While on the hunt for some cultural podcasts to explore, I stumbled on this conversation posted to Variety earlier this month, in which directors Emerald Fennell (A Promising Young Woman) and Olivia Wilde (Booksmart) praise each other's work and compare notes on directing. I found it so fascinating to hear their experiences of being in the director's chair and doing it their way.
While my own directing has been limited to shorts and no-budget work, I had a spark of recognition in hearing them say how unhelpful the paradigm of the tortured tyrant as director is. Why not be more egalitarian? Listen to suggestions? Keep the actors in the loop of the shoot? It all makes a lot of sense. They also have their own quirks and interest in details which is what makes work personal. As Wilde says at the end, "Be weird, be bold, make it yours."
No comments:
Post a Comment