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:40,080 I was intrigued by um ETA poetry, 49 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:44,800 a thousand-y old uh thousand-y old u 50 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:47,599 Icelandic poetry and it's just 51 00:02:47,599 --> 00:02:50,000 unspeakably beautiful. 52 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,640 Uh there's a very very beautiful 53 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:57,519 translation of it by Lee Hollander. 54 00:02:57,519 --> 00:03:01,040 And um when I was in Iceland, it was all 55 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,280 snow in snow 56 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,159 and my host said, "Ah, we can take you 57 00:03:06,159 --> 00:03:08,400 anywhere uh in Iceland. We have 58 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,000 four-wheel drives." And I looked around, 59 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,480 it was looked boring. And I said, "No, I 60 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,560 should do that in summer going around." 61 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:16,800 And what else would you like to see? And 62 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,640 I said, I would like to hold uh the CEX 63 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:24,959 Regio, a crumpled little um crumpled 64 00:03:24,959 --> 00:03:28,239 little CEX, a parchment handwritten 65 00:03:28,239 --> 00:03:30,400 codeex in my hand. And I I actually had 66 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,519 the privilege to be brought down in into 67 00:03:33,519 --> 00:03:38,159 an atomic bomb safe uh bunker under the 68 00:03:38,159 --> 00:03:40,400 central bank and I was shown it and I 69 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,040 held it and recently I held it again. I 70 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,440 even filmed it and it was such an 71 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,360 incredible experience. It's like the 72 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,400 death sea scrolls for for Israel. You 73 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,560 hold it in your hand, you emerge and uh 74 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,640 the barber gives you a free haircut and 75 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:56,879 the pastry baker gives you his best 76 00:03:56,879 --> 00:03:59,200 pastry and you have to taste it. It's 77 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,640 that kind of thing and uh a physical 78 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,840 approach to it. This awe to hold it in 79 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:10,319 your hands. It's priceless. some of it 80 00:04:10,319 --> 00:04:13,280 probably predating the writing down 81 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,320 maybe something even five six 700 years 82 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:22,000 earlier. Um and it begins with with the 83 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,759 wuspa the creation of the world. Just 84 00:04:25,759 --> 00:04:28,720 read a two stanzas. In earliest times 85 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:33,199 did emir live. Was nor a sea nor land 86 00:04:33,199 --> 00:04:36,240 nor salty waves. Neither earth was 87 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,440 there, nor upper heaven, but a gaping 88 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:44,160 nothing and green things. Nowhere 89 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,840 was the land then lifted a loft by Bur's 90 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:51,600 sons who made Midgart. The matchless 91 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,440 earth, the matchless earth. It's just 92 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,120 very good stuff shown from the south. 93 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,560 The sun on dry land on the ground then 94 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:07,039 grew the greens wart soft and on and on 95 00:05:07,039 --> 00:05:10,320 and and later in the text there are 96 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,240 short 97 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:15,680 uh almost like fragmentaryary stories of 98 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:21,520 Verund the Smith uh where a smith uh is 99 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,639 kept captive and his knee senos are cut 100 00:05:24,639 --> 00:05:27,199 so that he cannot run away and he 101 00:05:27,199 --> 00:05:30,960 invites the son and uh uh daughter, the 102 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,280 young adolescent son and daughter of the 103 00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:36,560 king who has kept him captive. He lures 104 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:39,680 him into his smithy and he kills the son 105 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,440 and makes a golden sort of cup out of 106 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:45,680 his skull and lets the king drink from 107 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,120 it. And he makes the the young daughter, 108 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,639 the young princess uh pregnant and then 109 00:05:52,639 --> 00:05:55,520 flies away like a bird. And it's so 110 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:58,560 laconic and it's so dense and so 111 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,080 fragmentaryary and yet beyond all this 112 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,039 you have this enormous sense of a 113 00:06:05,039 --> 00:06:07,759 continuous story and you have have to 114 00:06:07,759 --> 00:06:10,400 fill in the gaps and very often in 115 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:13,039 cinema you have to fill in you see 116 00:06:13,039 --> 00:06:15,759 somebody entering a house. Uh you do not 117 00:06:15,759 --> 00:06:19,759 have to see him climbing uh four stories 118 00:06:19,759 --> 00:06:22,479 up. You only see him knocking at the 119 00:06:22,479 --> 00:06:26,960 door upstairs. you don't need the the uh 120 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,000 the entire distance. So it's how you 121 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,720 condense, how do you abbreviate, 122 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,600 how do you find a shorthand in a story 123 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,440 that's really really good in the um uh 124 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:43,400 in the poetic eta 125 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:50,800 there's one book one book that uh I 126 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:53,759 would uh ask you to read it is a 127 00:06:53,759 --> 00:06:56,160 paragine 128 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,680 and I'm saying that uh 129 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:02,479 uh for my rogue film students it's 130 00:07:02,479 --> 00:07:04,160 mandatory 131 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,199 and I believe everyone who is about to 132 00:07:07,199 --> 00:07:11,039 make films should uh read the paragine 133 00:07:11,039 --> 00:07:14,479 it was published 1967 by a obscure 134 00:07:14,479 --> 00:07:17,280 writer we know nothing about him Ja 135 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:21,759 Baker and he watches paragines but the 136 00:07:21,759 --> 00:07:25,680 intensity of of watching and the the 137 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:28,639 passion with which he watches is this 138 00:07:28,639 --> 00:07:31,520 very small segment of the world is so 139 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,080 extraordinary and that's exactly how we 140 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:37,440 as filmmakers should watch people 141 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:41,440 reality this kind of of incredibly deep 142 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,400 attachment and and also a visionary 143 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:47,919 visionary language uh I do believe that 144 00:07:47,919 --> 00:07:52,639 since uh Joseph Conrad we have not had 145 00:07:52,639 --> 00:07:55,599 uh pros of this caliber we have not had 146 00:07:55,599 --> 00:07:59,599 it and I will read very short things out 147 00:07:59,599 --> 00:08:01,520 of it because you you are the ones who 148 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,560 have to read it and it's just very very 149 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,440 beautiful. He describes for example a 150 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,639 frozen heron. It was a very cold day. 151 00:08:10,639 --> 00:08:13,680 January 9th the sun shone today from the 152 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:16,400 first time this year. It was the 153 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:19,680 clearest coldest day I have ever known. 154 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:24,160 Uh north of Ford Lane a heron stood knee 155 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,919 deep in snow. The gale did not rock him. 156 00:08:27,919 --> 00:08:31,039 His long gray feathers were unruffled. 157 00:08:31,039 --> 00:08:34,240 Regal and frozen and dead. He stood to 158 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,680 the wind in his thin sarcophagus of ice. 159 00:08:37,680 --> 00:08:40,560 Already he seemed to be dynasties away 160 00:08:40,560 --> 00:08:44,240 from me. I have outlived him as a 161 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:48,240 gibbering ape outlived the dinosaur. 162 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,600 At 1:00, a pipist trail flittered above 163 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,000 the lane, twisting 164 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,480 and diving as though it were catching 165 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,920 insects. None could be flying on so cold 166 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:03,200 a day. Perhaps it had been roused by the 167 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:06,720 sunlight and was hunting in a dream of 168 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:09,720 summer. 169 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:12,160 And I read something just a descriptive 170 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:15,040 part of an owl, the face of an owl. He 171 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,399 has this wonderful mastery of pros. The 172 00:09:18,399 --> 00:09:20,800 helmeted an owl. The helmeted face was 173 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:24,320 pale, white, aesthetic, halfh human, 174 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:27,200 bitter and withdrawn. The eyes were 175 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,920 dark, intense, baleful. 176 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,720 This helmet effect was grotesque, as 177 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,040 though some lost and shrunken night had 178 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:38,320 withered to an owl. As I looked at those 179 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,600 grape blue eyes, fringed with their fury 180 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,160 gold, the bleak face seemed to crumble 181 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,440 back into the dusk. Only the eyes lived 182 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,320 on. The slow recognition of an enemy 183 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:53,120 came visibly to the owl, passing from 184 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:56,399 the eyes and spreading over and over the 185 00:09:56,399 --> 00:09:59,680 stony face like a shadow. But it had 186 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:03,120 been startled out of its fear. Uh, and 187 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,720 even now it did not fly at once. Neither 188 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:10,080 of us could bear to look away. 189 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:14,800 In its face was like a mask. Macarber 190 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:18,160 ravaged, sorrowing like the face of a 191 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:21,760 drowned man. I moved. I could not help 192 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:24,880 it. And the owl suddenly turned its 193 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,600 head, shuffled along the branch as 194 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,200 though cringing, and flew softly away 195 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,399 onto the wood. 196 00:10:34,399 --> 00:10:39,600 So it's a caliber of pros but um it's a 197 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:41,760 all over world view that is so 198 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:46,680 remarkable in in this book. 199 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,959 It's not so much a book about watching a 200 00:10:52,959 --> 00:10:56,560 bird. It's a book about becoming a bird. 201 00:10:56,560 --> 00:11:00,800 Sometimes Baker writes at the parake 202 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,360 soarses and soarses higher until it is a 203 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,320 dot in the sky and then he he writes and 204 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,920 then we swoop down. we all of a sudden 205 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:14,399 he has morphed into into a paragrine and 206 00:11:14,399 --> 00:11:18,959 uh he's he crouches over a kill he after 207 00:11:18,959 --> 00:11:22,240 the bird after the paragine has left and 208 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:24,800 he writes in we live in these days in 209 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:28,720 the open the same ecstatic fearful life 210 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:34,079 we shun men. So uh this is a book uh 211 00:11:34,079 --> 00:11:36,959 which if you want to make films you 212 00:11:36,959 --> 00:11:40,000 better read this one and incorporate it 213 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,600 is as as a way to to see the world and 214 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,440 experience the world and morph into the 215 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,000 world and and become 216 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:51,920 uh become 217 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,760 singular. is a singular element with 218 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,200 your dancing chicken, with your monkeys 219 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:03,680 on the raft, with uh Emiliano Sapata 220 00:12:03,680 --> 00:12:07,440 with his eyelids. You see, I uh when I 221 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:09,279 see these films, when I see Vivat 222 00:12:09,279 --> 00:12:14,240 Sapata, I'm uh I'm somehow morphing into 223 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:15,760 Brando 224 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:19,360 and my eyelids get get heavy and I I 225 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,920 could give the same answer. So it's 226 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:24,160 something that becomes alive inside of 227 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:28,639 us and that's what I uh miss. That's 228 00:12:28,639 --> 00:12:30,959 what I miss among many of the young 229 00:12:30,959 --> 00:12:32,880 filmmakers 230 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:36,440 and it's important 231 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,720 in uh particular encounters at the end 232 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:47,200 of the world my voice over doesn't 233 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,800 explain much. It was uh remarkable when 234 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,360 uh Peter Titling and I stepped off the 235 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:57,120 plane on the ice runway and you have 236 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:00,639 this step out in this glaring sunlight 237 00:13:00,639 --> 00:13:03,279 uh of of these glaciers in the ice and 238 00:13:03,279 --> 00:13:06,560 it's blinding you and and you're trying 239 00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:09,519 to find a first orientation. Peter said 240 00:13:09,519 --> 00:13:12,959 to me, "Wa, how for God's sake are we 241 00:13:12,959 --> 00:13:17,120 going to explain an entire continent 242 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,320 like this to an audience back home?" And 243 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:22,160 I said to him, Peter, you know what we 244 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,920 do? We do it like uh the ancient Roman 245 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,760 poet Virgil uh in his church. He doesn't 246 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:33,920 explain much. He he just names the glory 247 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:37,440 of the beehive. He names the glory of 248 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,399 pruning the apple trees. He names the 249 00:13:40,399 --> 00:13:44,000 horror of uh the horses invading the 250 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,959 stable. So that's what we'll do. We do 251 00:13:46,959 --> 00:13:49,440 not explain much if necessary. Yes. 252 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:53,120 Otherwise we name the glory of an entire 253 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:57,360 continent and we name the glory of uh uh 254 00:13:57,360 --> 00:13:59,279 those people who have chosen to work 255 00:13:59,279 --> 00:14:02,240 there as scientists. my voice in films 256 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:04,880 of course I've been asked many times how 257 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:08,560 do you find your own voice I think when 258 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:11,680 you're a filmmaker you do not need to do 259 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:13,360 that 260 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:16,880 um commentary does not really require 261 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,639 your own voice however in in a way I 262 00:14:20,639 --> 00:14:23,199 discovered that uh there was a certain 263 00:14:23,199 --> 00:14:25,040 authenticity 264 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:27,760 uh when I do the own voice over in my 265 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,720 documentaries in particular and I I know 266 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,199 I do it well. I know the commentaries 267 00:14:33,199 --> 00:14:36,880 that I speak myself are very well spoken 268 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,279 and they have also an intensity in it 269 00:14:39,279 --> 00:14:41,920 and sometimes an almost hypnotic 270 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:45,920 quality. You really listen and I I know 271 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:48,480 that my accent is awful but I do not 272 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:51,279 want to improve my pronunciation any 273 00:14:51,279 --> 00:14:54,399 further. So it's it it is as it is and 274 00:14:54,399 --> 00:14:57,760 audiences got accustomed to it. They 275 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,839 have accepted it. If they wouldn't 276 00:14:59,839 --> 00:15:01,680 accept it, I would I would never do it 277 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,800 again. I have actually learned from uh 278 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,160 American popular television like 279 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,639 unsolved mysteries. The voice was 280 00:15:10,639 --> 00:15:12,720 particularly wonderful. This kind of 281 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:18,240 sonorous uh sort of of deep sort of 282 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:21,519 gloom and fear spreading voice. And it 283 00:15:21,519 --> 00:15:24,639 says, for example, and when the dentist 284 00:15:24,639 --> 00:15:27,120 came back home after work, he found the 285 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:30,639 door to his home, a jar. It was open and 286 00:15:30,639 --> 00:15:33,600 there was blood. He steps in. Blood 287 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:36,079 everywhere. And that's where he knew 288 00:15:36,079 --> 00:15:38,480 there was something wrong. Pause. Pause. 289 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:42,560 Pause. Terribly wrong. So, I really love 290 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:47,680 this. And the penguin marching. Um, I I 291 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:49,920 tried to imitate the voice a little bit. 292 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,720 it. The penguin is marching towards this 293 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:55,600 certain death, marching away and into 294 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,560 the mountains and it will perish there. 295 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:04,079 Pause. But why? So it's it has a certain 296 00:16:04,079 --> 00:16:07,639 humor in it. 297 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,079 These penguins are all heading to the 298 00:16:12,079 --> 00:16:16,360 open water to the right. 299 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:21,120 But one of them caught our eye, the one 300 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,519 in the center. 301 00:16:23,519 --> 00:16:25,759 He would neither go towards the feeding 302 00:16:25,759 --> 00:16:28,880 grounds at the edge of the ice nor 303 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,560 return to the colony. 304 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:35,199 Shortly afterwards, we saw him heading 305 00:16:35,199 --> 00:16:38,079 straight towards the mountains, some 70 306 00:16:38,079 --> 00:16:41,800 km away. 307 00:16:42,079 --> 00:16:45,040 Dr. Anley explained that even if he 308 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,279 caught him and brought him back to the 309 00:16:47,279 --> 00:16:49,839 colony, he would immediately head right 310 00:16:49,839 --> 00:16:53,560 back for the mountains. 311 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:58,120 But why? 1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 Very 2 00:00:08,639 --> 00:00:12,160 often I have had the feeling this whole 3 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,559 uh threeact structure that is being 4 00:00:14,559 --> 00:00:17,039 taught in film schools is kind of 5 00:00:17,039 --> 00:00:19,439 ridiculous. What is a three acts in 6 00:00:19,439 --> 00:00:22,160 Agari and and that the leading character 7 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,800 from a certain point at the end has to 8 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,279 change and has to be a different man. 9 00:00:27,279 --> 00:00:31,039 No, not so not in Agari. Agari is is bad 10 00:00:31,039 --> 00:00:34,160 and he's only worse at the end. So, um 11 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:36,559 it doesn't function with me like that. 12 00:00:36,559 --> 00:00:38,239 Sometimes there may be something like 13 00:00:38,239 --> 00:00:41,120 five or six acts in a film that I have 14 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,480 made. Uh I think it's brainless. It's 15 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:47,440 really brainless to structure yourself 16 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:49,120 and it 17 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:52,320 uh very often is the signature of 18 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,640 mediocre films. that become very very 19 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,120 predictable and I don't want to make 20 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,920 that kind of films. 21 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:09,200 How do I psych myself up into writing? 22 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,080 What I do the day before, normally the 23 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:15,200 day I start to write a screenplay, I 24 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,479 read poetry, but really high caliber, 25 00:01:18,479 --> 00:01:21,600 uh, Roman antiquity, Virgil, 26 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,680 um, old Icelandic uh, eta poetry 27 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,040 thousand years back, uh, tongue poets 28 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,759 uh, from China, uh, 8th, 9th century, 29 00:01:33,759 --> 00:01:36,159 uh, and and other things. and I I read 30 00:01:36,159 --> 00:01:39,520 and read and read and I I get into this 31 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,479 fury of language and it's very the 32 00:01:42,479 --> 00:01:45,680 highest caliber of language and and I 33 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,640 know when I start to write I'm not going 34 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,360 to step down below this or at least I 35 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,720 try never step down below this. The 36 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,119 second thing is I play music to myself 37 00:01:57,119 --> 00:01:59,680 while I'm sitting there. I play normally 38 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,880 it's Beethoven Beethoven symphonies are 39 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,759 ones that have this dynamic and power 40 00:02:05,759 --> 00:02:08,640 and it pushes me along and I play it 41 00:02:08,640 --> 00:02:11,680 loud. My wife uh gets crazy when she 42 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,400 hears it the sixth time in an afternoon 43 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:16,640 I'm playing the same Beethoven symphony 44 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:19,440 but it it carries me it pushes me drags 45 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:23,280 me along. So uh each one of you who 46 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,280 writes uh has to find his or her uh own 47 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,720 way how to write. For me it's fast, 48 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:32,239 urgent, 49 00:02:32,239 --> 00:02:34,879 high level 50 00:02:34,879 --> 00:02:38,160 and always with a very very clear idea 51 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,800 and vision of a film that's going to be 52 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:45,080 at the end as a result. 53 00:02:48,959 --> 00:02:52,080 I can read from Cobra Verde just to give 54 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,879 you an impression and it's again uh this 55 00:02:54,879 --> 00:02:58,400 is written in pros uh not with dialogues 56 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,720 only recently I have started to have 57 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,120 dialogue inserted in the names of the 58 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:07,040 speaking people and it's it starts uh 59 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:11,680 with an image of heat the notion of heat 60 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,680 the light murderous glaring searing the 61 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:17,840 heavens birdless 62 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:22,080 the Dogs lie dazed by the heat. And now 63 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,800 comes a beautiful sentence. Demented 64 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:28,720 from anger, metallic insects, sting 65 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,840 glowing stones. Who would write that in 66 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,560 a screenplay? Yes, it is a a form of 67 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,280 literature. And you can imagine as an as 68 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,840 somebody who reads this, yes, this is a 69 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:41,760 climate that we have to create on the 70 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:45,120 set. Yes, a cinematographer knows what 71 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:49,920 we have to do. And and it ends uh it 72 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,879 ends I just read a little bit to give 73 00:03:52,879 --> 00:03:57,519 you a feeling for the for the kind of uh 74 00:03:57,519 --> 00:03:59,840 quality and of writing and and the 75 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,959 literary aspect of it. Francisco Manuel 76 00:04:02,959 --> 00:04:06,000 staggers towards us. He seems to be 77 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,599 confused murmuring the slaves will sell 78 00:04:09,599 --> 00:04:13,200 their masters and grow wings. 79 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:15,760 I want to find snow during the film. He 80 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,799 was frequently speaking about far away 81 00:04:18,799 --> 00:04:21,759 mountains and that there was snow. I 82 00:04:21,759 --> 00:04:25,440 want to find snow. As he passes us, 83 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,080 moving into the distance, we hear him 84 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:32,000 whispering the snow. The snow. Francisco 85 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,199 Manuel staggers into the light and the 86 00:04:35,199 --> 00:04:39,360 dust and the vultures, the glare and the 87 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:41,199 nothingness. 88 00:04:41,199 --> 00:04:44,800 So, but it gives it gives a very intense 89 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,880 feeling of 90 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:52,160 uh how I how I I sense the film and this 91 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:54,240 kind of sense 92 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:58,000 um sensing the film has to translate to 93 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,720 the cinematographer. It has to translate 94 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,520 to the person who creates the music has 95 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,240 to translate to the actor. 96 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,600 Um and uh and when you have that when a 97 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:13,120 screenplay creates that if if a film an 98 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,600 entire film becomes visible then you got 99 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,479 a screenplay and I don't care how many 100 00:05:18,479 --> 00:05:21,600 pages it is. I don't care whether it's 101 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,160 three acts, five acts or no act at all. 102 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:29,560 It's just uh pushed through it 103 00:05:33,039 --> 00:05:36,000 on the set quite often there's rewrite 104 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,960 rewriting dialogue for example Rescue 105 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:40,720 Dawn 106 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:42,639 it's awful sometimes it reads 107 00:05:42,639 --> 00:05:46,080 wonderfully uh Escape of Prisoner in 108 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:51,759 Laos uh uh American pilots and uh Steve 109 00:05:51,759 --> 00:05:56,240 Zan has to day to Christian Bale when he 110 00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:00,320 uh crawls under under the floorboards 111 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:02,720 and tries to crawl out. He says 112 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:06,400 something very silly. I must confess now 113 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,680 uh be God with you. Uh or something like 114 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:13,360 this. And I see I see Steve turning 115 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,160 purple and red and he was just about 116 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,240 bursting out in laughter. And I say, 117 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:21,039 "Steve, I know this is somehow it reads 118 00:06:21,039 --> 00:06:23,120 all right, but when you say it, it 119 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:25,440 sounds awful." And he says it in rolls 120 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:28,560 in laughter. And I said to Stephen, to 121 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:30,720 uh Christian Bale, how would you say it? 122 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:32,319 How would you say? And he just says, 123 00:06:32,319 --> 00:06:34,639 "Good luck. Good luck. Get get out. Good 124 00:06:34,639 --> 00:06:37,199 luck." And that's all there is. So, of 125 00:06:37,199 --> 00:06:40,400 course, I I hear that sometimes uh a 126 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,319 dialogue spoken sounds like paper. And 127 00:06:44,319 --> 00:06:46,560 you better rewrite it on the spot. And 128 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,199 you better do not interrupt shooting 129 00:06:49,199 --> 00:06:52,560 longer than 30 seconds. You see, for you 130 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,520 can write 10 lines of dialogue in 30 131 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,800 seconds. You better deliver instantly. 132 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,319 And that's brings life and and cohesion 133 00:07:02,319 --> 00:07:08,199 into a shoot and cohesion into a story. 134 00:07:11,919 --> 00:07:14,960 There has to be an urgency in in you and 135 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,199 then you can that's the way you should 136 00:07:17,199 --> 00:07:18,960 write and that's the way I actually 137 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,080 film. I I shoot a film like this but the 138 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:26,000 urgency uh makes me act very quickly. 139 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:27,599 You leave everything that's not 140 00:07:27,599 --> 00:07:29,759 important. You leave it out. You just go 141 00:07:29,759 --> 00:07:33,599 for for the very very central things. 142 00:07:33,599 --> 00:07:37,120 Agary the wrath of God is a is a good 143 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:41,360 example. um at a friend's house. I was 144 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:44,720 poking in his books because he was loves 145 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:46,560 sick and was on the phone with his 146 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,199 girlfriend who was leaving him all the 147 00:07:49,199 --> 00:07:51,360 time. And I I just went through some 148 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,639 some books and I I come across a book 149 00:07:54,639 --> 00:07:58,319 for adolescents, 13year-old boys or so 150 00:07:58,319 --> 00:08:01,280 about adventures and discoveries. And I 151 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:04,800 read 15 lines about a man lakiri. 152 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:06,639 And I walked out. I knew this was a 153 00:08:06,639 --> 00:08:10,319 film. But the same the very next day my 154 00:08:10,319 --> 00:08:13,440 small tiny soccer team left for Italy 155 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:15,599 and we were on the bus. Everybody was 156 00:08:15,599 --> 00:08:18,400 was drunk. I mean everybody. And they 157 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,440 were chanting obscene songs and we had a 158 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:24,560 bar barrels of beer on board in the bus 159 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:26,560 and I was typing at that time the 160 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,879 typewriter on my knees and uh chanting 161 00:08:30,879 --> 00:08:33,519 vomiting on my typewriter 162 00:08:33,519 --> 00:08:36,240 uh obscenities around me and we 163 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:38,080 traveling and I would write the 164 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:40,479 screenplay and I would write even at 165 00:08:40,479 --> 00:08:42,640 that time I was goalkeeper even during 166 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:46,399 the half time uh during halime 10 15 167 00:08:46,399 --> 00:08:48,320 minutes I was furiously 168 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,519 typing on and this is a screenplay I 169 00:08:51,519 --> 00:08:55,200 finished in uh two and a half days. 170 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,839 However, and and normally I do not write 171 00:08:57,839 --> 00:09:01,120 more than five days like Strocheek four 172 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,320 three four days uh recently a screenplay 173 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:08,240 for my last uh not published yet uh 174 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,839 feature film Salt and Fire 5 days 175 00:09:11,839 --> 00:09:14,640 um because there's an urgency and I see 176 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,839 an entire film in front of me. I wait 177 00:09:17,839 --> 00:09:19,839 until I write. Sometimes these little 178 00:09:19,839 --> 00:09:22,480 elements are coming together. Sometimes 179 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:25,360 I write only single words or I write 180 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,640 what Churchill shouted across the aisle. 181 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:30,640 Even if it ends up in the film or not, 182 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:32,800 doesn't matter. I'm somebody who never 183 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:36,000 corrects a single word. I write it down 184 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,360 and and I I try to be disciplined that I 185 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:43,600 don't even need to um erase a single 186 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:47,760 word or or restructure a sentence. And 187 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:50,320 and this gives an urgency and also a 188 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:53,200 precision. There's a precision which you 189 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:55,519 do not reach otherwise if you brood over 190 00:09:55,519 --> 00:10:00,160 a screenplay for many months. 1 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:13,040 We are entering into one of the real 2 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,440 complicated questions for young 3 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,279 filmmakers. 4 00:00:17,279 --> 00:00:21,439 How do you um get the finances for a for 5 00:00:21,439 --> 00:00:26,560 a film? Rule of thumb in my case is if 6 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:30,000 you have a an extraordinary project with 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,120 incredible dynamic and a very strong 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:34,719 story, 9 00:00:34,719 --> 00:00:38,000 money will follow you like the common 10 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,120 curr in the street with its tail between 11 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,719 its legs. And the quality of money is 12 00:00:44,719 --> 00:00:48,079 awful. It's abysmal. It is cowardly. It 13 00:00:48,079 --> 00:00:52,000 is stupid. And money is also slow. So 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,000 how do you do it? Uh you have to have a 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,120 project that uh has 16 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:01,760 uh a real dynamic otherwise you will 17 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,320 never get anywhere. 18 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,040 I'm somebody and you should know that 19 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,760 because it's so bizarre. I'm somebody 20 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,680 who made his first phone call at age 17. 21 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,439 That was actually to contact producers 22 00:01:21,439 --> 00:01:25,119 who were in in a way inclined to produce 23 00:01:25,119 --> 00:01:28,159 uh a feature film that I had scripted 24 00:01:28,159 --> 00:01:31,520 and they were not completely against uh 25 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,880 me doing the uh being the first time 26 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:36,880 director. So I made phone calls because 27 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,560 I was still a school kid and looked like 28 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:42,640 uh I mean like a boy. I was not even 29 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,079 fully grown up yet. And when they saw me 30 00:01:46,079 --> 00:01:50,000 uh it was immediately clear uh this was 31 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:51,759 not going to happen. They laughed and I 32 00:01:51,759 --> 00:01:54,640 turned around. Important uh in this 33 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,799 encounter was that uh I got angry and I 34 00:01:58,799 --> 00:02:00,719 knew I would never become a filmmaker 35 00:02:00,719 --> 00:02:04,479 unless I became a producer myself. My 36 00:02:04,479 --> 00:02:08,319 advice is uh do it as I did it at the 37 00:02:08,319 --> 00:02:11,680 beginning. Nobody when I was 15, when I 38 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:15,599 was 16, 17, 18, nobody wanted to produce 39 00:02:15,599 --> 00:02:19,440 or finance any of my films. So it made 40 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,879 me angry and it made me understand 41 00:02:22,879 --> 00:02:25,200 ultimately you have to become your own 42 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:28,080 producer, your own financeier. 43 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,160 And it means I earned money uh in a 44 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,319 steel factory doing the night shift as a 45 00:02:34,319 --> 00:02:37,120 welder. And I earned enough within two 46 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:39,200 years of work. I earned enough to do my 47 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:42,000 first feature. When it comes to 48 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:46,800 balancing your own vision and the cash, 49 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:48,560 small amounts of it that you have 50 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,680 available earned yourself. 51 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,040 Um, I think you have to be prudent and 52 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,680 choose a subject that does not require 53 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,879 extravaganzas of building sets or 54 00:03:00,879 --> 00:03:04,319 extravaganzas of having a big name actor 55 00:03:04,319 --> 00:03:08,400 in it and all these things. And uh it 56 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,440 you have to do it like uh somebody like 57 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,159 uh I think his name is Rodriguez 58 00:03:14,159 --> 00:03:17,760 who did um his first feature film on 59 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,760 celluloid for I think under $10,000 and 60 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:26,280 he published his budget. 61 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,879 I struggle every single film to stay on 62 00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:35,519 budget. I've never been over budget. Not 63 00:03:35,519 --> 00:03:39,200 once, not a single time over budget, but 64 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,319 six times under budget. Bad lieutenant, 65 00:03:42,319 --> 00:03:45,040 a good example. And I was prudent enough 66 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,080 to have in my contract 67 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,200 uh if I were under budget, I would earn 68 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,640 myself a bonus. So I earned a very good 69 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,599 bonus and I really looked and I have the 70 00:03:57,599 --> 00:04:01,200 right in my contracts to look into the 71 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,400 daily cash flow with the accountant. Me 72 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,239 the director I'm sitting with the 73 00:04:06,239 --> 00:04:08,480 accountant in the evening and I'm 74 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,280 checking into into cash flow and all of 75 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,640 a sudden I see where the money flows 76 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:17,120 that you you spot where the problems uh 77 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,560 are emerging. I see uh costumes all of a 78 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,000 sudden 120% in the first week of 79 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,639 shooting what happened is that they had 80 00:04:26,639 --> 00:04:29,680 a second set of suit of dress for 81 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,240 everyone. Somebody who walks uh through 82 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:34,800 the frame for 5 seconds I had two suits 83 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,160 made and and I stopped it. No more 84 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,840 duplicate or triplicates of of a costume 85 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:44,960 only for the leading characters. Yes. 86 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:49,360 And um so very often 87 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,560 uh you have to do things that are not 88 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,120 really your business 89 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,960 but they have been my survival and what 90 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:01,520 I have understood very early on is how 91 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:05,280 can you uh long-term survive 92 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:08,960 and one of the things is understand 93 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,479 the demands of finances stay on budget 94 00:05:12,479 --> 00:05:14,479 try to stay under budget 95 00:05:14,479 --> 00:05:17,600 be responsible with uh with what you are 96 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:21,880 doing, with what you are spending. 97 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:29,440 I've done feature films for very, very 98 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,240 little money. A Gary, the wrath of God, 99 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,120 which looks like a huge production, the 100 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,520 production value on the screen is is 101 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:39,680 really enormous. 102 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,880 And it's a film that cost 103 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:44,400 um 104 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,039 $360,000. 105 00:05:47,039 --> 00:05:50,240 What makes a film expensive? Number one, 106 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:53,520 it's a time of shooting. Reduce the time 107 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,400 of shooting. Celluloid expensive. Every 108 00:05:56,400 --> 00:05:58,800 second that's rattling through your 109 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:03,360 magazine, you know, costs you uh $45 110 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:05,360 because it's not only raw stock, it's a 111 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,759 lab, it's a print, it's a post 112 00:06:07,759 --> 00:06:10,240 production. all of this and you learn 113 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,440 very quickly uh the value of every 114 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,800 second ticking by and the value of every 115 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,280 day you have to rent a camera. So you 116 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:22,000 have to to understand the items of 117 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,639 budget. You have to for example in my 118 00:06:24,639 --> 00:06:28,560 film uh a big epic feature film in the 119 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,919 desert, queen of the desert. Uh and I 120 00:06:31,919 --> 00:06:34,479 wanted to have almost the size of 121 00:06:34,479 --> 00:06:38,160 Lawrence of Arabia. Uh many extras, 122 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,000 dramadaries, uh you just name it. But 123 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:46,560 before I went into discussing money and 124 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,720 before I even went to do a a competent 125 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,319 budget, I knew how much locally a 126 00:06:54,319 --> 00:06:56,960 dramadary would cost. How much would it 127 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:58,639 cost to have the wrangler of the 128 00:06:58,639 --> 00:07:01,440 dramadary? I knew the price of gasoline 129 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,319 in Morocco. I knew the price of every 130 00:07:04,319 --> 00:07:08,880 single hotel around. I knew um the 131 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,560 airfares. I knew so I was really 132 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,199 competent to to give answers and I would 133 00:07:15,199 --> 00:07:19,680 say uh 50 dramadaries that's surprise 134 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,400 how do you know and I said because I 135 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:28,000 have asked because I was there and uh so 136 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,599 you have to base your budget calculation 137 00:07:31,599 --> 00:07:33,919 a part of the big unknowns that they are 138 00:07:33,919 --> 00:07:37,280 always on on real facts that you have uh 139 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,680 researched. Ultimately 140 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,319 ultimately you can do a film with two 141 00:07:48,319 --> 00:07:51,520 persons only sometimes even only one and 142 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,720 I know a one-man film and that was uh 143 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,360 Hubert Saer an Austrian filmmaker who 144 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:01,759 did uh Darvin's nightmare and recently a 145 00:08:01,759 --> 00:08:04,720 film who was on the Academy Award short 146 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:08,080 list uh we come as friends and I think 147 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,520 he only had his digital camera with a 148 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:13,759 microphone on it. So it was a one-man 149 00:08:13,759 --> 00:08:17,199 crew. But I have done I personally have 150 00:08:17,199 --> 00:08:22,319 done films only with uh two persons, one 151 00:08:22,319 --> 00:08:24,879 cinematographer and me doing the sound 152 00:08:24,879 --> 00:08:28,560 and directing the film. Another film 153 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:32,320 where there were only two men uh was a 154 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:36,240 film not so long ago in in Antarctica, 155 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,039 Encounters at the End of the World, 156 00:08:39,039 --> 00:08:43,039 where I had um cinematographer Peter 157 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:46,720 Sidinger and again I did the sound and 158 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:51,680 uh I directed the film and uh it doesn't 159 00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:54,560 mean this is nonprofessional. The film 160 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:57,200 in fact had a very good theatrical run 161 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,160 on very big screens, very beautiful 162 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:04,399 sound. Um, and it had a an Academy Award 163 00:09:04,399 --> 00:09:06,880 nomination, which is kind of odd because 164 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:09,519 I'm not made for that kind of stuff. 165 00:09:09,519 --> 00:09:13,680 But, um, uh, that's how you you can 166 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:18,240 actually survive doing a film. So, 167 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:22,000 two elements. One is uh the amount of 168 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,920 days of shooting and the second is uh 169 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,760 the size of your crew. Reduce it. Reduce 170 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:33,120 it. Fight back. Ultimately do you can do 171 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:38,839 a film with two persons only as a crew. 172 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,360 If you are able-bodied, 173 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:47,519 start to work and it takes you three, 174 00:09:47,519 --> 00:09:50,320 four months or five months, maybe a year 175 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:53,040 and you will have $10,000. 176 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,399 With $10,000, you can make a feature 177 00:09:56,399 --> 00:09:59,920 film nowadays. A fulllength feature 178 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:03,120 film. Of course, not with stars. You 179 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:05,040 have to have a crew of four or five 180 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:07,760 maximum. You have to shoot within 10 181 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,839 days. You have to edit it yourself. And 182 00:10:11,839 --> 00:10:14,480 you can you can do a feature film for 183 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:17,279 under $10,000. 184 00:10:17,279 --> 00:10:20,000 Become self-reliant. For your first 185 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,200 films, the first three films, 186 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:25,440 featuretses that I made or short shorter 187 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:28,880 films that I made, I knew I would earn 188 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:30,640 money. I would make them. And my 189 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:33,920 principle was money lost but film 190 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:35,760 gained. 191 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:39,600 And I foraw it correctly when I was 19 192 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:41,920 years old that I would not sell these 193 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,800 films. And until today I have not sold 194 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:47,920 these films which is fine because it 195 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,720 creates of course defeats. My film 196 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:53,120 school was a defeats 197 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,560 of my early films shooting and making 198 00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:58,800 idiotic mistakes. 199 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:02,000 uh and uh all the stupidities 200 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,160 accumulated to defeats from which I 201 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,360 learned painful lessons 202 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,959 uh and but I had something presentable 203 00:11:10,959 --> 00:11:13,360 and all of a sudden I was somehow 204 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:15,760 qualified for 205 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,079 uh people who took me serious because I 206 00:11:18,079 --> 00:11:21,440 brought three films to them. Today the 207 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,560 situation is much easier. Uh the cameras 208 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:27,920 are highly professional, very small and 209 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,640 inexpensive. So you should be able to 210 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:33,360 afford a camera and you should be 211 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,399 capable to afford some sort of a sound 212 00:11:36,399 --> 00:11:38,240 recording system. One or two good 213 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,440 microphones and that's it. Editing you 214 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,120 can do on your laptop nowadays. You just 215 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:48,240 do it yourself. What I do not like is 216 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:50,959 the culture of complaint. Everybody is 217 00:11:50,959 --> 00:11:53,680 complaining. Ah, the financiers are so 218 00:11:53,680 --> 00:11:56,079 stupid. They don't give me the money for 219 00:11:56,079 --> 00:11:58,800 my wonderful project. And it goes all 220 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,600 the way even into some of the most 221 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,640 successful Hollywood filmmakers. I do 222 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,519 not name names now, but some of the 223 00:12:07,519 --> 00:12:10,639 biggest of them I've heard complaining 224 00:12:10,639 --> 00:12:13,120 how stupid the system was and wouldn't 225 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,480 finance a project like this or that. 226 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,240 It's uh it's inacceptable for me. You 227 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:24,000 have to be able to be self-reliant. 228 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,880 There's no excuse anymore that you don't 229 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:31,440 do your film. No excuse. 1 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,199 When you are negotiating a budget with 2 00:00:17,199 --> 00:00:20,480 financiers or production companies, you 3 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:22,160 really have to know what you are doing 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,240 and you really have to tell them what 5 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:27,119 they are getting into it. You have to be 6 00:00:27,119 --> 00:00:29,840 completely candid. otherwise the 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,280 problems will accumulate massively 8 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,160 and uh I'm always trying to keep 9 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:39,360 attorneys out of discussions 10 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:43,040 was very interesting the discourse I had 11 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,160 with a learner millennium films for the 12 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:49,039 bad lieutenant uh and I met him for the 13 00:00:49,039 --> 00:00:51,520 first time in my life and he was with an 14 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:55,600 entourage at five and I was alone and I 15 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,559 asked is there an attorney here and one 16 00:00:58,559 --> 00:01:01,359 said, "Yes, I'm the legal counsel of the 17 00:01:01,359 --> 00:01:04,239 production company." And I said, "Could 18 00:01:04,239 --> 00:01:08,080 you please only listen in 19 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:11,280 and be I don't want to to chase you out. 20 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:13,439 Listen in. Do your counseling 21 00:01:13,439 --> 00:01:17,119 afterwards. I do not want to have 22 00:01:17,119 --> 00:01:19,600 attorneys negotiate. That's the end of 23 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:25,280 of everything when you I never and I 24 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,880 advise you never ever ever ever let 25 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,119 attorneys negotiate. 26 00:01:31,119 --> 00:01:34,640 Uh you negotiate yourself or an agent 27 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,840 may negotiate if you if you're not uh 28 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,960 feeling right to negotiate yourself. uh 29 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:46,079 the attorneys are uh are poison for for 30 00:01:46,079 --> 00:01:47,680 negotiations 31 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,040 and everybody knows that sometimes in my 32 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,000 very last film uh on the internet I only 33 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,640 had a handshake like in the old days a 34 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:00,719 handshake uh and those contracts are 35 00:02:00,719 --> 00:02:04,479 more solid in all every single case I've 36 00:02:04,479 --> 00:02:07,119 only functioned on a handshake if you 37 00:02:07,119 --> 00:02:11,520 have a 140 page contract with uh about 38 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:14,080 your directing. You you know this spells 39 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,239 disaster and it always the longer the 40 00:02:16,239 --> 00:02:19,520 contract gets the more you are prone of 41 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,360 uh running into trouble and everybody 42 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,680 predicted to me 43 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,160 uh this will end in a failure. You 44 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,319 cannot deal with uh such a uh beast of 45 00:02:32,319 --> 00:02:34,720 the industry. And I said let the beasts 46 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,040 come. They are human beings and they 47 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,160 have they also have some sort of vision. 48 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:45,000 Deal with them. Be responsible. 49 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,920 Make yourself familiar with with the 50 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:55,920 legal legal basic concepts. It's not 51 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:58,480 that you have to learn every turn your 52 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:00,800 term. You have to understand the 53 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:02,319 concepts. 54 00:03:02,319 --> 00:03:04,800 You have to understand legal terms. You 55 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,280 have to know what you are getting into. 56 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,680 You really have to know. I I had a 57 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,200 contract um offered where it said I'm 58 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:18,080 here work for hire. And I said to the to 59 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,400 the attorney, work for hire is 60 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:22,959 inacceptable for me because it means 61 00:03:22,959 --> 00:03:25,440 that I have absolutely no right. I can 62 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:27,920 be fired at any moment and replaced by 63 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:31,120 anyone at any moment. My footage can be 64 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,720 used uh because I have nice landscapes 65 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:39,680 that can be used in a perfume uh uh 66 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,959 advertisement for example. Um it can be 67 00:03:42,959 --> 00:03:45,519 butchered, it can be uh it can be 68 00:03:45,519 --> 00:03:49,440 spliced into you uh YouTube clips. You 69 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:51,280 can do anything you want. And the 70 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,599 attorney was sitting in front of me and 71 00:03:53,599 --> 00:03:57,040 and he just was completely frozen. I 72 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,599 said, "Can you at least nod?" He did not 73 00:03:59,599 --> 00:04:03,360 even nod. But I knew I knew if I signed 74 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,519 work for hire it meant a lot of 75 00:04:07,519 --> 00:04:09,120 consequences 76 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:14,040 where you have no position at all. 77 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,680 In my discussion with Millennium Film, I 78 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,240 said to them, and it was already 6 PM, I 79 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:26,639 said to them, those are the things that 80 00:04:26,639 --> 00:04:30,400 I need to have in a contract. Uh, who is 81 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:32,560 my cinematographer? I have to have my 82 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,160 own choice. Composer, editor, sound 83 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,880 person, a few things they have to be in 84 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,280 the contract and I name them. And you 85 00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:44,320 have voiced some certain special uh 86 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,040 ideas, have them in a contract. And I 87 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:49,120 said to the attorney, I turned to him 88 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:50,800 and I said, "Why don't you take a 89 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,520 standard contract? There's page after 90 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:56,720 page after page of about transfers of 91 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,199 rights and delivery items and you you 92 00:04:59,199 --> 00:05:01,840 just name it. Take one of those standard 93 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:05,520 contracts and put in just those few 94 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,320 specific demands of either side and you 95 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,720 can do it in half an hour." And I said, 96 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,240 I would appreciate I would appreciate if 97 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,320 I had the contract if you really want to 98 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,199 do the film with me. I would appreciate 99 00:05:19,199 --> 00:05:21,919 if by tomorrow 8:00 in the morning 100 00:05:21,919 --> 00:05:24,800 somebody brings a contract for signature 101 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,759 and at 8:00 a messenger rings and brings 102 00:05:27,759 --> 00:05:31,360 a contract and wants to leave. And I 103 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:33,199 said, "Stay." 104 00:05:33,199 --> 00:05:36,800 And I looked through the contract uh uh 105 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:38,960 less than 10 minutes and signed it and 106 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,600 sent the messenger back with my signed 107 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:43,280 contract. 108 00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:47,440 If you do not have a deal within 48 109 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,880 hours, within two days, you won't have 110 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:54,240 the deals in two years either. There has 111 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:55,840 to be something that brings you 112 00:05:55,840 --> 00:05:58,960 together, an urgency, a vision, an 113 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:01,039 excitement, and you will get into 114 00:06:01,039 --> 00:06:04,039 business. 115 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:11,280 Sometimes with actors, I really want to 116 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:15,440 have one actor and I I tell the actor, 117 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:17,919 uh, I have no choice. 118 00:06:17,919 --> 00:06:20,960 It's you. I really see you in this role 119 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:22,639 and you will be wonderful. It's 120 00:06:22,639 --> 00:06:25,199 something you will be you will be really 121 00:06:25,199 --> 00:06:28,560 wonderful in. My budget is very limited 122 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,520 and I will offer your agent a budget 123 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,160 which is certainly lower than you will 124 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:37,199 get. And in case of Christian Bale, he 125 00:06:37,199 --> 00:06:40,160 had just finished Batman. 126 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,360 And his fee was very very high. And I 127 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,440 said to Christian, I have to offer your 128 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:49,280 agent a fee which is way way way under 129 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:52,080 this. but I really would love to have 130 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:54,479 you there. And he said, I want to work 131 00:06:54,479 --> 00:06:56,160 with you. That's the only important 132 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:00,400 thing. So I spoke to the agent and I 133 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,720 said, "This is our budget and this is 134 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,120 what I can offer and I cannot even 135 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:08,000 negotiate. I I cannot if you want 10% 136 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,039 more, I give you the limit that I have. 137 00:07:11,039 --> 00:07:14,880 So this is what I I'd like to do." And 138 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:19,199 uh normally uh uh if you have a fire 139 00:07:19,199 --> 00:07:22,720 within you and a conviction within you 140 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:27,120 and on the other end the the actor 141 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:30,479 um really wanting to work with you on 142 00:07:30,479 --> 00:07:34,000 this project then you will have a deal. 143 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,000 It will come together. If you are vague 144 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:37,840 and if you don't know and if it's not 145 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:39,840 this one oh yeah there are 50 other 146 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:42,639 actors who could who could replace that 147 00:07:42,639 --> 00:07:45,280 one. Christian play bail cannot be 148 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,680 replaced. And you will find these people 149 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:50,400 if you have a real beautiful project 150 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,440 negotiations about money about timing 151 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:57,919 about god knows the perks padiums all 152 00:07:57,919 --> 00:08:00,960 this is is is going to work out somehow. 153 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,599 It will fall in place in the wake of the 154 00:08:03,599 --> 00:08:08,400 big dynamic that we are creating. 1 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:12,960 Not only would I uh direct uh actors or 2 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,759 human beings, I would also direct 3 00:00:15,759 --> 00:00:18,800 landscapes. In a way, opening of Akira 4 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,240 is directed landscape. It's somehow 5 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:24,640 understanding the essence and doing the 6 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,119 right thing in this landscape and 7 00:00:27,119 --> 00:00:30,320 incorporate it into a dynamic that you 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:35,000 do not normally see in a movie. 9 00:00:38,879 --> 00:00:42,879 Sometimes I have spent uh 10 00:00:42,879 --> 00:00:49,039 uh many weeks scouting like uh Agiri uh 11 00:00:49,039 --> 00:00:53,960 rafting down on Amazon tributaries. 12 00:01:00,079 --> 00:01:04,159 Yes, this is near Machu Picchu, 13 00:01:04,159 --> 00:01:07,200 near Uro Bamba. And here you see this 14 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:08,720 zigzag 15 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,920 path. It's almost vertical and slippery. 16 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:13,520 And 17 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:15,840 many of the native people who come from 18 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,439 the highlands who came from very high up 19 00:01:19,439 --> 00:01:21,759 uh were frightened. Some of them 20 00:01:21,759 --> 00:01:24,240 altitude sick. Some of them had ver no 21 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,360 vertigo vertigo more than anything. And 22 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,159 I would run up and down this zigzag 23 00:01:30,159 --> 00:01:33,280 path. I mean to to exhaustion and tie 24 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:35,600 some of them onto bushes so they 25 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:37,439 wouldn't slip down. And I said stay 26 00:01:37,439 --> 00:01:39,280 where you are. We'll we'll get you out 27 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:43,560 later. Heat. Heat. 28 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:21,400 It was filmed only once 29 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,239 and 30 00:02:24,239 --> 00:02:26,239 those are moments where I had the 31 00:02:26,239 --> 00:02:28,560 feeling I was blessed. 32 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,280 something fell into my lap 33 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,440 that uh in a way I knew I deserved it 34 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,519 but yet uh you have to be lucky as well 35 00:02:39,519 --> 00:02:42,000 and it's a really 36 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,440 wonderful moment 37 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,879 and you see how steep it is 38 00:02:48,879 --> 00:02:52,400 chicken in there llamas 39 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,400 everything. 40 00:02:58,959 --> 00:03:02,080 It really was a location that I loved 41 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,280 and I had great disputes with Kinsky 42 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,519 about it. He wanted the entire ensemble 43 00:03:07,519 --> 00:03:09,840 because you see the ruins of Machu 44 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,280 Picchu, one of the most photographed 45 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:17,280 sites on on our planet. And I said, "No, 46 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:20,319 this is post postcard kit. I want a 47 00:03:20,319 --> 00:03:23,280 detail of and he started to scream and 48 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,760 yell and kick at the camera. And so I 49 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,640 took him out of the shot. 50 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:39,280 So of course uh 51 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,159 the quality of pre-production 52 00:03:42,159 --> 00:03:44,480 location scouting 53 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:46,720 made the quality of what you see on 54 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,200 screen. And it's not that you can 55 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:51,200 organize it quickly and you you say, 56 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,319 "Ah, let's go there." You just can't go 57 00:03:54,319 --> 00:03:58,360 there and and start shooting. 58 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,200 When it comes to location, it is not 59 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,599 only the location that you see on 60 00:04:07,599 --> 00:04:10,879 screen. Yes, that's a key to all. That's 61 00:04:10,879 --> 00:04:14,239 overwhelms every other consideration. 62 00:04:14,239 --> 00:04:16,079 But at the same time you have to 63 00:04:16,079 --> 00:04:18,880 consider logistics. Where do you have 64 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,440 There were no hotels at that time. There 65 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,560 was a tiny hotel, eight rooms up near 66 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,000 Machu Picchu. Nothing else at that time. 67 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,360 So where do you house your uh 450 68 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,160 extras? Where does does the crew stay? 69 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:37,919 Crew was very small but still. Um, so we 70 00:04:37,919 --> 00:04:40,880 went into a tea plantation uh down at 71 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:45,840 the river which had a huge uh uh barn 72 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:48,479 which we emptied out and filled it with 73 00:04:48,479 --> 00:04:52,479 uh sort of hammocks and um and beds on 74 00:04:52,479 --> 00:04:58,720 top of of each other for 450 people. So 75 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,680 So we had to we had to organize that at 76 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,400 the same time. Where does the crew stay? 77 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,120 We were very provisionally housed. I 78 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:12,160 stayed in a in a hut in a mud hut of a 79 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:16,320 woman who was actually she had a 80 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:18,639 hunchback, a very very sweet woman. And 81 00:05:18,639 --> 00:05:21,120 she had six children and something like 82 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,320 200 or over 200 guinea pigs. And at 83 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:26,080 night the guinea pigs would run around 84 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:28,240 and run over me. I had to learn how to 85 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,360 sleep with guinea pigs running over me. 86 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:33,759 There's a point of no return which comes 87 00:05:33,759 --> 00:05:36,320 very early in the film in process of 88 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,919 film making. But uh you always should 89 00:05:39,919 --> 00:05:43,680 look for for the most uh elegant 90 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,720 solutions for logistics for example. 91 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,360 Don't make a choice for a mountain and 92 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,000 you have to have sharpers for 3 weeks 93 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,520 just to carry your camera there and then 94 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:58,240 uh you might end up in in snow and fog 95 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,960 and you won't see anything. 96 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,720 So you have to be prudent and uh people 97 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:08,400 sometime think uh I'm the one who gives 98 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,039 himself these crazy obstacles about 99 00:06:11,039 --> 00:06:13,759 filming in the Sahara desert or filming 100 00:06:13,759 --> 00:06:16,720 in the jungle uh just to prove himself. 101 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,440 So it's what what's stupid what a stupid 102 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:24,240 idea. Uh I still try to to find a place 103 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,039 where uh logistics are functioning where 104 00:06:27,039 --> 00:06:29,680 I do have electricity. I don't have it 105 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:32,080 all the time. But once you are settled 106 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:34,400 for doing something, don't be afraid and 107 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,000 do not shy away from uh entering into 108 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,960 real difficult terrain. 109 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:51,039 When I travel, uh I travel very light. I 110 00:06:51,039 --> 00:06:54,639 try to have only one bag which would be 111 00:06:54,639 --> 00:06:57,680 hand luggage in a on a plane. 112 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,960 And that's how I mostly travel. And uh 113 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,120 adapting 114 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,720 I um try to understand the people with 115 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,919 whom I'm going to work. I try to speak 116 00:07:09,919 --> 00:07:13,680 their language. Uh in practically all 117 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:17,360 the cases, I use the accommodations that 118 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,080 you find with them. I lived in a hammock 119 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:21,919 for one and a half year in the jungle 120 00:07:21,919 --> 00:07:25,360 and it was fine. or I would eat the food 121 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:29,280 that the native uh people would eat. So 122 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:33,919 I ate alligate, I ate snake, I ate live 123 00:07:33,919 --> 00:07:37,280 maggots. I mean big white crawling 124 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,639 maggots. It was in uh in the jungle and 125 00:07:40,639 --> 00:07:43,919 some of the uh chiefs were poking in a 126 00:07:43,919 --> 00:07:49,919 huge rotten uh tree and it was all uh 127 00:07:49,919 --> 00:07:52,000 coming apart and they dig deep with 128 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,479 their machetes and they come up with a 129 00:07:54,479 --> 00:07:57,280 handful of of these big maggots and they 130 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,240 eat them live and a chief I didn't 131 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:02,479 expect it. I was just curious. A chief 132 00:08:02,479 --> 00:08:04,800 comes with three or four of them in his 133 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,919 hand and gives it to me and and offers 134 00:08:07,919 --> 00:08:11,199 it to me as a special delicacy. So, and 135 00:08:11,199 --> 00:08:13,840 and they all stand and wait and and of 136 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:18,520 course you you have to eat them. 137 00:08:22,319 --> 00:08:25,039 You have to be careful with uh permits 138 00:08:25,039 --> 00:08:27,759 and you have to 139 00:08:27,759 --> 00:08:32,080 you have to develop a right sensibility 140 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:34,800 how to do it. In some cases, Fitz 141 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,320 Karaldo for example, I would I would 142 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:40,640 just wildly 143 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,760 forge shooting permits. There was a 144 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:47,839 military coup d'etar uh also in in Peru 145 00:08:47,839 --> 00:08:50,720 and uh very hard to get permits in my 146 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:53,920 boats were stopped and even a young 147 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:56,240 soldier was ordered a barefoot 17 year 148 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,519 old soldier uh took a shot at me. I was 149 00:08:59,519 --> 00:09:02,800 in a in a small boat next to to my big 150 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:06,080 ship and of course you you you better 151 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,040 stop and you go on land. And I met the 152 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:11,839 colonel who ran this and he said uh you 153 00:09:11,839 --> 00:09:14,320 are not allowed here actually what 154 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,120 happened what nobody of us knew that a a 155 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,839 border war would break out very very 156 00:09:19,839 --> 00:09:22,320 soon and there was a high military 157 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:24,399 presence nothing was allowed to us 158 00:09:24,399 --> 00:09:29,040 anymore and I said uh Mik Ronell 159 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:30,880 uh I will be back with my shooting 160 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:33,440 permit which is in Lima and 3 days later 161 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:35,760 I brought the shooting permit and he 162 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:38,640 saluted and said pass on because the 163 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:41,600 permit was even signed by the Peruvian 164 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,560 president himself. Of course, it was a 165 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:47,920 fake um a fake signature and a fake 166 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:52,320 document, but you do that 167 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,040 uh when really necessary. 168 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:57,519 But at the same time, you really have to 169 00:09:57,519 --> 00:09:59,760 honor a shooting permit and you have to 170 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:03,680 be loyal to it. Uh just a few months 171 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:06,720 ago, I had a permit to shoot in North 172 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:10,480 Korea, North Korea of all places. And I 173 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:12,880 was filming a volcano at the crater rim. 174 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:14,480 And there were some soldiers. I was 175 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:17,680 filming as some of our people. And I 176 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:19,680 noticed next to me there are some young 177 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:21,920 soldiers taking photos of each other at 178 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,880 a scenic spot. And uh two or three 179 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:28,000 female soldiers. And one of the soldiers 180 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,079 tickles one of the females and she 181 00:10:30,079 --> 00:10:32,320 laughs and screeches. And I said to the 182 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:34,399 cinematographer, "Pan, pan, pan," I 183 00:10:34,399 --> 00:10:36,640 whispered to him and he pans and we see 184 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:39,440 the soldiers. And immediately one of our 185 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,399 guides stops steps in front of the lens 186 00:10:42,399 --> 00:10:45,360 and says, "Stop this." And of course, we 187 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:46,800 stop it. And he said, "You have to 188 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:49,360 delete it." And then they tried to 189 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:51,680 delete it. And we had systems that were 190 00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:54,320 not compatible with a North Korean 191 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,800 system. So it went on for a few days and 192 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,920 the reason why we were not allowed to 193 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:04,320 film soldiers was uh in no country I was 194 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:07,760 told you are allowed to identify an 195 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,320 individual in uniform. 196 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,760 I said I cannot delete this. I just 197 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,959 can't delete it. U but I said I'm not 198 00:11:16,959 --> 00:11:19,760 going to use it in my film. I can 199 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:21,920 promise you that. And they said to me 200 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:24,079 what what are your guarantees? what how 201 00:11:24,079 --> 00:11:26,720 do you guarantee this? 202 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,240 And 203 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:31,839 I just stepped in front of this guide of 204 00:11:31,839 --> 00:11:35,680 us and I very close and I said to him, 205 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:39,040 uh, I don't have any guarantee, but I 206 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,720 have three things to offer. My word, my 207 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:47,200 face, and my hand. And I shook his hand. 208 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:49,680 And of course, I will honor this. I will 209 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:53,519 not use this shot in my film. 210 00:11:53,519 --> 00:11:57,680 Um so it's a delicate balance which you 211 00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:00,560 have to which you have to find and you 212 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:04,160 do the rogue things in one situation and 213 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:05,920 the very 214 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:10,320 um docsile sort of honoring of a 215 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,519 commitment a mutual trust that you have 216 00:12:13,519 --> 00:12:15,680 to establish. 217 00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:18,240 And 218 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,040 that's something uh you will learn very 219 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:22,720 very quickly when when you are out 220 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:24,240 somewhere in the field and you're 221 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,240 shooting 222 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:33,200 Fitz Karaldo 223 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,519 of course pre-production 224 00:12:35,519 --> 00:12:38,560 I looked at all the possible rivers and 225 00:12:38,560 --> 00:12:40,560 looked at a place where I could move the 226 00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:43,600 ship over the mountain and I had a very 227 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:45,519 good location 228 00:12:45,519 --> 00:12:48,000 which was fairly 229 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:49,839 accessible 230 00:12:49,839 --> 00:12:53,040 uh but in this area and I had built a 231 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:57,279 camp for about thousand native extras. 232 00:12:57,279 --> 00:12:59,839 This area was close to the uh border 233 00:12:59,839 --> 00:13:03,040 with uh Ecuador. And when the border war 234 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,200 broke out between Peru and Ecuador, I 235 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,000 was right in the crosshairs of everyone. 236 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,240 And there were political organizations 237 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,200 among the natives who claimed to be 238 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,480 masters of the territory. And uh uh 239 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:18,720 there was a political thing going on as 240 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:20,800 well. And my camp was attacked and 241 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,760 burned to the ground. And I had already 242 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:28,000 uh left it and only had a medical team 243 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,720 there would which would provide medical 244 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:35,120 service to the locals. But uh you cannot 245 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,279 predict it uh what what was going to 246 00:13:37,279 --> 00:13:40,160 happen. And so I had to build a new camp 247 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:43,760 but 2,000 kilometers somewhere else. And 248 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:46,720 I had to build two ships, identical 249 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,600 ships. What you see in the film uh is 250 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:52,320 actually an an identical twin. One was 251 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:54,800 moved over the mountain while this took 252 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,639 a long time. The other ship was filming 253 00:13:58,639 --> 00:14:02,160 with the actors going on the voyage in 254 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:07,920 the river and a lot a lot of things uh 255 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:11,120 went into pre-production and the caliber 256 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:13,600 of the pre-production decided the fate 257 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,240 of the film. Heat. 258 00:14:34,399 --> 00:14:37,399 Heat. 259 00:14:39,199 --> 00:14:42,199 Heat. Heat. 260 00:15:20,639 --> 00:15:24,240 And uh I I was told, yeah, why was he so 261 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:26,720 stupid to choose such a difficult 262 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:29,519 location? because my answer it was the 263 00:15:29,519 --> 00:15:34,160 only one uh that I could find. And why 264 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:38,000 did he not uh shoot in a studio with a 265 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,079 with digital effects? Of course, they 266 00:15:40,079 --> 00:15:42,800 didn't exist in still today. I would 267 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,040 still move a real boat over a real 268 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:49,839 mountain because I want audiences back 269 00:15:49,839 --> 00:15:54,079 in a position where you would know 270 00:15:54,079 --> 00:15:56,959 um where you could trust your eyes 271 00:15:56,959 --> 00:16:00,000 again. You see everywhere in the films 272 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:01,920 you know in six-year-old children know 273 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:04,320 ah this is a digital effect. They even 274 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:06,959 know how the digital digital effects are 275 00:16:06,959 --> 00:16:09,839 being done. I wanted the audience back 276 00:16:09,839 --> 00:16:14,639 in the very very basic notion you can 277 00:16:14,639 --> 00:16:17,839 trust your eyes again and films normally 278 00:16:17,839 --> 00:16:21,639 do not do that anymore. 279 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:29,040 Each film is is quite different 280 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:31,440 and sometimes you cannot scout a 281 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,320 location. You are forced to a location. 282 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:38,480 I did a series on of films on death row, 283 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:42,720 death row in uh Texas and one inmate I 284 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,880 filmed in uh in Florida and female 285 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,199 inmates also in in Texas but in a 286 00:16:49,199 --> 00:16:52,720 different facility. So there is there's 287 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:57,040 one location you allowed 50 minutes to 288 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:01,839 spend with the inmate. Um they are boxed 289 00:17:01,839 --> 00:17:05,360 in into a into a cage. You have a 290 00:17:05,360 --> 00:17:08,240 bulletproof uh glass window in front of 291 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:10,720 you between you but you're sitting very 292 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:14,079 close. I mean you are sitting like uh uh 293 00:17:14,079 --> 00:17:16,000 four or five feet away from each other, 294 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,520 three feet away from each other. And uh 295 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,319 you only can do it there. You are only 296 00:17:22,319 --> 00:17:26,400 allowed uh maximum three people. That's 297 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,280 what the warden tells you. And you can 298 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:32,720 only film if the inmate has given you 299 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:35,520 permission in writing that he wants to 300 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:38,240 talk to you. Secondly, the warden has to 301 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,039 decide and has to give permission. So 302 00:17:41,039 --> 00:17:43,360 the restrictions sometimes are enormous 303 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:45,600 and you have to you have to deal with 304 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,000 it. Don't complain. You just do it 305 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,120 quickly. Deal with it and and get away 306 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:54,080 with film. That's what what we are. We 307 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,200 are thieves. We are thieves. We we get 308 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,000 away with loot from from the most 309 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,559 beautiful or the most scary or the most 310 00:18:02,559 --> 00:18:05,600 spectacular places that you can ever 311 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,760 find. That's what we have to do. Bank 312 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:11,600 robbers 313 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:15,480 just hit and run. 1 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,040 My doubts always come on the very first 2 00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:14,320 hour of shooting. I'm scared. Oh my 3 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:16,080 goodness, there is a whole crew. There 4 00:00:16,080 --> 00:00:18,880 is there are the cameras and I try to 5 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:23,119 look behind and around. Am I really the 6 00:00:23,119 --> 00:00:26,400 one to do this film? What qualifies me? 7 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:28,720 So, and I I have a ritual to overcome 8 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,719 it. the the assistant uh cameraman has 9 00:00:32,719 --> 00:00:36,160 to glue a yellow stripe of gaffer tape 10 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:39,680 here on my chest and one longer on on my 11 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:41,840 back between the shoulder blades and I 12 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:44,079 kind of I have the feeling oh yeah it's 13 00:00:44,079 --> 00:00:46,719 me now and you better step out and you 14 00:00:46,719 --> 00:00:49,600 do it and it it's a simple ritual and 15 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,000 after 10 minutes into working myself 16 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,920 into a film every sort of question uh am 17 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,399 I the one who is going to do it has 18 00:00:58,399 --> 00:01:01,719 disapp ipated. 19 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,360 I think uh a few things are necessary 20 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,760 there. Number one, your project has to 21 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,119 have a real big clear vision that keeps 22 00:01:15,119 --> 00:01:18,080 people going with you. You have to have 23 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:20,320 something like authority, but it has to 24 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:23,360 be natural authority or rather you have 25 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,479 to earn the authority every single day 26 00:01:26,479 --> 00:01:29,280 on the shoot. You have to be competent. 27 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:31,200 You have to be loyal with your people. 28 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,759 You have to be uh quick in your 29 00:01:33,759 --> 00:01:36,799 decisions. You should know what sound 30 00:01:36,799 --> 00:01:38,799 can do. You should know what a camera 31 00:01:38,799 --> 00:01:41,200 does. You should know what you can do 32 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,040 with costumes. 33 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,600 Um and and many other skills. Uh and 34 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,119 only because of that uh you you have an 35 00:01:51,119 --> 00:01:53,280 automatic authority. 36 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,000 It's not by yelling around. You have to 37 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,960 authority has to has to be something 38 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:03,520 natural. It it comes partly partly uh 39 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,479 because of your understanding of the 40 00:02:06,479 --> 00:02:09,759 single parts that's that are going on in 41 00:02:09,759 --> 00:02:11,520 uh 42 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:13,599 in the shooting during the shooting of a 43 00:02:13,599 --> 00:02:16,319 film. And of course authority comes 44 00:02:16,319 --> 00:02:19,680 because of the intensity of your vision. 45 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,800 on the set for example, I listen to 46 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,520 suggestions of the cinematographer. I 47 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:27,440 listen to 48 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:32,640 um what the actors uh remarking and it's 49 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:34,400 uh 50 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:38,000 it's interesting how far I would uh give 51 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,959 them space for creating their own 52 00:02:40,959 --> 00:02:44,239 architecture of things and I give them a 53 00:02:44,239 --> 00:02:46,959 very short instruction and then I can 54 00:02:46,959 --> 00:02:48,720 leave them alone. I know they have it 55 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,800 all in them and uh do not direct every 56 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:57,440 single detail. And what really keeps uh 57 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:01,040 uh this diverse group of people together 58 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,040 which always holds them together on a 59 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:07,440 set is uh at the end of the day during 60 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:11,360 or during shooting already you know man 61 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,319 this was great. was this a performance 62 00:03:14,319 --> 00:03:17,040 and we captured it and and this was 63 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,280 incredible and and everybody walks away 64 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,560 and it was a tough day. Uh torrential 65 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,360 rains we are soaked, we are hungry and 66 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,000 everybody walks back and is is somehow 67 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:32,560 glowing and uh um in this knowledge that 68 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:34,959 we have done something something 69 00:03:34,959 --> 00:03:37,280 exceptional that others have not been 70 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,519 capable of doing. But it means it means 71 00:03:41,519 --> 00:03:45,920 that a daytoday grinding on of uh film 72 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,239 of filming which is completely 73 00:03:48,239 --> 00:03:50,080 unspectacular. 74 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,879 It's uh it's a grinding on of 75 00:03:52,879 --> 00:03:55,840 banalities. It's an endless chain of 76 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,159 benalities that you are doing 77 00:03:58,159 --> 00:04:02,080 timeconsuming things uh that do not seem 78 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,959 to ever come to anything. You have to 79 00:04:04,959 --> 00:04:08,239 enforce something that is so uh 80 00:04:08,239 --> 00:04:10,799 wonderful that everybody loves what they 81 00:04:10,799 --> 00:04:13,040 are doing. They don't need to love me. 82 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:17,560 They have to love what they are doing. 83 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,120 I was more formal pre in a way. It had 84 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,600 to do I think uh that I was always the 85 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,240 youngest on the set. I made my first 86 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,280 feature film when I was a kid and I 87 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:35,600 everybody all the crew was older, 10 88 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,400 years older, cinematographer, actors, 89 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:43,280 everybody older and uh uh and quite a 90 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:45,520 few of my cinematographers 91 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:47,680 were 92 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,080 holding the firm belief that there would 93 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:52,080 be a much better director than I would 94 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,680 be. Sometimes it's very healthy to to 95 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,320 keep a certain distance 96 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,440 or at least a certain formality. 97 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:06,000 And until very late in my life uh in my 98 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:10,639 working life, I have uh uh dealt with 99 00:05:10,639 --> 00:05:14,240 cinematographers always saying uh see in 100 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,280 German, not do. Uh you cannot translate 101 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:19,440 it in English because you only have you. 102 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,840 But uh uh in French it would be vu or in 103 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:26,320 Spanish it would be. 104 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,199 And only after I've ended up in in 105 00:05:29,199 --> 00:05:31,199 prison with one of the cameramen and 106 00:05:31,199 --> 00:05:35,840 only after uh we um were sick and 107 00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:38,639 vomited in a vineyard together next to 108 00:05:38,639 --> 00:05:41,440 each other. Only then I said after 10 109 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,720 years why don't we say you to each other 110 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,440 and we just shook briefly hands and that 111 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,560 was it. and from then on you. But the 112 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:53,360 distance, the respect, the professional 113 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,720 respect among each other is is quite 114 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,520 often helpful. 115 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,080 Today I have changed my my attitudes. 116 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:06,639 I'm much uh uh easier and much uh 117 00:06:06,639 --> 00:06:09,520 quicker in into offering the more 118 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,759 personal uh you to to anyone who works 119 00:06:13,759 --> 00:06:16,319 with me. when you are dealing with big 120 00:06:16,319 --> 00:06:18,000 stars 121 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,800 uh 122 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:23,199 case for example Nicholas Cage he said 123 00:06:23,199 --> 00:06:26,960 to me oh I have this very very big uh 124 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,280 mansion in downtown 125 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:31,440 I have lots of rooms why don't you stay 126 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,240 with me and I I thought for a second I 127 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:36,880 said Nicholas you know what uh I rather 128 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:39,759 stay in a hotel because uh it is 129 00:06:39,759 --> 00:06:43,680 healthier to meet only on the set and 130 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:47,360 both of us uh create an architecture 131 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:49,600 architecture. You create an architecture 132 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,960 of the character. I create a 133 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,120 corresponding architecture in the 134 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,360 architecture of the camera. It wouldn't 135 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,080 be wise if we sat at breakfast and and 136 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:04,639 and unshaven and tired and and I see the 137 00:07:04,639 --> 00:07:08,560 yolk of your egg on your on your chin. 138 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,759 Uh it's it shouldn't be like that. Meet 139 00:07:11,759 --> 00:07:14,880 me on the set. and he said, "Wonderful. 140 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:19,479 Let's meet tomorrow on the set here." 141 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,400 In the film where the green ants dream, 142 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:30,080 the myth of uh green ants uh who have 143 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,800 their sacred place that has to be 144 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:36,000 defended by aboriges against the 145 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:41,120 encroachment of a mining company. And uh 146 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,520 for a while I always saw this very 147 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:48,400 mysterious image of 400,000 ants all 148 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,520 lined up like uh particles 149 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,400 um that are metal particles that are 150 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,680 under heavy uh magnetic fields. And 151 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,199 these particles line up thousands and 152 00:08:01,199 --> 00:08:03,759 thousands all looking in one direction. 153 00:08:03,759 --> 00:08:05,840 And I thought how can I do it? And I 154 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,800 made a lot of tests with termites and 155 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,919 with ants. The only way to do it was 156 00:08:11,919 --> 00:08:14,319 cooling them down in a cooling house, 157 00:08:14,319 --> 00:08:17,360 but it was so sensitive that one degree 158 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:19,919 lower and they would die. One degree 159 00:08:19,919 --> 00:08:21,840 higher and they would immediately start 160 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,479 to fight and crawl around. 161 00:08:24,479 --> 00:08:27,680 And it was one of those moments where I 162 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:29,919 noticed and where I realized this was 163 00:08:29,919 --> 00:08:33,440 undoable. People believe I do not take 164 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:37,039 no for an answer. Of course, I take no 165 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:39,919 for an answer. It you have to be 166 00:08:39,919 --> 00:08:43,200 prudent. You have to do what can be 167 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,959 done. And many times I I wanted to this 168 00:08:46,959 --> 00:08:50,480 that or the other and I didn't do it. Um 169 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:52,800 and there was a no and I had to accept 170 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:54,399 it. 171 00:08:54,399 --> 00:08:57,120 Same thing with uh Agari the wrath of 172 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,160 God. I had an opening sequence in the 173 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,519 screenplay. It describes 174 00:09:03,519 --> 00:09:07,040 a scene high up in the Andes, 175 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:10,560 snowcovered peaks, glaciers, and on a 176 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:12,640 glacier you see all of a sudden moving 177 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:15,440 in, moving in, flying in, you see a thin 178 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:17,600 thread of hundreds and hundreds of 179 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:19,680 people, and then all of a sudden you 180 00:09:19,680 --> 00:09:24,640 move close in on 400 pigs or so. Uh and 181 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:28,399 the pigs are all staggering and weaving 182 00:09:28,399 --> 00:09:31,760 because of the altitude. Uh they are 183 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:33,839 they have altitude sickness and they 184 00:09:33,839 --> 00:09:36,399 tumble, they toss around and they 185 00:09:36,399 --> 00:09:38,160 stagger. 186 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:42,560 And I tested it with uh having pigs uh 187 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:44,480 injected with uh some sort of 188 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:47,920 anesthetic. Sometimes um you use 189 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:50,160 anesthetics for horses or other animals 190 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:52,959 for operations, but they would just fall 191 00:09:52,959 --> 00:09:56,080 asleep and then get up and sprint away. 192 00:09:56,080 --> 00:10:00,080 And uh this was not doable with pigs. Uh 193 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,880 and besides, when I tested the location, 194 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,240 I took four or five people with me. Four 195 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:09,760 of them were just down on the ground, 196 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:12,480 snow white in their face, started to 197 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:14,800 vomit, couldn't do anything. We had to 198 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:17,440 quickly get them down to to lower 199 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:19,440 altitudes 200 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:22,320 and I realized exactly then and there 201 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:24,240 this cannot be the beginning of the 202 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,760 film. You have to do the doable and I 203 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:30,720 preach it to uh my cinematographer who 204 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,440 says ah yeah we could use a helicopter 205 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:36,399 here and and but the ravine is so narrow 206 00:10:36,399 --> 00:10:38,959 that you cannot fly a helicopter in. I 207 00:10:38,959 --> 00:10:44,360 keep saying to everyone, do the doable. 208 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:52,320 So as as a person who uh who is 209 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,040 responsible for the crew, I'm the guinea 210 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,920 pig. I would never ask anything from 211 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:01,279 them that I wouldn't do myself. 212 00:11:01,279 --> 00:11:04,720 For example, Christian Bale had to eat 213 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,600 live maggots. There was a whole plate. 214 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,399 They were starving to death in this 215 00:11:10,399 --> 00:11:12,399 prison camp. And one of the guards 216 00:11:12,399 --> 00:11:15,600 brings him some pieces of rotten meat, 217 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,399 but the entire plate is full of 218 00:11:18,399 --> 00:11:21,279 wriggling maggots. 219 00:11:21,279 --> 00:11:23,600 And I I took the spoon and I said to 220 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:25,040 Christian, "You know what, Christian? 221 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:28,160 Uh, I'm going to eat a few spoonfuls 222 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:30,560 because the locals actually eat it and 223 00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:32,720 it's there's nothing wrong and lots of 224 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,440 protein." And Christian immediately 225 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:37,440 grabbed the spoon and he said, "Let me 226 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:39,279 do that. You don't need to do it." But 227 00:11:39,279 --> 00:11:43,600 he knew I would have done it. And um 228 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:48,160 somehow quietly I said to him, "Uh 229 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:51,600 we are stopping our camera when you had 230 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,160 enough. You are the one who stops it." 231 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:56,240 But somehow he didn't hear it. He didn't 232 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:58,240 listen. He was too much into these 233 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:00,240 maggots. And he started eating eating 234 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,040 ladling ladling these maggots. And and 235 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:06,079 then finally he says why don't anyone 236 00:12:06,079 --> 00:12:07,920 say cut? 237 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:10,639 And I said cut and he was kind of kind 238 00:12:10,639 --> 00:12:12,959 of miffed. He said you didn't call cut. 239 00:12:12,959 --> 00:12:15,360 I said you were the one who should have 240 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:17,040 who should have given the signal. So 241 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:20,240 there was that was the second moment of 242 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:24,079 some sort of moments of irritation and 243 00:12:24,079 --> 00:12:26,240 two minutes later we embraced and we 244 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:30,959 laughed and uh it was fine. But um 245 00:12:30,959 --> 00:12:34,160 lessons of darkness, we were filming in 246 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:36,800 uh an area where there was some bombed 247 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:39,360 out radar 248 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:42,720 uh screens, gigantic sort of ears 249 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,000 listening into uh the atmosphere for 250 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,839 incoming airplanes all destroyed. And uh 251 00:12:49,839 --> 00:12:52,160 I was told do not move in there. There's 252 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,399 a lot of mines. There are a lot of 253 00:12:54,399 --> 00:12:57,519 mines. And I learned very quickly that 254 00:12:57,519 --> 00:13:01,040 uh putting up a minefield has very clear 255 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:04,000 logics. It surrounds the area but it 256 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,959 leaves a gate open where some people can 257 00:13:06,959 --> 00:13:10,240 walk in or a truck can move in. And 258 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:14,320 having understood the uh the the pattern 259 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:17,279 of of planting mines because I had seen 260 00:13:17,279 --> 00:13:20,000 many mines that were uh visible because 261 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,680 the sand was blown away by the wind. So 262 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:26,160 I said, "Let's go in and let's shoot." I 263 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:28,480 said that to the cinematographer, 264 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:30,399 Paul Barif. 265 00:13:30,399 --> 00:13:33,519 And uh I said, "Uh, you're not going in 266 00:13:33,519 --> 00:13:37,040 first. I go ahead of you. If I step onto 267 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:38,639 something, 268 00:13:38,639 --> 00:13:41,360 uh you better are not the one who is 269 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:43,200 doing this." 270 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:47,360 And this creates a this creates a an 271 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:50,560 enormous amount of confidence among it's 272 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:53,920 it's a very specific u confidence among 273 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:58,240 men. In my way, it is more ladling uh 274 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:01,120 the maggots or walking into the 275 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:03,519 minefield and having the camera behind 276 00:14:03,519 --> 00:14:08,279 me, not in front of me. 277 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:11,279 That's how that's how you you establish 278 00:14:11,279 --> 00:14:13,120 the the right mood for doing 279 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:17,000 extraordinary things. 280 00:14:21,839 --> 00:14:26,079 Also, concerning real benalities uh in 281 00:14:26,079 --> 00:14:29,120 which sequence are we doing things? Do I 282 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:33,600 sometimes uh anticipate 283 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:35,920 uh something that's that might happen 284 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:37,519 and 285 00:14:37,519 --> 00:14:39,839 save the day because a thunderstorm is 286 00:14:39,839 --> 00:14:42,480 arriving and I do the essential little 287 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,600 element first. So I listen and I see I 288 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:47,279 see what the weather is doing. I see 289 00:14:47,279 --> 00:14:49,120 that everybody is getting nervous and 290 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:53,760 our set may be wiped out and I start to 291 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,519 invent uh when a catastrophe happens 292 00:14:57,519 --> 00:15:00,560 like Akiri all of a sudden my set is 293 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:03,519 flooded and the cannons in water the 294 00:15:03,519 --> 00:15:05,920 horses are standing in water I 295 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,959 incorporate it immediately into the film 296 00:15:08,959 --> 00:15:11,680 as an element of the travails and 297 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:15,040 tribulations of the concistadores 298 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:19,600 um it's not only listening to 299 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:24,000 to uh uh an editor or a composer or 300 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,360 someone. I am very very open and alert 301 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:31,440 to events around the shoot and events 302 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:34,480 that may jeopardize what you are doing. 303 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:38,000 So you anticipate it very very early as 304 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,320 quickly as you can and do the essentials 305 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:43,639 right away. 306 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:52,000 By the way, things you cannot uh control 307 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,240 and organize in pre-production is the 308 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:56,639 unforeseeable. the the craze of an 309 00:15:56,639 --> 00:15:59,839 actor. Kinsky going completely bonkers, 310 00:15:59,839 --> 00:16:05,360 destroying a set in a tantrum and uh uh 311 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:10,240 demanding uh that I had to fire um the 312 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:13,360 the boom man because he smiled behind 313 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:16,000 the you have to dismiss him right right 314 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,959 away. What happened? Kinsky simply did 315 00:16:18,959 --> 00:16:21,440 not did not know his lines. And then he 316 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:24,639 exploded and and blamed somebody who had 317 00:16:24,639 --> 00:16:27,759 smiled. And of course, the entire crew 318 00:16:27,759 --> 00:16:30,639 would have walked out in solidarity. 319 00:16:30,639 --> 00:16:33,600 And in this very particular case, 320 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:36,399 because he threatened to leave the set 321 00:16:36,399 --> 00:16:38,480 10 or 11 days before the end of 322 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:40,959 shooting, he threatened and he packed 323 00:16:40,959 --> 00:16:43,440 his stuff and loaded it in a speedboat 324 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,240 and I had to physically threaten him 325 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:48,720 with killing him and and it was a 326 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,519 serious quiet, very very quiet 327 00:16:51,519 --> 00:16:54,480 confrontation. I spoke very very softly 328 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:57,360 to him and he understood this was not a 329 00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,519 joke anymore. I would do something he 330 00:16:59,519 --> 00:17:02,240 would both of us would regret. But 331 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,959 sometimes these confrontations had a 332 00:17:04,959 --> 00:17:08,640 funny side. Both of us uh plotted to 333 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:11,120 murder each other at the same later we 334 00:17:11,120 --> 00:17:13,760 learned it was exactly at the same days 335 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:17,120 or so. And normally it was beautiful 336 00:17:17,120 --> 00:17:20,480 plots that we concocted and uh at the 337 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,039 same time I must say we had great 338 00:17:23,039 --> 00:17:26,480 respect for each other, great admiration 339 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:31,120 and we had a a texture some sort of 340 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:34,559 chemistry that created uh unbelievable 341 00:17:34,559 --> 00:17:36,559 things that otherwise couldn't have been 342 00:17:36,559 --> 00:17:38,160 created. 343 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,039 Uh those things you cannot organize and 344 00:17:41,039 --> 00:17:43,600 pre you cannot prepare yourself. The 345 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:47,520 only thing to prepare yourself for such 346 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:51,600 moments is um philosophy. 347 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:54,799 You have to fortify yourself with enough 348 00:17:54,799 --> 00:17:58,160 philosophy or with a little diary and 349 00:17:58,160 --> 00:17:59,679 and 350 00:17:59,679 --> 00:18:03,679 try to find refuge in language in poetry 351 00:18:03,679 --> 00:18:06,400 or whatever. You all have to find your 352 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:12,160 own anchors of of safety. 1 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,639 I think we should move to practical 2 00:00:10,639 --> 00:00:12,480 things. 3 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,000 Practical things. We have been into into 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,359 ideas and there's lots of more but I'd 5 00:00:19,359 --> 00:00:22,720 like to talk um a little bit about the 6 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,600 most imminent how to organize a set. 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,519 Here we have a set uh one, two, three, 8 00:00:29,519 --> 00:00:32,239 four cameras. And I think one camera was 9 00:00:32,239 --> 00:00:35,120 up there. It's still up there. Uh which 10 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:39,120 I think doesn't help us very far, but 11 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:43,200 whatever. So, how do I uh organize my 12 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,120 set in first place? I'm basically a one 13 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:52,000 camera guy. And I think uh you still see 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,160 it around in the film industry. You see 15 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,280 it uh for example in the director who 16 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,320 made Batman his name is Nolan. Is it 17 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,440 Christopher? Christopher Nolan. And I 18 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:05,920 really like him for that. Number one 19 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:08,640 he's still in Celluloid large format 20 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,119 celluloid. And he's basically a one 21 00:01:11,119 --> 00:01:13,920 camera guy. And I like this attitude of 22 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,920 focus. 23 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,479 I never have a a director's chair. I I 24 00:01:24,479 --> 00:01:26,640 do not like them. I loathe them with 25 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,759 with your name on it. In fact, I never 26 00:01:29,759 --> 00:01:33,119 had one in my life. And it is a it's 27 00:01:33,119 --> 00:01:36,320 some sort of a standard ritual which I 28 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:39,680 do not like. And and since I always 29 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,640 threw out the idea of having my own 30 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,840 chair, normally the actors or producers 31 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,240 or other people feel embarrassed and 32 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:49,680 they don't sit in a chair. They said, 33 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:51,680 "Yeah, but where am I going to sit 34 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:53,759 then?" I said, "Number one, I'm not 35 00:01:53,759 --> 00:01:55,600 sitting. Normally, I'm standing right 36 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,960 next to the camera. And secondly, um, if 37 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,680 I need to sit, uh, there there's some 38 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:03,840 apple box or some something next to me, 39 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:07,680 I I grab an apple box and and sit on it. 40 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,120 I also do not have a trailer. It's one 41 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:15,120 of these other status symbols uh for 42 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,720 directors which set certain hierarchies 43 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:22,400 and and if you have a trailer, everybody 44 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:24,959 in the crew, the heads of department and 45 00:02:24,959 --> 00:02:27,760 the actors are constantly fighting and 46 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:29,760 squabbbling about the size of their 47 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,400 trailer and the air condition in it and 48 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,879 the plasma screen in it and it all 49 00:02:34,879 --> 00:02:38,000 somehow disappears. Uh, of course actors 50 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:39,680 have to withdraw and they should have 51 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,160 their trailer. I personally do not need 52 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,280 it and I wave my right to have a chair 53 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,319 or a trailer and I'm I'm doing very well 54 00:02:48,319 --> 00:02:50,879 on a set so I I have no problem not 55 00:02:50,879 --> 00:02:54,239 having that. Uh, and during lunch break 56 00:02:54,239 --> 00:02:57,599 I normally join the camera truck, the 57 00:02:57,599 --> 00:02:59,360 guys there because normally they have 58 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,840 the best beer. 59 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,879 I would not like to have uh the 60 00:03:10,879 --> 00:03:13,599 so-called video village a play out on 61 00:03:13,599 --> 00:03:15,120 video. 62 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:19,440 Um it's very very distracting. Uh I have 63 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:23,040 been at a set of a Hollywood movie when 64 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:27,120 I was shooting uh Bad Lieutenant in 65 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,560 um New Orleans and Forest Whitaker who 66 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:32,560 was shooting only two blocks away from 67 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:36,000 us said uh send somebody oh come over I 68 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:37,760 love your films and let's have a talk. 69 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,040 And so and I arrive at the set and 70 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,040 there's a video village. I bump into 71 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,480 that first. There's 30 people looking at 72 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,640 screens and you only see, excuse the 73 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,640 expression, you only saw asses. You just 74 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,439 only nothing else and everybody staring 75 00:03:57,439 --> 00:04:00,159 at the screens. However, the actors were 76 00:04:00,159 --> 00:04:02,799 very very close by and you could have 77 00:04:02,799 --> 00:04:05,840 watched the actor's life and I think the 78 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,879 impression that you get uh when you 79 00:04:08,879 --> 00:04:11,519 really look at a person in in the real 80 00:04:11,519 --> 00:04:15,280 face for me has much more intensity 81 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:20,880 and um video play out always gives a a 82 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,160 very very false impression. Uh it's 83 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:26,800 strange the same thing happened with uh 84 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:29,840 dailies in the times of celluloid. I 85 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:33,040 hated to watch dailies because uh they 86 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:37,360 would um be very very misleading and you 87 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:41,120 have uh 15 20 different opinions 88 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:43,280 floating around. It creates a huge 89 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:45,520 amount of insecurity. 90 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,400 So you have to learn and that's a hard 91 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,440 lesson and uh takes probably long. You 92 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,759 have to learn and you have to understand 93 00:04:53,759 --> 00:04:56,000 this was the best shot I can get and 94 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,520 nothing else. No more. I try to be as 95 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,240 close to the camera as possible. And if 96 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:04,560 the camera moves, I try to move along 97 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,080 with the camera. I do have nowadays I do 98 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:12,639 have a video screen on the set, but it's 99 00:05:12,639 --> 00:05:15,120 only an assistant cameraman and he sits 100 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,919 in the corner. He sits in the corner but 101 00:05:17,919 --> 00:05:20,880 he has so that nobody can look at his 102 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,280 screen. He sits like this and watches 103 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:26,160 the screen and you outside you cannot 104 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:28,479 see what he sees. And he would come in 105 00:05:28,479 --> 00:05:30,160 and he would say, "Oh yeah, there was 106 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:32,639 something there was something not right 107 00:05:32,639 --> 00:05:36,240 with the uh with a actor on the on the 108 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,720 left hand of the screen. He didn't enter 109 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,039 fast enough and this or that was 110 00:05:41,039 --> 00:05:43,759 slightly out of focus." And so we have 111 00:05:43,759 --> 00:05:45,600 to repeat. Of course, it's good to have 112 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,400 some sort of control. 113 00:05:53,199 --> 00:05:56,560 Organizing a set also, of course, has to 114 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,680 do with the size of the crew. For many 115 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,320 reasons, I try to 116 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,360 to reduce the amount of crew I'm 117 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,919 battling it. And in bigger films, it's a 118 00:06:07,919 --> 00:06:10,560 constant battle that I that I have with 119 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,039 the production companies. Whenever there 120 00:06:13,039 --> 00:06:16,720 is a a problem, I go to sleep and next 121 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,280 day five new people are hired to solve 122 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:22,319 the problem. And sometimes you do not 123 00:06:22,319 --> 00:06:24,479 solve it in technical terms. You have to 124 00:06:24,479 --> 00:06:27,360 solve it with intelligence. I try for 125 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,400 various reasons to reduce the amount of 126 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:32,880 of uh crew. 127 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,440 uh number one uh you are much more 128 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:39,680 flexible and faster and it really 129 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,199 um brings down the budget. The size of 130 00:06:43,199 --> 00:06:46,479 the crew also has to do with the 131 00:06:46,479 --> 00:06:49,360 possibilities that you had in in early 132 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,600 films Akiri the wrath of God we were 133 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,479 eight or maybe 10 people as as an entire 134 00:06:54,479 --> 00:06:59,840 crew and it's um strange um 135 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:03,039 when I did Fitz Karaldo 136 00:07:03,039 --> 00:07:06,400 um less blank a wonderful documentary 137 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,680 filmmaker he made burden of dreams and 138 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:11,840 people when they saw the film which is 139 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,000 really good. They said, "But yeah, but 140 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,199 Les uh has never shown the crew at 141 00:07:17,199 --> 00:07:19,840 work." And I keep saying, "You you 142 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,720 idiots. You see the entire crew much of 143 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,599 the time right there." And it's only it 144 00:07:25,599 --> 00:07:29,720 was only something like 16. 145 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,240 I do the slate myself. I insist being 146 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:41,840 the one who does the slate. And I have 147 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:44,160 been accustomed to do that from from the 148 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,599 very earliest days of my of my film 149 00:07:47,599 --> 00:07:49,120 making. 150 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:51,680 Why do I do it? 151 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,599 I like to be the the last one between 152 00:07:55,599 --> 00:07:59,280 the cameras and sound and lights and the 153 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:01,919 technical crew on one side and the 154 00:08:01,919 --> 00:08:04,639 actors on the other side. And I'm the 155 00:08:04,639 --> 00:08:08,879 last one who would move out. And I would 156 00:08:08,879 --> 00:08:12,639 as I'm so close to the actors, I would 157 00:08:12,639 --> 00:08:15,440 notice a the actor knows his line and 158 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:17,759 everything is okay, but he's not there 159 00:08:17,759 --> 00:08:21,199 yet. Sometimes I would procrastinate and 160 00:08:21,199 --> 00:08:24,080 ask the uh camera what what about your 161 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:25,680 filter? 162 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:27,599 Can you change the filter? So just to 163 00:08:27,599 --> 00:08:30,160 gain time and and of course it's just a 164 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:34,719 a ruse or just procrastination 165 00:08:34,719 --> 00:08:37,839 to get the actors ready. And I see it 166 00:08:37,839 --> 00:08:40,959 because I'm that close and sometimes in 167 00:08:40,959 --> 00:08:43,200 the very last moment I say give me the 168 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,600 first line and I say no no no this is 169 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:47,600 too loud. Give me the the right 170 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,560 inonation of your voice. So I'm the very 171 00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:55,120 last one. Being the last one also uh 172 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,279 prevents one thing which is very very 173 00:08:57,279 --> 00:09:00,560 distracting for actors. 174 00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:02,720 In the last moment before the camera 175 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,519 rolls, quite often, uh, the makeup 176 00:09:05,519 --> 00:09:09,279 person jumps on the set and starts to to 177 00:09:09,279 --> 00:09:12,399 do some some corrections in the makeup 178 00:09:12,399 --> 00:09:15,360 or do some sweat or so. I always have 179 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,959 some few things on me so that I can can 180 00:09:18,959 --> 00:09:22,399 do very last moment touches on an actor. 181 00:09:22,399 --> 00:09:26,080 costume people come jumping uh on at the 182 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,800 actor and they do just before they are 183 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,320 uh starting to to do uh their scene and 184 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,720 it's very very distracting for for 185 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,760 actors and I'm the last one to ward off 186 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:42,279 the actors from all these intrusions. 187 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:48,720 When you are on the set and you're very 188 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,680 close to the actors with a slate, you 189 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:55,279 see very very clearly the eyelines of 190 00:09:55,279 --> 00:09:56,959 actors 191 00:09:56,959 --> 00:09:59,200 and 192 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,720 uh again Forest Whitaker in um New 193 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:04,320 Orleans, 194 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,680 they did a scene and I was appalled 195 00:10:07,680 --> 00:10:11,120 because crew was moving around in his ey 196 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,440 line and only something I would say 197 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,720 20 30t feet away from him, exactly in 198 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,519 his ey line, there's a production 199 00:10:21,519 --> 00:10:23,920 executive walking up and down with his 200 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:26,480 cell phone and doing this and whispering 201 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,120 and and and I thought, I mean, why 202 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,920 didn't Forest Whitaker didn't go up, 203 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,200 grab a shovel and and murder the guy 204 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,560 cowardly from behind, bury him? He 205 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:40,399 didn't do it. And and I said to him, 206 00:10:40,399 --> 00:10:42,880 Forest, how can you take that? I said 207 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,600 well I I have developed some defenses 208 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,560 but an actor should should be defended 209 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:51,440 there shouldn't be anyone in his ey line 210 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,240 and I do remember 211 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:58,240 uh Christian Bale uh there's a famous uh 212 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:02,640 I think a sound recording of him uh 213 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,519 yelling at someone on the set and I have 214 00:11:05,519 --> 00:11:08,240 to say one thing Christian Bale I think 215 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,720 he started his career as an actor at age 216 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,480 11 he has decades of absolutely 217 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:17,680 impeccable gentlemanlike behavior. He's 218 00:11:17,680 --> 00:11:20,560 the gentlest, the most considerate man 219 00:11:20,560 --> 00:11:23,839 you can ever find. Generous, a wonderful 220 00:11:23,839 --> 00:11:26,320 guy on the set. 221 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:29,120 At one moment while he was doing a 222 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:32,000 scene, somebody right in his ey line 223 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,240 apparently worked on a reflector or 224 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,480 doing setting a camera or whatever and 225 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,920 he started to yell and his the opinion 226 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:42,800 because it became viral on the internet. 227 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:46,640 The opinion of uh about uh Christian 228 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,920 Bale I is an unbearable character. What? 229 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:53,480 What an injustice. 230 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:00,560 I have been on a set of a Hollywood film 231 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:03,040 as an actor and and it was astonishing 232 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:06,160 because there were I would say almost 233 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:08,639 250 people. 234 00:12:08,639 --> 00:12:12,160 200 of them were constantly texting or 235 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:15,760 on on their phones throughout the day. 236 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,480 50 of them were really working and 237 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:21,760 sometimes those on the cell phones uh 238 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:24,959 would be quickly for for 10 minutes be 239 00:12:24,959 --> 00:12:27,920 engaged in something. But you have a set 240 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:31,680 where you have uh a a lot of people who 241 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:35,360 are not participants anymore. 242 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:40,800 And um number one I would uh ask all the 243 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:42,800 crew members and the actors together at 244 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:44,480 the beginning of the shoot and I would 245 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,200 explain to them and ask them uh please 246 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:51,200 do not use cell phones not on my set of 247 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:52,959 course you can use cell phones but 248 00:12:52,959 --> 00:12:55,839 wherever the camera is if the camera if 249 00:12:55,839 --> 00:12:58,079 the tripod is there and the camera idle 250 00:12:58,079 --> 00:13:00,880 or filming doesn't matter you have to 251 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:04,079 move at least 200 feet distance make 252 00:13:04,079 --> 00:13:06,720 your phone all and that immediately 253 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:08,240 clears 254 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:11,760 it immediately clears a set uh and and 255 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:13,600 those who are constantly on the phones 256 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,320 they are not really working and they 257 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:18,160 distract because they in a different 258 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:20,560 world they are not in the world of of 259 00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:22,800 your set they are not participants 260 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:26,880 anymore there's this constant uh uh 261 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,040 gossiping on on walkie-talkie talk is of 262 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:30,800 course they're necessary you have to 263 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:35,760 call in for example um the uh tracks for 264 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,320 the dolly and they're somewhere a mile 265 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,480 away in a truck. Of course, you you have 266 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:42,880 to call, but move away at least 100 267 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:46,639 feet. Move away so there's a quiet zone 268 00:13:46,639 --> 00:13:49,440 around the camera where I can really be 269 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:53,560 focused and and work 270 00:13:57,199 --> 00:14:01,040 what I do. Uh and I I have heard Ridley 271 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:03,600 Scott does the same. No matter what 272 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:06,399 happens, you start, you are on the set 273 00:14:06,399 --> 00:14:08,160 at 8:00, 274 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:11,600 not later than 9:30, you do the first 275 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,800 shot. The camera is rolling by 9:30. And 276 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:17,600 I do not care. And he doesn't care. Are 277 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:20,720 the costumes perfectly done for all the 278 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:22,560 extras in the background? Is everything 279 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,440 is the track done for the for the dolly 280 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:28,800 or so? Do the do the essential things 281 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:31,600 right away. Dolly here. I see the angle 282 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,160 is wrong. It's getting so tight that the 283 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:36,480 actor at the end of the track will be so 284 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,040 close to the camera and I I notice and I 285 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:42,160 say change the angle of this. It's 286 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:44,160 actually the work of a cinematographer 287 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:48,160 but I see it and I force and my first 288 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:52,000 slate goes down at 9:30 not later. And 289 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,399 that's otherwise you would everybody 290 00:14:54,399 --> 00:14:57,920 would be fiddling around until almost 291 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,800 midday and then half an hour into 292 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,120 shooting you would have lunch break and 293 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:06,399 everybody comes back uh tired and sleepy 294 00:15:06,399 --> 00:15:09,279 and uh and they have to start all over 295 00:15:09,279 --> 00:15:12,959 again and it's another 3 4 hours. So do 296 00:15:12,959 --> 00:15:16,399 it. Uh uh create some sort of dynamic 297 00:15:16,399 --> 00:15:18,320 and sometimes 298 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,199 uh you do not make your crew your 299 00:15:21,199 --> 00:15:22,720 friends 300 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,880 and uh but they un they after two three 301 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:28,880 days of shooting they understand the 302 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,680 principle behind it. They do understand 303 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,639 it and they do understand why there is 304 00:15:34,639 --> 00:15:37,040 no cell phones on my set. They do 305 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:41,519 understand all these things and uh 306 00:15:41,519 --> 00:15:44,320 that's how uh how you can really achieve 307 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:48,000 something on a day of shooting. 1 00:00:00,430 --> 00:00:14,160 [Music] 2 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,920 I do not use a story board I think it's 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:20,519 a instrument of the cowards you need it 4 00:00:20,519 --> 00:00:22,760 when you do a a film with digital 5 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,000 effects and part of the screen has to be 6 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,640 a live action and the other part of the 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:30,759 screen has to be ancient Rome for 8 00:00:30,759 --> 00:00:33,320 example and yes you have to know exactly 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,200 about positioning and moving then it's 10 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,000 fine if I had had 11 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,320 uh let's say storyboards for most of my 12 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,879 films it would have been lifeless days 13 00:00:44,879 --> 00:00:49,800 of shooting and uh allowing 14 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,440 real um 15 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:57,079 intense uh life Pura Vita as Mexicans say 16 00:00:57,079 --> 00:01:00,239 not purity of life but the the the full 17 00:01:00,239 --> 00:01:03,399 scope of Life the exuberance of life 18 00:01:03,399 --> 00:01:06,159 into the day of shooting into also the 19 00:01:06,159 --> 00:01:09,759 day of editing uh your films will become 20 00:01:09,759 --> 00:01:12,040 stale very quickly I'm the only 21 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,960 completely unprepared on the set I come 22 00:01:14,960 --> 00:01:19,600 with the actors in uh makeup or costume 23 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,600 or not and I start to Stage the scene 24 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:25,759 with them and do the basic 25 00:01:25,759 --> 00:01:28,280 choreography and with a cinematographer 26 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:30,759 I decide in nor 27 00:01:30,759 --> 00:01:33,479 I try to do it in one single shot of 28 00:01:33,479 --> 00:01:36,079 course in continuity always comes to me 29 00:01:36,079 --> 00:01:39,119 and they ask me uh in how many shots are 30 00:01:39,119 --> 00:01:42,240 you going to dissolve this sequence and 31 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,280 I say how do I know I cannot tell you uh 32 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,000 I work myself into it and I work myself 33 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,479 into a a sort of high 34 00:01:52,479 --> 00:01:56,119 intensity um sort of of vision and and 35 00:01:56,119 --> 00:01:58,600 working in Poetic 36 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,719 frenzy all though I'm very calm and I 37 00:02:01,719 --> 00:02:05,079 say at least it will be one shot and 38 00:02:05,079 --> 00:02:08,920 sometimes I try to do one single shot uh 39 00:02:08,920 --> 00:02:11,080 where the camera actually weaves in and 40 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,000 goes to some detail and moves back and 41 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,480 the camera uh is is somehow doing a 42 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,440 choreography in the middle of everyone 43 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,200 of course then I see uh now you cannot 44 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,920 it's a too long away until I reach this 45 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:28,360 point and I look at the wristwatch of 46 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:30,879 someone you better cut the fastest 47 00:02:30,879 --> 00:02:34,519 movement or the fastest pan is a cut in 48 00:02:34,519 --> 00:02:37,319 such a case and I start to to organize 49 00:02:37,319 --> 00:02:39,720 Cuts but I come 50 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,519 unprepared and uh it keeps the uh it 51 00:02:43,519 --> 00:02:46,599 keeps the team on edge and it keeps the 52 00:02:46,599 --> 00:02:48,800 the actors on edge they don't know 53 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:51,480 exactly uh what's coming at them yes 54 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:53,440 they know let's try to do it in one 55 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,599 single shot you better know your 56 00:02:55,599 --> 00:02:58,360 dialogue you better know your movements 57 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:00,720 you better know what we are doing doing 58 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:02,920 here and 59 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:07,560 um that has been very very helpful for 60 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,710 [Music] 61 00:03:11,599 --> 00:03:14,760 me do not shot much coverage I do not 62 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:17,400 shoot coverage uh that's one of the 63 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,760 things on my set one camera and I shoot 64 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:23,040 a scene three four five times and that's 65 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,599 it if it doesn't function after five 66 00:03:25,599 --> 00:03:27,799 times there's something wrong with a 67 00:03:27,799 --> 00:03:30,080 dialogue or with a scene and you better 68 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,760 quickly rewrite something and it 69 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,519 happened in New Orleans with Nicholas 70 00:03:36,519 --> 00:03:40,319 Cage my crew was nervous uh after the 71 00:03:40,319 --> 00:03:42,040 first day of shooting which ended at 72 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:46,080 3:30 p.m. instead of 6 or 7 without 73 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,360 going into overtime and and somebody 74 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:50,840 said in the crew yeah but coverage 75 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,280 coverage uh aren't you shooting coverage 76 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,360 and I ignored it and next day again 77 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,079 coverage why is coverage I finished at 2 78 00:03:59,079 --> 00:04:00,319 p.m. 79 00:04:00,319 --> 00:04:04,360 I had it all in the can and I didn't 80 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:07,519 know know what coverage meant I know 81 00:04:07,519 --> 00:04:10,760 what coverage means in my 82 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:15,360 um uh car policy in my insurance policy 83 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:17,840 so and I took my assistant director to 84 00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:19,840 the site and I asked coverage what do 85 00:04:19,840 --> 00:04:22,680 they mean I know what coverage is in my 86 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,639 insurance policy and he said no it has a 87 00:04:25,639 --> 00:04:28,400 shot from this angle and the ultra close 88 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,199 shot only the eyes in the shot from 89 00:04:31,199 --> 00:04:33,720 above there's actually a camera up here 90 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,560 which I think is pretty useless and uh 91 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,520 and you shouldn't uh shoot with too many 92 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,440 different angles anyway so this would be 93 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:46,120 coverage for example and uh on the third 94 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:48,680 day coverage coverage all over the set 95 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,280 again Nicholas Cage says give me an 96 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:53,840 Apple box crew together he stepped on an 97 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:56,400 Apple box and he said everybody listen 98 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,720 for a moment he said wner is not 99 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,759 shooting C coverage 100 00:05:01,759 --> 00:05:04,400 finally I'm working with a director who 101 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,639 knows what he's doing so uh that was a 102 00:05:08,639 --> 00:05:11,639 wonderful moment for me and uh I must 103 00:05:11,639 --> 00:05:14,199 say I do shoot coverage but very little 104 00:05:14,199 --> 00:05:17,479 yes I do uh in particular in dialogue 105 00:05:17,479 --> 00:05:20,720 scenes I have a reverse shot and I do 106 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,919 things like that uh but not all the 107 00:05:23,919 --> 00:05:26,759 craze that you see on a on a Hollywood 108 00:05:26,759 --> 00:05:29,720 set where they have the scene the 109 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:31,919 sequence in the can in four or five 110 00:05:31,919 --> 00:05:34,479 hours and then the next 8 hours and 111 00:05:34,479 --> 00:05:37,160 another 3 hours overtime overtime they 112 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,639 spend in coverage that will never end up 113 00:05:39,639 --> 00:05:42,800 on the screen so you have to learn what 114 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:44,820 do you need for the 115 00:05:44,820 --> 00:05:47,980 [Music] 116 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:54,600 screen my very last uh feature 117 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:59,000 film uh salt and fire in Bolivia had an 118 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,280 extremely condensed shooting schedule it 119 00:06:02,280 --> 00:06:05,759 had to do with availability of uh of the 120 00:06:05,759 --> 00:06:08,800 actors and some other elements and it 121 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:13,919 had to do the leading actress uh was uh 122 00:06:13,919 --> 00:06:17,880 days late on the set because only I 123 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:20,479 think two days before shooting commenced 124 00:06:20,479 --> 00:06:24,319 her father passed away and I said to her 125 00:06:24,319 --> 00:06:26,840 no matter what there are much more 126 00:06:26,840 --> 00:06:29,880 important things that than Cinema 127 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,800 film making sometimes has to step back 128 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,360 there are big other things you stay uh 129 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,840 you meet your family and only after your 130 00:06:40,840 --> 00:06:42,280 father is 131 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:46,800 buried then you fly so I had only 16 132 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:49,880 days of shooting an entire feature film 133 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:53,039 and I would I would really push the 134 00:06:53,039 --> 00:06:56,960 camera and the actors along from from uh 135 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,039 sequence to sequence to sequence 136 00:07:00,039 --> 00:07:03,280 and try in order to save time shoot the 137 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:06,440 whole sequence in one single shot move 138 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:09,720 with him do it and it gives the film a 139 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,599 certain urgency and a certain cohesion 140 00:07:12,599 --> 00:07:14,440 of course there are cuts and of course 141 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:17,080 there are different camera angles and so 142 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:21,879 but the tendency was should it uh 143 00:07:21,879 --> 00:07:24,520 condensed leave everything that's not 144 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,039 important left and right away the same 145 00:07:28,039 --> 00:07:29,840 way I write a screenplay 146 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:34,450 [Music] 147 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,680 if I can I try to keep uh the lighting 148 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,400 equipment small when I do a documentary 149 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:44,720 you have to be flexible you have to be 150 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,759 quick so I try to avoid to have these 151 00:07:47,759 --> 00:07:50,280 heavy thick cables and big reflectors 152 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,520 and so very often I would just use 153 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:57,280 something for a a reflecting white piece 154 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,120 to to get some light into the face and 155 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,039 illuminate it a little better or 156 00:08:03,039 --> 00:08:05,759 smaller smaller reflectors that can be 157 00:08:05,759 --> 00:08:09,680 set up very quickly um if you if you 158 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,199 fiddle around too long time around a 159 00:08:13,199 --> 00:08:15,479 person who is already present in her 160 00:08:15,479 --> 00:08:19,000 kitchen for example uh you you lose the 161 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,240 momentum you lose the the intensity 162 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,240 things get lost in in pre-production or 163 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:28,720 in set in preparing the set sometimes 164 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,120 you have to be very very very quick you 165 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:34,240 just go out and and you say no matter 166 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,159 how how lousy the background looks but 167 00:08:37,159 --> 00:08:39,599 if you turn the person a little bit to 168 00:08:39,599 --> 00:08:42,360 that side there will be some some sort 169 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:46,519 of a distant light on him or on her and 170 00:08:46,519 --> 00:08:48,920 uh of course I try to set up lights but 171 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,360 not in a situation like this there's 172 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:53,720 many reflectors and so and and as a 173 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:56,600 professional it doesn't uh 174 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:01,120 really um constitute a a stumbling block 175 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,200 or impediment I I can take it but 176 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,399 sometimes people are are somehow 177 00:09:07,399 --> 00:09:09,440 distracted by too many 178 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,440 lights and uh sometimes you are not 179 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:16,360 allowed to put any lights on yes on on 180 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,200 death row uh you are allowed to put some 181 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:22,360 lights but only an amount of light that 182 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:24,720 you can carry in your own hands and 183 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,680 camera equipment only three persons only 184 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:30,360 what you carry in your own hands 185 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,240 and you set it up quickly and sometimes 186 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:37,079 um I set up for things that I can never 187 00:09:37,079 --> 00:09:40,920 do again I set up two cameras where one 188 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:44,399 lens is wider one lens is closer and 189 00:09:44,399 --> 00:09:46,959 they're almost next to each other it's a 190 00:09:46,959 --> 00:09:49,079 stupid way to film like this but 191 00:09:49,079 --> 00:09:51,800 sometimes you you have to cover it like 192 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,200 that because you can cut from a wider 193 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:57,079 shot shorten a story and go to a closer 194 00:09:57,079 --> 00:09:59,839 shot uh it allows you that but I would 195 00:09:59,839 --> 00:10:03,160 not advi advise anyone to to work in 196 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,600 such a brainless way but sometimes you 197 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,800 are forced to being 198 00:10:10,330 --> 00:10:14,000 [Music] 199 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:16,680 brainless there's also a question about 200 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:19,440 how you place a person in light and how 201 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:22,800 how do you frame a person and if you 202 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:25,600 need a clo up in the wider shot uh 203 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:28,640 there's this uh silly idea going around 204 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:32,360 now we can film in 4k or in 6K or 205 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,920 whatever and it's so uh so well defined 206 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:38,480 that you can push in like into a closer 207 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:40,880 shot but those are all decisions that 208 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,240 come into post- production uh and you do 209 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:47,839 not push the real decision into post 210 00:10:47,839 --> 00:10:50,639 production uh you better make up your 211 00:10:50,639 --> 00:10:53,399 mind when you're filming that's a Battle 212 00:10:53,399 --> 00:10:55,399 Ground that's where you have to win the 213 00:10:55,399 --> 00:10:57,639 battle or that's where you lose the 214 00:10:57,639 --> 00:11:01,079 battle and many things you cannot fix in 215 00:11:01,079 --> 00:11:04,200 post production you cannot for example 216 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:06,959 bad acting you just cannot fix in 217 00:11:06,959 --> 00:11:09,639 postproduction and there's a tendency 218 00:11:09,639 --> 00:11:12,160 now shooting shooting shooting all sorts 219 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:14,639 of angles will decide what we are doing 220 00:11:14,639 --> 00:11:16,959 in in post production and if something 221 00:11:16,959 --> 00:11:19,920 is not right we push in on let's say a 222 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:22,760 frame and and we get only a small 223 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,160 excerpt of the frame and that's our 224 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:29,920 closeup it's it's devastatingly stupid 225 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:31,839 you shouldn't do that take your 226 00:11:31,839 --> 00:11:35,320 decisions right then and 227 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:42,720 there my feeling is you do some thinking 228 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,279 before you start a movie and and don't 229 00:11:45,279 --> 00:11:48,560 do it uh and don't get into insecure 230 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:50,800 situations where you accumulate like a 231 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:53,480 squirrel the the little nuts and and 232 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:55,480 then you think you'll you'll have a 233 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:57,760 great film afterwards because you will 234 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,800 find the gems in this whole pile of of 235 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:02,279 stuff you 236 00:12:02,279 --> 00:12:05,959 won't of course uh I have evolved and I 237 00:12:05,959 --> 00:12:10,120 have uh a long series of films behind me 238 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,880 and I have gotten better at things and 239 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:15,839 and this is why I can be much more 240 00:12:15,839 --> 00:12:18,920 concentrated than before before I would 241 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:21,760 collect much more footage and hope I 242 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:24,120 would get the best but I've never shot 243 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:27,839 uh more than let's say 20 hours or so 244 00:12:27,839 --> 00:12:31,079 for maybe 30 hours maximum and that was 245 00:12:31,079 --> 00:12:34,360 that in a film like into the abyss on 246 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:37,920 death row a tragic deep story uh in the 247 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:41,279 film is 1 hour 45 minutes long or almost 248 00:12:41,279 --> 00:12:45,440 2 hours long the entire footage I shot 249 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,399 was something like 8 hours maybe a 250 00:12:48,399 --> 00:12:50,199 little bit more maybe a little 251 00:12:50,199 --> 00:12:53,160 additional b-roll that's it and you 252 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,279 shoot it in a few days and you edit it 253 00:12:55,279 --> 00:12:57,800 in a few days and you can become 254 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,240 profitable you have to make you see I'm 255 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,920 not uh I I do not want to speak to 256 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:05,320 amateurs who keep rolling rolling and 257 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:06,800 don't even look at through the 258 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:09,240 viewfinder they just roll the camera 259 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,560 somehow and I I I see that's as a as a 260 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:17,000 waste of of energy is a waste of um of 261 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:21,199 material and time be be very very 262 00:13:21,199 --> 00:13:23,399 precise and be 263 00:13:23,399 --> 00:13:26,959 focused that's what I want to see but I 264 00:13:26,959 --> 00:13:29,279 think if you are really really a film 265 00:13:29,279 --> 00:13:31,720 maker trying to look deep into things 266 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:35,760 you you you have to organize these 267 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:39,160 moments they do not come at you and they 268 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:41,760 do not come at you when you keep your 269 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:44,760 camera rolling rolling rolling rolling 270 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,920 nothing is going to happen nothing my 271 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:50,839 heart sinks when I see young filmmakers 272 00:13:50,839 --> 00:13:53,360 who come excitedly at me and they say oh 273 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:56,920 I shot 450 hours for my documentary and 274 00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:59,399 it took me three years to shoot this and 275 00:13:59,399 --> 00:14:01,639 since one and a half years I'm I'm 276 00:14:01,639 --> 00:14:04,680 editing my heart sinks because the 277 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:08,560 market does not allow anything expenses 278 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:12,040 of that amount and if you shot 350 hours 279 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:15,079 or 600 hours of footage you normally 280 00:14:15,079 --> 00:14:16,920 these people normally did not know what 281 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,279 they were doing they were just rolling 282 00:14:19,279 --> 00:14:22,079 the camera and I keep saying even to my 283 00:14:22,079 --> 00:14:24,680 most experienced cameraman he wants to 284 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,360 do this and wants to do that I said we 285 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:31,480 are not garbage colle actors we are 286 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:34,920 filmmakers listen to me and shut the 287 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:38,519 camera off and he shuts it off and I say 288 00:14:38,519 --> 00:14:42,079 we do only the truly intense and 289 00:14:42,079 --> 00:14:44,959 remarkable and if necessary we organize 290 00:14:44,959 --> 00:14:47,959 it 1 00:00:00,430 --> 00:00:14,240 [Music] 2 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,760 today I see it very often that uh young 3 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:20,160 filmmakers at film school they keep 4 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,199 demanding I we need the state of the of 5 00:00:23,199 --> 00:00:27,320 the art camera this uh Sony camera soia 6 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,679 that was that was great three years ago 7 00:00:29,679 --> 00:00:32,000 but is a new one we have to have 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,120 it I think that's that's a silly idea uh 9 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,200 you have to be capable to make a photo 10 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,840 with a with a shoe box a needle to to 11 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,239 drill a hole into it and and a plate of 12 00:00:47,239 --> 00:00:50,199 Celluloid at the at the end a pinhole 13 00:00:50,199 --> 00:00:53,440 camera you should be before you ask for 14 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,920 a for the state-ofthe-art camera show me 15 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:58,559 your photo that you have done with a 16 00:00:58,559 --> 00:01:03,039 pinhole camera and the same thing um by 17 00:01:03,039 --> 00:01:05,720 the way with uh cinematographers I do 18 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,360 not allow them a viewfinder I do not 19 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,040 like it they have they better know what 20 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,400 the projection lines of your 150 mm lens 21 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,680 is I think it is part of their 22 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:20,439 professional caliber that they don't 23 00:01:20,439 --> 00:01:23,680 need it you just don't need it you know 24 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,119 what is in frame and with this or that 25 00:01:26,119 --> 00:01:29,360 lens and of course you establish the 26 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,200 distance of your camera to the 27 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,960 characters or to your scene at a certain 28 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:36,799 point or or hear this camera where now 29 00:01:36,799 --> 00:01:39,200 it's shifting it's moving and it will 30 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,280 not lose uh me out of sight but it will 31 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,840 lose my hand out of sight if I grab over 32 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,399 here so I don't even know which lens you 33 00:01:47,399 --> 00:01:49,920 have at the moment but I assume that I 34 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,040 have to be cautious with this lens I 35 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,600 know that with this camera it's probably 36 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,159 a wider lens and and I can even stand up 37 00:01:58,159 --> 00:02:01,079 and I would be uh had to to and it's 38 00:02:01,079 --> 00:02:03,880 interesting uh filmmaker Jean rou who 39 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,360 made one of the finest films 40 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,479 documentaries I've ever seen 41 00:02:09,479 --> 00:02:11,640 Leu the Mad 42 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:15,480 Masters shot in Africa in Ghana I think 43 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:17,000 in 44 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,080 1953 or 54 before the independence of 45 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:24,280 garite was the Gold Coast still and 46 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:29,360 still a a British colony and he shot the 47 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,239 entire film with I think it was a Buu 48 00:02:32,239 --> 00:02:35,080 camera where you have this hand cranking 49 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,560 sort of thing to because it doesn't have 50 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,000 batteries so the longest shot he could 51 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,800 take was something like 24 seconds or 25 52 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,800 seconds in one lens and he made one of 53 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:50,120 the finest films ever 54 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,920 made it's about uh street workers who 55 00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:58,519 lay Asphalt in Acra in the capital city 56 00:02:58,519 --> 00:03:00,480 and on the weekends they got out in the 57 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:02,920 mountains and they drag themselves with 58 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:06,000 the I think bark of a lyana and they 59 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,000 stagger around and they reenact the 60 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,799 arrival of the British High Commissioner 61 00:03:11,799 --> 00:03:14,879 it's it's just unbelievable intensity in 62 00:03:14,879 --> 00:03:20,120 it and uh uh kind of uh 63 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,040 Insight crazy 64 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:27,159 completely Stark mad insight into 65 00:03:27,159 --> 00:03:28,870 colonialism 66 00:03:28,870 --> 00:03:30,680 [Music] 67 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,879 very very much uh advisable for young 68 00:03:33,879 --> 00:03:36,840 filmmakers to 69 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:42,480 see one camera uh hand cranked uh no 70 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,360 batteries one 71 00:03:45,790 --> 00:03:49,840 [Laughter] 72 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,439 lens hold a camera operate with it don't 73 00:03:53,439 --> 00:03:56,239 look at the flip screen look through it 74 00:03:56,239 --> 00:03:58,000 you have to look through it you have to 75 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,680 know what you're are doing and I I will 76 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,680 get up because I will show a few things 77 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,159 you uh what what I do when I do camera 78 00:04:07,159 --> 00:04:09,760 myself which I've done in quite a few 79 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,400 films um and when I do uh 80 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,320 handheld uh number one I grab the camera 81 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:21,680 and I have my elbows solidly tucked to 82 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:23,960 my body and I look through the camera 83 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:26,440 and and everything it's not it's not 84 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,720 that I operate the camera like this it's 85 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,199 always entire body I would 86 00:04:32,199 --> 00:04:35,080 move like this and go 87 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:37,919 down and come up again and it would be 88 00:04:37,919 --> 00:04:41,320 completely soft so the entire the entire 89 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:45,360 body and you weave into it into a scene 90 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:48,240 that you are creating you also have to 91 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,199 understand with your camera how when you 92 00:04:51,199 --> 00:04:54,320 operate it yourself how do you weave 93 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:59,720 into a ongoing scene into a choreography 94 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:14,290 [Music] 95 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:22,240 spee spee foreign speee 96 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,280 oh I do not like zooms either I do not 97 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:45,680 normally I uh do not allow to zoom in uh 98 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,680 into a scene I want the camera to be so 99 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:52,800 curious that we physically move in and 100 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:55,639 we want to know what's going on so I 101 00:05:55,639 --> 00:05:58,639 want the body to move in not a technical 102 00:05:58,639 --> 00:06:03,440 piece of a lens that Zooms in on me 103 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,639 um it it sounds a little bit quirky but 104 00:06:06,639 --> 00:06:08,800 there's a lot of experience behind it a 105 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:09,919 lot of 106 00:06:09,919 --> 00:06:15,000 thinking um I do have zoom lenses 107 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,759 sometimes on my set because for 108 00:06:18,759 --> 00:06:20,840 complicated scenes where there's lots of 109 00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:23,280 exas and lots of things happening I 110 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:26,080 would have a second camera uh and it 111 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,680 would normally be equipped with a with a 112 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,800 zoom so they can shift very quickly from 113 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,479 closer shots to wider shots but never 114 00:06:34,479 --> 00:06:38,240 using the zoom only as a as as a array 115 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:42,290 or a set of different lengths uh of 116 00:06:42,290 --> 00:06:45,459 [Music] 117 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:51,280 focus Thomas ma who did Signs of Life in 118 00:06:51,280 --> 00:06:55,240 Airi uh I saw him doing a documentary on 119 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,160 German elections and after election 120 00:06:58,160 --> 00:06:59,960 night there's the three main Party 121 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:02,240 leaders are sitting at one table 122 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:06,120 pretending to be so much uh liking each 123 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:09,599 other so much for sharing the basic same 124 00:07:09,599 --> 00:07:12,960 values and and it's all phony completely 125 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:16,280 and utterly phony and M all of a sudden 126 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:20,039 spots something and P and tilts and goes 127 00:07:20,039 --> 00:07:22,639 under the table and under the table you 128 00:07:22,639 --> 00:07:25,199 see the knees of the three men the one 129 00:07:25,199 --> 00:07:27,759 on one side is turned like this away the 130 00:07:27,759 --> 00:07:31,120 other one his knees turned so they sit 131 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,479 completely different to the phony sort 132 00:07:33,479 --> 00:07:37,400 of concordance of hearts and agreeing on 133 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:39,919 on basic values and and he's the one who 134 00:07:39,919 --> 00:07:42,720 sees it and I said that's my 135 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:47,599 man and uh so we we really we really 136 00:07:47,599 --> 00:07:50,319 like each other sometimes it happens I 137 00:07:50,319 --> 00:07:52,560 made many films with Thomas ma many 138 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,639 films with ymid right when phenomenal 139 00:07:55,639 --> 00:07:59,240 cinematographers now about 20 films with 140 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:00,879 a 141 00:08:00,879 --> 00:08:04,000 Austrian uh Peter seitlinger 142 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,919 strong physically very very strong man 143 00:08:07,919 --> 00:08:12,960 and um uh sometimes these relationships 144 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:17,440 exhaust itself and they and and you need 145 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:21,599 a new impulse and uh sitlinger is is 146 00:08:21,599 --> 00:08:24,319 just a beast of of strength and he's the 147 00:08:24,319 --> 00:08:26,840 one in the middle of the first take puts 148 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:30,479 the camera down and says this SE wner 149 00:08:30,479 --> 00:08:33,880 has no rhythm and he's right never has a 150 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:37,000 cinematographer spoken to me like this 151 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,120 and uh and when we did uh filming in 152 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,800 Antarctica we were in in uh some sort of 153 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:47,880 ferales which are tles of ice created by 154 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,959 steam of the volcano and blue light from 155 00:08:50,959 --> 00:08:53,760 the glare of the sun outside and there's 156 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:57,480 a crawl space uh I crawled ahead of him 157 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,760 and what he does and he has a camera but 158 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:02,560 it's not like this bottle here it's a 159 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:07,120 camera about this this size here four 160 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,720 five kilos heavy and he used to be a 161 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:12,760 hockey player for Sparta prag one of the 162 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,640 best teams in the world and has a chest 163 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,079 like this and he he goes down softly 164 00:09:19,079 --> 00:09:21,560 goes down and comes down and grabs the 165 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:25,160 camera in one hand and goes to his belly 166 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:27,760 without shaking goes to his belly and 167 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,040 crawls after me and when and it was as 168 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,720 low as this as low as this table here or 169 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,640 lower than this table crawls after me at 170 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:39,480 the other end he comes back up softly 171 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:42,880 and continues with me man this is good 172 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:48,519 stuff well he balances across a uh a 173 00:09:48,519 --> 00:09:52,000 log uh that was thrown across a little 174 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:54,600 Gulch and a little Ravine with swampy 175 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,160 water uh in little deta needs to fly and 176 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:00,640 he balances behind 177 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:04,680 uh the um the gilia sap LA and da 178 00:10:04,680 --> 00:10:07,560 dangler the prisoner and they balance 179 00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:11,279 across and he balances filming on on a 180 00:10:11,279 --> 00:10:14,120 log that's about this thick 181 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:19,120 only and I must say I I I 182 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,519 like I like this kind of physical 183 00:10:22,519 --> 00:10:26,079 attitude and he has done uh wonderful 184 00:10:26,079 --> 00:10:29,079 things 185 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,200 go 186 00:10:57,010 --> 00:11:09,840 [Music] 187 00:11:21,519 --> 00:11:24,519 oh 188 00:11:37,090 --> 00:11:41,309 [Music] 189 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,959 in the feature film of course uh I do 190 00:11:46,959 --> 00:11:49,200 set the general mood of the 191 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:52,399 light uh meaning for example in uh the 192 00:11:52,399 --> 00:11:55,320 film Los veratu which has a lot to do 193 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:57,800 with uh Darkness a lot to do with 194 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,959 shadows a lot to do with night how do we 195 00:12:01,959 --> 00:12:04,519 get this and how do we illuminate a face 196 00:12:04,519 --> 00:12:08,440 only with let's say a a candle light and 197 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:10,200 with the 198 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,560 cinematographer Y Schmid rwine who is 199 00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:14,920 very very elaborate with lights we 200 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:19,160 studed late medieval paintings uh Gregor 201 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:23,760 deat a wonderful uh painter who uh 202 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:27,079 illuminates faces only with one glowing 203 00:12:27,079 --> 00:12:30,920 candle light and look at ver or some 204 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:33,720 some other great Masters in painting and 205 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:35,880 we say no no it shouldn't have this 206 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,519 pastel look of ver we should go really 207 00:12:38,519 --> 00:12:41,440 into this very strange mysterious 208 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,519 darkness of that and if we do not have 209 00:12:44,519 --> 00:12:47,079 uh a paintly background we'll we'll just 210 00:12:47,079 --> 00:12:50,120 create it but we talk about it 211 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,720 then all the details are up to the 212 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,720 cinematographer 213 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,680 I don't attach importance to Sunshine 214 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:32,920 anymore or to glittering fountains which 215 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:34,680 you are so fond 216 00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:38,160 of I love the darkness and the 217 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:42,720 Shadows where I can be alone with my 218 00:13:46,519 --> 00:13:51,279 thoughts I'm the descendant of an old 219 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:55,160 family time is an 220 00:13:55,639 --> 00:14:01,040 abyss profound as a Thousand Nights 221 00:14:01,940 --> 00:14:08,920 [Music] 222 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:11,120 I think uh when you're are working with 223 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:15,880 a real cinematographer of some great 224 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:19,440 caliber you uh have to accept them with 225 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:21,560 all the background that they bring into 226 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:23,320 it and you have to show them you are 227 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:28,079 trusting them but sometimes I uh I voice 228 00:14:28,079 --> 00:14:30,639 my concern sometimes I say we are here 229 00:14:30,639 --> 00:14:33,160 on the set and the actors and I have 230 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,480 actors who are completely into the scene 231 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,320 absolutely there and I'm with a slate 232 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:41,399 and I just want to film and the 233 00:14:41,399 --> 00:14:43,399 cinematographer all of a sudden stops 234 00:14:43,399 --> 00:14:45,120 everything oh please this light here in 235 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:47,240 the background can you dim it down a 236 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,759 little bit and you lose all the magic 237 00:14:49,759 --> 00:14:52,320 and I at the end I do not care whether 238 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:55,720 one little piece of background needed to 239 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,399 be a little bit more dimming you see you 240 00:14:58,399 --> 00:15:01,800 have to you have to also let them know 241 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,839 there is a momentum catch the momentum 242 00:15:04,839 --> 00:15:07,240 of things and from a certain point on 243 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:10,040 end of the story end of lighting just 244 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,120 let's do it same thing with a track like 245 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,720 this camera moving on a track uh you 246 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:17,720 better set the track and you set it at 247 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:21,199 the right distance and do not while we 248 00:15:21,199 --> 00:15:24,040 are in the middle of something uh 249 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:26,279 reorganize this 250 00:15:26,279 --> 00:15:29,519 track see and and I I'm kind of strict 251 00:15:29,519 --> 00:15:32,279 about this you take your decisions early 252 00:15:32,279 --> 00:15:35,399 on execute it well and we do something 253 00:15:35,399 --> 00:15:39,440 that makes a lot of sense then I like to 254 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:43,079 to give my films a 255 00:15:43,079 --> 00:15:47,079 certain a certain cohesion a certain 256 00:15:47,079 --> 00:15:49,639 familiarity and it's not that I'm trying 257 00:15:49,639 --> 00:15:53,480 to to give it a certain aesthetical look 258 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:55,920 that is actually sometimes my friction 259 00:15:55,920 --> 00:15:58,399 with uh cinematographers who want to 260 00:15:58,399 --> 00:16:01,279 incorporate at Aesthetics they want to 261 00:16:01,279 --> 00:16:04,079 put in Aesthetics and I say no 262 00:16:04,079 --> 00:16:07,319 Aesthetics is a natural concomitant of 263 00:16:07,319 --> 00:16:10,680 what we are doing let it seep in you see 264 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:12,199 when you are when you are writing 265 00:16:12,199 --> 00:16:15,519 something in long hand like like in this 266 00:16:15,519 --> 00:16:18,319 uh uh in these 267 00:16:18,319 --> 00:16:22,319 uh in these log books or in my Diaries 268 00:16:22,319 --> 00:16:25,680 in sub miniaturized uh 269 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:27,880 handwriting I never think about 270 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,000 stylizing my long hand I couldn't write 271 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,560 a proper sentence anymore it would be 272 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,160 awful if you write a love letter today 273 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:38,360 nobody writes a letter anymore in long 274 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,040 hand you better do a tweet or something 275 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:45,360 go on Facebook and declare your love um 276 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,839 but if you look out for style in your 277 00:16:48,839 --> 00:16:51,440 handwriting uh you do not write a good 278 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,240 text anymore I'm fairly convinced of 279 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:58,319 that and so uh I have my battles this 280 00:16:58,319 --> 00:17:01,639 looks too K too much like organized 281 00:17:01,639 --> 00:17:03,759 Aesthetics and when you are going into 282 00:17:03,759 --> 00:17:07,199 that you're always close to kitch it's 283 00:17:07,199 --> 00:17:11,079 always feels like artsy fartsy to me and 284 00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:13,799 I try to avoid it and and I battle it 285 00:17:13,799 --> 00:17:17,400 back the the look The aesthetical Look 286 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,079 of a film I try to battle back from day 287 00:17:20,079 --> 00:17:23,520 one during my shoots and the strange 288 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:27,480 thing is all my films have very clear 289 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:29,360 Aesthetics how 290 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:33,320 these Aesthetics seeped into the film or 291 00:17:33,320 --> 00:17:35,799 into into practically all my films I do 292 00:17:35,799 --> 00:17:36,559 not 293 00:17:36,559 --> 00:17:38,080 know 294 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:43,520 and best of all I don't even care 1 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,760 one of the things that is quite often 2 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,199 overlooked by directors is orientation 3 00:00:20,199 --> 00:00:23,800 in film that you know um where you are 4 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,119 as an audience when you are in a 5 00:00:26,119 --> 00:00:29,320 complicated apartment and it's a let's 6 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:30,679 say a host 7 00:00:30,679 --> 00:00:34,320 uh taking uh film and and you know the 8 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,360 hostage takers because you look down the 9 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:38,879 corridor come from the right and that's 10 00:00:38,879 --> 00:00:41,520 where the kitchen is so I want the the 11 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,120 audience having a a general pattern of 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:46,800 orientation where are we what's coming 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,640 from which window and uh also for 14 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:51,000 example a 15 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:52,879 film uh 16 00:00:52,879 --> 00:00:55,079 waterl it's interesting because there 17 00:00:55,079 --> 00:00:56,960 are three different armies and they're 18 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,000 marching all towards a battlefield and 19 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,359 just from the direction the way it's 20 00:01:02,359 --> 00:01:05,000 filmed you know oh those are the uh 21 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,759 French those are the Brits those are the 22 00:01:07,759 --> 00:01:09,920 prussians you know and and it's very 23 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,960 hard to establish that and I want to 24 00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:15,960 have an audience that doesn't need to to 25 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:19,280 worry about where am I suddenly and of 26 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,479 course it has to do with the basic 27 00:01:22,479 --> 00:01:25,840 principles of um of filming for example 28 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,560 a dialogue if you have two actors the 29 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,920 two faces the and there's an invisible 30 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,119 axis between them uh you better stay on 31 00:01:35,119 --> 00:01:38,000 one side with the cameras of the or with 32 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,320 your camera on the axis you film this 33 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:43,759 face from there and that face from there 34 00:01:43,759 --> 00:01:46,280 or you can be behind it over the 35 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,119 shoulder but stay behind this axis so 36 00:01:50,119 --> 00:01:53,000 otherwise uh you immediately have a 37 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:55,759 disorientation but it's such a primitive 38 00:01:55,759 --> 00:01:59,039 law of how we see movies or how we see 39 00:01:59,039 --> 00:02:00,600 configurations 40 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:02,640 because if you jump the 41 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,799 axis uh you film that actor from this 42 00:02:05,799 --> 00:02:08,879 side of the axis and then the reverse 43 00:02:08,879 --> 00:02:10,959 shot on that from the other side both 44 00:02:10,959 --> 00:02:13,920 actors on screen would look in the same 45 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:16,120 direction and it would be immediate 46 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,200 disorientation for the audience one 47 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,599 example where you really can learn a lot 48 00:02:21,599 --> 00:02:24,519 is a wonderful film by uh the French 49 00:02:24,519 --> 00:02:26,000 director 50 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,640 Melville uh he did a film The 51 00:02:30,640 --> 00:02:34,120 the second uh breath and there's a scene 52 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,080 a little gangster uh goes up the stairs 53 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,239 to an attic because he's been summoned 54 00:02:41,239 --> 00:02:43,760 to meet some rival gangsters and he 55 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,560 knows they want to kill him and he goes 56 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,800 into this empty uh apartment under the 57 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:51,720 roof and he looks around and you see 58 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,360 Empty Chairs where are they going to sit 59 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,319 uh if they hold him up where would he 60 00:02:56,319 --> 00:03:00,599 stand and he stands and uh behind uh 61 00:03:00,599 --> 00:03:01,319 an 62 00:03:01,319 --> 00:03:06,440 armoir and he raises his hands so he uh 63 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,519 in the future the the configuration in 64 00:03:09,519 --> 00:03:12,120 space he figures it out he raises his 65 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:14,879 hands and he takes his gun and places it 66 00:03:14,879 --> 00:03:17,159 only inches away from where his hands 67 00:03:17,159 --> 00:03:21,080 would be and then it's very beautiful 68 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:23,280 one of the Rival gangsters has watched 69 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,440 him entering the home and he wonders 70 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,120 what did the guy do there and he goes up 71 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,760 into the empty apartment and look his 72 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,319 what did he do there and he sits in one 73 00:03:33,319 --> 00:03:35,080 chair and then in another chair and 74 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,439 walks around and stands against the 75 00:03:37,439 --> 00:03:41,680 armir and he finds the gun so the 76 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,879 configuration which uh is only something 77 00:03:44,879 --> 00:03:48,879 that becomes essential for life or death 78 00:03:48,879 --> 00:03:52,360 of the protagonists in the future 79 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,680 becomes uh uh an architecture of of 80 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:59,319 possibilities it's beautiful very very 81 00:03:59,319 --> 00:04:01,400 beautiful you should watch the film and 82 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:03,519 Melville has done some very very fine 83 00:04:03,519 --> 00:04:06,000 movies 84 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,360 anyway there's one 85 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:15,480 shot which I learned from K Claus kinsky 86 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,519 the madman but he was technically very 87 00:04:18,519 --> 00:04:21,199 very intense and good and he had a way 88 00:04:21,199 --> 00:04:24,880 to step in front of the camera uh and 89 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,960 somehow spiral into frame and he would 90 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,360 stand right next to to the the to the 91 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:33,039 lens of the camera it would be standing 92 00:04:33,039 --> 00:04:35,639 right next to it and then spiral in 93 00:04:35,639 --> 00:04:38,240 frame but how did he do it you have to 94 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,520 look at my feet as well he would be 95 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,600 there and then he would swing his leg uh 96 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:46,720 almost the other leg 97 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,320 180° like this here twisted and then the 98 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,240 entire body twists in front of the 99 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,240 camera so it's a phenomenal phenomenal 100 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,560 effect because uh as a 101 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,280 spectator the person who spirals in 102 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:05,840 front of the camera looks like this 103 00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:09,039 oriented and I have used it I've used it 104 00:05:09,039 --> 00:05:12,479 in and and the real trick is standing 105 00:05:12,479 --> 00:05:14,479 right next to the tripod and the feet 106 00:05:14,479 --> 00:05:18,720 it's not if you step sideways into frame 107 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,560 it doesn't have this kind of enormous 108 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:24,440 power and tension but if you spiral in 109 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,280 it and it starts with your feet it 110 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:31,639 starts with with this here 111 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:35,639 and the body follows 112 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:02,919 there's also one 113 00:06:02,919 --> 00:06:05,840 shot which I like to mention 114 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:09,520 Buel I learned from him the film 115 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:14,479 Narin um in Mexico a man carries a 116 00:06:14,479 --> 00:06:19,280 cross uh in religious furor carries 117 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:22,960 across all through Mexico a thousand 118 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,400 miles or so and he needs three or four 119 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:28,479 shots and what does he do he the camera 120 00:06:28,479 --> 00:06:30,319 crouches down 121 00:06:30,319 --> 00:06:33,360 and it looks into the sky and nothing is 122 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:35,759 there for a split of a second and the 123 00:06:35,759 --> 00:06:39,080 actor moves into frame with a cross so 124 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:41,599 if I'm the camera I have to follow 125 00:06:41,599 --> 00:06:43,360 him and 126 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:47,680 look and uh he does this three or four 127 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:51,080 times out of nowhere the character comes 128 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,840 in walks into the distance and within 20 129 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:57,199 seconds or so of 130 00:06:57,199 --> 00:07:00,039 film within 20 seconds you have the 131 00:07:00,039 --> 00:07:03,639 feeling uh this actor has covered A 132 00:07:03,639 --> 00:07:04,680 Thousand 133 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,160 Miles very very 134 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,240 mysterious and I have used this uh 135 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:14,280 myself for example in the film Heart of 136 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:18,960 Glass where the leading actor cow herd 137 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,960 who has prophetic gift walks down from 138 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:25,000 the mountain and he spiral he he does 139 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:29,039 the same thing like in buono's film so 140 00:07:29,039 --> 00:07:30,960 you have to to rehearse these things and 141 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:34,879 you have to to be aware how to how to 142 00:07:34,879 --> 00:07:37,520 operate a 143 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:01,759 camera I have no problem sometimes to 144 00:08:01,759 --> 00:08:04,319 give a feeling of dis 145 00:08:04,319 --> 00:08:06,919 disorientation to the audience or show 146 00:08:06,919 --> 00:08:07,840 the 147 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:10,560 disorientation of an actor the kinsky 148 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,919 spiral spiraling in front of a camera 149 00:08:13,919 --> 00:08:16,560 and and you know the man is disoriented 150 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:18,919 and he's kind of lost in 151 00:08:18,919 --> 00:08:23,280 space in uh lessons of Darkness I lose 152 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,440 the Horizon when I'm approaching in a 153 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:30,199 helicopter uh and the camera mounted 154 00:08:30,199 --> 00:08:32,599 under it one of these fires and I fly 155 00:08:32,599 --> 00:08:36,000 over it and the camera just goes follows 156 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:39,760 the fire and and and turns around and 157 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,000 with his turn around the fire is upside 158 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:45,000 down 159 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:14,160 and all of a sudden the effect and I 160 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:18,320 knew was going to be that uh gravity is 161 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,560 not functioning anymore on this strange 162 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:24,640 Planet it uh Flames go downwards instead 163 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:28,000 of upwards and the entire planet is is 164 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,360 rolling in a way it shouldn't 165 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,040 role and it really does not look like 166 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:39,680 our planet 167 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:42,240 anymore that was the most stunning for 168 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,560 me and I wanted to get it 169 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,440 across so yes you do those things 170 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:59,399 sometimes and the Horizon and loss of 171 00:09:59,399 --> 00:10:03,320 The Horizon has a 172 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:12,880 significance animals yes uh of course 173 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,120 uh I love them and I have done things 174 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:18,760 like in Bad Lieutenant what is 175 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,000 particular about the scene which we 176 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:24,480 might show in a moment is there were 177 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:27,200 iguanas that I saw spontaneous it was 178 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,160 not it was not in the screenplay I wrote 179 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:32,240 it into it I brought in iguana that I 180 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:34,920 had spotted the day before in a tree and 181 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:36,880 I said please please please bring me 182 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:39,600 some iguanas and I wanted to have the 183 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,800 iguanas in the scene uh in such a way 184 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:45,839 that we notice them and the Bad 185 00:10:45,839 --> 00:10:49,480 Lieutenant Nicholas Cage in his Haze of 186 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,639 of drugs sees them but his colleagues 187 00:10:52,639 --> 00:10:55,160 the other detectives who are on the 188 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,800 lookout who are observing a house of 189 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:02,000 drug dealers they cannot see it and the 190 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,720 beauty of these iguanas is that all of a 191 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:06,480 sudden we as an 192 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:10,480 audience are conspiring with a lead 193 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,519 character because only he and we as the 194 00:11:13,519 --> 00:11:15,000 audience see the 195 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,519 iguanas and in this case I outed myself 196 00:11:18,519 --> 00:11:21,440 as a cinematographer I had a tiny little 197 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,560 lens tiny little button and the fiber 198 00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:27,920 optic cable and a recording and I would 199 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,079 move this lens 200 00:11:30,079 --> 00:11:33,480 millimet away sometimes millimeters away 201 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:35,399 from the skin and the face of the 202 00:11:35,399 --> 00:11:38,200 iguanas who were kind of puzzled and 203 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,240 didn't actually the the one on the right 204 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:43,920 was not an iguana but some sort of a 205 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,760 desert lizard really aggressive it bit 206 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,320 me so hard I cannot explain it was like 207 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:51,519 a vice and you couldn't shake it off and 208 00:11:51,519 --> 00:11:55,240 the crew was delighted and laughed um 209 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:59,560 like mad and besides I had established a 210 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:02,200 reflector which would shine right into 211 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:04,880 my tiny little lens and I had it 212 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:06,880 installed and the moment we started to 213 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,399 shoot I said no stop it stop it stop it 214 00:12:09,399 --> 00:12:11,399 where is my light and the 215 00:12:11,399 --> 00:12:14,000 cinematographer says wner wner I took it 216 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,600 away because I noticed it shines into 217 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:19,279 your into your lens I said Peter that's 218 00:12:19,279 --> 00:12:22,199 a point I want this light in there and 219 00:12:22,199 --> 00:12:24,519 let's roll it because it's a beautiful 220 00:12:24,519 --> 00:12:27,079 scene uh in where animals all of a 221 00:12:27,079 --> 00:12:29,519 sudden are the leading characters for a 222 00:12:29,519 --> 00:12:32,199 20 minutes who else his girlfriend at 223 00:12:32,199 --> 00:12:33,959 least one infant that's as far as we 224 00:12:33,959 --> 00:12:36,440 know what are these [ __ ] iguanas 225 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,880 doing on my coffee table there ain't no 226 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,720 iguana yeah there are there ain't no 227 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:48,000 iguana what the [ __ ] is that [ __ ] 228 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:51,639 gu actually he and Val Kilmer together 229 00:12:51,639 --> 00:12:53,440 that's also very good 230 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,560 chemistry I like them together as 231 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:57,160 detectives well the duty Captain said he 232 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:58,600 wanted to coordinate with us when we end 233 00:12:58,600 --> 00:12:59,800 is that right is that what you're 234 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:01,279 [ __ ] doing now reporting back to the 235 00:13:01,279 --> 00:13:04,440 [ __ ] duty I'm telling you what he 236 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:09,000 said we need SWAT we'll call 237 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:15,320 him the kind of demented looking now 238 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,279 this is my camera 239 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:22,440 now and these creatures are so insipid 240 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:24,760 they are so stupid so 241 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:29,560 demented oh and I was only I that bit 242 00:13:29,560 --> 00:13:31,360 the camera here at the 243 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:35,480 moment this time it missed my thumb I 244 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:38,639 don't love you 245 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:43,040 anymore this is really something that 246 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:47,600 you I imagined you would see under 247 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,360 drugs you see it's a beautiful way to 248 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:54,040 shoot an 249 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:56,519 iguana look look at the face of the 250 00:13:56,519 --> 00:14:01,040 Iguana I I just love that creature 251 00:14:01,279 --> 00:14:03,720 releas just can't get any better you 252 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:07,040 don't need me if you don't want 253 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:11,199 me why don't you let and here you see 254 00:14:11,199 --> 00:14:13,519 the the light the glare of light going 255 00:14:13,519 --> 00:14:19,000 into my lens for moments let's 256 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:21,959 go okay that's the 257 00:14:21,959 --> 00:14:23,519 scene 258 00:14:23,519 --> 00:14:28,240 uh I love these moments 259 00:14:29,399 --> 00:14:32,680 how beautiful 1 00:00:00,620 --> 00:00:08,669 [Music] 2 00:00:15,199 --> 00:00:18,039 acting and working with 3 00:00:18,039 --> 00:00:20,519 actors well that's the key to what you 4 00:00:20,519 --> 00:00:22,199 do as a 5 00:00:22,199 --> 00:00:25,279 director and I think the first of all 6 00:00:25,279 --> 00:00:29,119 keys is casting you have to have an eye 7 00:00:29,119 --> 00:00:33,719 to do casting right and 8 00:00:33,719 --> 00:00:36,760 um the mistake sometimes and it happens 9 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:40,039 to big studios they put two of the 10 00:00:40,039 --> 00:00:44,239 greatest uh uh bestselling actors the 11 00:00:44,239 --> 00:00:47,199 greatest stars together uh in a love 12 00:00:47,199 --> 00:00:50,000 story and they don't have any chemistry 13 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,920 and the film somehow does not function 14 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,320 with audiences so for me it's chemistry 15 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,000 understanding chemistry and 16 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,359 understanding chemistry is has a lot to 17 00:01:01,359 --> 00:01:05,239 do with uh understanding the world and 18 00:01:05,239 --> 00:01:06,759 understanding human 19 00:01:06,759 --> 00:01:10,920 beings um in a way I keep saying you 20 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,560 have to know the heart of men you have 21 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,439 to see very deep and do the right 22 00:01:18,439 --> 00:01:21,840 decisions it happens that no matter who 23 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,799 is stepping in front of my little camera 24 00:01:24,799 --> 00:01:27,600 that records them they all have the same 25 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,079 chance and in one film not very very 26 00:01:30,079 --> 00:01:34,280 long ago the casting lady who is a 27 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:36,600 wonderful woman she said to me I'm so 28 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,280 embarrassed but there's somebody outside 29 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:42,680 the door and she has come Uninvited but 30 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,360 she's a girlfriend of the main producer 31 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,159 and I said to her bring her in bring her 32 00:01:49,159 --> 00:01:51,040 in when she's here she has the same 33 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,000 chance like anyone else and I had uh 34 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,159 done screen tests with six or seven 35 00:01:56,159 --> 00:01:58,560 other young women and she was so good I 36 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,560 mean she was fantastic and I took her 37 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:03,680 and there's no embarrassment there's no 38 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,719 rituals there's nothing everyone has the 39 00:02:06,719 --> 00:02:08,920 same chance when when you do these kind 40 00:02:08,920 --> 00:02:12,640 of early selections and uh for the big 41 00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:14,680 roles of course I know that's going to 42 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,040 be in the that person will be in the 43 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,840 film and no tests nothing you will be 44 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:21,790 the 45 00:02:21,790 --> 00:02:26,389 [Music] 46 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,400 protagonist Enigma of kaspa house I just 47 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,120 had written the 48 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:35,640 screenplay and I thought who could play 49 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:40,239 the leading part who has it in him and 50 00:02:40,239 --> 00:02:44,239 by coincidence I watched on TV a short 51 00:02:44,239 --> 00:02:48,200 film by a Berlin uh student filmmaker 52 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,400 about um homeless people in Berlin and 53 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,599 some Street singers among them and there 54 00:02:53,599 --> 00:02:57,280 was Bruno S is one of them and it it hit 55 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,840 me like lightning I knew that's the one 56 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:03,360 am I lucky that's the one and I have to 57 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:05,720 say of all actors with whom I have 58 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:07,480 worked and there are some of the 59 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,200 greatest kinsky had some something 60 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:15,799 extraordinary about him uh um and uh 61 00:03:15,799 --> 00:03:18,840 Claudia cardinali Christian Bale 62 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,000 Nicholas Cage Nicole Kidman I've worked 63 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,640 with the finest of the fine now Michael 64 00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:27,080 Shannon who 65 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,840 is certainly the best of his 66 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,080 generation but nobody not not one of 67 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,239 them all these great ones had his depth 68 00:03:37,239 --> 00:03:39,840 there was something that is uh that you 69 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,000 never see on a screen again before or 70 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,120 after there's something unique and I'm 71 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:49,080 glad that I I risked everything my 72 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,120 career my money my reputation my 73 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,920 everything and I had Bruno and I do not 74 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:56,560 regret it at 75 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:01,200 all how uh you describe it how you 76 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,040 notice it how you spot it is kind of 77 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,840 mysterious you cannot teach it you 78 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:09,959 cannot teach it to 79 00:04:09,959 --> 00:04:13,360 anyone but um it's 80 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:14,920 essential 81 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,320 and I've always tried to look at uh 82 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:20,779 casting in in that 83 00:04:20,779 --> 00:04:23,939 [Music] 84 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:28,880 way I've had some some very very fine 85 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:30,280 moments in 86 00:04:30,280 --> 00:04:32,600 in doing the right casting and and you 87 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:35,800 are not really allowed as a as a movie 88 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:38,800 director to make major 89 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:41,400 mistakes 90 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,400 sometimes uh very funny how I got for 91 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:47,080 example hold of 92 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,039 kinsky uh by coincidence when I was 13 I 93 00:04:51,039 --> 00:04:54,960 ended up in some sort of uh pension and 94 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:58,639 boarding house in Munich uh my mother 95 00:04:58,639 --> 00:05:01,039 and my two brothers four of us lived in 96 00:05:01,039 --> 00:05:03,639 one room and the lady who owned the 97 00:05:03,639 --> 00:05:06,039 place had a heart for Starving Artists 98 00:05:06,039 --> 00:05:09,080 brought in kinsky kinsky terrorized 99 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:11,840 everyone I mean unbelievably he 100 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:15,320 demolished the place screamed and uh at 101 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:17,680 that time kinsky had just started with 102 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,160 very small roles in theater and he had 103 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,680 been in Hamlet but he never as Hamlet he 104 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:27,039 never learned his text so after two and 105 00:05:27,039 --> 00:05:30,560 a half minutes uh he fell silent because 106 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:32,600 he couldn't remember any of the 107 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:37,759 text uh and instead of doing anything he 108 00:05:37,759 --> 00:05:40,319 starts to insult the audience screaming 109 00:05:40,319 --> 00:05:42,840 at the audience and throwing a 110 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:45,759 candelabra with burning candles into the 111 00:05:45,759 --> 00:05:48,840 audience and and and insulting them and 112 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:51,280 at the end he would roll himself into a 113 00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:54,000 carpet and stay in the carpet would not 114 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,319 emerge from it again he would be rolled 115 00:05:56,319 --> 00:05:58,639 in the carpet until the curtain had to 116 00:05:58,639 --> 00:06:00,720 come down and and everybody had to be 117 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,120 sent back so uh 10 years later or so 118 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,680 when I or more than 10 years later um 119 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:11,240 when I did uh air I contacted him and I 120 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,440 sent him the screenplay and I ended up 121 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,039 to to work with him but I had seen and 122 00:06:17,039 --> 00:06:20,599 met him as the only one in in 123 00:06:20,599 --> 00:06:24,000 semi-privacy and he was formidable he 124 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,800 was like a tornado everybody was afraid 125 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:30,000 of the tornado I was only marveling at 126 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,919 him uh very very strange and of course 127 00:06:33,919 --> 00:06:38,240 uh he had become even worse 10 years 12 128 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,520 years later uh more notorious more 129 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,400 volatile more crazed and in the real art 130 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:51,360 is how do you how do you um somehow 131 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:54,800 domesticate the the Beast and bring all 132 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,759 the crazy energy uh onto the screen make 133 00:06:58,759 --> 00:07:00,840 the uh 134 00:07:00,840 --> 00:07:04,039 intensity productive for the screen 135 00:07:04,039 --> 00:07:06,800 that's my great achievement uh with 136 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,759 kinsky um and I do not regret a single 137 00:07:09,759 --> 00:07:12,919 day uh of course uh it was awful 138 00:07:12,919 --> 00:07:16,120 sometimes awful unbearable and the team 139 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,479 my technical crew would tell me I cannot 140 00:07:19,479 --> 00:07:22,000 we cannot take this a minute longer we 141 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,000 are uh going on strike how can you do 142 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,960 this again kinsky is a leading character 143 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,199 in fact I made five features films with 144 00:07:30,199 --> 00:07:33,840 him and each of them absolutely stunning 145 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:37,520 in his caliber of 146 00:07:44,319 --> 00:07:47,240 performance this church remains 147 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:52,080 closed till this town has its opera 148 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:56,919 house I want the auah 149 00:07:56,919 --> 00:08:01,440 house I want my overa house 150 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:06,000 I want to open a house this chch been 151 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:10,680 closed to this town has its open 152 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:14,319 house I want my open 153 00:08:14,319 --> 00:08:19,240 house I want my open a house I want my 154 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:23,000 open a house 155 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:28,229 [Music] 156 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,560 the only thing that counts is what you 157 00:08:36,560 --> 00:08:39,760 see on the screen and it doesn't matter 158 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,880 whether your uh leading character is the 159 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:44,279 absolute 160 00:08:44,279 --> 00:08:48,760 pestilence like kinsky or if uh somebody 161 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:52,040 is illiterate or somebody has spent time 162 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:55,160 in jail or somebody in front of your 163 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:58,880 camera who has been sent uh as a 164 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:01,720 girlfriend of your producer it does not 165 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:04,680 matter the only thing that counts the 166 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:07,600 only thing is always what appears on the 167 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,880 screen fore an 168 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:18,160 audience can you make this a little bit 169 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,360 wider here because I will show something 170 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:24,200 to the camera for you I we had a suit 171 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,320 for him it had to be very floppy in its 172 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,000 texture and I said to 173 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,720 uh Nicholas you know what I would like 174 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,720 to have you in a way that where your 175 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:38,519 shoulder line is not horizontal it 176 00:09:38,519 --> 00:09:41,120 should be slightly slanted should be 177 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:44,680 slanted a slanted shoulder line preceded 178 00:09:44,680 --> 00:09:47,640 by your gaze meaning he he would he 179 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:49,920 would rehearse it and then just before 180 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,279 shooting he would do this here and that 181 00:09:53,279 --> 00:09:57,320 here shoulder line preceded by The Gaze 182 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:00,160 very little things and and it gives 183 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:04,480 the character some strange strange uh uh 184 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:09,200 feel to it you cannot explain what it 185 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,120 is 186 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:23,360 Frankie Frankie 187 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,880 hey hey I got something for you I need 188 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:37,040 to get my clothes now don't worry about 189 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,680 your clothes right now this is uncut 190 00:10:41,390 --> 00:10:44,539 [Music] 191 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:49,399 dope with kinsky uh we made in aeri we 192 00:10:49,399 --> 00:10:51,160 made his 193 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:54,600 outfit I wanted to have him uh to to 194 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,680 create a tiny vicious hunch on his back 195 00:10:57,680 --> 00:11:00,639 it all looks stupid and bad so we made 196 00:11:00,639 --> 00:11:04,040 some sort of a slight deformity of his 197 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:08,959 chest and uh I said to him your um hand 198 00:11:08,959 --> 00:11:11,880 is Left-Handed your left hand is too 199 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:14,320 short it's shorter than the than the 200 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:16,160 right hand so he moves always a little 201 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:18,800 bit like a crab I said you are a crab 202 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:20,680 you are not a human being you are a 203 00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:23,279 creature out of the Jungle that comes 204 00:11:23,279 --> 00:11:27,120 creeping up at you and since your uh 205 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,480 left hand your main hand is slightly 206 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,079 deformed In Too Short we will not have 207 00:11:32,079 --> 00:11:35,120 your sword here on your hip on the side 208 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,240 we'll have your sword tucked under your 209 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,519 armpit the sheath of it so so that you 210 00:11:41,519 --> 00:11:44,120 can that you can pull it just like that 211 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:46,680 and you have 212 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:52,160 it well 213 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:54,920 men now we've eliminated the 214 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,720 troublemakers we must elect a 215 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,279 leader for me the choice is obvious we 216 00:12:01,279 --> 00:12:04,320 should elect the biggest and strongest 217 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:08,800 nobleman we have what me yes 218 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:12,040 you well 219 00:12:14,839 --> 00:12:18,880 gentlemen I propose Guzman as our next 220 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,639 leader who else is for 221 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,800 him and uh he was delighted about those 222 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,399 things and he made suggestions himself 223 00:12:31,399 --> 00:12:33,959 for example he has a 224 00:12:33,959 --> 00:12:38,800 dagger uh uh on his belt in the back and 225 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,079 we had to make a dagger for him that was 226 00:12:41,079 --> 00:12:44,440 so pointed and so sharp he said I need a 227 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,440 g needs a dagger if I stab somebody and 228 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,079 I pull out the blade of the dagger the 229 00:12:50,079 --> 00:12:51,800 person doesn't even 230 00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:56,079 bleed uh he has to to bleed to death 231 00:12:56,079 --> 00:13:00,040 internally that's what aari would do 232 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:04,680 [Music] 233 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:07,320 I have done acting in various films 234 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:12,600 Harmony kin's films and also in a film 235 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:16,680 um which was widely shown uh a studio 236 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:18,000 film Jack 237 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,160 Reacher and uh I'm supposed to be the 238 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:26,440 bad guy and Tom Cruz the leading 239 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:29,959 character has to kill me last in this 240 00:13:29,959 --> 00:13:32,160 film I do not do much I mean there are 241 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:35,800 bad guys uh who open fire and they yell 242 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,440 and so but I only speak very very calmly 243 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:43,320 and um it is really frightening it was 244 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:47,600 so scary it's still scary enough and uh 245 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,040 it's also an an experience that I have 246 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:52,920 made as a director it helped me a lot I 247 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,360 knew for example with um a partner in 248 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,240 one scene where I try to force him to to 249 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,639 GW off his thumb or his fingers because 250 00:14:02,639 --> 00:14:06,639 I have lost my own fingers and of course 251 00:14:06,639 --> 00:14:09,680 it's how we watch each other and I see 252 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:11,920 now he's really trying hard and I let 253 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,680 him try once more and then I come in and 254 00:14:14,680 --> 00:14:17,199 very calmly I encourage him and I say 255 00:14:17,199 --> 00:14:20,800 yes you can do it I know you can do it 256 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:22,199 just do 257 00:14:22,199 --> 00:14:26,399 it what helped me as a director was uh 258 00:14:26,399 --> 00:14:28,560 the number one the quiet intensity 259 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:31,440 knowing it was a very big screen and you 260 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:33,519 do not overact you just keep it 261 00:14:33,519 --> 00:14:36,120 completely low the way for example 262 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:39,600 Humphrey bogur would keep it low or uh 263 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,519 Gary Cooper would keep it low some real 264 00:14:42,519 --> 00:14:46,240 quintessential people Mal brand opening 265 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:50,680 of viat saata the kind of reduced uh 266 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,610 Inner Strength that he has 267 00:14:53,610 --> 00:14:59,959 [Music] 268 00:14:59,959 --> 00:15:01,440 sometimes 269 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:05,839 uh I uh would demonstrate to an actor 270 00:15:05,839 --> 00:15:08,639 and I'm fairly good at that uh because 271 00:15:08,639 --> 00:15:11,399 I'm acting myself sometimes in movies I 272 00:15:11,399 --> 00:15:15,720 would show them uh certain moments or I 273 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,320 would pronounce certain deliveries of 274 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,519 things to them very often the real real 275 00:15:21,519 --> 00:15:23,480 good professional actors you don't have 276 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:26,079 to do that it would be an embarrassment 277 00:15:26,079 --> 00:15:29,160 but Bruno S for example he would deliver 278 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:31,959 line he had to deliver it as someone who 279 00:15:31,959 --> 00:15:34,880 just has started to learn language at 280 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,720 age when he's already an adolescent and 281 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:41,279 he holds a baby out of its of its cradle 282 00:15:41,279 --> 00:15:43,360 and the mother comes in and and he's 283 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:47,480 shocked and starts to cry silently and 284 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:52,399 then he says uh mother mother I'm so far 285 00:15:52,399 --> 00:15:54,880 away from everything and he says it and 286 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,360 it it didn't mean anything and I said to 287 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:01,360 him uh as you learn a language for the 288 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,959 first time it has to be mother say it 289 00:16:04,959 --> 00:16:09,639 like this pause pause pause pause pause 290 00:16:09,639 --> 00:16:15,240 I am taking away pause pause from 291 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,079 everything and he does it and it's 292 00:16:18,079 --> 00:16:22,040 so in a way so tragic and and it was 293 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:25,199 mechanically counting the pause the 294 00:16:25,199 --> 00:16:30,240 seconds of the PA that I have taught him 295 00:16:31,510 --> 00:16:34,649 [Music] 296 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:52,440 speeech foreign 297 00:16:58,230 --> 00:17:01,409 [Music] 298 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:21,319 [Music] 299 00:17:23,079 --> 00:17:26,360 there was one moment with uh or several 300 00:17:26,360 --> 00:17:29,640 moments with one of the henchmen of 301 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:35,480 agiri fine actor Danny Aris and uh he 302 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:39,000 has to decapitate a rebellious guy in 303 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:43,280 the in the Expedition uh group of aar's 304 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:47,160 men wants to leave and agari says to him 305 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:51,039 uh this man is a head taller than me 306 00:17:51,039 --> 00:17:53,039 that may 307 00:17:53,039 --> 00:17:55,919 change and perucho understands and he 308 00:17:55,919 --> 00:17:58,600 had his dialogue was not dialogue it was 309 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:01,760 his should say la la he does it several 310 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:05,360 times in the film he says la la la la la 311 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:09,000 la la la la and approaches and 312 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,559 decapitates the guy and Denny Aris uh 313 00:18:12,559 --> 00:18:14,840 when we rehearsed it he said ah yeah 314 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:17,960 I'll do it and he says la la la la la la 315 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,360 la la I said now stop it Danny it should 316 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:25,520 be on one level uh and he said yeah 317 00:18:25,799 --> 00:18:28,799 okay I said no no no listen listen 318 00:18:28,799 --> 00:18:32,640 listen listen it has to be 319 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:35,000 dangerous la 320 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:41,520 la la la la la la la la la and then you 321 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:42,919 chop the head 322 00:18:42,919 --> 00:18:46,799 off if we use our heads we can get back 323 00:18:46,799 --> 00:18:49,080 to pizaro 324 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,360 yeah this Expedition is do I tell you we 325 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:53,799 followed her tracks for about a half a 326 00:18:53,799 --> 00:18:55,360 league into the jungle then lost all 327 00:18:55,360 --> 00:18:58,039 trace of her then one of the men in The 328 00:18:58,039 --> 00:19:01,039 Troop got panicky over that damn silence 329 00:19:01,039 --> 00:19:04,240 it always comes just before someone gets 330 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:08,240 killed so we came back worse then it is 331 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:11,039 with this m man believe me that man is a 332 00:19:11,039 --> 00:19:13,320 head taller than 333 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,840 me that may 334 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,320 change I'll tell you my plans I've been 335 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:26,919 counting the curves of the 336 00:19:26,919 --> 00:19:30,799 river look I've drawn a map here in the 337 00:19:30,799 --> 00:19:33,520 sand it will take us a day for each 338 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:46,840 curve one two 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 00:00:00,620 --> 00:00:08,280 [Music] 2 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:11,719 on my set there are no stars but whoever 3 00:00:11,719 --> 00:00:14,759 steps in front of my camera is 4 00:00:14,759 --> 00:00:18,160 royalty your royalty and I say that to 5 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,199 the extras as well who pass by in the 6 00:00:21,199 --> 00:00:23,640 background and say a few words and 7 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,000 disappear forever out of the film you 8 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,080 have to have this confidence with with 9 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:32,320 your actors you have to put them on on a 10 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,320 ground on a 11 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,480 basis where they feel 12 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:40,480 safe by the way sometimes it's not good 13 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:42,160 when when they feel safe you have to 14 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:44,079 organize sometimes a moment where 15 00:00:44,079 --> 00:00:46,440 they're kind of confused and perplexed 16 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:48,120 and I do the Slate very quickly and I 17 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,440 say action do it and uh and in this 18 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:56,000 moment of uh of fear and uh insecurity 19 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:00,320 is needed for the scene so I I do I do 20 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:02,559 unusual things 21 00:01:02,559 --> 00:01:08,439 sometimes and uh of course uh sometimes 22 00:01:08,439 --> 00:01:13,600 I I push them very cautiously but to the 23 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,439 Limit where I can go with 24 00:01:18,090 --> 00:01:21,299 [Music] 25 00:01:21,439 --> 00:01:24,040 them being an actor myself in the 26 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,280 Hollywood film like Jack Reacher there 27 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,119 was some some reading be first first of 28 00:01:29,119 --> 00:01:31,040 all we would sit around the table and 29 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,520 read the entire screenplay out loud and 30 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,399 I've never done that I've always uh 31 00:01:37,399 --> 00:01:40,040 assembled my actors on the set and 32 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,399 that's why I start to rehearse and 33 00:01:42,399 --> 00:01:44,880 things are completely fresh for 34 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,759 everyone completely and uh it's good 35 00:01:48,759 --> 00:01:51,399 that I do it that way because in my 36 00:01:51,399 --> 00:01:54,040 films my actors are always 37 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,320 Lively uh when they are over rehearsed 38 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:01,320 uh they lose a spark it happens quite 39 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:05,439 often I also uh notice that when you do 40 00:02:05,439 --> 00:02:10,440 too many takes of the same uh dialogue 41 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:14,000 portion um you come to a point where 42 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,879 from from which on it all sinks down 43 00:02:16,879 --> 00:02:20,080 it's slowly slowly SL slowly getting 44 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,319 more and more boring and and 45 00:02:23,319 --> 00:02:27,720 lifeless but some of my great admired 46 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:32,200 colleagues kubri for example uh would 47 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,120 rehearse 80 uh would shoot 80 times the 48 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,720 same scene and probably he had rehearsed 49 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,080 it with his actors before shooting 50 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,879 started I I do not know exactly but I 51 00:02:43,879 --> 00:02:47,599 assume so there is no clear path of how 52 00:02:47,599 --> 00:02:48,650 how you would do 53 00:02:48,650 --> 00:02:51,809 [Music] 54 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,879 it one thing I'd like to say about malum 55 00:02:57,879 --> 00:03:00,560 brandoo we know that it's some time in 56 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:05,280 his life he joined the Lee Strasburg uh 57 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,239 acting studio actor Studio which I do 58 00:03:08,239 --> 00:03:12,040 not like at all and I believe I 59 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,280 personally believe that number one 60 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,640 Brando didn't take it really seriously 61 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:20,239 and number two he was much better before 62 00:03:20,239 --> 00:03:23,319 he was at the actor studio and and this 63 00:03:23,319 --> 00:03:25,360 happens quite often with actors when I 64 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,720 work with actors those who have been too 65 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,760 much into internalizing a role in 66 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,280 motivations and all this they're much 67 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,760 harder to handle it's much more 68 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,080 difficult to deal with him and I'm 69 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,480 saying that because uh very often they 70 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,599 are so much into their motivations good 71 00:03:45,599 --> 00:03:48,040 actors quite often and they do not find 72 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:50,439 the light they move all of a sudden out 73 00:03:50,439 --> 00:03:52,599 of the light and the light is gone and 74 00:03:52,599 --> 00:03:54,599 they're in the shadow and it would need 75 00:03:54,599 --> 00:03:57,760 only a tiny sort of movement of your 76 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,079 body and you have the light and you have 77 00:04:00,079 --> 00:04:03,000 to teach them certain simple techniques 78 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,040 like uh finding the light staying in 79 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:09,840 frame simple things sometimes even uh 80 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,920 very professional actors uh step out of 81 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:15,519 frame and and they don't even notice and 82 00:04:15,519 --> 00:04:18,479 they have to stop it and of course uh 83 00:04:18,479 --> 00:04:22,079 simple things like um if you were a very 84 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:25,360 long lens very close on me if I just 85 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:27,840 stand there and I shift my weight only 86 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:30,560 from one leg to the other half my face 87 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:32,759 would be out of frame you would see that 88 00:04:32,759 --> 00:04:35,320 only with a long lens and you have to to 89 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:37,919 explain to some of the actors this here 90 00:04:37,919 --> 00:04:39,919 is a very long lens when you are 91 00:04:39,919 --> 00:04:41,440 standing do not 92 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,450 shift and they have to know 93 00:04:45,450 --> 00:04:48,589 [Music] 94 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:53,320 this I'm very careful about uh giving an 95 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,479 actor too much motivational background 96 00:04:56,479 --> 00:05:00,080 that's uh normally uh spells Des 97 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,080 disaster some of them need it some of 98 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,840 them need it some in most cases I do not 99 00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:09,919 like it and I would uh say simple things 100 00:05:09,919 --> 00:05:13,639 like uh to Nicholas Cage he came to me 101 00:05:13,639 --> 00:05:15,360 on the second day of shooting and said 102 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:20,080 to me W uh I'm puzzled about a key 103 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,720 question about my character why is a Bad 104 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,960 Lieutenant so bad I know you hate to 105 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,479 tell about motivations and background of 106 00:05:29,479 --> 00:05:30,160 a 107 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:34,039 of a character but is it the drugs is it 108 00:05:34,039 --> 00:05:36,919 Hurrican Katrina that destroyed a 109 00:05:36,919 --> 00:05:39,960 civilized society is it the corruption 110 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:42,720 in the police force is it the drugs is 111 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,759 it your crazy family back dysfunctional 112 00:05:45,759 --> 00:05:49,240 family background and uh I thought about 113 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:51,759 it all of that had some justification 114 00:05:51,759 --> 00:05:53,479 and I said to him no no let's not 115 00:05:53,479 --> 00:05:56,520 discuss it but there's one thing in the 116 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,639 film which uh you should keep in in mind 117 00:06:00,639 --> 00:06:03,919 there's such a thing like a bliss of 118 00:06:03,919 --> 00:06:09,440 evil go for it enjoy it and he looked at 119 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,440 me and he said I got it yes and man does 120 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,800 he enjoy being bad and it's it's a great 121 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:17,919 pleasure to watch him so sometimes it's 122 00:06:17,919 --> 00:06:21,720 such a a simple 123 00:06:22,039 --> 00:06:26,599 answer where is he Benny call security 124 00:06:26,599 --> 00:06:28,160 nobody's calling 125 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,000 anybody where's your grandson bding I 126 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,800 don't have to tell you 127 00:06:34,100 --> 00:06:36,599 [Music] 128 00:06:36,599 --> 00:06:40,039 anything yeah you do I haven't done 129 00:06:40,039 --> 00:06:42,319 anything my grandson hasn't done 130 00:06:42,319 --> 00:06:43,960 anything if he doesn't want to be a 131 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,680 witness he doesn't have to be a witness 132 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:48,319 this is bigger than want 133 00:06:48,319 --> 00:06:50,360 to this was a 134 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,120 massacre 135 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:55,240 children were 136 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,120 executed well maybe you should have 137 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:00,680 thought of that before 138 00:07:02,879 --> 00:07:05,759 I need to know where he 139 00:07:05,759 --> 00:07:08,680 is young man I would like to know the 140 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,479 name of your 141 00:07:12,199 --> 00:07:15,599 Superior right now I'm working on about 142 00:07:15,599 --> 00:07:18,879 an hour and a half sleep over the past 3 143 00:07:18,879 --> 00:07:22,919 days and I'm still trying to remain 144 00:07:22,919 --> 00:07:24,879 courteous and I'm beginning to think 145 00:07:24,879 --> 00:07:27,400 that that's getting in the way of my 146 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,840 being effective 147 00:07:31,940 --> 00:07:35,100 [Music] 148 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:39,840 what are you 149 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:46,280 doing what stop it what are you 150 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:51,440 doing I want to know where Daryl is oh 151 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,520 my God nobody saw me come in nobody 152 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:56,599 knows I'm here this old woman's going to 153 00:07:56,599 --> 00:07:58,280 run out of air and you're going to have 154 00:07:58,280 --> 00:07:59,800 a tough time convincing people people 155 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:02,759 that it wasn't you who did it to her and 156 00:08:02,759 --> 00:08:06,080 even if and even if you do convince them 157 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,879 that you didn't kill her on purpose 158 00:08:09,879 --> 00:08:11,120 you're still going to have a tough time 159 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:12,960 selling them that you took care of her 160 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:17,919 worth a [ __ ] God now listen to me where 161 00:08:17,919 --> 00:08:20,720 the [ __ ] is 162 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,950 he I said where the [ __ ] is he 163 00:08:24,950 --> 00:08:30,000 [Laughter] 164 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:34,279 on the set uh Fitz Caldo we had a plane 165 00:08:34,279 --> 00:08:37,839 crash uh garbled messages on the radio a 166 00:08:37,839 --> 00:08:40,279 plane is down how many people are on it 167 00:08:40,279 --> 00:08:43,880 can we help where is it kinsky who had 168 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:46,279 his coffee served at his Hut is the last 169 00:08:46,279 --> 00:08:48,600 one that very day because there was a 170 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:52,160 certain ritual how we would do it he was 171 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:54,160 the last one his coffee was lukewarm 172 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,600 only and he screams at the top of his 173 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,120 lungs he hangs on me literally that 174 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,480 close to my face and screams at me Fro 175 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:06,360 foam at the in his mouth and screams 176 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,279 what kind of pigs delivered him a 177 00:09:09,279 --> 00:09:12,200 lukewarm coffee this morning and I tried 178 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,040 to say clous we have a plane down we 179 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:17,760 have to listen to the phone and besides 180 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,279 I had to do a rewrite of that scene in 181 00:09:20,279 --> 00:09:25,360 the morning so uh finally how I resolved 182 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:28,519 this I went to my Hut I had a tiny piece 183 00:09:28,519 --> 00:09:31,800 of Swiss chocol left I came back stepped 184 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,240 into his face and ate it and that was 185 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:37,440 too much for him he couldn't that that 186 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:41,240 was beyond him and he's shut up Airi has 187 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:45,320 one of uh the mutineers in his group 188 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:49,720 beheaded he um uh delivers a very 189 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:54,360 strange speech about mad power if I a 190 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,000 want the birds to drop dead from the 191 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,160 trees the birds will drop Dead from the 192 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,519 trees and if anyone eats one grain of 193 00:10:03,519 --> 00:10:06,120 corn more than his ration he will be 194 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,720 trampled upon until we can paint the 195 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:12,680 walls with him and so and he uh in first 196 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:15,680 rehearsal he yells it out and he screams 197 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:18,160 it and I said clous clous clous hold it 198 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,720 hold it this is wrong it has to be 199 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,760 completely subdued and reduced then it's 200 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,079 dangerous no you pig you don't 201 00:10:27,079 --> 00:10:29,480 understand anything about acting and so 202 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,920 and then I provoked him I said uh you 203 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:34,040 look terrible when you scream like this 204 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:37,880 it's just stupid and for one and a half 205 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,959 hours he would scream at me until he was 206 00:10:40,959 --> 00:10:45,240 exhausted he was he had yelled himself 207 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:47,959 empty and then I picked up the slate and 208 00:10:47,959 --> 00:10:50,519 I said clouse now we 209 00:10:50,519 --> 00:10:54,120 shoot give me the first line and I said 210 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,959 no lower lower I should barely hear it 211 00:10:56,959 --> 00:10:59,839 and he said yeah yeah low and he does it 212 00:10:59,839 --> 00:11:01,680 and we shoot it once and that's it one 213 00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:05,880 of the Great Moments in in my uh career 214 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,160 as a 215 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:32,279 filmmaker for 216 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:16,560 [Music] 217 00:12:16,560 --> 00:12:19,120 Clem shites has been in a variety of my 218 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:20,519 films Kasper 219 00:12:20,519 --> 00:12:22,760 Hower Heart of 220 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:27,399 Glass and he uh he in a way enjoyed to 221 00:12:27,399 --> 00:12:31,000 be under hypnosis the film was made uh 222 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:33,279 with all the actors under 223 00:12:33,279 --> 00:12:36,399 hypnosis uh and when I say that it 224 00:12:36,399 --> 00:12:38,720 sounds like a circus gimmick but it was 225 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:43,760 a very uh clear logical sort of decision 226 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:46,839 I wanted to have a village community 227 00:12:46,839 --> 00:12:51,480 that uh has lost the secret of uh how to 228 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:55,199 make Ruby glass very precious sort of 229 00:12:55,199 --> 00:12:57,680 glass and 230 00:12:57,680 --> 00:13:01,600 uh in the course of the story the entire 231 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,720 Village lapses into Collective insanity 232 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:08,440 or in some sort of a sleep walking uh 233 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:11,399 way of of dealing with what is around 234 00:13:11,399 --> 00:13:13,399 them how do I 235 00:13:13,399 --> 00:13:16,880 stylize this kind ofum bistic way to 236 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:19,399 deal with each other and thought it 237 00:13:19,399 --> 00:13:21,839 should be why shouldn't we try under 238 00:13:21,839 --> 00:13:25,240 hypnosis and you can actually hypnotize 239 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,920 a person so deep that they can open 240 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:30,920 their eyes without wak up and two 241 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:34,199 persons under hypnosis can have dialogue 242 00:13:34,199 --> 00:13:37,440 each one in their separate uh dream like 243 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,560 floating world and things are basically 244 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:43,240 slowed down in this case I can show you 245 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:45,839 a short uh moment where you have her 246 00:13:45,839 --> 00:13:47,720 shites Clem 247 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:51,040 shites who uh is this elderly man I here 248 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,519 on the left and the protagonist one of 249 00:13:54,519 --> 00:13:56,839 the protagonists on the in the films 250 00:13:56,839 --> 00:14:00,959 he's a servant he's a who might 251 00:14:00,959 --> 00:14:04,240 discovered from 252 00:14:05,399 --> 00:14:10,120 this speaks in a very strange 253 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,560 voice and always had difficulties to 254 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:18,079 keep his eyes open they were heavy 255 00:14:18,079 --> 00:14:20,399 because the suggestions were your 256 00:14:20,399 --> 00:14:22,480 eyelids are heavy you're falling you 257 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:27,600 come falling asleep and here this young 258 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:32,519 man see a very strange some numistic 259 00:14:32,519 --> 00:14:36,639 stylization in it 260 00:15:09,759 --> 00:15:11,680 and normally when there was a pause a 261 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,399 change of uh camera position I would 262 00:15:14,399 --> 00:15:17,120 wake them up in between you don't keep 263 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:19,600 anyone too long under hypnosis it's not 264 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,120 not really good and you have to find 265 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,759 people who uh are not psychotic when 266 00:15:25,759 --> 00:15:28,440 they are woken up so you be very very 267 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:29,639 careful 268 00:15:29,639 --> 00:15:32,519 what you are doing it was an experiment 269 00:15:32,519 --> 00:15:35,759 uh I think that was worthwhile to do it 270 00:15:35,759 --> 00:15:38,800 and I have not heard of any other movie 271 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:43,230 director who would hypnotize his 272 00:15:43,230 --> 00:15:46,389 [Music] 273 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,519 actors I never tell uh the actors in the 274 00:15:50,519 --> 00:15:53,000 camera ah let's go on the set and let's 275 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,759 improvise something when we improvise uh 276 00:15:56,759 --> 00:16:01,480 something it is a clear set clear 277 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,480 spaces uh a certain mood and there's a 278 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:07,120 scene which I'd like to show you Claus 279 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,120 kinsky as a vampire in no verat in Bruno 280 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:14,440 guns as a visitor who wants uh uh to 281 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:19,120 offer a house in Del in in vismar to the 282 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:22,440 to the vampire 283 00:16:31,759 --> 00:16:33,959 now Bruno gun cuts his finger and now 284 00:16:33,959 --> 00:16:36,759 watch the interaction and the timing I 285 00:16:36,759 --> 00:16:40,279 said to K Claus kinsky timing is yours 286 00:16:40,279 --> 00:16:45,040 anything you need to do improvise it uh 287 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,279 the knife is old this drop of blood is 288 00:16:47,279 --> 00:16:50,279 something that you need to to suck from 289 00:16:50,279 --> 00:16:51,040 the 290 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,399 thumb it's your survival and now do 291 00:16:54,399 --> 00:16:56,880 whatever you have to do and just watch 292 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,759 him is really wonderful it it's hardly 293 00:16:59,759 --> 00:17:03,279 worth mentioning just a little 294 00:17:07,439 --> 00:17:10,480 cut and now watch how all of a sudden 295 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,880 how he finds his timing you know watch 296 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:17,400 him it's coming all from inside it's 297 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,079 only for the 298 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:26,319 [Music] 299 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:29,400 best and they both knew it would only 300 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:32,919 shoot it once and I would shoot it with 301 00:17:32,919 --> 00:17:36,080 one handheld 302 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:39,600 camera and I would never cut it it's not 303 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:43,039 going to be cut they knew 304 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,559 this both RIS kinsky and and Nicholas 305 00:17:55,559 --> 00:17:58,520 Cage were the only two actors to whom I 306 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,320 some times said we have shot it four 307 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:04,880 times two of the takes are really very 308 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:08,520 very good take number four was almost 309 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:10,039 perfect 310 00:18:10,039 --> 00:18:12,960 however I have the feeling I we should 311 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:17,120 take yet another uh one 312 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:20,120 because I feel there's even more in this 313 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:23,840 scene what exactly I do not know and I 314 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:25,840 would say to kinsky 315 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:28,840 clous we shoot it one more time in this 316 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:31,520 time you are going to turn the hog 317 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:35,720 loose same to Nicholas Cage turn the pig 318 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:38,960 or turn the hog loose I like to work 319 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:41,600 with actors who have the same 320 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:44,600 sensibility who who would follow me who 321 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:48,039 would say uh even though we both of us 322 00:18:48,039 --> 00:18:50,840 cannot articulate what more is in the 323 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:54,240 scene let's give it a try let's go 324 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:57,799 completely out of all our experiences 325 00:18:57,799 --> 00:18:59,720 let's turn the walk 326 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:03,000 loose so it happens in those other great 327 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,440 rewarding moments uh that I have with 328 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:10,000 actors you have to understand how to how 329 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:11,000 to 330 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,960 maneuver uh people into doing certain 331 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:17,159 things and being really good you have to 332 00:19:17,159 --> 00:19:21,440 encourage them to be at their best you 333 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:25,000 have to give them safety security they 334 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:26,960 have to know you you watch them with 335 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,200 great sympathy and you you know they are 336 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:32,799 good even though they fail to do it 337 00:19:32,799 --> 00:19:36,039 right first take second take third take 338 00:19:36,039 --> 00:19:37,799 you tell doesn't matter it doesn't 339 00:19:37,799 --> 00:19:40,240 matter it doesn't matter I know there's 340 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,200 something big in this moment and you 341 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:47,840 deliver it and they do it they do it 1 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,880 There's one thing that really drew my 2 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,400 attention to sound. It was the very very 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,920 first film I made and we were a group of 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:22,080 eight or 10 uh young men 5 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:24,880 and we said we help each other when you 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,920 are doing your film. I I help you with 7 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,240 uh driving the car and I help you with 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,840 editing or or so we change things. Of 9 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,200 these 10 or eight eight films, only 10 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,320 three films were actually finished. Two 11 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,719 of these finished films were never shown 12 00:00:42,719 --> 00:00:45,760 in public because I had sound problems. 13 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:49,680 Sound. And it occurred to me uh this is 14 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:53,520 important. And sometimes when I when I 15 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:56,320 watch a film 16 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,600 in the first minute, you know, there's 17 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,640 very very great attention and detail 18 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,960 about sound and you know, you better 19 00:01:04,960 --> 00:01:10,240 watch that one. very often when um when 20 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,360 I'm rehearsing with actors or when I'm 21 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,240 filming with them, sometimes I don't 22 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:18,240 even look at them because I just listen 23 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:22,000 and I know this is great now just 24 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,040 listening and of course it doesn't have 25 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,720 to do with sound recording. Uh but uh 26 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,079 sometimes I take more time in organizing 27 00:01:32,079 --> 00:01:37,320 sound than organizing camera and lights. 28 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:43,759 I had to learn it because of necessity 29 00:01:43,759 --> 00:01:47,119 because there was no money to uh have 30 00:01:47,119 --> 00:01:50,240 anyone paid for doing the sound or so. 31 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,960 You can easily do it because equipment 32 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,920 today is not very expensive. You see, 33 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,079 you can have a fairly small sound 34 00:01:58,079 --> 00:02:00,960 recording device and uh you you just 35 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,840 have to get a good microphone and and 36 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,320 operate with it and listen listen what 37 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:08,879 does it do when you move it around and 38 00:02:08,879 --> 00:02:11,280 you listen to ambiances. 39 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,319 spend uh spend a whole night out in a 40 00:02:14,319 --> 00:02:17,280 forest and listen to the sounds and 41 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,840 record the moments that are really 42 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,720 wonderful and and listen to how the 43 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,840 birds wake up in the morning and and you 44 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,400 start to feel a day coming. It is good 45 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,440 that you as a filmmaker, as a director 46 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,080 know how to handle sound. You should 47 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,800 know it and you should test mics and you 48 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:41,800 should you should hear what's going on. 49 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,239 One film where sound was particularly 50 00:02:48,239 --> 00:02:51,920 complicated and problematic was a very 51 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:54,319 early controversial film of mine. Even 52 00:02:54,319 --> 00:02:57,840 dwarves started small. It was a cast all 53 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,800 cast of uh of little people and of 54 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,760 course their voices are in much higher 55 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:06,000 pitch than ours. You cannot dub them. 56 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,360 You cannot post sync them. So the direct 57 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,560 sound had to be perfect or at least 58 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:16,599 presentably in a theater. 59 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,519 Yeah. Yeah. 60 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,120 Hey. 61 00:04:07,439 --> 00:04:09,840 On this island in the Canary Islands, 62 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:11,439 Lanserote, 63 00:04:11,439 --> 00:04:15,680 all lava fields, there was constant day 64 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,519 and night stiff gales and wind. And of 65 00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:24,479 course, a microphone picks it up and uh 66 00:04:24,479 --> 00:04:26,960 creates problems. the mics rumble and 67 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,880 and I believe I spent more time 68 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,520 organizing and setting up the sound than 69 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,040 setting up the camera and looking at 70 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,160 locations recently in Bolivia. 71 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:44,160 I shot at a old hienda which was built 72 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:49,919 in the uh 1560s or so and it was a 73 00:04:49,919 --> 00:04:52,960 wonderful location and I was there with 74 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,120 a cinematographer first alone then with 75 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:56,880 a cinematographer 76 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,440 and I sat and they all loved it and I 77 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:01,600 said but there is a problem there is a 78 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,000 problem and they said what what what the 79 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,280 problem was sound they had uh wooden 80 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:09,759 floors very ancient wooden floors he 81 00:05:09,759 --> 00:05:11,199 couldn't didn't rip them out or do 82 00:05:11,199 --> 00:05:13,360 anything. And they were creaking. Every 83 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,400 step was creek creek creek. Even if and 84 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,800 I said, "Let's put carpets on it. Let's 85 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,000 cover it. Let's do we uh soaked the 86 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,960 floor for days and days so that the wood 87 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,320 would expand and the creek uh would 88 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:30,880 would diminish and it didn't." And that 89 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:33,840 was the problem was sound. And you have 90 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:36,400 to to understand it right away. This 91 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:40,000 will cause delays. This will cause um 92 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,360 more post-p production like uh post uh 93 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:44,960 sinking 94 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:46,479 um 95 00:05:46,479 --> 00:05:48,800 some of the dialogue. I knew it would 96 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,440 come at me, but I knew it from the first 97 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,840 moment on. 98 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,639 In my film, Signs of Life 99 00:06:02,639 --> 00:06:06,160 was how the wind moves. This image was 100 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,560 the central metaphor. 101 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,919 I actually added a very strange sound 102 00:06:11,919 --> 00:06:14,319 which was a 103 00:06:14,319 --> 00:06:18,319 audience applauding after a big concert 104 00:06:18,319 --> 00:06:21,520 and I distorted it uh in a way that it 105 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,720 sounds like clapping of wood and I put 106 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,759 on a a strange sound 107 00:06:27,759 --> 00:06:31,280 uh of wires electrical uh telephone 108 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:34,240 wires in the wind. So, it's a high 109 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,039 stylization and it's 110 00:06:37,039 --> 00:06:40,680 seemingly endless. 111 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,240 Listening of course uh 112 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,840 in a way also has to do with uh 113 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,479 materials that you have that you stumble 114 00:07:16,479 --> 00:07:18,560 across either music or you stumble 115 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:20,319 across 116 00:07:20,319 --> 00:07:23,680 uh a piece of sound that is so beautiful 117 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:27,280 that you want to use it in the film. 118 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:31,120 I remember I recall um the film in 119 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:32,800 Antarctica. 120 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:35,520 Uh there was a wonderful sound designer 121 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:40,800 who had um submerged microphones 122 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,680 uh under the ice in Antarctica into the 123 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:47,840 ocean and he had recorded uh Vedell 124 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,520 seals, calls of Vell seals and they 125 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:55,360 really sound like uh out of space or 126 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:57,599 like they sound a little bit like Pink 127 00:07:57,599 --> 00:08:01,440 Floyd or completely wonderful and I 128 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,240 wanted to have it hurt in the film and I 129 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:05,919 organized 130 00:08:05,919 --> 00:08:09,599 scientists who are studying the Vel seal 131 00:08:09,599 --> 00:08:12,160 and I organized please listen to me at 132 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:14,720 the ice of course we heard nothing and 133 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:19,759 and I I had them uh three of them 134 00:08:19,759 --> 00:08:21,840 uh on the ground and they are listening 135 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,479 and and the pose they are taking to to 136 00:08:24,479 --> 00:08:26,879 listen and there was a young woman a 137 00:08:26,879 --> 00:08:30,000 scientist from Germany and I said can 138 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,399 you have your can you have your here on 139 00:08:32,399 --> 00:08:34,240 the ice itself. And she said, "Yeah, but 140 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,320 it's very, very cold. It's very cold." I 141 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:38,479 said, "Please stay on. Stay on." And I 142 00:08:38,479 --> 00:08:40,800 filmed. And I said, "Uh, now in the 143 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:44,159 background, uh, uh, the man was was just 144 00:08:44,159 --> 00:08:47,360 somehow not not still enough. Can I do 145 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:49,680 it again? And can you stay there?" And I 146 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:52,880 filmed it a second time. And uh when we 147 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,240 were done filming after five or six 148 00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:00,480 minutes, uh the uh scientist, the lady 149 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,000 couldn't 150 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:04,080 raise her head anymore because her ear 151 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:09,360 was frozen to the ice. So uh I felt 152 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,480 really bad, but I I captured a wonderful 153 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:14,480 moment. 154 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,920 And uh just for the sake of some 155 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:20,399 extraordinary sound, I would stage an 156 00:09:20,399 --> 00:09:23,880 entire scene. 157 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,480 Heat. 158 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,000 Heat. 1 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,840 The entire question about music I cannot 2 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,240 really describe. It's beyond 3 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:16,000 verbalization. 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:17,840 You have to watch and you have to watch 5 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:22,160 other great ones. Sati Shhatra the uh 6 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,480 filmmaker from India from Bengal 7 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,080 filmmaker 8 00:00:26,080 --> 00:00:29,279 who made a film a wonderful film called 9 00:00:29,279 --> 00:00:34,640 the music room. Uh I think Yal Zagar in 10 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:38,960 u in Hindi. Uh but watch films and look 11 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,520 at it. Uh Pollanski is very good with 12 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,480 music. The Tavani brothers in Italy 13 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:46,480 they're great with music. You have to 14 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:49,760 watch Padre Patron. how they deal with 15 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:53,640 music is just wonderful. 16 00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,840 Sometimes I do have the music before I 17 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,960 even start uh filming. Uh Dancing 18 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,080 Chicken, Sonny Terry, Old Lost John, I 19 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:11,439 think uh or the uh end of the film um uh 20 00:01:11,439 --> 00:01:14,560 bells from the te deep this deep 21 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,640 resonant voice. And I knew I would have 22 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:18,880 it at the end. And the ice skaters had 23 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,200 to be majestic. 24 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,560 May peace and happiness and love be with 25 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:39,240 you. Amen. Amen. 26 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:43,880 fores 27 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,039 uses 28 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:12,560 sweaty creepy sweat. 29 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:25,640 Amen. 30 00:02:40,319 --> 00:02:43,319 Even 31 00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:59,640 Amen. 32 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,920 I try to find the mood in the music but 33 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:27,280 I'm very very fast in in selecting music 34 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,879 uh from the compositions and very often 35 00:03:30,879 --> 00:03:34,480 like an striigger uh in my last films I 36 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,120 say here I need something very specific 37 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,519 there I need something very specific 38 00:03:39,519 --> 00:03:43,519 give me a bucket of of music pieces that 39 00:03:43,519 --> 00:03:45,920 have this kind of mood and and he 40 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,879 delivers me a bucket with a dozen uh 41 00:03:48,879 --> 00:03:51,360 variations of things and and I find out 42 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:53,760 very quickly that's the one that fits. 43 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,959 Normally I do not have a composer who 44 00:03:56,959 --> 00:03:59,920 does from minute 20 minutes and 40 45 00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:03,360 seconds to minute 22 46 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,720 and 11 seconds. It's not this exactly 47 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,000 timed sort of things. I normally ask for 48 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,920 something which carries a mood, which 49 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:17,519 carries a dynamic, which carries uh 50 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:20,079 something bigger than what you see in on 51 00:04:20,079 --> 00:04:22,720 the screen right away. It enhances 52 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:26,960 certain things. Uh, I would show them uh 53 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:31,199 uh key footage in the film like desert 54 00:04:31,199 --> 00:04:34,800 footage from for Queen of the Desert or 55 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:40,400 Fat Marana some uh basic elements uh of 56 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:46,880 miragages that I shot or I would show um 57 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,280 some key normally it's the key things 58 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:52,240 that I show and I say I need here to 59 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:56,000 create space with music and I need here 60 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,199 something which is very unobtrusive and 61 00:04:59,199 --> 00:05:02,639 somehow seeps into your into your mind 62 00:05:02,639 --> 00:05:05,600 and solidifies it in your memory. let's 63 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,960 say aer the opening music it's some sort 64 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:13,280 of a choirs that were uh voices in loops 65 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:16,000 and it was played like like on a piano 66 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,600 on a a predecessor of of today's uh 67 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,440 digital sort of choirs and I said to 68 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:27,280 Florian Fri who is uh has been very dear 69 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:30,560 to me as a composer and a collaborator I 70 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:34,320 said to him uh when he brought me some 71 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:36,400 first compos positions. I said, "No, no, 72 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:39,360 no. Doesn't sound right. It's too much 73 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,880 uh average uh music like in a movie. I 74 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,600 need something that has great human 75 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,080 pathos in it. Something that is 76 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,720 grandiose. You have a landscape. Fill 77 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,600 it. Create space. 78 00:06:04,479 --> 00:06:07,759 And what is also remarkable is how music 79 00:06:07,759 --> 00:06:10,240 all of a sudden transforms 80 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:15,039 the mountain into a lo location of of 81 00:06:15,039 --> 00:06:18,919 great human pos. 82 00:06:25,039 --> 00:06:28,720 On Christmas day of the year 1560, we 83 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,680 crossed the last pass of the Andes. 84 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,720 Below us, for the first time, we can see 85 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:38,560 the jungle. In the morning, I read mass 86 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:40,240 and then we descended through the 87 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:43,240 clouds. 88 00:06:49,919 --> 00:06:53,280 I would always uh be in the studio with 89 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:58,080 the musicians and anstries or Richard 90 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:01,199 Thompson uh who were recording in the 91 00:07:01,199 --> 00:07:03,039 studios. I asked him take your shoes 92 00:07:03,039 --> 00:07:05,840 off, be barefoot. This is the law of the 93 00:07:05,840 --> 00:07:09,120 land. Step down, step your set your foot 94 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,440 down, plant it, feel the ground. That's 95 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:15,120 how the music has to be. And 96 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,800 I have worked with um Sardinian uh 97 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,520 singers who were wonderful, very 98 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:25,120 ancient, almost prehistoric 99 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:28,759 sounding voices. 100 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,120 I 101 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,160 do. 102 00:07:53,919 --> 00:07:55,599 For some of the recordings, I 103 00:07:55,599 --> 00:07:58,000 immediately stopped them after 10 104 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,120 seconds because it had too much motoric 105 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,919 drive, but I needed it for the floating 106 00:08:03,919 --> 00:08:07,360 of an airship or for floating inside of 107 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:11,039 a space capsule. And I just stepped in 108 00:08:11,039 --> 00:08:13,120 front of them, in the middle of them, 109 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:16,160 and I made this kind of floating 110 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,960 movement to them. And they noded, and 111 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:22,639 they found the right pace for it. 112 00:08:22,639 --> 00:08:25,639 I 113 00:08:35,919 --> 00:08:37,760 still 114 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:40,760 love 115 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,880 you. 116 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,160 Hey 117 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,160 mother. 118 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,240 Hey 119 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,880 in White Diamond of course has very 120 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:27,120 remarkable music and very beautifully 121 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:29,200 placed it. We were actually looking out 122 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,240 for a white a real white diamond because 123 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:35,200 the natives around would call the 124 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,080 airship the white diamond and there was 125 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,240 illegal diamond mining by Brazilians. 126 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:47,040 This is all illegal inside of uh Gana 127 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:49,360 and very very dangerous men. They were 128 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:51,440 all armed and when we approached with a 129 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:53,440 camera there was one guy where we didn't 130 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:55,920 know would he open fire or not. So I 131 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:58,399 asked for their boss that's the boss 132 00:09:58,399 --> 00:10:02,399 here and I bamboozled him out of his 133 00:10:02,399 --> 00:10:04,480 wits and I said we are after not after 134 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,480 what you are doing. I want to see a 135 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:10,000 white diamond. Do you have one? and uh 136 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,880 he showed me a white diamond and I told 137 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:17,200 him, "Your face is not going to be in 138 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:20,240 there." Of course, it's gotten in there. 139 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:24,240 And uh he felt somehow comfortable after 140 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,120 some time of filming with him. And now 141 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:29,600 watch this here. He's he's insecure. And 142 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:31,279 now he looks at the camera and that's 143 00:10:31,279 --> 00:10:35,160 where the music starts. 144 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:39,760 And and it's a very very strange sort of 145 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,800 of a pop sort of thing. I think South 146 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:46,320 Africans sang this and my sound man Eric 147 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:49,360 Spitzer com did it and composed it and 148 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:51,600 did it with Africans. It had to be 149 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,079 something with an enormous drive and an 150 00:10:54,079 --> 00:10:57,920 enormous dynamic in it and and also the 151 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,480 the kind of stupidity of the of the 152 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,480 lyrics. 153 00:11:10,959 --> 00:11:13,600 this young man who is dancing on the 154 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,240 cliff. He said he was dancing better 155 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:18,720 than Michael Jackson. And I said to him, 156 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:20,560 you do it for me. You better do it for 157 00:11:20,560 --> 00:11:23,360 me and you will do it on this uh cliff 158 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:26,600 out there. 159 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:36,399 the way the music is placed uh is is 160 00:11:36,399 --> 00:11:38,800 really important and you have to develop 161 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,079 uh an understanding where do you do it 162 00:11:42,079 --> 00:11:44,480 and in this case it's a it's this 163 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,680 insecure gangster who all of a sudden 164 00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:50,480 looks at you or I have a scene where 165 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:54,480 somebody walks into a big hall and comes 166 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:57,600 towards the camera and I don't start the 167 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:00,000 music right away when he enters the 168 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,560 room. I let him walk three, four, five 169 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:05,760 steps and as if he was pulling the music 170 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:11,600 with him. Uh it starts to blossom and um 171 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:14,000 it's very mysterious how it functions 172 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:19,600 and not easy to explain. So 173 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:22,240 I have to to leave it up to your sense 174 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,279 of uh of music, your sense of 175 00:12:25,279 --> 00:12:28,320 storytelling with music. I only know 176 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:32,079 it's a very very important part and in 177 00:12:32,079 --> 00:12:36,320 my films a particularly important 1 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,200 It happens quite often that uh you come 2 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:13,040 back with the impression from shooting, 3 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:16,000 oh this was a great moment and so but in 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,640 context in editing it doesn't really 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:23,039 work out. It doesn't fit. So you have to 6 00:00:23,039 --> 00:00:24,880 uh 7 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,279 be careful that you do not enforce your 8 00:00:27,279 --> 00:00:28,880 will and your structure on your 9 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:31,840 material. It has happened to some films 10 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,800 where you can tell the the footage was 11 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,840 squeezed into a form and into a flow of 12 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,640 narration that was not within the nature 13 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,840 of the footage. You sense it as an as an 14 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,760 audience. And uh what I'm doing is uh 15 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,120 quite often I consider my footage as if 16 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,399 I found it some somewhere somebody made 17 00:00:54,399 --> 00:00:57,840 it. So let's be curious what's there? 18 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:00,640 What does a material tell you? What does 19 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:02,960 it have to offer? And all of a sudden 20 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,720 you discover elements in the in the 21 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:08,240 footage that you would never have 22 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,720 discovered if you had had a very strong 23 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,840 will to enforce upon the upon the 24 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,840 footage. 25 00:01:20,479 --> 00:01:26,479 What I do prepare during shooting is uh 26 00:01:26,479 --> 00:01:30,720 let's say creating long-term over an 27 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,720 full hour of film a climate which makes 28 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:38,320 a seemingly unobtrusive shot into 29 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:40,240 something grandiose 30 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,479 land of silence and darkness. If you see 31 00:01:42,479 --> 00:01:45,920 the scene at the end with a deaf and 32 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,119 blind man who touches and feels the 33 00:01:49,119 --> 00:01:53,040 branches of a tree and by itself it is 34 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,920 insignificant but the film sensitizes 35 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,960 you more than an hour, an hour and a 36 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:02,240 half almost until you are there. Or for 37 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,640 example in Agaria the wrath of god 38 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,000 throughout the film you see the uh army 39 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:13,840 or the troop of Spanish concistadors and 40 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,319 they have a clear goal. They move from 41 00:02:16,319 --> 00:02:20,080 left to right when they are floating 42 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,599 in in the water on the raft somehow 43 00:02:23,599 --> 00:02:27,360 imperceptively bit by bit very carefully 44 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,879 planned uh we lose orientation because 45 00:02:30,879 --> 00:02:35,560 they are losing orientation. Listen, 46 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,319 I don't know. 47 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:03,640 Heat. Heat. 48 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,159 Heat. Heat. 49 00:03:57,280 --> 00:03:59,920 And at the end of the film and we showed 50 00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:03,040 the clip, uh, it seems to go in circles. 51 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:04,959 In fact, the camera is circling around 52 00:04:04,959 --> 00:04:07,840 it. It's like a vicious circle which is 53 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,599 going into infinity and having a 54 00:04:11,599 --> 00:04:15,519 movement throughout a movie very very 55 00:04:15,519 --> 00:04:19,840 elaborately planned until it ends in an 56 00:04:19,840 --> 00:04:22,880 in an infinite circle. 57 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,080 Uh that's something which was 58 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:31,280 anticipated for for editing. 59 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:34,080 The 22nd of February. 60 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:35,840 Most of the men are so weak and sick 61 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:39,600 with fever that they cannot even stand. 62 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,120 The soldierto Gonzalez has drunk my ink 63 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,840 thinking it was medicine. 64 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:48,880 I cannot write anymore. 65 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:54,520 We are drifting in circles. Heat. Heat. 66 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:04,520 Heat. 67 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,880 Heat. 68 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,680 When we watch the footage, I write uh 69 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,320 log books and I love this very solid 70 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,360 paper like doing acquirals for for 71 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:51,919 artists and I write down what I see and 72 00:05:51,919 --> 00:05:54,880 I give it some sort of time code and 73 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,360 when I come across something very very 74 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,840 strong I give it one exclamation mark. 75 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:03,360 Sometimes you find two exclamation marks 76 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:06,240 and sometimes you find three of them. 77 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,800 And in thus in these cases I know this 78 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:12,560 is footage. It is so it is so intense. 79 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,840 It is so strong. If I do not use this in 80 00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:20,000 the film I have lived in vain. So, and 81 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,680 uh I actually uh write down quite quite 82 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,800 a bit. You can see how much there is 83 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:30,960 written down and how far I follow the 84 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:33,120 footage of everyone 85 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:34,880 and sometimes I start to write 86 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:36,400 commentary 87 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:42,080 which I do later in editing. But um 88 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:45,440 because I write it down in longhand, I 89 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:49,199 can memorize footage for a very very 90 00:06:49,199 --> 00:06:51,440 long time or not very long time but a 91 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,479 lot of footage up to 30 40 hours I know 92 00:06:54,479 --> 00:06:58,240 by heart like learning a poem by heart. 93 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:01,280 Uh, and I could say to the editor, let's 94 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:03,360 not go into take one and take two 95 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:05,759 because uh in both cases there's a 96 00:07:05,759 --> 00:07:09,039 dialogue mistake or in in this there's 97 00:07:09,039 --> 00:07:11,199 something wrong. Let's only go for the 98 00:07:11,199 --> 00:07:15,039 three exclamation marks and um I keep 99 00:07:15,039 --> 00:07:18,000 writing riding riding riding and uh 100 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,240 that's the only time I I look at the 101 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,240 footage. when you watch your footage for 102 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:24,319 the first time and probably for the last 103 00:07:24,319 --> 00:07:27,919 time for much of it uh you are very very 104 00:07:27,919 --> 00:07:31,360 attentive uh so you cannot do it too 105 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,400 long I do it maybe 6 hours maximum 7 106 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,800 hours and you exhaust yourself and you 107 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,280 do not store anything in your memory 108 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:42,240 anymore so depending on how much footage 109 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,039 you have and I shoot very small amounts 110 00:07:45,039 --> 00:07:47,919 of footage but sometimes I end up for a 111 00:07:47,919 --> 00:07:50,240 big feature film with let's say 40 hours 112 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:53,440 of footage. Um, 113 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,639 in this case, it will take me, let's 114 00:07:56,639 --> 00:08:00,000 say, a week to go through the entire 115 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,039 thing. And I do that very systematically 116 00:08:03,039 --> 00:08:05,360 and I do not start to edit until I've 117 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:09,280 seen it all. It is a process that you uh 118 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,160 cannot learn at once. I just would 119 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:16,400 advise keep open and try to find out 120 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:19,440 what did this strange guy deliver here 121 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:21,840 into my editing room and forget that the 122 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,800 strange guy was yourself. 123 00:08:29,919 --> 00:08:32,240 It depends on how much footage you have, 124 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:36,560 but uh I have never edited a film all on 125 00:08:36,560 --> 00:08:40,159 my own. Uh because I always found it 126 00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:42,719 very right and very valuable to have a 127 00:08:42,719 --> 00:08:46,160 second set of eyes and a second opinion 128 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,880 or a separate opinion. You see, I'm not 129 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,000 working with uh with yesmen. 130 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,519 Nobody who works with me is a yesmen. 131 00:08:55,519 --> 00:09:00,080 And um so uh it's healthy to look at it 132 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,680 uh uh together with someone else. We 133 00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:05,920 start actually working from the 134 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:07,920 beginning to the end. We say how should 135 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,320 we begin it and what should come next? 136 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,320 And now we have a long dialogue 137 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:14,800 sequence. We need some landscape. What 138 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,360 do we do now? We need a moment for 139 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,480 music. We need a moment for uh sitting 140 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,880 back in contemplation for the audience. 141 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,120 So we plow through it from the beginning 142 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,880 like through a big pile of of material 143 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,680 like like the mouse drilling a hole 144 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:33,519 through it and at the other end we come 145 00:09:33,519 --> 00:09:36,880 out and that's basically the film. I 146 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,680 hardly ever go back into the footage 147 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:42,399 that I didn't consider as being 148 00:09:42,399 --> 00:09:45,440 worthwhile to end up in the film. I do 149 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,120 it sometimes 150 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,880 and sometimes it made uh my editors 151 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,760 nervous that I was so dismissive of 152 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,399 things. I throw things away at once and 153 00:09:56,399 --> 00:09:59,519 you have to be you have to be ruthless 154 00:09:59,519 --> 00:10:02,160 ruthless with your own material because 155 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:05,760 otherwise you end up with a with a 9 and 156 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,560 1/2 hour film after let's say half a 157 00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:12,000 year of uh a film being out in theaters 158 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,399 I would throw out all the out takes 159 00:10:14,399 --> 00:10:18,240 forever they would be gone and uh my 160 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:22,240 argument is that a a carpenter does not 161 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:26,160 sit on his shavings either. So you just 162 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:29,519 uh plow through it and you throw away 163 00:10:29,519 --> 00:10:31,440 and forever you have to take strong 164 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:35,920 decisions. And sometimes um I had to 165 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:39,360 throw out some of the best I've shot in 166 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:42,079 the Enigma of Kasparous. There was a 167 00:10:42,079 --> 00:10:44,800 six-minute sequence that was incredibly 168 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:48,000 strong, but it took attention away from 169 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,800 the leading character. We were so much 170 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:52,640 involved with him and then all of a 171 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:56,320 sudden there's a detour and it took you 172 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,120 20 minutes as an audience to step back 173 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,399 into the story and into the character. 174 00:11:02,399 --> 00:11:05,519 So I decided out throw it out and it was 175 00:11:05,519 --> 00:11:09,040 thrown out. So uh it can be it can be 176 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:11,920 quite painful but you have to learn it. 177 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:14,399 How can you learn to stay away from 178 00:11:14,399 --> 00:11:17,920 endless uh endless tweaking, endless 179 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:20,399 fiddling? You just have to have the 180 00:11:20,399 --> 00:11:22,880 nerve. It's a profession. You see, it's 181 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:25,600 not uh 182 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,839 it's not uh raising a pet. Uh it's not 183 00:11:29,839 --> 00:11:32,480 an animal. It's not a pet. It's a 184 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:36,880 narrative form of uh somehow which will 185 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,680 show up at the end on the screen. 186 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:42,320 And uh 187 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,480 you have to have the nerve just be 188 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:46,560 professional 189 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:48,959 and and you better deliver and deliver 190 00:11:48,959 --> 00:11:51,959 soon. 191 00:11:56,959 --> 00:11:59,760 Heart of glass which was under hypnosis. 192 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:03,040 All actors under hypnosis very slow pace 193 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,279 because of that they move all like 194 00:12:05,279 --> 00:12:08,320 movement underwater and and they they 195 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:10,399 speak slowly 196 00:12:10,399 --> 00:12:13,839 and I showed it to an American 197 00:12:13,839 --> 00:12:16,079 distributor and they immediately 198 00:12:16,079 --> 00:12:18,079 rejected the film. They said ah this is 199 00:12:18,079 --> 00:12:20,079 too slow and the film is going to go 200 00:12:20,079 --> 00:12:22,639 fast. They said to me like this. So I 201 00:12:22,639 --> 00:12:24,399 said fine, yes, but I showed it in 202 00:12:24,399 --> 00:12:27,440 Scandinavia in Norway. Of all my films, 203 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:30,880 I showed 25 films in Norway. And among 204 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,760 these films was Heart of Glass, the 205 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,720 slowest of the slow, the strangest of 206 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:39,680 the strange. And the Norwegians were 207 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:42,959 bonkers over it. They went bonkers. That 208 00:12:42,959 --> 00:12:44,959 was the film of films for them in the 209 00:12:44,959 --> 00:12:47,920 the pace of the film. So there's no 210 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:49,440 common 211 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,959 there's no common denominator worldwide 212 00:12:52,959 --> 00:12:56,480 how for example uh pace of a film should 213 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:00,800 go. It changes uh uh the same film is a 214 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:03,279 different film if you show it in Algeria 215 00:13:03,279 --> 00:13:07,120 or in Brazil or in Russia all of a 216 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:08,880 sudden the film changes with the 217 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:11,279 audience. But that's a power of cinema 218 00:13:11,279 --> 00:13:14,880 that it completes complements itself 219 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,680 with an audience. Nobody can really 220 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:21,120 calculate that. Otherwise, uh studios 221 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:24,560 wouldn't make such massive mistakes and 222 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:27,440 wouldn't create such massive flops in 223 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,639 between. And they do a very very very 224 00:13:30,639 --> 00:13:33,760 precise market research, what age group, 225 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,079 what kind of subject, what kind of 226 00:13:36,079 --> 00:13:39,279 music. So there's there's a a whole 227 00:13:39,279 --> 00:13:44,800 science about it. And yet they uh have 228 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:48,000 gigantic flops. If you start to do that, 229 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,880 you you lose yourself in the labyrinth 230 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:55,720 of mostly labyrinth of stupidity. 231 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,560 When I show a edited film for the first 232 00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:07,040 time, uh I would invite let's say three 233 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:08,800 four people but they are not trusted 234 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,279 confidants. You see uh you would get the 235 00:14:11,279 --> 00:14:13,600 yeses and you will get the applause. But 236 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,760 some people who uh would not really find 237 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:19,600 it wonderful everything that you have 238 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:21,760 done. My older brother who is the boss 239 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:24,160 in the family he says ah you have done 240 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,600 this kind of this kind of crap again and 241 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:29,839 you're just a movie maker and and so 242 00:14:29,839 --> 00:14:32,000 it's all my feet are getting numb and I 243 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,240 see the first two minutes only. This 244 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,079 kind of echo for me has been of greater 245 00:14:38,079 --> 00:14:43,040 value than um let's say uh the echo from 246 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:46,399 a from a larger test audience. 247 00:14:46,399 --> 00:14:48,720 What is good about a larger test 248 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:52,000 audience is 249 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,519 things for example humor. I do believe 250 00:14:55,519 --> 00:14:57,600 that there's a lot of humor in my films 251 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,160 and it it seeps through when you have 252 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:02,639 let's say two three 400 people in an 253 00:15:02,639 --> 00:15:04,880 audience and you hear the ripples from 254 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,279 behind of laughter and and how it 255 00:15:07,279 --> 00:15:10,639 catches on. My feeling has always been 256 00:15:10,639 --> 00:15:14,720 that final cut quite often doesn't 257 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:16,560 belong to the director. It doesn't 258 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,360 belong to the financiers. It doesn't 259 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:22,480 belong to the uh production company or 260 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:26,639 the uh network, TV network. 261 00:15:26,639 --> 00:15:29,600 It ultimately belongs to the audience. 262 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,000 And you see it in test screenings. Uh 263 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,639 all of a sudden, everybody finds your 264 00:15:34,639 --> 00:15:36,880 ending way, way way, way too long and 265 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:39,519 you better get back into editing and 266 00:15:39,519 --> 00:15:42,320 shorten it. And it happens. You see, uh, 267 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,279 for example, Steven Spielberg, who 268 00:15:45,279 --> 00:15:47,680 always has Final Cut because he's so 269 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:50,320 successful. He goes into a test 270 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:52,880 screening and people find his ending way 271 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,279 too long. You know what? 30 minutes 272 00:15:55,279 --> 00:15:57,920 later, he's back in editing and he trims 273 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:01,600 it down. However, sometimes you have to 274 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,800 ignore it and they have to be 275 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:06,880 accustomed. They have to get acquainted 276 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:09,120 to your editing. 277 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:12,959 And uh sometimes you just hold a shot 278 00:16:12,959 --> 00:16:16,399 way belong what normally anyone else 279 00:16:16,399 --> 00:16:19,920 would do and it sinks in that there's 280 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:22,079 something special about the length of a 281 00:16:22,079 --> 00:16:25,079 shot. 282 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:31,839 You have to to absorb things, right? And 283 00:16:31,839 --> 00:16:35,279 you have to take a fresh eye on things. 284 00:16:35,279 --> 00:16:39,519 And of course, since I can rely on 285 00:16:39,519 --> 00:16:43,920 what I have marked down and for example 286 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:47,120 uh cave of forgotten dreams, there's an 287 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:49,440 end to it. Maybe we can show it. We've 288 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,399 discovered by coincidence albino 289 00:16:52,399 --> 00:16:54,720 crocodiles. And I said, "This must be in 290 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:56,480 the film. It has to do with 291 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,279 perspectives, with perception. We have 292 00:16:59,279 --> 00:17:02,399 to have it." And uh uh we filmed it 293 00:17:02,399 --> 00:17:05,439 without knowing exactly what how it was 294 00:17:05,439 --> 00:17:10,039 going to be connected to the film. 295 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:15,760 Crocodiles have been introduced into 296 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:19,280 this brooding jungle and warmed by water 297 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,240 to cool the reactor. Man, do they 298 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:24,559 thrive. 299 00:17:24,559 --> 00:17:28,000 I invented a pretext. This crocodile 300 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,760 tourist place is heated up with hot 301 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:35,120 water which had cooled a nuclear plant 302 00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:37,760 nearby only half a mile away. There's a 303 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:40,400 nuclear plant. They brought in three 400 304 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,280 crocodiles. And all of a sudden I see 305 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:47,039 two small albino crocodiles. In fact, 306 00:17:47,039 --> 00:17:49,360 they are not even crocodiles. 307 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:51,120 And you see how they split up in 308 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:54,480 doppelgangers because it's the same uh 309 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:56,799 but with a water line and the refraction 310 00:17:56,799 --> 00:18:00,160 of light is just totally strange and 311 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:03,120 beautiful. And Peter Cyclinger filmed it 312 00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:05,919 in a way that is just remarkable. And 313 00:18:05,919 --> 00:18:09,440 here I write three exclamation marks. 314 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:14,799 Minute 13 for 51. Underwater meeting as 315 00:18:14,799 --> 00:18:17,440 if in mirror. 316 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:21,520 1401 one exclamation mark left one dives 317 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:25,200 away. Camera follows and it's great and 318 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:30,280 un incredible until minute 1537. 319 00:18:33,679 --> 00:18:38,559 Nothing is real. Nothing is certain. 320 00:18:38,559 --> 00:18:41,039 It is hard to decide whether or not 321 00:18:41,039 --> 00:18:43,760 these creatures here are dividing into 322 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:47,320 their own doppelgangers. 323 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:53,280 And do they really meet or is it just 324 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:55,919 their own imaginary mirror reflection? 325 00:18:55,919 --> 00:18:58,480 And we just take this chunk and that 326 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,559 makes a wonderful end of the film. Are 327 00:19:02,559 --> 00:19:05,919 we today possibly the crocodiles who 328 00:19:05,919 --> 00:19:09,120 look back into an abyss of time when we 329 00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:13,880 see the paintings of Shvi cave? 1 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,120 Sometimes I keep saying films are 2 00:00:11,120 --> 00:00:13,280 stumbling into me. Sometimes they are 3 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,039 like uh home invaders. There's something 4 00:00:17,039 --> 00:00:19,760 in the kitchen. I've used this metaphor 5 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,240 quite a few times. You wake up in the 6 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:23,920 middle of the night and you hear 7 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,960 something starring and in your kitchen 8 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,439 you see five burglars, 9 00:00:29,439 --> 00:00:31,920 uninvited guests. How they crawled in, 10 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,239 you don't know. Through the window, 11 00:00:34,239 --> 00:00:35,760 through the door, through the basement, 12 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:37,520 you just don't know. But one of them 13 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,239 comes swinging wildly at you, so you 14 00:00:40,239 --> 00:00:44,440 better deal with that one first. 15 00:00:48,239 --> 00:00:52,879 Now, um, let's get serious. 16 00:00:52,879 --> 00:00:56,239 Choice of subjects. 17 00:00:56,239 --> 00:01:01,039 How do I choose subjects for a film? 18 00:01:01,039 --> 00:01:04,320 I can give you a few examples. Uh, my 19 00:01:04,320 --> 00:01:06,720 first feature film that I made uh was 20 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,439 Science of Life. What happened was that 21 00:01:09,439 --> 00:01:14,320 um as a 15 16 year old I traveled to 22 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:19,759 Greece in order to uh look into the 23 00:01:19,759 --> 00:01:22,000 life's work of my grandfather who was an 24 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,640 archaeologist. I arrived in the 25 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,920 mountains to some sort of a ledge in the 26 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,360 territo in the terrain and I look down 27 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:35,439 and what I see is indelible in my mind. 28 00:01:35,439 --> 00:01:38,799 There's a valley completely flat and in 29 00:01:38,799 --> 00:01:42,079 this valley there were 10,000 windmills. 30 00:01:42,079 --> 00:01:45,040 I didn't know it existed but actually it 31 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,360 was called the valley of 10,000 32 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:51,680 windmills. It was like um a field of 33 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,479 flowers completely filled with flowers 34 00:01:54,479 --> 00:01:57,200 from horizon to horizon and all the 35 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,240 flowers spinning with a strange creaking 36 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:02,399 sound. 37 00:02:02,399 --> 00:02:05,680 The moment I saw it, I knew uh this 38 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,119 cannot be. I must be insane. It became 39 00:02:09,119 --> 00:02:11,680 the central image in my first long 40 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:16,080 feature film. A German wounded soldier 41 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,520 who is put onto a fortress. 42 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,160 He comes across these windmills and 43 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:26,160 literally becomes insane. Lays siege uh 44 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,920 on friend and enemy and manages to burn 45 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:33,360 a a chair and to kill a donkey and he's 46 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,640 actually captured by his own men. This 47 00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:39,040 image was something I I encountered 48 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,239 where I knew immediately this was big. 49 00:02:42,239 --> 00:02:46,160 This was so big that it had to become um 50 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,200 a center of a story. I didn't have the 51 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,599 story yet, but it came later. It fell in 52 00:02:51,599 --> 00:02:54,480 place very easily, but it had nothing 53 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,680 originally, nothing to do with uh 54 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,360 windmills. But in fact, u it was 55 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,800 something physical, something where I I 56 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,599 stumbled, literally stumbled into 57 00:03:07,599 --> 00:03:09,280 something. 58 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,280 What helps uh is uh traveling on foot 59 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,920 for example, you will experience the 60 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:18,480 world and stories stumble into you all 61 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:21,760 the time. The world I say is a dictim. 62 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,239 The world reveals itself to those who 63 00:03:24,239 --> 00:03:27,720 travel on foot. 64 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:36,159 Grizzly Man is also a good example. um a 65 00:03:36,159 --> 00:03:37,680 producer 66 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:41,519 Eric Nelson uh visited him uh in his 67 00:03:41,519 --> 00:03:45,200 office in his workplace in the valley 68 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,040 and I was showed around and at the end I 69 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,599 sat down with him at his table, lots of 70 00:03:51,599 --> 00:03:53,920 things on this table and at the end when 71 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,239 I took off I was searching for my car 72 00:03:56,239 --> 00:03:58,799 keys. I was standing and it was not in 73 00:03:58,799 --> 00:04:00,400 my pocket. And I had misplaced it 74 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:02,720 somewhere on the table. 75 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,439 And I was not looking for a movie. I was 76 00:04:05,439 --> 00:04:07,680 looking for my car keys. I swear to God. 77 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,319 And he thought I spotted something and 78 00:04:10,319 --> 00:04:12,400 shaves an article across to me and says, 79 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,799 "Read this. We are doing a very 80 00:04:14,799 --> 00:04:17,199 interesting project." 81 00:04:17,199 --> 00:04:19,600 And I went home, read it, and was right 82 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:21,840 back at the office. And I I knew it was 83 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:24,720 so big. There was something so big about 84 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,840 it. I had to do it. And I asked him I 85 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:29,919 asked him and it was I had the courage 86 00:04:29,919 --> 00:04:33,680 to ask who is directing the film and he 87 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,040 said I'm kind of directing it but I 88 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:41,360 heard it right kind of directing it. So 89 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:43,440 I had the feeling he didn't know exactly 90 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,400 how to handle it and I pumped my hand 91 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:49,120 towards him and I said now I will direct 92 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,160 this film with my worst Bavarian accent 93 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,680 and I ended up making the film. 94 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,240 But I should uh mention 95 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,720 a very moment, a strange moment 96 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,600 where I actually discover in a 97 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:13,520 documentary 98 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,160 uh a leading character. 99 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,759 It's about uh the aeronautical engineer 100 00:05:19,759 --> 00:05:21,840 Graham Darington who has built an 101 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:24,160 airship in the jungle. He puts it 102 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,199 together and he's a protagonist in the 103 00:05:27,199 --> 00:05:29,039 film and I discover one of his 104 00:05:29,039 --> 00:05:32,960 Rustafarian local guys and he slips into 105 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:34,800 the role more and more of the 106 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:37,440 protagonist 107 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,280 here in the foreground who holds the 108 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:42,160 rope is Walter Saka one of my most 109 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,600 trusted collaborators and I can show you 110 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,320 the moment I literally discover Mark 111 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:50,880 Anthony Yak here in this chair I 112 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:52,960 discover this man and I said to the 113 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:54,479 cinema cinematographer. Move, move, 114 00:05:54,479 --> 00:05:57,520 move, move, move. That guy interests me. 115 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,160 And I go there and he starts talking. 116 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,880 That is a beautiful view. It has the 117 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:06,800 sunset and there is the balloon just 118 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:10,880 floating around aimlessly. 119 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,160 Yeah, it's beautiful. 120 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,880 Yeah, it's just fantastic. 121 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,280 He may have been stoned during this 122 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:25,039 take but 123 00:06:25,039 --> 00:06:27,199 didn't matter. He had a serenity and 124 00:06:27,199 --> 00:06:30,160 something so extraordinary about him 125 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:31,840 that I 126 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:34,160 I decided I had to do much more about 127 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:34,720 him. 128 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,919 This this is good. 129 00:06:37,919 --> 00:06:40,639 This is real good. 130 00:06:40,639 --> 00:06:43,280 There is this big white diamond just 131 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:44,960 floating 132 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:47,840 around in the sunrise. 133 00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:50,080 It's good. 134 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,319 Yeah. I dedicate this to my mom 135 00:06:52,319 --> 00:06:56,560 somewhere in Spain on Lagua. I think it 136 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:58,400 is. 137 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:02,199 Yeah, this is beautiful. 138 00:07:05,919 --> 00:07:12,520 Mrs. Enid Abbott. Good morning to you. 139 00:07:13,599 --> 00:07:18,080 What a wonderful moment to discover a a 140 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:23,520 protagonist in the middle of of filming. 141 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,680 It's one of the discoveries you make 142 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:27,440 when you're a filmmaker and you keep 143 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:30,960 yourself open to to the exceptional, to 144 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:34,400 those things that you hadn't planned. 145 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,960 And I saw a great beauty in in this 146 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:39,680 character and I introduce him more and 147 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,319 more into the film. in a case like Mark 148 00:07:42,319 --> 00:07:45,599 Anthony Yap how I discover him of course 149 00:07:45,599 --> 00:07:48,319 there is a personal fascination but 150 00:07:48,319 --> 00:07:51,120 that's not everything there's a bigger 151 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,919 thing beyond that and that's a screen on 152 00:07:53,919 --> 00:07:56,800 which he will be shown and it's 153 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:58,560 something much more universal you're 154 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:00,479 working for audiences you are not 155 00:08:00,479 --> 00:08:03,599 working for your own fascinations 156 00:08:03,599 --> 00:08:08,160 otherwise uh uh the wife uh 157 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,560 who is married to me whom I love would 158 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,479 be in every of my films as a 159 00:08:12,479 --> 00:08:15,199 protagonist. No, she is not. There's a 160 00:08:15,199 --> 00:08:16,720 clear borderline. It's something 161 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,240 universal. It's something uh that you 162 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:22,560 have to understand. You always work for 163 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:25,520 audiences. You never work for yourself. 164 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,479 It's a screen. It's a theater. It's a 165 00:08:28,479 --> 00:08:31,919 magic of a screen and the audience is uh 166 00:08:31,919 --> 00:08:35,279 corresponding with a 1 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,199 A very good example 2 00:00:17,199 --> 00:00:20,080 about the genesis of a film would be 3 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:22,000 Fitz Caraldo. 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,680 It's a film about an Irish man, 5 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,000 Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald. Nobody can 6 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,599 pronounce his name in the Amazon and he 7 00:00:31,599 --> 00:00:34,239 uh wants to bring great opera into the 8 00:00:34,239 --> 00:00:37,280 jungle and he moves a ship over a 9 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,000 mountain. It started out with me looking 10 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,280 for rugged coastlines for a completely 11 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,399 different film. First place I ended up 12 00:00:46,399 --> 00:00:50,480 was in Britany um northwestern corner of 13 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:53,760 uh France and arrive at darkness at the 14 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:57,199 place Carnak and Karnak I didn't know 15 00:00:57,199 --> 00:00:59,520 that it existed is famous for its 16 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,719 Neolithic maners that means slabs of 17 00:01:02,719 --> 00:01:07,119 stone uh erected in parallel lines 4,000 18 00:01:07,119 --> 00:01:09,600 of them up the hill down the hill it's 19 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,760 just unbelievable you cannot believe 20 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,799 your eyes in the brochure it uh The 21 00:01:14,799 --> 00:01:18,240 writer claimed that these uh slabs of 22 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:21,360 rocks could not have been erected by 23 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,119 stone age men uh five six 7,000 years 24 00:01:25,119 --> 00:01:28,240 back that they must have been planted by 25 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,520 alien astronauts. And I said to myself, 26 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:35,439 what how incipit how grotesque. Of 27 00:01:35,439 --> 00:01:37,360 course it was stone age men and of 28 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:39,840 course there were no alien astronauts 29 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,520 ever visiting us. So I took a vow. I 30 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,520 said, I'm not going to leave until I 31 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,680 know how as Neolithic man I would uh 32 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:54,240 move a slab of of stone, slab of rock uh 33 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,640 over let's say 2 miles or 2 kilometers 34 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:59,600 of distance and how I would put it 35 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,640 upright and then I thought how would I 36 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,920 move this gigantic slab of rock either 37 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:10,399 on on very big hardened oak logs 38 00:02:10,399 --> 00:02:13,920 uh hardened in fire uh And I would use 39 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:16,959 ropes. Of course, in Neolithic time we 40 00:02:16,959 --> 00:02:19,280 you can assume they had ropes. And I 41 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,560 would build turn styles where people 42 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,520 would walk around in circles and coil 43 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:27,760 the rope up. And this is a real strong 44 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,080 machine in a way. So that was one 45 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,720 element. Later in the film, you see 46 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,519 exactly how I used it to move a 300 47 00:02:35,519 --> 00:02:39,040 something ton ship over over a mountain. 48 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,080 The second element was a friend of mine 49 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:46,319 visited me in Munich and he said uh Wana 50 00:02:46,319 --> 00:02:48,879 you have to come you have to come back 51 00:02:48,879 --> 00:02:52,480 to Peru to the jung I had done ai there 52 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,599 before and uh everybody loves you there 53 00:02:55,599 --> 00:02:57,920 and come back come back and I said I 54 00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:00,879 would come back right away if 55 00:03:00,879 --> 00:03:03,360 um I had a story and he said I came to 56 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:06,080 you because I have a story it's about a 57 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,159 rubber baron whose name is Fitz Kaggal 58 00:03:08,159 --> 00:03:10,080 Again, 59 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,480 people couldn't pronounce his name. And 60 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,879 he told me a completely boring story 61 00:03:14,879 --> 00:03:17,599 about a rubber baron who was very rich 62 00:03:17,599 --> 00:03:21,599 and had a private army of 3,500 and at 63 00:03:21,599 --> 00:03:24,959 the end uh drowned in a boat accident. 64 00:03:24,959 --> 00:03:26,879 And I said, "But that's not a story for 65 00:03:26,879 --> 00:03:29,440 me. It's boring. It doesn't make sense." 66 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:31,920 So, it was disappointing. And when he 67 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:34,480 walked out, he stopped in the door and 68 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,720 turned around and he said, "Whoa, 69 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:38,560 there's one thing I have forgotten a 70 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,959 detail. Once this guy disassembled a 71 00:03:42,959 --> 00:03:44,879 huge steamboat 72 00:03:44,879 --> 00:03:47,680 uh into hundreds of pieces and moved it 73 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:51,120 across an istmas, a flat ismas from one 74 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,319 river system to another inaccessible 75 00:03:54,319 --> 00:03:57,120 river system." And I said, "That's my 76 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,120 movie. 77 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:06,480 these uh 78 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:08,000 great 79 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,480 uh incredible visions sometimes have to 80 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,120 take root inside of you and the story 81 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,720 has to come to you. It uh is material 82 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:20,639 that uh is accumulating and very often 83 00:04:20,639 --> 00:04:23,280 that makes you a storyteller. uh these 84 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:26,320 elements are in a in a way combining 85 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,320 itself and they bring about a story. 86 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:34,160 A good uh example would be for example 87 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:35,840 Strochek 88 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:38,720 with Bruno S. 89 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:43,360 He is uh actually in a restaurant or 90 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:45,919 fast food restaurant in Cherokee, North 91 00:04:45,919 --> 00:04:48,919 Carolina. 92 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,560 And what he does now, he has a gun and a 93 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,440 frozen turkey. At the end of the film, 94 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:57,759 disappointed about America and thinking 95 00:04:57,759 --> 00:05:00,400 that the bank cheated him, he commits a 96 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:02,720 bank robbery with an old crooked old 97 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,600 man. But since the bank is closed for 98 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,600 lunch, they rob uh the barber store next 99 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:15,039 to it and they flee and he gets away $32 100 00:05:15,039 --> 00:05:17,280 and he leaves 101 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:20,800 the car now behind and it's circling. 102 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,199 And this is a very early thing. When I 103 00:05:23,199 --> 00:05:27,120 was uh 16, 17, I worked at the October 104 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,000 Fest. At that time, part of this big 105 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,360 area was a parking lot. And I dealt with 106 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:37,440 3,000 drunk drivers at night and letting 107 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,160 them out. Sometimes I would confiscate 108 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:44,080 the keys and carry the driver out of the 109 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,639 car and call an ambulance. And I was at 110 00:05:46,639 --> 00:05:49,199 the end sitting around with a dozen 111 00:05:49,199 --> 00:05:51,840 empty cars and keys. And I would have 112 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:55,759 them circling around uh let's say uh 113 00:05:55,759 --> 00:05:58,960 this empty vast parking lot and that's a 114 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:02,080 motive which appears here and another 115 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,440 element which came into it. I was in the 116 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,800 United States. I stopped in uh North 117 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:10,400 Carolina. 118 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:14,479 Um and there was this amusement park of 119 00:06:14,479 --> 00:06:17,120 Cherokee uh native Indians and there 120 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,520 were dancing chicken 121 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:21,600 uh and it was winter and nobody watched 122 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:23,600 them and nothing was going on and I was 123 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,240 completely intrigued. 124 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:28,400 The dancing chicken here they come. I 125 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,520 mean, it's just you have to toss in a 126 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:33,360 quarter 127 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:37,199 and some sort of very strange gaudy 128 00:06:37,199 --> 00:06:39,680 music starts playing. And now they do 129 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,120 the bar and shuffle dance is just 130 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,280 completely wild. 131 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:47,120 And you see they do it normally only 132 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:48,880 four or five seconds, but here they do 133 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,600 it much longer. the piano playing 134 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:53,120 chicken. 135 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:55,759 It's a completely demented end, 136 00:06:55,759 --> 00:06:57,440 completely 137 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,440 surreal. 138 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:03,840 The crew actually hated this. They 139 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:07,039 thought it was stupid. So sometimes the 140 00:07:07,039 --> 00:07:10,080 most loyal crews have to be convinced 141 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:11,919 this has to be in the film. I said, 142 00:07:11,919 --> 00:07:14,800 "Don't you see it? This is so big. 143 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,840 Nobody will ever forget this." Now he 144 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:21,599 switches on electricity. 145 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,000 and 146 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,759 some sort of a ski lift starts to to 147 00:07:27,759 --> 00:07:30,759 move. 148 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,800 And the ski lifts all have some sort of 149 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,840 a caption, some sort of written text on 150 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,039 the back. And I saw one which had as a 151 00:07:41,039 --> 00:07:44,319 text, is this really me? And I said, 152 00:07:44,319 --> 00:07:46,160 let's bring it here and Bruno, you have 153 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,319 to sit in this. 154 00:07:48,319 --> 00:07:51,680 You will see now in a moment here. Is 155 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,720 this really me? You see, you have to 156 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:56,879 discover these things while you are 157 00:07:56,879 --> 00:07:59,680 there. It's not that I placed it there. 158 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:02,800 It was there. 159 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,360 And uh 160 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:07,919 later on you hear a shot. You assume 161 00:08:07,919 --> 00:08:10,639 that he has shot himself. But it's not 162 00:08:10,639 --> 00:08:13,919 important if you know that or not. 163 00:08:13,919 --> 00:08:18,160 And it's an end of a film that I really 164 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,840 love more than much of endings that I 165 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,560 have done in my life. 166 00:08:52,959 --> 00:08:55,680 Woo! 167 00:08:55,680 --> 00:08:58,680 Woo! 168 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,000 Woo! 169 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,800 Heat. Heat. 170 00:10:03,279 --> 00:10:06,279 Woo! 1 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:15,920 I'm 2 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:18,240 a little uncomfortable with the term 3 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:20,960 interview because I'm not a journalist. 4 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,640 I do have conversations and normally 5 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,359 I'm not very well prepared. very often. 6 00:00:27,359 --> 00:00:28,800 Of course, I know a lot of the 7 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,000 background of a person or in death row I 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,200 know the entire 9 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:39,120 um first reports of homicide detectives, 10 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,840 a case file, sometimes thousand pages, 11 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,920 but nothing that really uh 12 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,160 pertains to what I'm going to speak now 13 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:51,200 on on camera. I do not have a 14 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,280 questionnaire. I do not have a piece of 15 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:57,120 paper with a catalog of questions. I 16 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,960 have to try to get uh into a deeper 17 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:05,199 dialogue very very quickly early on and 18 00:01:05,199 --> 00:01:08,560 normally I do not speak uh to the 19 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,920 persons before so that things be be 20 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,280 still remain fresh. I do not have 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,720 anything like a 22 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,759 basic standard question that brings me 23 00:01:21,759 --> 00:01:24,000 to the essence of a person. I don't have 24 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:25,920 it 25 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:30,479 because you have to somehow uh be aware 26 00:01:30,479 --> 00:01:33,680 that every person has his or her own 27 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,960 structure and her own value system and 28 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:39,040 her own vision. 29 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:41,920 So you better explore what's coming at 30 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,119 you and you have to react very quickly. 31 00:01:45,119 --> 00:01:48,320 I try to 32 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,000 have my uh people whom whom I'm covering 33 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,640 in the film uh not uh doing a sort of 34 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:01,360 statement for a camera and in uh Grizzly 35 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,799 Man for example the coroner who speaks 36 00:02:04,799 --> 00:02:07,439 very eloquently and really in a very 37 00:02:07,439 --> 00:02:10,319 very strange intense way. I had him on 38 00:02:10,319 --> 00:02:15,599 camera Dr. Felico in uh in Alaska in 39 00:02:15,599 --> 00:02:19,440 Anchorage and he in front of the camera 40 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,080 starts to speak about the death and his 41 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:24,480 findings as a coroner. And he and I 42 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:26,800 stopped it within 30 seconds and I said 43 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,520 to him, uh, you are not here in front of 44 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,000 a jury. We are not in a courtroom. 45 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,160 You're not the expert witness. You know 46 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:38,160 what? You studied this case. You had the 47 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,800 remains of Timothy Treadwell and Amy 48 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:44,640 Huginard on your table. You had them. 49 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:47,040 And this was something you had to deal 50 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,879 with as a person. So I want to see a 51 00:02:50,879 --> 00:02:53,760 human being that speaks to me. 52 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,920 And I said, "Did you understand that?" 53 00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:00,640 And he said, "Yes, Warner, I know. I 54 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:02,800 think I know." And I said, "Let's roll 55 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,120 it one more time." And he goes on camera 56 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,280 and he's wonderful. 57 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,599 In the case of Timothy and Amy, what I 58 00:03:09,599 --> 00:03:13,760 had were body parts, just the visual 59 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,040 input of seeing a detached human being 60 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,080 before my eyes makes my heart race, 61 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:21,920 makes the hair stand up on the back of 62 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:24,239 my head, particularly in combination 63 00:03:24,239 --> 00:03:27,280 with the contents of a tape, an audio 64 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,440 tape, that is the sound portion of a 65 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,080 video tape. And when I find out from 66 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,720 other investigators that the shoes 67 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,760 neatly placed at the entrance to a tent 68 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:40,720 and the cap left on a camera so that the 69 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,000 visual part could not be recorded. Yet 70 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,319 the tape is running so that we can hear 71 00:03:46,319 --> 00:03:49,280 the sounds of Amy screaming and the 72 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,799 sounds of Timothy moaning 73 00:03:52,799 --> 00:03:54,720 tells me that this event occurred very 74 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,840 very quickly, suddenly and unexpectedly. 75 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,799 I clearly can hear her screaming, "Stop 76 00:04:00,799 --> 00:04:02,959 and go away." 77 00:04:02,959 --> 00:04:04,959 Maybe run away. There's a lot of 78 00:04:04,959 --> 00:04:08,319 background noise. Timothy is moaning. 79 00:04:08,319 --> 00:04:11,200 And I hear Amy beating on the top of 80 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,000 this bear's head with a frying pan. And 81 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:18,079 Timothy is saying, "Run away. Let go. 82 00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:23,360 Run away. Run away, Amy. Run away." 83 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,320 Amy had a great deal of conviction. She 84 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:28,560 had a great deal of conviction in this 85 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,199 relationship. We know that although in 86 00:04:31,199 --> 00:04:34,240 the past she was more standoffish. She 87 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:36,560 didn't get as close to the bear as 88 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:40,720 Timothy did. She was more cautious. 89 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,040 However, I know that at the moment of 90 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,720 death, when one is is is being tried to 91 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,919 the maximum of one's ability to be 92 00:04:49,919 --> 00:04:51,440 faithful, 93 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:55,040 to stick to a situation, to be loyal, if 94 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,000 one can say that, to Timothy, she stayed 95 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,040 there and she fought with Timothy. She 96 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,759 did not run away. 97 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:12,400 I try to limit the conversations 98 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,039 to under one hour 99 00:05:15,039 --> 00:05:18,240 and that's normally all I I see and hear 100 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,960 from a person because you do not stay 101 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,360 much in contact 102 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:24,880 uh 103 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:29,199 with a subject uh on camera. Of course 104 00:05:29,199 --> 00:05:30,720 there there are other films like little 105 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:33,600 deer needs to fly. I spend much time 106 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,400 with him. I travel with him to Thailand. 107 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,800 I travel with him back to Germany where 108 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,360 he grew up. So you spend something like 109 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:46,160 four or five weeks with uh uh your 110 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,960 central figure in the film or other 111 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:53,120 films uh Graham Dorington the aeronautic 112 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,560 engineer. Yes, I travel with him to Gana 113 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,360 into the rainforest and of course we eat 114 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,000 together and we talk about all sorts of 115 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:03,919 things. We talk about women. We talk 116 00:06:03,919 --> 00:06:08,560 about food. We talk about uh whatever 117 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,360 his dreams and all of this of course is 118 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:13,600 not in the film. But the key things I 119 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:16,080 try to keep untouched until I really 120 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:20,160 film. And quite often I see that uh all 121 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:22,880 of a sudden my soundman sits in the 122 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,080 kitchen and starts talking about uh his 123 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,639 case or so and I say no no separate 124 00:06:28,639 --> 00:06:31,680 separate. I uh you do not have to feel 125 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,560 like you said it before. Let's just 126 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,280 connect when we are on camera. 127 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:41,360 And sometimes of course uh I would 128 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,840 repeat things. I would ask uh can you 129 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:46,560 say but much much shorter. The key to 130 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:48,960 what you said is only that one element. 131 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,759 Please focus on that. I had cases where 132 00:06:51,759 --> 00:06:55,520 the camera was already set up and uh the 133 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:59,199 person would walk uh 134 00:06:59,199 --> 00:07:01,280 walk in and I would say, "Hello, I'm the 135 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:03,120 one who got you into this mess. My name 136 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,080 is Van Herzog." And so um is it all 137 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,080 right that you are sitting here and you 138 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,800 have uh this and that behind you. Is it 139 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,840 okay for you? Uh and if they say yes, I 140 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,880 say let's go right into it. you are in a 141 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,680 situation where you have to talk to me 142 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:21,680 and I'm next to the camera. Don't speak 143 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,880 to the lens itself. Don't That's very 144 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,560 strange and and uh not the normal thing. 145 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,120 It's like death staring at you when you 146 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,520 look at a camera. It's kind of scary 147 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,880 also. And I would have my face very 148 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,840 close next to to the lens of the camera, 149 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:42,800 never visible myself. And it's an 150 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,199 attitude of listening also. You see this 151 00:07:45,199 --> 00:07:48,800 kind of enormous amount of of interest. 152 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,039 You sit there and and and you look at 153 00:07:51,039 --> 00:07:53,919 the person and you nod and you want to 154 00:07:53,919 --> 00:07:57,840 your face your face has to show oh yeah 155 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,280 I want to hear it all and and the kind 156 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:05,599 of sympathy wonderful ah yeah and and 157 00:08:05,599 --> 00:08:07,759 tell me more so it's I don't have to say 158 00:08:07,759 --> 00:08:10,800 it has to come on the face the most 159 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:14,720 ingenious of anyone whom I know uh in 160 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,160 doing this is Errol Morris the way he's 161 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:23,160 next to a camera is just fantastic. 162 00:08:27,039 --> 00:08:31,680 The wild blue yonder, I had footage from 163 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:36,080 1989 with astronauts. 18 years later, 164 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,519 they have aged meanwhile. Uh, I tried to 165 00:08:39,519 --> 00:08:41,360 assemble them all together and I got 166 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,480 them all together in Houston at Johnson 167 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,200 uh, Space Center 168 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:49,519 and I had to ask him, please, can you 169 00:08:49,519 --> 00:08:52,880 act in my film as if you had spent 850 170 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,320 years in in high velocities, but on our 171 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,200 planet you're only 18 years older. And I 172 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,440 had some real quest and some 173 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:03,680 embarrassing sort of of request for 174 00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:06,560 them. And uh I was led in and they were 175 00:09:06,560 --> 00:09:08,720 sitting in a semicircle and my heart 176 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,080 sank. I had no idea what do what do I 177 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,640 tell them? How do I start? And I looked 178 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:18,080 around and I said, "My name is Van 179 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:20,800 Herzog." And I looked at faces and I 180 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:23,120 spotted one and I said, "You know, I 181 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,600 grew up in u in the mountains in 182 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:28,720 Bavaria. And as a as a little kid, I 183 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:32,320 earned my first bucks by looking after 184 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,760 cows." And I learned how to milk cows 185 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:39,120 with my own hands. And since then I have 186 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:43,200 an eye. I know who can milk a cow with 187 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,480 his own hands. And I said, "You, sir." 188 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:49,600 And it was actually the pilot of the 189 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:54,080 spacecraft who had uh done test flights 190 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:56,720 in 50 different jetplanes, who had been 191 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,360 on a submarine. and I point at him and 192 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:01,760 he screams in laughter and slaps his 193 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,160 thighs and makes his move and says, 194 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,839 "Yes, I I know how to milk a cow." So, 195 00:10:07,839 --> 00:10:11,519 uh, but imagine I had guessed wrong. 196 00:10:11,519 --> 00:10:13,680 What a disaster that would have been and 197 00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:15,600 what I I would have sunk into the 198 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:19,120 ground. So, you have to have the courage 199 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,160 sometimes to to do the most unexpected 200 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:25,519 and to to show them that you understand 201 00:10:25,519 --> 00:10:29,040 something about them. 202 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:35,760 Sometimes you have to crack a human 203 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:40,000 being open the beginning of uh into the 204 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,839 abyss uh uh the chaplain of the death 205 00:10:43,839 --> 00:10:46,480 chamber. I knew he he had to be in 206 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:49,040 Huntsville in Texas which has a death 207 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:50,720 chamber. 208 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:53,920 And he comes in his car. I had never met 209 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:55,920 him before in my life like all the other 210 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,800 people in the film. I only met in front 211 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:02,399 when they arrived on the set. He arrives 212 00:11:02,399 --> 00:11:04,320 and and he's in a hurry and he says, 213 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:06,399 "Quick, quick, quick. Uh, I have to be 214 00:11:06,399 --> 00:11:08,320 in the death house in 40 minutes." I 215 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:10,160 said, "In 40 minutes? Yes, I have to be 216 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,800 there." So, it was uh I was wrong with 217 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,200 my timeline. 218 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:19,120 And uh he starts I barely identified 219 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,680 myself as a director. 220 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:24,640 uh and we start a conversation and he 221 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,920 speaks like a phony TV preacher about 222 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,240 the beauty of God's creation and that 223 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,279 there was forgiveness and redemption for 224 00:11:33,279 --> 00:11:35,680 everyone for every soul and and I I 225 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:37,760 didn't know what to do. and he speaks 226 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,720 about the beauty of the golf course 227 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:43,279 where he's alone on his golf cart and 228 00:11:43,279 --> 00:11:46,720 and he sees some squirrels and a deer 229 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,839 looking at him and a horse sometimes and 230 00:11:49,839 --> 00:11:52,320 he he acknowledges the greatness of 231 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,399 God's creation and I interrupt him and I 232 00:11:56,399 --> 00:11:58,640 ask him a question you cannot learn in 233 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,440 film school or anywhere. I ask him, 234 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,160 "Tell me about an encounter with a 235 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:06,560 squirrel." 236 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:08,079 And 237 00:12:08,079 --> 00:12:11,120 for a moment, uh, he accepts the 238 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:13,839 question and and he starts to unravel 239 00:12:13,839 --> 00:12:17,120 because what happened is that he, uh, 240 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,360 put the brakes on his golf cart and 241 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,600 stopped in front of two squirrels. He 242 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,399 could have run them over. Okay. Okay, 243 00:12:24,399 --> 00:12:27,200 fine. That's nothing particular but it 244 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:29,920 reminds him of now in a few minutes he 245 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:32,399 has to be in the death house and he will 246 00:12:32,399 --> 00:12:35,760 touch the the man who is going to be put 247 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:39,360 to death by lethal injection. He holds 248 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:42,720 he asks for permission holds the anchor 249 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,000 and is there for him and he says I 250 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,639 cannot stop what is going to happen now. 251 00:12:48,639 --> 00:12:51,760 I cannot stop it. I wish and almost 252 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:54,880 starts to cry and all of a sudden he's 253 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,639 he's a human being cracked wide open. 254 00:12:58,639 --> 00:13:00,639 Please describe an encounter with a 255 00:13:00,639 --> 00:13:03,360 squirrel. An encounter with a squirrel. 256 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,519 I was driving the golf cart and I was on 257 00:13:05,519 --> 00:13:08,079 the go on the cart path and I saw two 258 00:13:08,079 --> 00:13:10,079 squirrels. Uh they were chasing each 259 00:13:10,079 --> 00:13:12,079 other and as I was getting closer they 260 00:13:12,079 --> 00:13:13,839 were running across the cart path and I 261 00:13:13,839 --> 00:13:16,079 put on my brakes and they stopped in the 262 00:13:16,079 --> 00:13:18,320 middle of the cart path and looked at me 263 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:21,040 and I said, "How about this? If I 264 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:22,720 wouldn't have stopped, I could have run 265 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:25,120 over one of these squirrels. Their life 266 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:30,680 would have ended." And that reminds me 267 00:13:34,079 --> 00:13:36,560 the many people 268 00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:39,200 that I have been with on their last 269 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,399 breath of life 270 00:13:42,399 --> 00:13:45,279 and due to bad choices 271 00:13:45,279 --> 00:13:48,480 and mistakes out of their life 272 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:51,680 they their life is taken away in the 273 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:54,639 moment. 274 00:13:54,639 --> 00:13:56,720 So 275 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:00,480 life is precious whether it's a squirrel 276 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,360 or a human being. 277 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:07,040 So I will sometimes meditate on that 278 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:09,120 experience, 279 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:12,320 make a little noise and the squirrels 280 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,760 will take off and continue their life. 281 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:19,560 But I cannot do that 282 00:14:20,959 --> 00:14:24,000 for someone on the gurnie. 283 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,480 I cannot stop the process 284 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,800 for them, 285 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:37,480 but I wish I could. 1 00:00:14,559 --> 00:00:17,680 emotional attachment. That's also an a 2 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,400 very tricky question. emotional 3 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,039 attachment with your uh with the 4 00:00:23,039 --> 00:00:27,279 subjects in your film in some 5 00:00:27,279 --> 00:00:31,039 very deep moments, deeply emotional, 6 00:00:31,039 --> 00:00:33,200 deeply disturbing. 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,160 Uh I do not break down. I know I am a 8 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:38,559 professional. I have to if I start to 9 00:00:38,559 --> 00:00:42,000 cry now, I cannot 10 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,559 function anymore. I cannot ask a you 11 00:00:44,559 --> 00:00:46,960 cannot ask a question sobbing from 12 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:48,960 behind the camera. 13 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,280 So it's an enormous 14 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,559 amount of discipline and you uh you 15 00:00:54,559 --> 00:00:58,160 better uh have to remain professional. 16 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,440 We are professionals and the involvement 17 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:06,799 has to to be only to a certain degree. A 18 00:01:06,799 --> 00:01:09,520 surgeon should not should not operate 19 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,680 his own child. That's uh but sometimes 20 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,400 you get across a situation where there's 21 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:20,479 somebody as if this was your own child 22 00:01:20,479 --> 00:01:24,439 and you keep on filming. 23 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,040 It is professional discipline 24 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,759 and u 25 00:01:31,759 --> 00:01:34,320 of course sometimes it it has happened 26 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:36,240 to me 27 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,360 uh that um 28 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:44,400 I was in fact crying tears coming down 29 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,960 but my voice still completely matterof 30 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:50,439 fact and firm. 31 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:59,520 I had a quite a few moments in 32 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:01,680 the white diamond. 33 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:03,840 Graham Dorington who had built a new 34 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:07,520 airship that we were in Gana. 35 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:11,920 he uh needed for me and I told him at 36 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:14,400 the beginning, I have to hear from you 37 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:18,959 the story 10 years back when your um 38 00:02:18,959 --> 00:02:21,680 cameraman, the only person who had 39 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,440 manned the prototype, perished in a in 40 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,520 the most horri horrifying accident. 41 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:31,599 You have to tell me. He said, "Yes, I I 42 00:02:31,599 --> 00:02:34,800 I'll do it." And then during shooting, I 43 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,200 said, "Tomorrow we have to do it. we are 44 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:39,680 only four or five days left here and the 45 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:41,680 weather is good and he and he would he 46 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:43,760 would not do it he would just refuse it 47 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,560 said no now it's too too difficult too 48 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:50,480 heavy for me and uh he was then next day 49 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,160 I said we are going to do it he couldn't 50 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,040 do it he was up all night uh pacing up 51 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:58,080 and down uh in in the jungle and talking 52 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,879 to himself and I I said to him Graham I 53 00:03:00,879 --> 00:03:04,000 know uh we are not going to do it today 54 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:05,840 and I said but you know what tomorrow 55 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:09,440 we'll do it. And what is going to happen 56 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,560 is this. There will be only the camera 57 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:16,480 and only the sound and only me. No one 58 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:22,159 else and my young uh 12year-old son 59 00:03:22,159 --> 00:03:25,040 because it's a story that's not for me 60 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,680 or or for the cinematographer. It's a 61 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,480 story for for the kids. It's a story for 62 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,159 those who will grow up uh and they will 63 00:03:34,159 --> 00:03:36,400 carry your story to their children and 64 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,560 to their grandchildren and great 65 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:40,080 grandchildren. 66 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,319 And he said I think I have understood 67 00:03:42,319 --> 00:03:46,239 you and I have this scene I think uh 68 00:03:46,239 --> 00:03:49,200 where Graham Dorington finally tells a 69 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:51,519 story and it's very hard for him to tell 70 00:03:51,519 --> 00:03:56,400 it. 11 years ago, Gita Plaga 71 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,000 died in Somatra in an accident in a 72 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,840 project where I was working with him. 73 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,439 We're using a a one-man airship, the 74 00:04:05,439 --> 00:04:09,360 small airship to film the forest canopy. 75 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:11,680 I flew the airship first a few times and 76 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:13,280 then he flew it and it was going very 77 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,280 well, the project. 78 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,639 On the day of his accident, we woke up 79 00:04:18,639 --> 00:04:21,600 and the atmosphere is very somber. 80 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,520 I said to him, I I don't need any 81 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:29,600 tearful uh account of all this, just 82 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,639 tell me how you experienced it. It in 83 00:04:32,639 --> 00:04:35,840 all its harshness, in all its horror. We 84 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:38,320 took off. He took off in the morning a 85 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:39,440 little bit late. There were lots of 86 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,560 delays. He decided to mount the camera 87 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:44,479 on the front of the airship looking back 88 00:04:44,479 --> 00:04:46,800 at him. 89 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:48,560 Took off a little bit late and there was 90 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:50,320 a slight wind, not much. It was very 91 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:52,880 calm. The airship flew up a river just 92 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,400 like this. Calmly disappeared over the 93 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,240 canopy. 94 00:04:58,240 --> 00:04:59,840 It circled. We could see it in the 95 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:01,440 distance going across the canopy while 96 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,520 he was filming, but it started getting a 97 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:05,360 little bit higher than I expected. And 98 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,000 there seemed to be a problem. 99 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,800 Then we radioed him. 100 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,840 And you see, we we put him or I put him 101 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:17,680 at the bank of the river that ends up 102 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,000 further down in the waterfall. And I had 103 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,639 the feeling there had to be this flow of 104 00:05:22,639 --> 00:05:25,280 things and I said those are the memories 105 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:27,280 who will flow 106 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:30,560 float past us. They will be taken away. 107 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,680 I will shoot it only once only one 108 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:37,680 single time and we'll do it right. 109 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:39,919 I was standing 110 00:05:39,919 --> 00:05:42,320 at the base of the canopy and then I saw 111 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,479 something that I'll never forget. I saw 112 00:05:44,479 --> 00:05:47,280 this man coming down, holding his head, 113 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:49,840 lying on his side, falling through the 114 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:52,720 air past me. It was like in slow motion. 115 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:54,240 I can still see that. Even though it 116 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:55,680 happened very rapidly, I could still see 117 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,039 it falling. And then I hear heard him 118 00:05:59,039 --> 00:06:03,880 hit the ground with a thud. 119 00:06:05,199 --> 00:06:07,919 The terrible thing is it was like meat 120 00:06:07,919 --> 00:06:11,440 in a butcher shop slamming down on the 121 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:13,360 ground. 122 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:17,440 The ground was soft and pey and he he we 123 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:18,800 thought he was dead at first. He was 124 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,560 half buried in this pete. 125 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:24,479 He had lost an eye and so he looked a 126 00:06:24,479 --> 00:06:27,199 bit of a mess and um one of the guys Rob 127 00:06:27,199 --> 00:06:30,000 was really fantastic. People come into 128 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,960 owning the situations and um I was just 129 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:34,800 lost. I the first thing I said was just 130 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:38,720 Jesus Christ and I was just lost because 131 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:40,240 I didn't believe what had happened. But 132 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,479 Rob, he was like a brilliant nurse and 133 00:06:42,479 --> 00:06:45,039 he went over to this guy and he and and 134 00:06:45,039 --> 00:06:47,440 I and and we assumed he's dead. But as I 135 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:48,639 looked down at the detail, I realized 136 00:06:48,639 --> 00:06:50,639 this is live alive because his other eye 137 00:06:50,639 --> 00:06:53,199 opened 138 00:06:53,199 --> 00:06:54,560 and then freedom was brilliant because 139 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:57,120 we just in lightning speed put together 140 00:06:57,120 --> 00:06:58,800 a stretcher. We took off our shirts, 141 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:00,400 tied the stretcher and very carefully 142 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,240 lifted them onto the stretcher. We got 143 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,720 him across the river with two Indian 144 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,599 Indonesian porters and there was a mud 145 00:07:07,599 --> 00:07:09,840 track on the far side of the bank. We 146 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,479 got him there, but when I got him to the 147 00:07:12,479 --> 00:07:14,319 far side, 148 00:07:14,319 --> 00:07:15,919 it was clear his breathing was getting 149 00:07:15,919 --> 00:07:18,919 worse. 150 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:21,280 He had this sort of moaning sound, but 151 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:23,360 then he started sounding calmer. And I 152 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:24,800 said to him, the last thing I said to 153 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:26,720 him is that something's very I don't 154 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:28,960 know. I I just said, "You're looking 155 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,120 better, Da." 156 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:33,759 which of course he wasn't. 157 00:07:33,759 --> 00:07:35,440 And uh we lifted him up on this mud 158 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:36,880 path, this very narrow ledge. And there 159 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:38,400 was a terrible moment at that point 160 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:39,680 where we actually felt we were going to 161 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,080 slip down the bank and his body would 162 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:43,680 fall into the river. And and the four of 163 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:45,599 us were concentrating hard on doing 164 00:07:45,599 --> 00:07:48,479 this. And just as we reached the canopy 165 00:07:48,479 --> 00:07:51,039 height, we heard him stop breathing. We 166 00:07:51,039 --> 00:07:52,319 couldn't I couldn't look back because I 167 00:07:52,319 --> 00:07:54,400 was at the front. 168 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,039 We got to the top of the road and uh I 169 00:07:57,039 --> 00:07:58,639 looked at him and I've never seen a dead 170 00:07:58,639 --> 00:08:01,840 body before in my life. 171 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:03,919 And I looked at his body and I realized 172 00:08:03,919 --> 00:08:07,319 he was dead. 173 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:21,840 I washed I washed his blood in the river 174 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:27,120 from the cloth of my shirt 175 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,039 and I watched the blood go down in the 176 00:08:29,039 --> 00:08:33,639 river. was the last 177 00:08:34,560 --> 00:08:38,440 last I already saw him. 178 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,399 I had to have it in the film because it 179 00:08:44,399 --> 00:08:48,000 was h on him and on the 180 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,600 idea and the dream of flying 181 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,240 uh like in an ancient Greek tragedy and 182 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,600 the punishment the punishment for for 183 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,959 doing so and some sort of redemption at 184 00:09:00,959 --> 00:09:06,160 the end and uh this catastrophe where 185 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:08,880 this man who was quite close to him and 186 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:12,480 was a filmmaker for him when he died. Uh 187 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:16,800 that was a moment that has haunted his 188 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:21,760 life ever since. And now uh 10 12 years 189 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:25,200 later that I'm sitting with you, I know 190 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,399 that he's still haunted by what happened 191 00:09:28,399 --> 00:09:30,160 there. 192 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:31,680 And 193 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:34,959 you cannot be mildmannered and pretend 194 00:09:34,959 --> 00:09:37,279 this is not somehow the deep epicenter 195 00:09:37,279 --> 00:09:41,320 of everything he's doing. 196 00:09:44,959 --> 00:09:47,279 And a good example would be little diet 197 00:09:47,279 --> 00:09:51,279 needs to fly. Uh the former uh pilot, 198 00:09:51,279 --> 00:09:54,000 Navy pilot Da Dangler was shot down over 199 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:58,160 Laos. Had an ordeal of six months of 200 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:01,760 almost starving to death and was rescued 201 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,560 um when he was only 202 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:07,600 85 pounds. There was nothing left of him 203 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,680 and he was almost dead. 204 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:14,959 And a key scene in his uh ordeal is the 205 00:10:14,959 --> 00:10:17,040 death of his friend with whom he 206 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,160 escaped, Dwayne Martin. And da tells the 207 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:22,959 story and he tells it in 35 minutes. I 208 00:10:22,959 --> 00:10:26,320 mean uh I said to him, da uh nobody will 209 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,360 listen to that. And uh then he does it 210 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:33,040 in 30 seconds. Nothing left any at all. 211 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:34,880 There was a little detail which was 212 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:38,320 important in his account. They had found 213 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,360 a sole of a of a tennis shoe or 214 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:44,959 something um and had tied it with ratan 215 00:10:44,959 --> 00:10:47,920 to the to the one bare 216 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,800 bare feet the four bare feet that they 217 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:52,560 had together and which was the worst 218 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:56,079 would would have this uh soul tied to 219 00:10:56,079 --> 00:11:00,320 the foot. When Dwayne Martin was killed, 220 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:04,480 he actually rips off the sole of his 221 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,120 dying friend's foot. 222 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,839 And it's a very significant detail for 223 00:11:09,839 --> 00:11:12,959 me. And and then I filmed it and he 224 00:11:12,959 --> 00:11:16,079 forgot it. And I said, "Da, I have to do 225 00:11:16,079 --> 00:11:18,240 it again. Please don't forget this 226 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:22,000 detail." Um, and then he he just told 227 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:27,120 it. So uh as as if he had spoken it or 228 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,760 had done it five times over already, he 229 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:32,320 actually had done it five times over. I 230 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,320 said to him, "Da, it's still not good." 231 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:36,959 I repeat it like with an actor. I said, 232 00:11:36,959 --> 00:11:40,560 "Da, you have to deliver now. Focus. 233 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:42,880 Focus on the real important things. I do 234 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,000 not want uh to know about which tree you 235 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,040 were hiding and which uh rock was in the 236 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:50,880 river and you ducked behind. It is all 237 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:52,959 uninteresting. get me the essential 238 00:11:52,959 --> 00:11:56,160 things. And I sat down with him. And I 239 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:58,240 have my hand on on his shoulder and I 240 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:01,440 sat down with him and I said, "Dida, uh, 241 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,519 you have to focus now. Focus and give me 242 00:12:05,519 --> 00:12:08,240 the story. Imagine it had happened 243 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:11,360 yesterday. Just imagine it. Imagine it. 244 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:13,760 Imagine it. Imagine it." And then I 245 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,639 moved out and we we filmed. 246 00:12:16,639 --> 00:12:18,240 But then we had to move on because we 247 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:20,160 were starving to death. In fact, we 248 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:21,519 couldn't even walk anymore. We were 249 00:12:21,519 --> 00:12:23,839 crawling in lay on our knees down this 250 00:12:23,839 --> 00:12:25,279 small little trail and all of a sudden 251 00:12:25,279 --> 00:12:27,440 there was a small boy on our left. He 252 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:29,440 was carrying in a water container over 253 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:30,959 his shoulder and all of a sudden there 254 00:12:30,959 --> 00:12:32,480 was all this commotion. People were 255 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:34,720 running all over each way. There was 256 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:36,560 noise. Dwayne and I right away we were 257 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:38,160 on our knees and we put our hands 258 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:40,560 together. We said hello Sabai. Dwayne 259 00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:42,639 then start sitting back and started 260 00:12:42,639 --> 00:12:45,200 getting up and all of a sudden I out of 261 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:46,959 corner of my eye saw son. I looked over 262 00:12:46,959 --> 00:12:49,040 there. A villager was standing there. He 263 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:50,639 had a machete in his hand high above his 264 00:12:50,639 --> 00:12:52,160 head. He just hesitated for a second. 265 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,399 Then he swung. He swung for me. I 266 00:12:54,399 --> 00:12:56,320 ducked. It missed me by a few inches. He 267 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,079 hit Twain in the upper leg. The blade 268 00:12:58,079 --> 00:13:00,160 was deeply buried in it. Dream screamed. 269 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:02,720 He reached down. He grabbed his leg 270 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,279 screaming. And with the next swipe, 271 00:13:05,279 --> 00:13:07,440 Dwayne's head came off. Blood squirting 272 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:09,680 out. I start screaming. I leave toward 273 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:11,200 this villager. He turned around. He ran. 274 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:12,959 In fact, they all started running. And 275 00:13:12,959 --> 00:13:14,720 unknowns to me, I had reached down and 276 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:16,639 grabbed this rubber saw from his foot. I 277 00:13:16,639 --> 00:13:19,040 turned around and ran. when 30 seconds 278 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:22,320 before I was crawling along. 279 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:24,560 Dwayne, my friend, he was gone. And from 280 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:27,279 then on, my own my emotions, my progress 281 00:13:27,279 --> 00:13:29,200 became mechanical. 282 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:30,880 In fact, I couldn't care less if I would 283 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,240 live or die. What is significant about 284 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:37,760 this is the the narrative discipline. 285 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:41,279 And I'm asking much of of my of my 286 00:13:41,279 --> 00:13:43,920 actors. So, in this case, Dita Dangler 287 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:45,920 was not really an actor. He was the one 288 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:48,800 who lived through it. 289 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:54,240 And uh I ask a lot and I know it. And Da 290 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:56,720 in fact was very a very stable man. I 291 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:00,240 mean he said fine let's do it. Uh I've 292 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:02,880 had much worse days than doing a day of 293 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:06,240 filming. And uh there was a a deep 294 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:07,839 confidence 295 00:14:07,839 --> 00:14:11,680 in him. I would do the right thing with 296 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:14,399 my camera and the way I deal with him. 297 00:14:14,399 --> 00:14:16,639 And he would he would accept it. And a 298 00:14:16,639 --> 00:14:19,360 lot of it is how you 299 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:21,600 uh how you are dealing with people. And 300 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,199 ultimately ultimately it is you have to 301 00:14:25,199 --> 00:14:27,920 know the heart of men. If you do 302 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:31,440 something like that, 1 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:16,800 There are no clear rules. Nobody has 2 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,840 clear rules ever established. But of 3 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:23,359 course, uh you have to find the border 4 00:00:23,359 --> 00:00:25,840 lines yourself. And it has to do with 5 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:28,720 your position in the world and your 6 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:30,240 ethical 7 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,040 uh interior and and you have to really 8 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,840 apply it. Maybe for some people the 9 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:37,920 boundaries are little bit further back. 10 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,360 I'm more advanced in it. But however I 11 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:46,079 would really respect in grizzly man 12 00:00:46,079 --> 00:00:50,640 the person who um had been eaten by a by 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,000 a grizzly bear is not around anymore. he 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,480 cannot defend his position but the 15 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:58,079 ethical boundaries. There's an 16 00:00:58,079 --> 00:01:00,960 interesting moment in the film where I 17 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,799 was uh somehow pushed by both a 18 00:01:04,799 --> 00:01:07,600 production company and the network which 19 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,799 was going to show it and the um 20 00:01:10,799 --> 00:01:13,040 distribution company 21 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:16,080 uh to address what was known in public 22 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,200 that there was a tape of the moment when 23 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,680 he was attacked and eaten and mauled by 24 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,880 the bear together with his uh girlfriend 25 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:26,799 Amy Huggenard 26 00:01:26,799 --> 00:01:30,080 And I said, uh, 27 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,000 I'm not so sure whether this should be 28 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,640 in a film, but let me address it. And I 29 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:36,880 filmed myself. I filmed myself from 30 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:38,960 behind. This is the moment where I'm 31 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:41,600 listening and you see me only halfway 32 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:43,680 from behind. I did not want to shoot to 33 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,240 be in the film. There should be only my 34 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,159 voice. But here, that's the only moment 35 00:01:48,159 --> 00:01:52,280 where I'm actually listening. 36 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,920 And we are zeroing in on Jewel Palovak's 37 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,320 face 38 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,680 and she she reads from my face that this 39 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,920 is horrifying 40 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,800 and uh what I heard uh is beyond any 41 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:20,160 description. 42 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:21,120 Can you turn it off? 43 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:23,440 You cannot you cannot have this in 44 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,440 public. 45 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:43,840 Truly, you must never listen to this. 46 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,080 I know, Verer. I'm never going to. 47 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,000 And you must never look at the photos 48 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,560 that I've seen at the coroner's office. 49 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:54,879 You do not have in public, for example, 50 00:02:54,879 --> 00:02:58,000 people who jumped from uh the Twin 51 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:02,959 Towers uh during the attack on 9/11. Uh 52 00:03:02,959 --> 00:03:05,360 it was filmed by many amateurs and you 53 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:07,519 do not publish it. I've never seen it 54 00:03:07,519 --> 00:03:10,239 and it should it should stay undercover. 55 00:03:10,239 --> 00:03:13,360 You do not need to see it. And what I do 56 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,159 here, I advise her in in the shock of 57 00:03:16,159 --> 00:03:19,200 the moment, I advise her, you should 58 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,360 rather destroy this. never listened to 59 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,360 it and she slept over it. My advice was 60 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,360 really stupid and she was much more 61 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,640 prudent. She just separated herself from 62 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:36,640 that tape and put it in a a bank safety 63 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:39,440 deposit vault. There is such a thing as 64 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,400 a dignity in the privacy of your own 65 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,280 death. And there are certain things that 66 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,200 are untouchable. You just don't even 67 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:49,680 think about it. You have to have it in 68 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:51,680 you. And if you don't have have it in 69 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:56,280 you, you shouldn't make films. 70 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,680 If I can't uh turn around a person who 71 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:06,000 is unwilling, of course, you have to 72 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,599 accept it. But sometimes in in my films 73 00:04:09,599 --> 00:04:13,360 into the abyss says the father of one of 74 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,280 the two murderers 75 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,320 uh Delbert Burquette and he's also 76 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:20,720 incarcerated and pretty much for life 77 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:24,320 and he knows it and he steps into in 78 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,120 front of the camera and I ask him very 79 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,600 quickly very painful questions and he 80 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,720 says you know what I can't really talk 81 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,040 about that I can't really talk about it 82 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,479 and in pause quiet and I say, "Please 83 00:04:38,479 --> 00:04:42,800 try it. Pause. Can you try it anyway?" 84 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,479 And then he starts to bit by bit by bit 85 00:04:46,479 --> 00:04:49,440 give us the most painful sort of account 86 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:53,040 of his mistakes that he made with uh his 87 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,360 son and how he brought him up. And 88 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:57,919 afterwards when uh when he left, he said 89 00:04:57,919 --> 00:05:01,919 to me uh he said to me, "Uh, Mr. Herzog, 90 00:05:01,919 --> 00:05:04,639 sir." And I said, "Uh, I'm not a prison 91 00:05:04,639 --> 00:05:06,639 guard. You don't have to say sorry or 92 00:05:06,639 --> 00:05:09,280 I'm I'm WA. This is my name. And he 93 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:13,199 said, Wera, I'm so glad that I said it 94 00:05:13,199 --> 00:05:16,639 that I have it that I made this 95 00:05:16,639 --> 00:05:19,280 statement on camera. It's yours now. 96 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:22,080 It's It's for the for people out there. 97 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,440 They should know how not to do all these 98 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:27,120 mistakes. 99 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,280 Describe the feeling to me when you're 100 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:30,880 handcuffed 101 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:33,199 together with your own son in the same 102 00:05:33,199 --> 00:05:34,880 bus. 103 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:36,320 Can you describe that? 104 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,120 No, not really. It It's um 105 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:43,400 Try to describe it for us. 106 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,320 Well, 107 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:47,919 I don't know. I just felt like a total 108 00:05:47,919 --> 00:05:51,440 failure. Total failure as a father. 109 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,400 And you could feel his hand. 110 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:56,320 We were handcuffed to this hand and his 111 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,039 right hand. And we were sitting there 112 00:05:59,039 --> 00:06:02,560 and it and I was just it was just total 113 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,360 failure. That's what I felt like. I felt 114 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,280 like crap, 115 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:08,960 you know, and I used a different word to 116 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:12,560 the jury and and that's and that's what 117 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:14,479 I meant. You know, he had trash for a 118 00:06:14,479 --> 00:06:17,120 for a father and and then here I was 119 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,120 sitting with with my baby son on a 120 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:22,639 prison bus. And um I mean, I don't think 121 00:06:22,639 --> 00:06:24,400 it I don't think it gets much lower than 122 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:29,720 that, you know? You just don't. 123 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:32,880 The really important thing is that you 124 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:36,800 have to be capable to uh get to the 125 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,360 essence to get to the bottom of things 126 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,160 to the heart of the person very very 127 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,440 quickly and then hang on and and keep 128 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:50,759 the conversation going at that depth. 129 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,680 It's relentless. you sit in front of 130 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,240 somebody who will be executed 8 days 131 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:05,120 later and um you see there's this kind 132 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:08,400 of vanilla ice cream emotionality is 133 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,759 very much in vogue. I'm not I I'm I'm 134 00:07:11,759 --> 00:07:14,400 trying not be part of that. Uh for 135 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:17,360 example, Michael Perry who was executed 136 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,240 a few days after I filmed with him. 137 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,199 within I think 2 minutes of talking to 138 00:07:23,199 --> 00:07:24,960 him, 139 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,919 I said to him, "Michel Perry or Mr. 140 00:07:27,919 --> 00:07:30,720 Perry and I would wear a formal suit out 141 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:33,120 of respect. I'm never visible, but I'm 142 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,280 next to the camera and he sees me there 143 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,840 and in respect for him as a human 144 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:45,520 being." Uh I tell him, you know, um 145 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:49,039 your childhood was really, really, 146 00:07:49,039 --> 00:07:52,400 really bad and it was not your fault, 147 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:54,800 but it doesn't exonerate you. You do not 148 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:56,720 need to become a murderer because of 149 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,319 that. And I said to him, "And the fact 150 00:08:00,319 --> 00:08:02,960 that I have certain sympathy with 151 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,319 arguments in your last appeal for 152 00:08:06,319 --> 00:08:09,199 clemency, even though I sympathize with 153 00:08:09,199 --> 00:08:13,919 that, I do not have uh to have sympathy 154 00:08:13,919 --> 00:08:15,680 for you. 155 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:20,400 I do." And and he he just uh freezes for 156 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,120 a moment and says, "Okay, like this. 157 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,000 Nobody has ever spoken to him. I I said 158 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,919 to him, I do not have to like you. And 159 00:08:29,919 --> 00:08:32,880 and of course uh sometimes you have to 160 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:36,479 deal with someone whose crimes have been 161 00:08:36,479 --> 00:08:39,919 monstrous, but you are never sitting 162 00:08:39,919 --> 00:08:42,800 across a monster. You are always dealing 163 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:44,720 and I have learned it by seeing many 164 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,839 people on death row. You deal with human 165 00:08:47,839 --> 00:08:49,440 beings. 166 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,120 The the crimes were monstrous, but not 167 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:58,440 the person. They're only human beings. 168 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:08,959 Good. Yeah, you're not wired yet. So, we 169 00:09:08,959 --> 00:09:12,839 have to wire you first. 170 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:41,440 Michael Perry. Now from all of us, the 171 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:43,120 whole team here, we would like to offer 172 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,000 our condolences. 173 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,360 Your father passed away. 174 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:51,920 Okay. on the 10th. My dad died 13 days 175 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:52,640 ago. 176 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:53,440 13 days ago. 177 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:54,399 Yeah. On June 10th. 178 00:09:54,399 --> 00:09:57,279 But you will die or you are scheduled 179 00:09:57,279 --> 00:09:59,680 for execution only 8 days. 180 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:00,560 Yes, sir. 181 00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:02,480 How are you doing? 182 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:04,399 You know, uh, you know, I'm a Christian. 183 00:10:04,399 --> 00:10:05,680 So, you know, I believe that, you know, 184 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:07,440 paradise awaits one way or the other. 185 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:08,880 So, I tell people all the time, I'm 186 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:11,920 either going home or home. So, I'm 187 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:13,440 either going home to the world or home 188 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:15,519 to God. So, I, 189 00:10:15,519 --> 00:10:17,440 you know, as the days get closer, I can 190 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:19,680 feel the pressure on my shoulders. Uh 191 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:21,440 they call it clinical depression where I 192 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:23,279 just start having less motivation to do 193 00:10:23,279 --> 00:10:26,240 things, less energy. Um you get 194 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:28,240 frustrated at the at the system. How can 195 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,959 they not see you know my situation is 196 00:10:30,959 --> 00:10:33,200 wrong? Uh 197 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,040 you know I I used to write all the time 198 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:36,800 and have a lot of energy and I just 199 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:38,560 don't have it anymore. I just feel like 200 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:40,240 I've been beaten down. 201 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:43,279 I I have the feeling that destiny uh in 202 00:10:43,279 --> 00:10:46,240 a way has dealt you a very bad deck of 203 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:50,399 cards. It does not exonerate you and and 204 00:10:50,399 --> 00:10:52,560 when I talk to you, it does not 205 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:55,760 necessarily mean that I have to like you 206 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:57,920 but I respect you and you are a human 207 00:10:57,920 --> 00:10:59,760 being and I think human beings should 208 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:01,360 not be executed 209 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:02,399 as simply as that 210 00:11:02,399 --> 00:11:05,399 right 211 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,079 into the abyss could have been over in 212 00:11:08,079 --> 00:11:10,959 120 seconds but you have to risk it and 213 00:11:10,959 --> 00:11:14,560 it's a way you are saying that uh and uh 214 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:17,600 you see when somebody speaks to that 215 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:19,600 person who is going to be dead very 216 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:22,160 soon. Family is always tearful. 217 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:24,880 Attorneys are always uh completely 218 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:26,880 upbeat. Ah, we have a great chance. 219 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:29,440 We'll try. And so I am the one who 220 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,040 speaks uh like no one 1 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:12,080 For me, uh, it's all just movies 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,759 and my documentaries are partly staged 3 00:00:15,759 --> 00:00:20,400 or inventive or poetical and not so much 4 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,119 fact-based, although the hardcore 5 00:00:23,119 --> 00:00:26,320 effects I always incorporate. 6 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:27,920 Um 7 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,320 so I think this distinction is a little 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:32,880 bit too too mechanical and too 9 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,399 brainless. Uh many of my uh 10 00:00:36,399 --> 00:00:38,879 documentaries in fact are feature films 11 00:00:38,879 --> 00:00:42,120 in disguise. 12 00:00:46,239 --> 00:00:48,879 You shouldn't be too pedantic. I I keep 13 00:00:48,879 --> 00:00:52,800 quoting for example the pieta the statue 14 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,559 of Michelangelo in in St. Peter's uh 15 00:00:56,559 --> 00:00:59,199 church cathedral. 16 00:00:59,199 --> 00:01:00,879 It's one of the most beautiful 17 00:01:00,879 --> 00:01:03,760 sculptures that was ever made. 18 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,520 And when you look at uh the dead Jesus 19 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,760 in the arms of uh of St. Mary, Jesus is 20 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,520 33 years old is a 33 years old man. And 21 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,840 when you look at the at the virgin at 22 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,880 his mother, she is depicted as a 23 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:25,040 17-year-old virgin. So where are the 24 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,240 facts? He he just takes a liberty to 25 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,159 shape it and and form it himself. And 26 00:01:32,159 --> 00:01:35,119 Shakespeare by the way said once in uh 27 00:01:35,119 --> 00:01:37,360 one of his dramas 28 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,040 the most truthful poetry is the most 29 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,040 feigning. 30 00:01:44,079 --> 00:01:47,759 So uh if you read Helder a German great 31 00:01:47,759 --> 00:01:50,960 German poet early 1800s he actually 32 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:53,680 became insane at the end of his life. He 33 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,640 writes about a storm in the mountains 34 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:59,280 and of course it is not a weather report 35 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,759 of 1802. 36 00:02:01,759 --> 00:02:04,399 uh it's it's a great poem and what 37 00:02:04,399 --> 00:02:06,240 happens very often what I hear very 38 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,440 often is that uh filmmakers believe that 39 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,520 facts in particular documentary 40 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,280 filmmakers that fact constitute truth 41 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,800 they don't they do not per se facts have 42 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,560 a enormous power they they have the the 43 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:29,680 power to create norms if let's say uh um 44 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,000 a million or five million When asylum 45 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,560 seekers are streaming into Western 46 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,519 Europe, it will create new norms of 47 00:02:37,519 --> 00:02:40,160 behavior. So that's that's a power of 48 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,959 facts. But they do this doesn't the fact 49 00:02:42,959 --> 00:02:44,800 per se doesn't illuminate you. It 50 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,800 doesn't give you what I call an ecstasy, 51 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:50,720 something ecstatic, something that 52 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,640 illuminates you. Otherwise, uh I keeps 53 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:56,879 quoting that quite often, the phone 54 00:02:56,879 --> 00:02:59,920 director of Manhattan would be the book 55 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:01,280 of books. 56 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,840 4 million 5 million entries all 57 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:06,319 factually correct but it doesn't 58 00:03:06,319 --> 00:03:08,000 illuminate us. It doesn't tell us 59 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,480 anything about every single person 60 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:13,440 that's listed there. So I've always 61 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,640 tried to postulate something that is 62 00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:18,800 much deeper and you can find it in 63 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:23,200 cinema. Some moments where you depart 64 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,080 from let's say historical facts and you 65 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:28,879 start to invent on your own. I have done 66 00:03:28,879 --> 00:03:30,879 it quite often and I have gotten a lot 67 00:03:30,879 --> 00:03:33,920 of flack for that. But I maintain that 68 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:36,959 this is something really important for 69 00:03:36,959 --> 00:03:38,879 film making and it should develop. We 70 00:03:38,879 --> 00:03:42,239 should uh divorce 71 00:03:42,239 --> 00:03:45,040 documentaries from journalism from near 72 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:50,239 mere um investigative journalism. We are 73 00:03:50,239 --> 00:03:53,040 not flies on the wall. That's what what 74 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:54,799 you hear quite often. You should be like 75 00:03:54,799 --> 00:03:57,200 a fly off the wall. No, that's only the 76 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,480 losers who do that. It's a camera that 77 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,239 you find in the bank. Um, and it watches 78 00:04:04,239 --> 00:04:06,799 the bank for 15 years and not a single 79 00:04:06,799 --> 00:04:09,439 bank robber will ever show up. So, the 80 00:04:09,439 --> 00:04:11,519 those are the losers. You have to step 81 00:04:11,519 --> 00:04:15,120 out. You have to create and only by 82 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:17,680 imagining and by creating and by 83 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:21,840 fantasizing and and uh bringing in deep 84 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:24,720 dreams all of a sudden puts you into a 85 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,280 position where you start to to see 86 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:29,360 something deeper. You notice something. 87 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,160 You notice something that stays within 88 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,479 you forever. 89 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,080 I have done 90 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,960 things that have to do with uh this kind 91 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:47,919 of ecstasy of truth and I have started 92 00:04:47,919 --> 00:04:50,560 fairly early in a film land of silence 93 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,360 and darkness. It's a film about a woman 94 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,639 who is deaf and blind at the same time. 95 00:04:56,639 --> 00:04:59,840 So she cannot see any hand signals 96 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:02,000 because she is blind and she cannot hear 97 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:04,400 you. And at the end of the film, the 98 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,639 whole film works towards this moment, 99 00:05:06,639 --> 00:05:10,160 sensitizing you as an audience. At the 100 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:12,720 end, all of a sudden, uh, this 101 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,120 middle-aged man, 102 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,919 uh, kind of fearful, breaks away from 103 00:05:17,919 --> 00:05:21,120 two women who are having a conversation, 104 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:26,199 and he moves along in an orchard. 105 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,720 And he touches a branch of a of an apple 106 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:35,520 tree. And he starts very softly and very 107 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,639 tenderly to follow the branch and touch 108 00:05:38,639 --> 00:05:42,880 the leaves. and touches the the trunk uh 109 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:44,400 of the tree and it's it's 110 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,600 heartbreakingly beautiful. 111 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:49,680 And then all of a sudden I interrupt the 112 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,800 film with a caption. 113 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:58,400 If a world war would break out now, 114 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:01,039 I wouldn't even notice. 115 00:06:01,039 --> 00:06:04,160 It just stops your breath. I invented 116 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,880 this quote. I put it in there and I 117 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,280 think it was right because it's it 118 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:13,120 really lifts you up into into an area 119 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,080 where the film hasn't been before. And I 120 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,360 just do these things or or for example I 121 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,160 started a film 122 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,759 um about the fires of Kuwait. It's 123 00:06:25,759 --> 00:06:29,360 called Lessons of Darkness. For one hour 124 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:31,919 there's not a single image where you can 125 00:06:31,919 --> 00:06:34,319 recognize our planet anymore. It's so 126 00:06:34,319 --> 00:06:37,280 strange and everything uh so devastated 127 00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:40,639 and burnt and fires and smoke like like 128 00:06:40,639 --> 00:06:42,479 a science fiction film. Number one, I 129 00:06:42,479 --> 00:06:44,479 declare the film is some sort of a 130 00:06:44,479 --> 00:06:46,560 science fiction film which it is not. 131 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:48,960 Nothing political in it. And the film 132 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:52,080 begins with a ri written caption and it 133 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,120 says the collapse of the stellar 134 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:59,280 universe will occur like creation in 135 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:02,880 grandiose splendor and under it blaz 136 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,639 Pascal the French philosopher who said 137 00:07:06,639 --> 00:07:09,039 wonderful things about about the 138 00:07:09,039 --> 00:07:12,039 universe. 139 00:07:13,759 --> 00:07:16,759 People 140 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,199 ask me where where did you find this 141 00:07:21,199 --> 00:07:23,919 quote and I keep to mis like at the 142 00:07:23,919 --> 00:07:26,000 beginning I said I it must be in some of 143 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,560 his letters or so not so it was my 144 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,000 invention I invented it and I put blast 145 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,960 pascal because I wanted to have the 146 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,680 audience lift it up to a very very high 147 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:40,400 level and that's how you enter the film 148 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,759 and I never let you down not an inch I 149 00:07:43,759 --> 00:07:46,560 do not let you down. So, it's a complete 150 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,039 invention, but it's for the sake of 151 00:07:49,039 --> 00:07:51,039 something very deep, something very 152 00:07:51,039 --> 00:07:53,440 compelling, something that illuminates 153 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:57,280 you. And by the way, I do believe that 154 00:07:57,280 --> 00:07:59,199 Blas Pascal couldn't have said it 155 00:07:59,199 --> 00:08:02,520 better. Anyway, 156 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:08,879 very good example for something 157 00:08:08,879 --> 00:08:11,280 completely made up invented is a scene 158 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:15,080 from the White Diamond. 159 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,160 It was filmed at the Cayura waterfalls. 160 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,879 They're gigantic waterfalls, three times 161 00:08:20,879 --> 00:08:23,759 the height of Niagara Falls. 162 00:08:23,759 --> 00:08:26,800 It's a very beautiful location. Really, 163 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,199 really, very special. 164 00:08:29,199 --> 00:08:31,840 And now this is all dialogue I invented 165 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:33,039 for him. 166 00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:35,360 This is all scripted. 167 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,240 And he says it's foggy at the moment. 168 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,279 And when it rains he comes here and he 169 00:08:41,279 --> 00:08:44,080 sees one drop of water which actually 170 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,640 was put there by myself. 171 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,720 And now he looks through this drop of 172 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:52,959 water and any image uh is inverted in 173 00:08:52,959 --> 00:08:55,760 it. Uh you see the waterfall here 174 00:08:55,760 --> 00:09:00,160 normal. It is thundering down. 175 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,200 This is Cayur. Very beautiful. Now the 176 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:05,360 drop of water. You see the water is 177 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:07,279 going upwards. 178 00:09:07,279 --> 00:09:09,360 But it wasn't even water. It was a drop 179 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:11,360 of glycerin that we put there because 180 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:15,839 glycerin has better optical uh qualities 181 00:09:15,839 --> 00:09:17,680 than water. 182 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:20,959 And now I ask him a stupid new age 183 00:09:20,959 --> 00:09:23,040 question. I cannot hear what 184 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,760 Mark Anthony. Do you see an entire 185 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,720 universe in a singy drop of water? Can't 186 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:30,720 get more stupid, but I scripted it for 187 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:34,480 me. And he says, I cannot hear what you 188 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,360 say for the thunder that you are. 189 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:39,120 Mark Anthony, do you see a whole 190 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:41,279 universe in this one single drop of 191 00:09:41,279 --> 00:09:44,279 water? 192 00:09:45,279 --> 00:09:48,000 I cannot hear what you see or the 193 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,120 thunder of what you are. 194 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,720 end of scene and you see the airship 195 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:00,640 rising from there but it's utterly 196 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:02,880 concocted and scripted and it's a very 197 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,360 beautiful moment in the film in a 198 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:08,160 documentary uh echoes from a somber 199 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,040 empire about a British journalist who 200 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:14,640 reported from Africa and mostly of the 201 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,760 central African republic under Bokasa 202 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:20,000 with Michael Goldsmith I went to the zoo 203 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,440 Zoo Basa Zoo. There was only a crocodile 204 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:28,240 left uh which uh was used to feed uh 205 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,680 prisoners. Actually, prisoners were fed 206 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:33,920 to the crocodile. There was a half dead 207 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,480 hyena and there was a chimp and I had 208 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:38,880 discovered the chimp and drunken 209 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:41,200 soldiers had taught it how to smoke. And 210 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:44,480 this is how the film ends now. He hands 211 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:48,360 a cigarette to the chimp. 212 00:10:52,079 --> 00:10:56,399 And then I play a music uh uh Schumann's 213 00:10:56,399 --> 00:10:59,279 Notron. I mean, it's just 214 00:10:59,279 --> 00:11:02,320 And now a madeup dialogue. 215 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:04,959 When I I can't see this anymore. Can you 216 00:11:04,959 --> 00:11:06,959 turn this off now? 217 00:11:06,959 --> 00:11:09,040 Uh Mikey, I think this is one of the 218 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:11,200 shots I should hold. 219 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:12,720 A scripted line. 220 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:14,959 When you you promise this will be the 221 00:11:14,959 --> 00:11:17,440 end shot. It'll be the last shot of the 222 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:18,000 film. 223 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:18,880 Yes, I promise. 224 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,600 And I'm answering, "No, Michael. I think 225 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:24,720 uh uh this is one of the shots I should 226 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,519 hold. I knew I should hold it." And he 227 00:11:27,519 --> 00:11:29,440 said, "Only if you promise me that this 228 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,880 will be the last shot in the film." 229 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:37,440 In the last shot in the film is this 230 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:41,839 lost chimp in a cage 231 00:11:41,839 --> 00:11:43,600 where 232 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,640 only two more surviving animals in this 233 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,200 zoo were around and drunk soldiers 234 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,560 in the disaster of a whole country and 235 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:57,279 lawlessness and absence of justice and 236 00:11:57,279 --> 00:12:00,000 absence of many many things that we are 237 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:01,519 accustomed. 238 00:12:01,519 --> 00:12:05,920 Uh, and it ends like this. And 239 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:08,160 it was so clear when I discovered this 240 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:10,720 chimp. This chimp has to be the end of 241 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:14,560 the film and I must invent a dialogue. 242 00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:19,680 And I did. And uh this is uh a moment 243 00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:23,360 where uh where you are illuminated as an 244 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:25,600 audience where you look very deep into a 245 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,320 strange world of something completely 246 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,680 surreal. And otherwise if you stood to 247 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:34,480 fact fact, you would never get a moment 248 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:37,720 like this. 249 00:12:41,839 --> 00:12:44,240 There's another good example where I 250 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:46,639 invent a situation. 251 00:12:46,639 --> 00:12:50,079 I did a film on faith in superstition in 252 00:12:50,079 --> 00:12:51,920 Russia. 253 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:54,720 It's called Bells from the Deep. 254 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,760 pilgrims on thin ice seeking a vision of 255 00:12:57,760 --> 00:12:59,920 the sunken city of Kitesh. 256 00:12:59,920 --> 00:13:02,639 And the ice was really very thin. And 257 00:13:02,639 --> 00:13:05,040 there are pilgrims, I say pilgrims, 258 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,079 quote unquote, crawling on their bellies 259 00:13:08,079 --> 00:13:10,880 and praying. And they try to look 260 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,680 through the ice in in order to catch a 261 00:13:13,680 --> 00:13:16,480 vision of the sunken city of Kitesh. 262 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,519 They also try to listen to to the sound 263 00:13:19,519 --> 00:13:24,800 of the bells from the deep. And here 264 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,760 the lady whom I liked a lot 265 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:30,000 is talking and and at some point I ask 266 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:31,920 her 267 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:33,839 yeah she speaks about the legend and 268 00:13:33,839 --> 00:13:36,079 actually it's a very deep thing for 269 00:13:36,079 --> 00:13:39,680 Russians uh when you try to depict the 270 00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:43,760 Russian soul. Uh it's somehow embodied 271 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:47,200 to a very good degree uh in the legend 272 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,000 in the religious legends of the sunken 273 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,240 city of Kitesh. 274 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:53,920 But 275 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,720 of course there were no pilgrims around 276 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:59,120 and I went to the next country in and 277 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:01,760 there were two two guys whom you see 278 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,160 here in the background and they had 279 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:06,880 already drunk a little bit and one of 280 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:08,240 them 281 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:10,399 one of them is on his belly they crawl 282 00:14:10,399 --> 00:14:12,560 and I ask him can you do this and can 283 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:14,959 you listen and can you try to see 284 00:14:14,959 --> 00:14:17,199 something and there's this other one you 285 00:14:17,199 --> 00:14:19,680 see he's motionless he had actually 286 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:23,839 fallen asleep. He's not he's not deep in 287 00:14:23,839 --> 00:14:27,519 meditation and prayer. And yet this 288 00:14:27,519 --> 00:14:30,480 entire sequence I showed it to audiences 289 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,440 in Russia. Although the Russians know 290 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:35,920 that this was an organized 291 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:38,000 kind of scene, they love it more than 292 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:40,399 any other part of the movie. When they 293 00:14:40,399 --> 00:14:42,639 finished praying, I stopped on the same 294 00:14:42,639 --> 00:14:45,279 spot to say a prayer of my own and then 295 00:14:45,279 --> 00:14:48,240 ran to catch up with them. I kept close 296 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:49,600 behind them and listened to their 297 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:51,600 chanting. 298 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:54,399 You see, I had to take a lot of flack 299 00:14:54,399 --> 00:14:58,240 and and my answer is yes. I I take you 300 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:00,959 into a certain ecstasy of of images and 301 00:15:00,959 --> 00:15:03,279 I show you something you would not 302 00:15:03,279 --> 00:15:05,279 notice otherwise 303 00:15:05,279 --> 00:15:08,399 something deeper than facts. 304 00:15:08,399 --> 00:15:10,959 And I think those who 305 00:15:10,959 --> 00:15:12,720 uh 306 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,000 start to uh put me down over doing 307 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,160 something like this, I have an answer. 308 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:23,720 We are all losers. Happy New Year. 1 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,480 I would say if you're not going to film 2 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:20,240 school, uh, and my general advice is be 3 00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:23,119 skeptical about them. You spend way too 4 00:00:23,119 --> 00:00:26,800 much time in the film school. Uh, it 5 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,439 costs way too much money. 6 00:00:29,439 --> 00:00:33,040 uh and uh you can learn the essentials 7 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,079 of film making on your own within a week 8 00:00:36,079 --> 00:00:40,320 or maybe two weeks. Uh all the rest uh 9 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,760 film school cannot teach you anyway. 10 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,280 For me, short films were my film school. 11 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:49,920 Uh and it could still be the film school 12 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:53,199 for many aspiring filmmakers. However, 13 00:00:53,199 --> 00:00:56,399 there are subjects that are calling for 14 00:00:56,399 --> 00:01:01,120 a short format like plastic bag where I 15 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,000 gave my voice uh for the plastic bag in 16 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,200 friendship to a colleague filmmaker 17 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:10,799 Ramin Bahrani. Um, 18 00:01:10,799 --> 00:01:14,400 at the time I started there was a lot of 19 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,720 uh sense for doing short films because 20 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:22,400 cinemas would have to pay less taxes if 21 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,000 they showed u a short film ahead of the 22 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,080 regular program. 23 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:31,759 uh what today is uh commercials. It was 24 00:01:31,759 --> 00:01:35,040 a short film which had some sort of of 25 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,680 evaluations and was considered uh 26 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:41,439 culturally valuable and I I would have a 27 00:01:41,439 --> 00:01:43,119 film like this and I could sell it 28 00:01:43,119 --> 00:01:45,280 because the theaters would show it. It 29 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,200 that doesn't exist anymore. Uh the short 30 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,680 forms I don't think there is a space in 31 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,439 theaters. There's not a real space in 32 00:01:55,439 --> 00:01:59,119 television. I think the real fertile 33 00:01:59,119 --> 00:02:02,079 ground today is the internet, YouTube 34 00:02:02,079 --> 00:02:04,960 for example or whatever. There will be 35 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:07,040 formats out there and you can easily 36 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,599 present a short film there and sometimes 37 00:02:09,599 --> 00:02:11,920 the shorter the better. If you have a 38 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:14,000 crazy cat video, it shouldn't be longer 39 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:19,599 than 60 seconds. So my advice is uh of 40 00:02:19,599 --> 00:02:21,840 course always read, read, read, watch 41 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,120 films, travel on foot, travel on foot 42 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,920 which opens your perspectives, which 43 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:32,200 opens the world up to you 44 00:02:35,519 --> 00:02:37,200 initiative. 45 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:39,360 I think in a way I'm a product of 46 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,360 initiative and the real genius of 47 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,720 initiatives was Gavaspin the colleague 48 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,080 of mine who passed away way too early 49 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,519 and this was something I was uh blessed 50 00:02:51,519 --> 00:02:54,080 enough to grow up in postwar Germany 51 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,800 where there were no real predecessors 52 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,440 filmmakers we didn't have any fathers to 53 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,560 learn from or to be proud of because 54 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,120 either they were exiled like Fritz Long 55 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,159 and others or They sided with a Nazi 56 00:03:08,159 --> 00:03:11,120 barbarism. So we knew we were on our own 57 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,680 and all of us immediately founded our 58 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,040 own production companies. We started our 59 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,720 own festivals. You see it fairly often 60 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,080 when you are speaking to film students 61 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:26,879 in the United States. They would not 62 00:03:26,879 --> 00:03:29,040 think about founding their own labor 63 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,040 union. They would hardly ever 64 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:32,879 contemplate to found their own 65 00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:34,959 production companies, 66 00:03:34,959 --> 00:03:37,840 to found their own uh festivals, their 67 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,959 own film subsidy law, their own system 68 00:03:40,959 --> 00:03:44,159 of support. Uh I do not see it very 69 00:03:44,159 --> 00:03:47,159 often. 70 00:03:50,959 --> 00:03:53,040 Rejection. 71 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,159 It has happened to me quite often. It 72 00:03:56,159 --> 00:03:58,799 will happen to all of you who are making 73 00:03:58,799 --> 00:04:03,200 films and you have to to fortify 74 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,840 yourself in a way. I do remember my 75 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,959 first feature film science of life which 76 00:04:08,959 --> 00:04:12,159 won the national film award which won 77 00:04:12,159 --> 00:04:14,239 silver bear at the Berlin film festival. 78 00:04:14,239 --> 00:04:17,120 I was just a kid when I made this film 79 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:21,440 and it was very hard to to find theater 80 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,000 audiences. And then in the city of 81 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,880 Vbartner, Frankfurt, there was a rave 82 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,000 review of the film, a whole page in the 83 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,040 local paper, photos in the rave review. 84 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,919 And it was so extraordinary 85 00:04:35,919 --> 00:04:38,400 uh that uh the theater owner said, "Oh, 86 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,040 please come to my opening in my 87 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:45,120 theater." And sent me a a ticket. and I 88 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:49,919 went uh there and I step out 89 00:04:49,919 --> 00:04:53,440 uh having a QandA with the audience and 90 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,639 there are seven people there. Seven 91 00:04:56,639 --> 00:05:00,160 people saw the film. So this kind of of 92 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:02,560 sinking into 93 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,800 a dark hole irretrievably of of 94 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,520 rejection of audiences is something 95 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:11,440 really extraordinary. 96 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,919 people are yelling at you and booing at 97 00:05:13,919 --> 00:05:18,720 you. Uh the uh the film 98 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:22,639 uh about Kuwait, Lessons of Darkness at 99 00:05:22,639 --> 00:05:25,600 the Berlin Film Festival. It was was one 100 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,880 storm of rejection and booing and 101 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:30,960 yelling against me and yelling against 102 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,199 the film. I walked down the aisle. 103 00:05:33,199 --> 00:05:37,520 People spat at me and I heard uh in in 104 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:39,360 this 105 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,880 chorus of angry screams I heard. Yeah. 106 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,080 Aestheticizing the horror. And and I 107 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,120 grabbed the microphone and I said, "Yes, 108 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,320 aestheticizing the horror." Uh it is not 109 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,440 a political film. It it does something 110 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,800 which others have done before me. Uh and 111 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:02,800 my witness is uh uh Dante with his uh 112 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,919 inferno and my witness is Goya with 113 00:06:05,919 --> 00:06:08,880 disastrous dilera. My witness is a 114 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,240 painter Heroni Bosch with his hellish 115 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,840 visions. So it didn't silence anyone. 116 00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:17,680 Didn't silence but I had to live with 117 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:19,840 it. And it's still one of my strongest 118 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:21,360 films. 119 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:23,120 So 120 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:26,639 and and it has outlived all these uh 121 00:06:26,639 --> 00:06:29,360 uproar that it has created. If I showed 122 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:31,120 the film today, it would be fully 123 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:32,880 accepted. 124 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,280 And uh 125 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:38,960 a beautiful example of rejection is uh 126 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,639 little deer needs to fly. one of my most 127 00:06:42,639 --> 00:06:45,919 intense, one of my strongest films I 128 00:06:45,919 --> 00:06:48,400 have made, documentaries 129 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:52,720 and it was um commissioned by a German 130 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:56,639 TV station and I edited the film, I shot 131 00:06:56,639 --> 00:06:58,639 the film, edited the film and I knew I 132 00:06:58,639 --> 00:07:01,120 had something extraordinary at my hand. 133 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,280 It was so extraordinary that I later uh 134 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:07,919 made a feature film Rescue Dawn with 135 00:07:07,919 --> 00:07:10,400 Christian Bale. So there was so much 136 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,840 substance there and the network 137 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,240 executive flies into Los Angeles because 138 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:18,960 I was editing in Los Angeles and he 139 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,199 watches and is completely silent and 140 00:07:21,199 --> 00:07:26,319 crouches down in this kind of uh uh 141 00:07:26,319 --> 00:07:28,960 really intimidating sort of crouch and 142 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,240 watches it. And at the end uh we turn 143 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:34,240 the 144 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,840 uh screening off and he turns to me and 145 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,680 he says uh uh where's where's the men's 146 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:44,720 room? Where's the men's room? And I say 147 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:46,560 it's out here and to the left to the 148 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,880 right. And he says I have to rush to the 149 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,000 men's room because I have to vomit. 150 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,120 This film is so bad that I need to vomit 151 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:58,160 now. And he rushes out. Of course he 152 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:00,879 doesn't vomit. It was all uh this after 153 00:08:00,879 --> 00:08:03,520 a few minutes he comes back and he says 154 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:06,800 to me Wernner you know I have worked in 155 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,240 this profession as a a commissioning 156 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:15,199 network executive for 25 years but in 25 157 00:08:15,199 --> 00:08:18,960 years I've not seen such a piece of 158 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,680 garbage like this film 159 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,960 and I said uh well I think it's one of 160 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,879 my strongest uh I my opinion and differs 161 00:08:28,879 --> 00:08:30,720 from yours. 162 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:34,959 And uh the rejection went so far he saw 163 00:08:34,959 --> 00:08:37,839 you you couldn't repair the film and and 164 00:08:37,839 --> 00:08:41,039 shoot uh wild reenactments and other 165 00:08:41,039 --> 00:08:43,200 things and stupid things that he had on 166 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:47,279 mind. And he said uh this was meant for 167 00:08:47,279 --> 00:08:52,399 a very successful uh slot uh prime time 168 00:08:52,399 --> 00:08:56,720 slot on German TV. and he said, "I 169 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:00,880 cannot take this film into this slot. 170 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,920 It still the thought alone makes me 171 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:07,760 vomit again." And he buried the film at 172 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:11,279 11:45 at night when most audiences are 173 00:09:11,279 --> 00:09:13,279 soundly asleep. 174 00:09:13,279 --> 00:09:17,120 Yeah. The emotional investment after 175 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,279 rejection. Normally I say, "Oh, this 176 00:09:19,279 --> 00:09:23,360 this guy is is just is just a bozo." I 177 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:26,160 had to deal with a bozo of this caliber 178 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:28,800 of this magnitude. The film will outlive 179 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,160 him and it has outlived him. But what 180 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:35,120 can I tell you as filmmakers? Yes, these 181 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,720 moments will come. They come uh very 182 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:40,800 very often. It's not I mean there are 183 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:43,279 significant moments like that but they 184 00:09:43,279 --> 00:09:45,760 do come and they 185 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:50,240 um are hard hits and really I really got 186 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,519 sucker punches. And how do you how do 187 00:09:53,519 --> 00:09:56,399 you live with it? Um 188 00:09:56,399 --> 00:09:58,240 my 189 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:01,680 opinion is you you have to create 190 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:04,560 something that has so much substance 191 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:07,040 that the film itself can take the 192 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:10,240 punches and you are only the secondary 193 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:11,920 target. 194 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,480 And you have to 195 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:17,360 to be strong enough and philosophical 196 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:20,959 enough to uh not 197 00:10:20,959 --> 00:10:26,480 um take this rejection uh as a 198 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,600 as a first step into suicide. You just 199 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:32,320 don't do it. It's it it is what the 200 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:34,959 industry is all about. It's it's 201 00:10:34,959 --> 00:10:36,720 ruthless. 202 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:41,920 ruthless and uh um and a hard 203 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,959 a hard field to work in. Prepare 204 00:10:44,959 --> 00:10:47,279 yourself. If you make films, you have to 205 00:10:47,279 --> 00:10:52,600 be prepared for these for these moments 206 00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:59,440 festivals. Uh 207 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,480 I have been at too many 208 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:08,000 and in the my first uh movies uh many of 209 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,920 them were shown in big festivals like Kh 210 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:16,320 um but at that time they had a real 211 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,560 significance. There were three, four or 212 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:21,279 five festivals. Berlin, Venice, Kh 213 00:11:21,279 --> 00:11:24,880 Lardo, maybe one or two others. And now 214 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:27,680 they have in the last decades they have 215 00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:31,279 uh really spread out. We have over 4,000 216 00:11:31,279 --> 00:11:34,480 festivals around the world. But still we 217 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,800 do not have much more than four or five 218 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,680 real good films per year. Good vintage 219 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:42,240 years would mean five films, real good 220 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:47,279 ones. So um this kind of inflation has 221 00:11:47,279 --> 00:11:49,839 uh made the festivals pretty much 222 00:11:49,839 --> 00:11:51,360 selfcentered. 223 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:54,480 They're only after uh does Kan Film 224 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:57,360 Festival for example get the right media 225 00:11:57,360 --> 00:11:59,920 bus and and is there a scandal happening 226 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:02,320 or not irrespective of what films they 227 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,120 are showing and and in fact they do show 228 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,920 some good films there but uh the 229 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:11,680 festivals have become to a good degree 230 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:14,320 selfserving entities 231 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,040 however I would say for young filmmakers 232 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:20,240 you have probably a first real more 233 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:21,519 international 234 00:12:21,519 --> 00:12:25,440 um audience would be at festivals. Quite 235 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:27,360 a few of them would be discovered at 236 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,480 festivals and some of them even the 237 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:34,000 halfway rejected. I think uh Christopher 238 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,120 Nolan who made Batman had a film which 239 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,880 was rejected by Sundance but he showed 240 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:44,160 it at some parallel festival was it slam 241 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:46,399 Dance or something like that and that's 242 00:12:46,399 --> 00:12:48,800 where he got discovered and all of a 243 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,920 sudden uh the industry took notice of 244 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:54,959 him or Darren Areronowski 245 00:12:54,959 --> 00:12:58,639 uh discovered I do believe uh basically 246 00:12:58,639 --> 00:13:02,000 at Sundance Film Festival or any other f 247 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,200 festival in the world and getting into 248 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,000 the festivals. Uh 249 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,399 it's a strange thing. Uh I just had uh 250 00:13:12,399 --> 00:13:14,959 three weeks two weeks ago I had my last 251 00:13:14,959 --> 00:13:18,720 film at Sundance. Um 252 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:22,560 and I I was really appalled when I heard 253 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:26,880 there were 12,500 entries. And I said to 254 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,680 everyone uh who was hoping we would get 255 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:32,240 into Sundance, I said to everyone, we 256 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:35,279 don't have a chance. There no way. No 257 00:13:35,279 --> 00:13:36,800 way. 258 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:42,399 And somehow uh it was accepted. 259 00:13:42,399 --> 00:13:46,160 It is actually a film that has a lot 260 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,279 a lot of real real resonance with very 261 00:13:49,279 --> 00:13:50,720 young people who grew up with the 262 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:53,519 internet. And that's probably what the 263 00:13:53,519 --> 00:13:56,000 what the festival noticed. 264 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,279 Otherwise it wouldn't have been shown. 265 00:13:59,279 --> 00:14:01,680 I've seen uh filmmakers who have 266 00:14:01,680 --> 00:14:03,440 submitted their films to multiple 267 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:05,839 festival. If if you are not accepted at 268 00:14:05,839 --> 00:14:08,560 the first send out your dogs and someone 269 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:11,600 will find prey and will will eventually 270 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,880 be shown. But once I've seen filmmakers, 271 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:17,680 young filmmakers who showed their film 272 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:19,839 in the festival circuit and they follow 273 00:14:19,839 --> 00:14:22,160 for a whole year or more than a year 274 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:25,120 their films from obscure festival uh 275 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:27,600 from one to the next and this is really 276 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:29,440 devastating. They rather should make 277 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:32,480 three new films uh instead of wasting a 278 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,959 whole year like that. I've seen a film 279 00:14:34,959 --> 00:14:37,519 by a Russian filmmaker 280 00:14:37,519 --> 00:14:39,920 at a smaller festival and he came to me 281 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:41,760 and he said, "Have you seen my film? did 282 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:44,160 you like it? I said, "Yes, in fact, I 283 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:46,639 like it. It's a good film. It's It's not 284 00:14:46,639 --> 00:14:48,240 great, but it's good." And he said, 285 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:50,880 "Yes, I showed it at festival." And I 286 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:52,560 showed it and they all liked it. He 287 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,440 never I I said to him, "Was it ever 288 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:57,360 theatrically released?" No, no, of 289 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:00,320 course not. Was it ever shown on f at f 290 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:03,440 uh on television? No, hasn't been shown. 291 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:07,040 But he was at 102 festivals and my heart 292 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:09,440 sank. You see, you have to be careful 293 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,160 that you do not make films for the 294 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,600 festival circuit. That's a great danger. 295 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:17,519 Submit it to festivals. Show it 296 00:15:17,519 --> 00:15:19,760 somewhere at some festivals. Maybe you 297 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:22,800 send it out to to a few other festivals, 298 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,920 but don't show up again. Do it once and 299 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,480 that should be that. 300 00:15:33,519 --> 00:15:35,920 Festivals are not necessarily the road 301 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:39,199 to to find a theatrical release or end 302 00:15:39,199 --> 00:15:42,399 up in theaters. It doesn't uh happen 303 00:15:42,399 --> 00:15:47,199 very often. Uh it's uh other factors 304 00:15:47,199 --> 00:15:50,240 that play a part. 305 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:53,360 Festivals normally do not provide these 306 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,639 essential ingredients for you to find a 307 00:15:56,639 --> 00:16:01,720 distribute distribution for your films. 308 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,360 I simply love 309 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:08,959 a movie in a theater where you have 310 00:16:08,959 --> 00:16:10,959 people next to you and in front of you 311 00:16:10,959 --> 00:16:13,279 and behind you and it's this kind of 312 00:16:13,279 --> 00:16:17,519 collective experience and collective 313 00:16:17,519 --> 00:16:20,720 uh dreaming that is going on which you 314 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:22,800 do not have when you are alone or with 315 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,279 only one or two people in front of your 316 00:16:25,279 --> 00:16:28,639 plasma screen at home. Uh there's 317 00:16:28,639 --> 00:16:31,920 something something magical about it and 318 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,040 uh you have to take your decision. You 319 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,959 have to make it make up your mind. Uh 320 00:16:38,959 --> 00:16:41,199 where do you want to have your films uh 321 00:16:41,199 --> 00:16:44,800 being shown from the first moment on I 322 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,120 made films. It was always clear the 323 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:50,720 mother of all battles is going to be 324 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:54,160 have your film playing in theaters. I 325 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:56,000 have not succeeded all the time or 326 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:59,040 sometimes a film would be shown years 327 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:01,360 later in theaters 328 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:07,360 but uh that is my my goal but today you 329 00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:09,520 should not 330 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:12,160 underestimate it much of it is moving 331 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,360 into new forms of distribution uh 332 00:17:15,360 --> 00:17:18,799 YouTube Netflix Amazon and it's going to 333 00:17:18,799 --> 00:17:22,640 be uh pay-per-view downloading it and 334 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:26,079 it's not solid yet. But we see uh for 335 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:29,840 example how uh internet companies are 336 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:33,200 spending massive amounts of money to 337 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:35,840 acquire content. 338 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:39,679 And of course we'll have new uh ways of 339 00:17:39,679 --> 00:17:43,120 circulating films once we have more uh 340 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:47,039 360 degree virtual reality. It's funny 341 00:17:47,039 --> 00:17:50,080 because we have the the instrument but 342 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,799 we do not know the content with which to 343 00:17:52,799 --> 00:17:55,600 fill it best. So uh this is in complete 344 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,840 transition 345 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:00,960 and um I would say 346 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:05,679 all the young people nowadays uh should 347 00:18:05,679 --> 00:18:08,640 I would say try to get into theaters if 348 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,919 you don't manage find your own platform 349 00:18:11,919 --> 00:18:15,760 somewhere else probably internet found 350 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:20,000 your own platform maybe with others 351 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,160 be um 352 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:24,480 be one of the ruthless less ones who 353 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:28,480 bursts onto the scene and and do not uh 354 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,360 try to walk all the trotten paths that 355 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:34,400 have been established uh and and they're 356 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:36,559 not very clear yet. Nobody knows exactly 357 00:18:36,559 --> 00:18:38,640 where it's going to go and it's a 358 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:40,720 wonderful a wonderful moment of 359 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:45,280 transition. Just capture the moment. 1 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,320 If you really want to make a film, you 2 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:12,160 should not say uh I want to be a 3 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,759 filmmaker. Be specific. I want to make 4 00:00:15,759 --> 00:00:19,119 this very project. So if uh you just 5 00:00:19,119 --> 00:00:21,520 want to have it for yeah, it's chic and 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:23,760 it's it's cool to be a filmmaker. No, 7 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:27,119 it's not cool. Uh it it's a it's a 8 00:00:27,119 --> 00:00:31,439 series of humiliations. It's a a series 9 00:00:31,439 --> 00:00:35,040 of banalities every single day on on a 10 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,680 on a shoot. Many filmmakers are out 11 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,360 there to uh to gain inner growth. I just 12 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:43,600 can't hear it. It's so stupid, so 13 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,920 embarrassing. Or they want to test their 14 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,719 boundaries. People quite often believe, 15 00:00:48,719 --> 00:00:50,559 yeah, I'm out there in the jungle and 16 00:00:50,559 --> 00:00:53,680 moving a a ship over a mountain to test 17 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,199 my boundaries. No, not so. It's stupid 18 00:00:57,199 --> 00:00:59,440 to think so. I want to move a ship over 19 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,199 a mountain because it's a huge metaphor. 20 00:01:03,199 --> 00:01:06,240 It's a metaphor for something dormant 21 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,200 inside of us. And there's images that I 22 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,640 wake up. I can wake them up as if it 23 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:17,040 were the dreams that others share or as 24 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,159 as if I had a dormant brother inside of 25 00:01:20,159 --> 00:01:22,880 me with whom I get acquainted. All of a 26 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:24,479 sudden, there's a twin brother out 27 00:01:24,479 --> 00:01:26,880 there, and I haven't met him until I 28 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:30,479 made this film. So, 29 00:01:30,479 --> 00:01:32,240 there's something much bigger than than 30 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,799 your own quest for perfection or your 31 00:01:34,799 --> 00:01:37,680 own quest for inner growth and all these 32 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:41,520 new age crazy things that I just can't 33 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,880 hear. I'm a disciplined worker. I'm a 34 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,439 storyteller. I'm a filmmaker. And that's 35 00:01:47,439 --> 00:01:50,439 that. 36 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,920 long-term survival. It's a profession 37 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,880 where you normally last 38 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,719 I would say 12 15 years and some of the 39 00:02:04,719 --> 00:02:07,360 strongest of the strong have not 40 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:10,560 survived longer. David War Griffith, the 41 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,840 greatest of all filmmakers of the early 42 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,520 era, the Shakespeare of cinema. Um he 43 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,040 had the most fantastic successes with uh 44 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,800 Birth of a Nation and um uh some other 45 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:29,520 films and some failures and he was out 46 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,080 and spent the rest of his days as a land 47 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:38,000 surveyor or let me name Orison Wells 48 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:42,000 strong like a like an animal powerful in 49 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,040 his imagination in his craft in his 50 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,480 acting in everything and he spends 51 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,080 budgets the entire budget already 52 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,959 halfway through pre-production traveling 53 00:02:54,959 --> 00:02:58,239 lavishly spending money and and the 54 00:02:58,239 --> 00:03:00,400 studio would stop him in his tracks and 55 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:04,080 they would stop the project. So um it it 56 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,519 hits the strongest of the strong and the 57 00:03:07,519 --> 00:03:12,400 survival of uh I would say of um those 58 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:16,319 people was fairly short short-lived 59 00:03:16,319 --> 00:03:20,319 and of course long-term survival. Um how 60 00:03:20,319 --> 00:03:22,879 do you establish loyalties? 61 00:03:22,879 --> 00:03:26,159 Loyalties of crews. I do not just hire a 62 00:03:26,159 --> 00:03:28,800 cinematographer for that project and 63 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,440 sound person and costumes. Of course, 64 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,920 quite often it's a it's a mly mix of 65 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:37,519 people who have never seen each other 66 00:03:37,519 --> 00:03:39,519 before and they disperse and they never 67 00:03:39,519 --> 00:03:43,440 see each other. But I try to build up uh 68 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,879 cinematographers, editors, composers, 69 00:03:46,879 --> 00:03:49,599 some of the key people and enter with 70 00:03:49,599 --> 00:03:52,480 them a long-term relationship. 71 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:56,239 Or when I'm working with a production 72 00:03:56,239 --> 00:04:00,799 company, I'm not uh someone who wants to 73 00:04:00,799 --> 00:04:03,280 to do just one film. If I like the 74 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,080 company, I would say let's try and let's 75 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,319 develop a long-term 76 00:04:08,319 --> 00:04:10,959 relationship. let's try and and continue 77 00:04:10,959 --> 00:04:13,599 think beyond what you are doing right 78 00:04:13,599 --> 00:04:15,280 now. 79 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:19,680 So that's all part of the of the 80 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,560 profession that I do 81 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,759 and uh it's not that it was there right 82 00:04:25,759 --> 00:04:28,160 from the beginning. I'm I'm a veteran in 83 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,360 this profession. However, very early on 84 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,160 because Agiri was a film I made when I 85 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:36,560 was 28 or so and everybody says to me, 86 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,440 ah, I saw your first film and I asked 87 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,080 which one? Ah, Agiri, the wrath of God. 88 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:46,560 And my answer is it was my 11th film. So 89 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,199 some shorts of course before that but uh 90 00:04:49,199 --> 00:04:53,199 also but what I'm trying to say I walked 91 00:04:53,199 --> 00:04:56,560 into a film like Agari the wrath of God 92 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,160 with a considerable amount of knowledge 93 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:02,400 and experience 94 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:04,720 and defeats 95 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:09,919 and uh mistakes that I made. Um, yeah, 96 00:05:09,919 --> 00:05:12,479 that's that's how I learned it. And in 97 00:05:12,479 --> 00:05:14,560 things like this, you you do not you 98 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,280 really do not learn in film schools. You 99 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:20,000 learn it when you do it. 100 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:24,240 And I've always been self-taught. 101 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,440 I have gone through all of this. 102 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:31,360 I have uh learned it all on my own, all 103 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:35,520 by trial and error and all the disasters 104 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,400 that I've had. But it's fine. I'm still 105 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,960 I'm still around 106 00:05:47,039 --> 00:05:50,080 structure of daily life. Uh it has never 107 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:52,400 occurred to me there is no such thing as 108 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,680 daily life. Uh it's not predictable what 109 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,560 is going to happen. And uh for example 110 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,720 when I did uh the film uh on the 111 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:05,199 internet lo and behold I just had 112 00:06:05,199 --> 00:06:08,720 finished my feature film um Salt and 113 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,600 Fire which I had shot in Bolivia. I just 114 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,000 finished editing and two days later a 115 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,240 call comes oh could you do something 116 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,639 like texting and driving but about the 117 00:06:18,639 --> 00:06:20,880 internet and it will be some small 118 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:22,880 YouTube clips. And I said oh this is 119 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,080 fascinating uh let's jump in it. when 120 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,120 can we start? Can we start next week? So 121 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,039 it took a little bit longer, 10 days 122 00:06:31,039 --> 00:06:36,080 until we jumped into it. Um and uh so 123 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:37,840 there's no structure. You never know 124 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:40,319 what's coming at you 125 00:06:40,319 --> 00:06:43,680 and I keep I keep open to it, but of 126 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,639 course at the same time 127 00:06:46,639 --> 00:06:50,080 I have to have a very very clear idea. 128 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,479 This is what you are not going to do. 129 00:06:52,479 --> 00:06:55,680 You see, I have had 130 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,880 really quite a few very big offers from 131 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:01,919 from Hollywood, from major companies, 132 00:07:01,919 --> 00:07:04,000 from studios. 133 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,120 And I looked at the project and I had 134 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,199 the feeling the screenplay is not really 135 00:07:09,199 --> 00:07:12,319 good. It's kind of silly. It's totally 136 00:07:12,319 --> 00:07:15,680 predictable and it's it's it's not for 137 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:19,199 me. And you have to know when in the 138 00:07:19,199 --> 00:07:21,680 onslaught of all that's coming at you or 139 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,000 the rare opportunities that sometimes 140 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:28,319 you have, you have to have the clear um 141 00:07:28,319 --> 00:07:30,800 sort of structure in your head saying 142 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:35,400 no, this is not for me. 143 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,520 I think it's very unhealthy to do movies 144 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,880 all the time because uh ultimately it's 145 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:48,479 illusionists work. Uh if you're a cattle 146 00:07:48,479 --> 00:07:52,160 rancher, this is very solid good uh 147 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,800 daily work and your physical existence 148 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,160 is somehow involved with a cattle and it 149 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:02,319 has a certain dignity. Cinema very often 150 00:08:02,319 --> 00:08:05,520 uh has to do with silly things. spanel 151 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:10,240 things. Um, it has to do with uh 152 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,199 undignified sort of stuff and you have 153 00:08:13,199 --> 00:08:15,520 to do it and you better step out once in 154 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,879 a while. And uh I do read. I do not see 155 00:08:18,879 --> 00:08:22,400 many films. I do read. You see I keep my 156 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:24,400 my curiosity 157 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:26,000 completely 158 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,039 awake all the time. And I think it is 159 00:08:29,039 --> 00:08:31,120 important for somebody who makes films 160 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:35,039 to get into wildly other diverging sort 161 00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:38,479 of subjects. I've been fascinated for a 162 00:08:38,479 --> 00:08:41,760 long time about the deciphering 163 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:45,680 of all things of deciphering of linear 164 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:47,200 Bcript 165 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:51,680 of Mikanian uh uh Greece meaning uh 166 00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:54,560 1,400 years before Christ there was a 167 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:57,200 script uh which couldn't be deciphered 168 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,080 for a long long time and an ingenious 169 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:04,000 combination of linguistics and um 170 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,640 deciphering methods that were used and 171 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:11,279 applied for um breaking encrypted texts 172 00:09:11,279 --> 00:09:13,600 made it possible to understand yes this 173 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:18,080 was a very early proto uh Greek dialect 174 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:21,360 and has nothing to do with films and it 175 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:23,839 has nothing to do with films that I that 176 00:09:23,839 --> 00:09:26,399 I'm completely fascinated with the 177 00:09:26,399 --> 00:09:28,880 distribution of prime numbers a 178 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,279 mathematical problem which is the 179 00:09:31,279 --> 00:09:32,800 biggest 180 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,760 uh most significant of all unsolved D 181 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:38,760 questions. 182 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:44,720 There are certain things out there that 183 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,360 I do not film. You see, there's such a 184 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:51,040 thing as real life. Pura vida, the real 185 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:55,120 essence of life. Uh, you will have a 186 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,600 child. Congratulations. It's a wonderful 187 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,000 moment. I've had three and I did not 188 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,560 film it. I would never go out and film 189 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:05,040 it. It's it's something that you better 190 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,240 keep to yourself and there's many things 191 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:12,160 where your personal life uh should not 192 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,440 be uh entangled into film making and 193 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:17,839 into covering everything. Tourists for 194 00:10:17,839 --> 00:10:19,680 example, you see them stepping on a 195 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:22,399 plane and everybody starts snapping 196 00:10:22,399 --> 00:10:25,519 photos of uh them sitting down in the 197 00:10:25,519 --> 00:10:27,440 plane and then they're out at the 198 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,560 coliseum or the forum in Rome and snap 199 00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:33,680 snap snap. I do it all the time. You do 200 00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:36,800 not experience a moment in in a in a 201 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,680 some such a deep personal way. If for 202 00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:42,480 example you have your smartphone and you 203 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,279 do your you do your little video clip on 204 00:10:45,279 --> 00:10:48,000 the on the smartphone, you somehow 205 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,279 delegate your memories to this here. So 206 00:10:51,279 --> 00:10:54,640 the very essential things in your life I 207 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,480 would advise experience them be there 208 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:00,959 enjoy the moment go through all the 209 00:11:00,959 --> 00:11:03,920 fears of 210 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,760 of childbirth. Of course it's it's a 211 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:09,440 radical 212 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:11,040 painful 213 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:13,600 essential moment in in a life and at the 214 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,000 end you will have a child and you will 215 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,800 hold it in your hand and and you should 216 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,440 not film it. You just better hold the 217 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:26,440 babe and enjoy the moment. 218 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,040 Fitz Caraldo 219 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:37,120 where I had to build two identical ship 220 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:42,399 twice a a um camp for many many people 221 00:11:42,399 --> 00:11:44,480 almost thousand 222 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,839 um where I had to build infrastructure. 223 00:11:47,839 --> 00:11:50,480 There was no shipwarf. We had to build 224 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,600 some sort of a provisional shipwarf. We 225 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:57,200 had to um shoot the film one and a half 226 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:00,399 times because I started filming with 227 00:12:00,399 --> 00:12:02,720 Jason Robarts and Mick Jagger of the 228 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,440 Rolling Stones. He was the sidekick of 229 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:07,600 Fitz Caraldo. 230 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:11,680 And uh after half way through shooting, 231 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:14,079 Robots fell ill and we had to fly him to 232 00:12:14,079 --> 00:12:16,800 the States. His doctors would not allow 233 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:20,079 him to return to the jungle. So you had 234 00:12:20,079 --> 00:12:22,240 to stop everything and start all over 235 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:23,360 again. 236 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,079 And that's terrifying. I mean, it's a 237 00:12:26,079 --> 00:12:28,959 film of this size and with these risks, 238 00:12:28,959 --> 00:12:31,600 terrifying. And you have to have the the 239 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:33,680 inner strength to do it. And you have to 240 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:37,279 have the flexibility and capacity to 241 00:12:37,279 --> 00:12:40,800 keep costs so low. And and not only I 242 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:42,800 mean all the adversities, we had two 243 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:46,959 plane crashes, small planes. Uh thanks 244 00:12:46,959 --> 00:12:49,040 God nobody got killed, but we had 245 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,560 severely critically injured people. And 246 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:56,079 um we had uh an incident where lumber 247 00:12:56,079 --> 00:13:00,399 men would cut uh trees in the forest uh 248 00:13:00,399 --> 00:13:02,800 cut a swath in the jungle where we would 249 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,279 move the ship and and they work the 250 00:13:05,279 --> 00:13:06,959 local people, the natives, they work 251 00:13:06,959 --> 00:13:09,680 barefoot and they have these chainsaws 252 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:12,160 and they create so much noise that 253 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:15,120 snakes flee for miles 254 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,160 into the distance and they snakes do not 255 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:20,320 like they exhaust fumes of these 256 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:23,839 chainsaws And yet one of them, the only 257 00:13:23,839 --> 00:13:27,600 one ever I have have witnessed, I wasn't 258 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:29,839 there personally, was bitten twice in 259 00:13:29,839 --> 00:13:34,160 his foot. And he sees it and the snake 260 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,440 disappears and it's a chuchup, the most 261 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,639 dangerous, most lethal of all snakes. 262 00:13:40,639 --> 00:13:44,720 Your heart will stop within minutes. Uh, 263 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:47,920 your breathing stops within 60 seconds. 264 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:53,200 So it goes very very fast. Yet our camp 265 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:57,040 with medicine with antidote against this 266 00:13:57,040 --> 00:13:59,440 venom was something like 20 minutes 267 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,560 away. So he just looked at it and he 268 00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:05,760 picked up his chainsaw that he had left 269 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:08,160 on had fallen to the ground. He was so 270 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:10,720 shocked. Picks it up and starts it. You 271 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,440 start it like an outboard engine in a of 272 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:16,880 a speedboat. You just pull the cord and 273 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,399 it starts and it cuts off his foot. And 274 00:14:20,399 --> 00:14:23,839 only because of that he survived. 275 00:14:23,839 --> 00:14:27,519 Only because of that. So what I'm trying 276 00:14:27,519 --> 00:14:29,760 to say there were 277 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:31,680 numerous 278 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,959 uh unforeseeable things 279 00:14:34,959 --> 00:14:38,320 uh cataclysmic events 280 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:40,800 and you cannot calculate them in a 281 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:44,480 budget. It's totally impossible. In 20th 282 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:47,440 century, Fox in a way was right that 283 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,800 they as a Hollywood studio did not 284 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:53,440 produce and finance the film. With a 285 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:57,480 film like that, you are alone. 286 00:15:01,199 --> 00:15:04,639 And here you can see the monster 287 00:15:04,639 --> 00:15:08,040 of a ship. 288 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,079 And again, adversity. Uh when we had it 289 00:15:12,079 --> 00:15:14,160 up on the hill, we had to release it 290 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:18,240 down and the um 291 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,880 dry season had started very early and it 292 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,240 was the driest in um 293 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:26,320 in living memory 294 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:27,040 is good for 295 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:30,240 and we couldn't put the uh ship into the 296 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:31,760 water because the water which was 297 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:34,800 normally 30 ft deep was only as shallow 298 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,600 as this like a foot. So I had another 299 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:41,680 five months of that ship sitting up on 300 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:44,560 the mountain with a family living on it 301 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:46,800 until we actually could bring it down on 302 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:49,519 the other side. And here you see how we 303 00:15:49,519 --> 00:15:53,680 carved into the into the terrain 304 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:57,440 because it was simply too steep. 305 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,320 in the next town where you could buy a 306 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,120 torch light battery would be thousand 307 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:07,120 kilometers away and you had hardly any 308 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,480 uh communication. It was some sort of 309 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:12,959 shortwave radio which sometimes 310 00:16:12,959 --> 00:16:14,480 functioned. 311 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:16,800 So, and I knew this was the central 312 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:18,639 metaphor. 313 00:16:18,639 --> 00:16:20,880 Everybody tried to talk me out of it and 314 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:24,079 I said if that doesn't happen I would be 315 00:16:24,079 --> 00:16:26,480 a man without dreams. I do not want to 316 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:29,880 live like that. 317 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:33,680 You have to be ready to run all the 318 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:36,320 risks. Of course, no insurance company 319 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,519 would cover it. No completion bond would 320 00:16:39,519 --> 00:16:42,560 cover it. No finances could guarantee 321 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,040 how much a film would cost. So, you 322 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:47,920 really have to know what you are doing. 323 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,519 Despite all the voices that you hear, 324 00:16:51,519 --> 00:16:54,000 this is impossible and nobody has done 325 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,120 it and you want to do it for a movie. 326 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:59,440 Yes, I wanted to do it for a movie and I 327 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,600 did it for a movie. 328 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,799 And you have to know, you have to know 329 00:17:04,799 --> 00:17:07,520 that you are the one who can move a ship 330 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:10,559 over a mountain. 1 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:11,120 I have a text I'd like to read for you 2 00:00:11,120 --> 00:00:15,519 and the text is from the late medieval 3 00:00:15,519 --> 00:00:19,119 mystic Thomas Ampis a very important 4 00:00:19,119 --> 00:00:22,400 figure in deep thinking a mystic and 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,119 it's in a film of mine 6 00:00:25,119 --> 00:00:27,840 it is only the pilgrims who in their 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,760 travails of their earthly voyage do not 8 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,480 lose their way. 9 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:36,559 Whether our planet be frozen or 10 00:00:36,559 --> 00:00:38,160 scorched, 11 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:41,600 they are guided by the same prayers 12 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:47,160 in suffering and fervor and woe. 13 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,799 You may have guessed meanwhile 14 00:01:06,799 --> 00:01:10,320 uh that it is not Thomas Ampis I I wrote 15 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:14,080 this text I did this in a way we have to 16 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,280 leave things incomplete uh lots of 17 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:19,840 things we haven't covered but uh it 18 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,400 would be adnauseium just to have me 19 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:27,439 there and trying to explain in my craft. 20 00:01:27,439 --> 00:01:29,439 Thank you and best of luck to all of 21 00:01:29,439 --> 00:01:32,439 you.