Baz, I read that you were not setting out to make a biopic. Tell us a bit about that approach and how that informed the film we saw today?
I love a good biopic as much as anyone, but they tend to be formulaic… someone is born, then this happens, then that happens
How did this film develop?
Barry had written an article for the Boston Phoenix about his experience testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. It’s just so funny and well written… it reminded me of a Frank Capra story.
The way you build tension throughout the film is incredible. How did you approach that?
n a very organic way, it’s a girl against time. Suspense comes naturally from that premise, by using the DNA of the true story.
The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of A Hero. What was your writing process like, as this idea has been with you for a while? Asghar Farhadi: When I was developing the concept of this idea in my head as a student, I was never thinking about […]
Can you talk about the evolution of Caesar’s character from Rise of the Planet of the Apes to this film?
The approach to the role for me has always been to think of Caesar as having a human mind within an ape’s body.
The film has gorgeous cinematography and a beautiful score rooted in classical music. Can you talk about conceiving the look and sound of the film?
Barry Jenkins: When you grow up in a certain kind of place, you contextualize it. So to me, Miami is this very beautiful place.
I’d love to hear how you developed the script.
Andrea Pallaoro: Well, it’s a film that I had envisioned as part of a much larger exploration on the traumas and the dynamics of what it means to feel abandoned and the consequences of that.
The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of She Dies Tomorrow. Can you talk about the origin of this project? Amy Seimetz: I was dealing with a lot of anxiety and I realized that to alleviate the anxiety I was talking to my friends – namely Kate Lyn […]
Can you each talk about your first impression of the painting that inspired this film?
Mbatha-Raw: I first saw a postcard reproduction of it that I bought in a gift shop.
What was your initial reaction to the script?
Elijah Wood: I came into the script about five years ago, at a film festival in Austin, Texas, called Fantastic Fest.
When was it clear that there was enough here to make a compelling feature?
Amanda McBaine: I love the word clarity; it’s not something you really have until you premiere your film and you hope people respond.
When Alfonso brought you the project what was your initial reaction?
David Heyman: It’s a privilege working with Alfonso. You know you’re going to be part of something that is extraordinary.
What inspired you to tell a story in this specific genre, which is perhaps best described as a “sci-fi rom-com,” whatever that means!
Eleanor Wilson: That’s actually what the log-line for the film has always said! We started with the premise of, “wouldn’t it be funny if a couple went upstate to be off the grid for a week, and then aliens attacked?”
Was the El Capitan free solo climb always the thing, or were you interested in Alex more generally?
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi: We were interested in Alex and interested in his process and interested in who he is as a human.
What was involved in the production of making such a visually and sonically rich film?
At the Tour de France we had a full ten cameras, and we were able to put a camera inside the car, sometimes two, and then at every stop along the way we had three cameras in every car.