LL has a great trailer, so I
wanted to ask this: how much of a hand in creating trailers for their movies do
you think directors should have? Also, do you have any trailers that you love
or hate to the point where they may have even influenced your style or inspired
you to make a movie?
Interesting subject...it's my personal opinion that the filmmaker knows
better than anyone how to sell their own film, because they are basically the
first audience member. This is not roundly accepted as being true. In the case
of LL, i provided a series of references from the late 40s and early 50s to
indicate the vibe we were looking for. I was VERY happy with the result, which
was never tested...
I've heard a rumor/conspiracy
theory regarding you and Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer, the directors of a
large number of spoof comedies. Specifically, that the duo doesn't exist, and
that you've actually been secretly directing their films under their pseudonyms.
Is there any truth to this
theory? If not, care to weigh in anyway?
Wow. Hadn't heard that
one...no, not true. I'm too busy keeping Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard
focused on their work.
Hey Steven! I'm a huge fan.
Thanks for doing this!
·
I can't seem to find any information about
Rebecca Blunt, the credited screenwriter for Logan Lucky. Is that a pseudonym
for someone, a la Lem Dobbs? Or did you pluck the script from obscurity? What
drew you to it?
·
I found your "state
of cinema" talk fascinating. Since it's been four years since you gave
it, is there anything you'd revise or update about from the talk?
·
Filmmakers like Alejandro González Iñárritu are
turning their attention to virtual reality projects. Does that interest you at
all? Why or not? What would a Soderbergh VR film look like?
·
What's your favorite movie you saw this year?
Thanks again!
I met
Rebecca Blunt a long time ago through my wife. Apparently she pitched this idea
to Channing when all of us were bowling four years ago (I don't recall any of
that). She gave me the script to read in the fall of 2014 and asked if I would
help find a director for it. After two weeks, I told her that, like Dick
Cheney, I had called off the search and chosen myself. Then I gave it to
Chan...
I assume The Knick is dead -
but can you speak to any of the ideas that were kicking around if it was going
to move forward?
Or can you discuss anything
you'd have wanted to do personally if the show continued?
Season three of THE KNICK was set in 1947 and was going--at my absolute
insistence--to be shot in anamorphic black-and-white. It's POSSIBLE that may
have contributed to its demise...
Do you and your fellow
filmmakers ever discuss/lament the poor state of movie theater quality control,
i.e., tilted projection, 3D filter left on for 2D screening, weird audio mix,
dead speakers, the debacle with Interstellar's audio being presented wrong, and
many other issues I've experienced across multiple theater chains in my area?
Sadly, most moviegoers don't seem to notice or care about these things, and
therefore neither do most theater managers, so I secretly wish my favorite
filmmakers such as yourself would take up the cause.
I agree, there's nothing more
frustrating than a subpar theater presentation. The only solution is to
complain, which I do when I see something wrong. And by that I mean write to
the head of the theater chain.
Hi Steven! You're my absolute
favorite director of all time, and Schizopolis is one of my favorite movies of
all time. You mentioned a few years back that you were thinking of doing
something with Schizopolis for television, like you did with The Girlfriend
Experience. Is that still an idea? Will we be getting Son of Schizopolis in any
form?
I'm not sure the world is ready
for more Fletcher Munson or Elmo Oxygen, but your interest is duly noted...
I was wondering, as some
working in the industry but lacking the finances to self fund a project while
also having some logistical concerns regarding crowdfunding (Canada takes a
rather large chunk of any money you gain as income tax), do you have any suggestions
or advice on how someone can go about finding financing or funding for an
independent feature?
Get a script and an iPhone and
start shooting. Seriously.
Hey Steven,
You are known for directing the
Ocean's series, What are some heist movies that have influenced your own work?
THE HOT ROCK is probably my
favorite heist film. In fact, the deleted scene we posted was a riff on the
IT'S GOOD AND IT'S BAD monologue Redford delivers...
Steven! What are your favorite
movies from this year so far?
GET OUT is the movie of the
year so far (based on what I've seen, which isn't a helluva lot, to be fair)...
Thanks for The Knick. And a
very special thanks for releasing the shooting data. I wonder if you're so
detail-driven you'll read every comment here. Maybe you won't answer each of
them, because ultimately who gives a shit, but I think for some reason you'll
read all of these. Maybe a few nights from now. Maybe at the end of your days
(may they be long as long as they are interesting!) My only question is the one
I can't answer for myself: how do you find balance? You're historically
incredibly busy, but you must have other commitments. Is it as simple as hired
help? And when does it become empire-building?
There might be a couple of
things going on here...one is taking advantage of what every aspiring filmmaker
dreams of: People willing to say YES. The other is continuing to explore
whatever subject matter I'm interested in or genre I haven't gotten to yet, and
lastly, trying to refine my work process so I can be as efficient as humanly
possible. Oh, and history tells us I'm going to die at some point, so I'm
trying to jam a bunch of stuff in before the party is over...
Based on the trailers, Daniel
Craig's performance looks wonderfully weird. Can you tell us a little more
about the process of creating that character?
The character was played by
Daniel pretty much as written, obviously what he was most focused on was how
Joe Bang should SOUND. I've known Daniel a little while through the director
John Maybury, so I was able to reach him directly with the script and he said
yes immediately. Very lucky for me. Although I always say--cue eyeroll--YOU GET
WHO YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GET.
Hi Steven, I can't wait to see
Logan Lucky, the trailers released so far looks amazing. I am a big Sebastian
Stan fan, so I was wondering if you could share any thoughts or fun stories on
working with him (I know he probably has a small role in the movie, but I am
still extremely excited to see him in this). Really appreciate you doing this
AMA!
Sebastian was a total doll to
work with, I'm so glad he said yes to the movie. Not bad-looking, either, for
people who care about that stuff.
You're one of my all time
favorite filmmakers and inspirations simply because you don't stop working.
What motivates you to keep working when a project you spend a lot of time on
doesn't quite connect with audiences like you hoped it would?
Once something is finished I
put it in the rear view mirror, because I can't control how people are going to
respond. If you start making decisions based on how you THINK someone might
react, you've lost where north is. I make something I would pay to see, and
that's really my only compass. Now, if you make a BUNCH of things in a row that
no one likes OR goes to see (a la KAFKA thru GRAY'S ANATOMY), you may want to
consider a new career path (OUT OF SIGHT). It's a tricky balance...you need
confidence to keep going, but not so much ego that you stop listening or can't
identify the good ideas around you.
Hey Steven, big fan. Which of
the Ocean's Trilogy is your favorite? I loved Ocean's 12 the most among the
three.
I KNOW YOU'RE JUST SAYING THAT
BECAUSE YOU READ I LIKED IT! I will say this: visually and musically, I like it
the best of the three.
What do you miss from working
on a show like The Knick and what do you not miss?
I miss everything about working
on THE KNICK. I was terrified before we began because the schedule was so
aggressive, but we found a rhythm very quickly and even though both seasons
were shot in 73 days, the second season seemed to go REALLY fast. I think I
wasn't aware of how much psychic space was being taken up CREATING the universe
in season one, so in season two i was able to put that extra brain space to
work on thinking of different ways to lay out shots…
(I've been waiting well over a
decade to ask you this)
Hello, Steven. I have a couple
questions. How would you describe being the director of photography on Traffic
as well as operating the camera yourself? Would you describe it as a very
challenging task, or was it rather easy shooting the movie?
Becoming my own DP and operator
was something I'd been working toward for awhile. I shot most of my short films
and was trained in a dark room in high school, so I've always felt very connected
to the technical side of photography. The DPS I worked with prior to TRAFFIC
were all extremely generous with their experience as well, which helped me a
great deal. The benefits, for me, are speed and intimacy with the cast.
You recently resumed doing
audio commentaries for the Blu-Ray of Suture. Do you plan to do anymore?
Depends. I have to have some
connection, either to the film or the filmmaker(s). I wish more of them were as
combative as when Lem Hobbs and I did THE LIMEY...I remember the technicians
exchanging looks like SHOULD WE STOP THIS?
Hi Steven. My stepdad was an
extra in King of the Hill. He talks about it all the time -- it's his favorite
film. Here's my question: in a world of very formulaic Hollywood films, what
was it like breaking into the industry as an independent director?
Just to be clear, I was never
anti-Hollywood or anti-studio when I was growing up and starting to make
films and break into the business--a ton of my favorite films were made by
studios, particularly from the period of 1966-1976. BUT, since I was just a kid
living in a suburban subdivision in Baton Rouge with NO connections to the
entertainment industry, writing spec scripts and making short films seemed like
the only way in, so that's the route I took, hoping at some point I'd encounter
someone who would say WHADDAYA GOT, KID?
[–][deleted]
5 points 2 days ago
Steven, I am really looking
forward to this film. Logan Lucky's characters are from WV, and your 2005 film
Bubble was filmed in the Parkersburg/Belpre area. My friends and I greatly
appreciate your use of our region. But we wonder: what has drawn you to
Appalachia?
Also, I want to add that I
adore your tweets and your commentary with Mike Nichols on The Graduate. Thank
you
Boy, did we have a great time
shooting BUBBLE. Truly. It was strictly by chance LOGAN LUCKY is set in
WV...apparently Rebecca Blunt has family roots there
Hey Steven, what's your
favourite film of the last decade?
Lately I've been telling
everyone I know they need to watch THE LOVE WITCH. Wow.
You have a keen eye for talent
and have supported the careers of people like Lodge Kerrigan, Christopher
Nolan, and Shane Carruth. Did you personally seek them out after seeing their
early work? Any thoughts to reviving Section Eight for the next generation?
Also, you were a producer on
Carruth's A Topiary; do you think it has any chance of ever getting made? What
a great script.
I love Shane and I'm trying to
figure out a way for us to work together on something. I too would love to see
A TOPIARY get made...
What's so good about The
Sorcerer?
Here's the thing with SORCERER
and some other films like it (SECONDS, perhaps?: they're movies that ending
influencing filmmakers more than audiences. For instance, I'm sure Michael Mann
would acknowledge SORCERER as an influence. Or he SHOULD, anyway. I know I do.
Thank gawd Hilary Swank is
appearing in good movies again. How big is her role in Logan Lucky?
It's not HUGE, but it's
CRUCIAL. A very nice young lady, btw. Good sense of humor.
Have you ever thought about
making any films about mental health and the current state of
psychiatry/medication? Given you've discussed pandemics, health, it seems like
a topic you might be good at
Yeah, we tried to delve into
that with SIDE EFFECTS but it's a big enough subject I might have to return to
it. Stay tuned...
What attracted you to Rebecca
Blunt's screenplay for Logan Lucky as your first film out of retirement?
Two things: It was a variation
on/inversion of a kind of movie I've made (and like to watch), and some new
opportunities in distribution arose that enabled me to address some of the
problems I have with how wide release movies are handled by the studios. So it
was a way to test some ideas and have fun at the same time...
I love watching your re-edits.
Are there any particular films that you would like to re-edit yourself that you
haven't tried yet?
I've been thinking I need a new
project like that. It's tricky. Also, I'm in the midst (if you can call fifteen
years of work "midst") of a radical KAFKA overhaul, which I really
want to finish by the end of the year...
Hello, Steven.
I read that you filmed much of
Logan Lucky at Atlanta Motor Speedway along with Charlotte Motor Speedway. How
did you disguise AMS as Charlotte?
Lots of paint!
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