ONE TO ONE STARS OF TOMORROW
I got a lot of support from them. Making a film is like going to war — it can’t always be fun but it can’t always be a nightmare and I try to keep the atmos- phere on a set as light as possible. On [Marilyn], the level of impersonation of famous people on that set and the amount of attention that was going to be lavished on those performances con- centrated all our minds.
JS What advice would you have for a young director when it comes to working with, or trying to work with, top actors? SC Be enthusiastic and respectful and acknowledge their experience. You can learn from them and I think it’s a two- way street. So much about directing is relationships and knowing how to get on with people. I’ve worked with some of the dames, if you like, and some don’t want to be bothered and don’t want notes and others want a lot of notes. There was one famous actress I worked with and I asked her agent for advice before I set out to work with her and he said, ‘Don’t let her smell your fear.’ Which is a terrifying thing to be told! I think in a long career they work on so many sets they don’t want to be messed
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around, they like it to be an efficient set, they like it to be a happy set, they like to have time to do their work. Alec Guin- ness said to me, ‘I don’t mind what hap- pens, but I don’t want to be rushed into doing my scene at ten to seven’. Kenneth Branagh last year, he had very definite ideas of how the day should go and I would ignore that at my peril, especially from someone who is so experienced in every aspect of film-making. Of course you can’t please everyone all the time but it’s about taking things on board — it’s a long, complicated relationship that is always different, always surprising.
JS Are there any really common mistakes you see young film-makers make? SC I think the schedule is so important. And I would urge all young film-makers to form a good relationship with a very good first AD. Make sure your first AD isn’t new to the business as well! The making of the schedule is also the mak- ing or breaking of the film. Make sure it is realistic. Every schedule is going to be too tight, but is it realistic? You need a sense of the day, that you can afford those extra shots in the morning because you know you can do the scene in the afternoon in
‘There was one famous actress I worked with and I asked her agent for advice and he said, “Don’t let her
smell your fear”’ Simon Curtis, director
one shot. Having that takes the pressure off everyone else. So it comes back to that thing of creating an atmosphere where everyone can do their best work — from the actors, DP, sound, make-up. Every- one wants to feel respected and as if they are doing their best for you and the schedule is an important part of that — it gives you the space to hear people’s needs with confidence that you can help. I look back with horror at some of the early schedules I did and some of the ter- rible mistakes I made.
JS If you were coming straight out of film school, what would you be doing now? SC Try to open as many doors as possi- ble, because you don’t know which ones are going to remain open and which are going to be slammed in your face. As a director I look at theatre, I keep an eye out on TV, and film of course. A career is a long thing, hopefully, so be as open to as many possibilities — you will have a question of whether you should do TV work or hold out for film and the project will make that decision for you. If you fall in love with a TV script, there’s no reason not to do it. I would encourage you to go with your gut. n
s June-July 2012 Screen International 43 n
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