Full Transcript for Before the Awards-Director-Writer Darren Aronofsky

battle sequences, and it's got some huge 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:43.939 visual effects. So it was a very different type 00:01:43.939 --> 00:01:45.620 of movie. There was no way to go independent 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:48.620 with it. I am an independent filmmaker, and I'd 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:51.379 like to do stuff for no budget. But I think it's 00:01:51.379 --> 00:01:55.340 nice to continue to do stuff that expands. So 00:01:55.340 --> 00:01:57.239 I mean, how does that work out? Did you pursue 00:01:57.239 --> 00:01:59.040 Warners, or were you just like, I'm ready to 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:01.180 move on to a big budget film? Warners was interested 00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:03.340 in working with me, and I showed them the idea, 00:02:03.379 --> 00:02:05.219 and they were very supportive, and they basically 00:02:05.219 --> 00:02:07.680 nurtured me all the way here. OK, now on that 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:09.439 same note, we have a question from Rick at Campbell 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:11.300 University. It's an email question. Rick wants 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:13.039 to know, with your new film, The Fountain, do 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:15.379 you hope for a larger viewing audience? To me, 00:02:15.539 --> 00:02:17.919 great movies do make a ton of money, but unfortunately, 00:02:18.099 --> 00:02:20.080 the box office is so important nowadays. Do you 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:22.289 even care about that? Well, you know. You have 00:02:22.289 --> 00:02:24.509 to care about it somewhat. And I'm hoping that 00:02:24.509 --> 00:02:27.849 everyone out there goes and sees the film. Opening 00:02:27.849 --> 00:02:29.569 weekend would be great, which is Thanksgiving, 00:02:29.710 --> 00:02:34.930 November 22. But I think it does matter somewhat. 00:02:34.969 --> 00:02:36.629 But you can't really let it get to you. You've 00:02:36.629 --> 00:02:38.150 got to make the film you want to make. And you 00:02:38.150 --> 00:02:40.569 hope that it connects with people. And you look 00:02:40.569 --> 00:02:42.689 at a film like Requiem for a Dream, my first 00:02:42.689 --> 00:02:44.889 film, it made $3 million at the box office. It 00:02:44.889 --> 00:02:47.610 didn't make anything. But a lot of people have 00:02:47.610 --> 00:02:50.349 seen it at this point. So hopefully. A lot of 00:02:50.349 --> 00:02:51.930 people will go see The Fountain in the theater, 00:02:52.250 --> 00:02:54.610 and we'll also see it on DVD afterwards. So download 00:02:54.610 --> 00:02:56.629 it. But you bring up Requiem. And while it may 00:02:56.629 --> 00:02:58.610 not have made a ton of money, it's still critically 00:02:58.610 --> 00:03:01.129 praised. And it's a movie that most people you 00:03:01.129 --> 00:03:03.669 talk to, everybody loves it. They enjoy it. Is 00:03:03.669 --> 00:03:04.969 it something that you're hoping with The Fountain 00:03:04.969 --> 00:03:08.169 you can kind of bridge that gap between arty 00:03:08.169 --> 00:03:11.430 house, films, and big budget? Absolutely. I think 00:03:11.430 --> 00:03:13.590 the bottom, the thing you want to do most as 00:03:13.590 --> 00:03:15.490 a filmmaker is you want to entertain people and 00:03:15.490 --> 00:03:18.360 make something that's exciting to watch. I know 00:03:18.360 --> 00:03:20.680 the Fountain is unlike anything you've seen. 00:03:20.860 --> 00:03:24.479 And so it is an enjoyable experience. But then 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:26.259 beyond that, you'd sort of want to do something 00:03:26.259 --> 00:03:27.719 a little bit special, a little bit different. 00:03:27.939 --> 00:03:30.099 And I think there's a lot of really cool ideas 00:03:30.099 --> 00:03:31.979 in the Fountain that me and my friends used to 00:03:31.979 --> 00:03:33.639 talk about in college. We used to sit around 00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:37.539 on the couch and talk about the meaning of life. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:39.219 Why are we here? What does it mean to live forever? 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:42.789 What happens when you die? That's the stuff the 00:03:42.789 --> 00:03:44.469 fountain's about. Yeah, and now this film is 00:03:44.469 --> 00:03:46.050 your project, like you were saying. Like, it's 00:03:46.050 --> 00:03:48.469 stuff that you guys talked about. You wrote it, 00:03:48.469 --> 00:03:51.310 and you directed it. So as far as in terms of 00:03:51.310 --> 00:03:53.990 producing it, when you're writing the film, are 00:03:53.990 --> 00:03:56.569 you writing everything out, and then when you're 00:03:56.569 --> 00:03:57.770 finished, you're finished, and then you start 00:03:57.770 --> 00:03:59.610 production? Or are you kind of drawing an outline, 00:03:59.669 --> 00:04:01.090 and then you're like, hey, let's start filming 00:04:01.090 --> 00:04:03.189 this? Well, it's a lot. No, no, you got to have 00:04:03.189 --> 00:04:05.090 a really big game plan. I mean, everything in 00:04:05.090 --> 00:04:07.150 this film was figured out. I mean, I always preach 00:04:07.150 --> 00:04:09.199 that homework is really important. And I think 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:11.780 it's especially so in filmmaking. I mean, beyond 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:14.199 having the script ready, every single shot was 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:17.560 figured out. And things change, and things grow, 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:21.019 and you have to let them move that way. But you 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:22.399 try to be as prepared as you can. IAN NI -LEWIS 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:23.779 Now, how about being prepared and doing your 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:25.759 homework in terms of the research? Because there's 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:27.459 a lot of science in this film, and it's something 00:04:27.459 --> 00:04:28.480 that has to be done. IAN NI -LEWIS All the research 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:31.060 in the film is really true. In the same way, 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:33.160 Pi, we had researched the hell out of all that 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:36.100 stuff, and it was all very true. I mean, Requiem 00:04:36.100 -->

00:04:38.899 was great because we got to research Mayan. philosophy 00:04:38.899 --> 00:04:41.480 and Mayan spirituality and Mayan history and 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:44.139 conquistadors and the history of Spain. And then 00:04:44.139 --> 00:04:47.379 in present day, we got to talk about neuroscience 00:04:47.379 --> 00:04:51.439 and made a great romance and a great love story. 00:04:51.579 --> 00:04:54.139 And then in the future, we researched all different 00:04:54.139 --> 00:04:57.839 types of celestial questions and space travel 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.500 and stuff like that. So there's a lot of stuff 00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:02.959 in the film. Now as far as you're writing this 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:04.959 and you're researching it, are you setting aside? 00:05:05.209 --> 00:05:06.970 We're going to take two months, and we're going 00:05:06.970 --> 00:05:08.569 to go to the Library of Congress. We're going 00:05:08.569 --> 00:05:09.910 to look all this stuff on. I mean, how are you 00:05:09.910 --> 00:05:11.629 physically doing that? I don't know if you actually 00:05:11.629 --> 00:05:13.569 put a limit on the amount of time you do research, 00:05:13.629 --> 00:05:15.730 but you basically do as much research as you 00:05:15.730 --> 00:05:18.110 can so that your brain is filled with all that 00:05:18.110 --> 00:05:19.870 stuff so that when you finally do sit down to 00:05:19.870 --> 00:05:21.689 write, it just sort of comes together and starts 00:05:21.689 --> 00:05:23.509 to work itself out. Now, how about when you're 00:05:23.509 --> 00:05:25.910 writing? Are you having visual images that you 00:05:25.910 --> 00:05:28.069 want to see as a director in mind? I think less 00:05:28.069 --> 00:05:30.610 so. I mean, at a certain point, you take off 00:05:30.610 --> 00:05:32.350 the writer's cap, you stick on the director's 00:05:32.350 --> 00:05:34.009 cap, and you start to visualize the writing. 00:05:34.740 --> 00:05:37.660 But of course, while writing, certain images 00:05:37.660 --> 00:05:40.319 will come. And some of the best visual sequences 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:44.279 of the film, like when the conquistador, well, 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:45.519 I don't want to give it away. But when certain 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:48.199 things happen, things, they stick with you, and 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:49.639 you just stay with it. WOLFF DOBSON Now, are 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:51.300 you filming it in sections, like today we're 00:05:51.300 --> 00:05:52.279 going to film the 16th century? IAN NI -LEWIS 00:05:52.279 --> 00:05:54.439 Absolutely, yeah. We filmed the present day first, 00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:56.779 and then we went back in time to the 16th century, 00:05:56.779 --> 00:05:58.819 and then we went into the future. WOLFF DOBSON 00:05:58.850 --> 00:06:02.009 OK. I want to talk about your career in directing. 00:06:02.069 --> 00:06:04.209 And we have an email question from Paul, who 00:06:04.139 --> 00:06:06.399 Really wants to know Paul from

what school? Paul 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:08.439 from Campbell University. Thank you for pointing 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:10.480 that out. What one thing in your life do you 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:13.589 feel pushed you towards directing? I don't know. 00:06:14.490 --> 00:06:16.730 It was kind of luck in a certain way. I was in 00:06:16.730 --> 00:06:19.329 college, and I didn't know what I wanted to do. 00:06:19.329 --> 00:06:21.769 I was studying liberal arts and just taking a 00:06:21.769 --> 00:06:23.829 bunch of classes. And the pressure starts to 00:06:23.829 --> 00:06:25.230 build up. What am I going to do? What am I going 00:06:25.230 --> 00:06:28.810 to do? And I really didn't know what to do. And 00:06:28.810 --> 00:06:31.850 I had a roommate that was studying animation. 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:34.060 And the thing is, I would end the year with a 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:35.939 bunch of papers with B minuses on it. And he 00:06:35.939 --> 00:06:37.439 would end the year with a film. And I was like, 00:06:37.459 --> 00:06:40.779 hmm, something's wrong here. So I decided to 00:06:40.779 --> 00:06:42.879 take some drawing classes. And I really liked 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:47.300 it. And then after a year of drawing, I was interested 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:49.500 in filmmaking. And I was also interested in sculpture. 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:51.980 And I applied to the beginning classes in sculpture 00:06:51.980 --> 00:06:53.600 and the beginning classes in filmmaking. And 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:55.139 I didn't get into the sculpture class. I got 00:06:55.139 --> 00:06:57.339 into the filmmaking class. And it was kind of 00:06:57.339 --> 00:07:00.819 the first. It was the first thing that kept me 00:07:00.819 --> 00:07:03.000 out of my girlfriend's room. I'd stay up all 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:05.800 night working and editing and cutting and crawling 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:08.699 to bed late at night. And that just sort of clicked 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:10.439 for me. That's great stuff. We're going to talk 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:11.759 more about that, but we're going to take a quick 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:13.660 break. We'll be back with more from Darren Aronofsky 00:07:13.660 --> 00:07:24.300 and The Fountain. Thank you. Welcome back to 00:07:24.300 --> 00:07:26.360 Think Talk. We are sitting with Darren Aronofsky, 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:28.139 director and writer of the new film, The Fountain. 00:07:28.339 --> 00:07:30.139 Darren, welcome back. Thank you. Before we went 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:31.899 to break, we were talking about how you first 00:07:31.899 --> 00:07:34.920 got into directing. You said you finally got 00:07:34.920 --> 00:07:37.540 accepted to this program, and you went with that. 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:40.970 What was the next step from there? Well, I just 00:07:40.970 --> 00:07:43.490 made a bunch of short films, and I just really 00:07:43.490 --> 00:07:49.829 liked it. And then my senior year, I made a short 00:07:49.829 -->

00:07:52.089 film. It was called Supermarket Sweep. It starred 00:07:52.089 --> 00:07:54.829 Sean Gillette, who ended up. starring in Pi years 00:07:54.829 --> 00:07:58.490 later. And then I started promoting it. And it 00:07:58.490 --> 00:08:00.930 was kind of before all the independent film world 00:08:00.930 --> 00:08:04.550 was taken. We're talking 1991. So some of the 00:08:04.550 --> 00:08:07.269 people watching this were probably just crawling 00:08:07.269 --> 00:08:13.490 and starting to talk. But we started promoting 00:08:13.490 --> 00:08:17.790 it. And then I basically went to another graduate 00:08:17.790 --> 00:08:19.449 school. I went to the American Film Institute, 00:08:19.769 --> 00:08:22.620 studied some more filmmaking. And then I struggled 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:24.819 for a lot of years just trying to put together 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:26.879 an independent film until I finally got Pi together 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:29.839 for $60 ,000. Now, Pi, you wrote and directed. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:32.179 And just like all of your films, that's how you've 00:08:32.179 --> 00:08:33.700 done it. When you were first starting out, did 00:08:33.700 --> 00:08:34.919 you feel that was the only way you were going 00:08:34.919 --> 00:08:36.659 to get a film made if you had total control? 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:39.019 I don't know. Yeah, it wasn't that. It was more 00:08:39.019 --> 00:08:41.019 the only way I understood how to direct something 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:43.419 was actually really understanding it as a writer 00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:46.720 does. So I think I got to get into the words 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:50.450 and get into the language to understand. What's 00:08:50.450 --> 00:08:52.149 going on? Now, is that something that you think 00:08:52.149 --> 00:08:53.629 with future projects you're going to have to 00:08:53.629 --> 00:08:56.149 be involved in? It would be nice not to be, but 00:08:56.149 --> 00:08:59.809 I just don't know how else to do it. I haven't 00:08:59.809 --> 00:09:02.850 done it yet where I haven't written it. You think 00:09:02.850 --> 00:09:04.429 it would be about coming across a script that 00:09:04.429 --> 00:09:05.870 you read in there? Yeah, exactly. I mean, it 00:09:05.870 --> 00:09:08.470 happened with Selby's book. I didn't write that, 00:09:08.470 --> 00:09:11.929 and that just touched me in a place that was 00:09:12.090 --> 00:09:14.629 very disturbing and got me going. Now, as far 00:09:14.629 --> 00:09:16.110 as that, you worked with Hubert Selby Jr. on 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:18.409 Requiem for a Dream to take that from his book 00:09:18.409 --> 00:09:22.129 into his screenplay. Was there issues between 00:09:22.129 --> 00:09:23.649 you guys, things that you wanted in there that 00:09:23.649 --> 00:09:24.970 he didn't or vice versa? No, really. I mean, 00:09:24.970 --> 00:09:27.389 he was incredibly generous. And we actually wrote 00:09:27.389 --> 00:09:31.230 it separately. He wrote it in the 1970s. He wrote 00:09:31.230 --> 00:09:33.950 a version of it. He was broke, and some producer 00:09:33.950 --> 00:09:35.970 gave him some money. And then when I started 00:09:35.970 --> 00:09:38.049 writing it, that script was actually lost. And 00:09:38.049 --> 00:09:39.710 I sort of went off by myself and started writing 00:09:39.710 --> 00:09:43.350 it. When I got about 70 % done, He found it and 00:09:43.350 --> 00:09:46.470 said, hey, Darren, I found the script. And he 00:09:46.470 --> 00:09:48.210 sent it to me. And it turned out that we actually 00:09:48.210 --> 00:09:51.970 had written almost chosen nearly identical scenes. 00:09:52.509 --> 00:09:54.570 And so that was encouraging. And then I kind 00:09:54.570 --> 00:09:57.960 of fused them and finished it. had him write 00:09:57.960 --> 00:10:01.019 a few new scenes, and then that was it. As far 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:03.659 as technical aspects of the film, I mean, you 00:10:03.659 --> 00:10:05.440 have cinematographers, but are you working with 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:07.139 them? Or when you're writing, are you writing 00:10:07.139 --> 00:10:09.100 camera angles, anything like that? Oh, yeah. 00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:10.960 I mean, I'll shot list everything myself. I'll 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:13.820 sit there with the script and go through every 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:15.320 single scene and figure out where the cameras 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:17.879 go. And then I give it to the DP, and he gives 00:10:17.879 --> 00:10:20.720 me his notes on it. And we break it down together. 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:23.980 But basically, I just do a lot of work. It's 00:10:23.980 --> 00:10:26.669 a lot of pain to get. You know, to make a film 00:10:26.669 --> 00:10:33.549 and to make it work, it's a lot of work. OK, 00:10:33.549 --> 00:10:35.389 I'm going to throw some quick questions at you 00:10:35.389 --> 00:10:36.809 here. First of all, what is the quickest way 00:10:36.809 --> 00:10:40.769 to motivate an actor? With a slap? No, I'm just 00:10:40.769 --> 00:10:43.450 kidding. The quickest way to motivate an actor? 00:10:45.169 --> 00:10:50.070 I don't know. The thing is, OK, when you're working 00:10:50.070 --> 00:10:53.610 with Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, you don't 00:10:53.610 --> 00:10:55.330 really need to motivate them. That's what they 00:10:55.330 --> 00:10:58.889 do. But I guess with younger actors, I think, 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:01.940 You just got to remind them why you're doing 00:11:01.940 --> 00:11:04.500 it. And if you're passionate, they're going to 00:11:04.500 --> 00:11:06.720 be motivated. So the quickest way is to get actors 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:08.519 who don't need to be motivated in the first place, 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:13.340 right? No, and also to make projects that you're 00:11:13.340 --> 00:11:16.159 passionate in. And if you're passionate, they'll 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:17.860 be motivated. OK, what is the worst thing about 00:11:17.860 --> 00:11:23.299 your job? The

worst part about the job is probably 00:11:23.299 --> 00:11:26.629 too much traveling. Too much traveling? Yeah. 00:11:28.389 --> 00:11:32.029 It's hard. I used to love it as a kid, but I 00:11:32.029 --> 00:11:34.250 can't stand airports and planes anymore. OK, 00:11:34.309 --> 00:11:37.940 favorite movie? My favorite movie is probably 00:11:37.940 --> 00:11:41.139 Rudy. Rudy, really? Yeah. Interesting. That is 00:11:41.139 --> 00:11:42.720 one of my favorite movies too, but it gets bashed 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:44.659 by a lot of sports people. Why do they bash at 00:11:44.659 --> 00:11:47.440 sports people? Oh, because there isn't enough 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:49.919 sports action in it. It's just a story about 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:51.860 the person. But it makes me cry every time. It 00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:53.340 does. I get a little stuffy too. I'm not going 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:55.860 to lie. Now, back to your career, The Fountain. 00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:58.340 All of your films so far have kind of had this 00:11:58.340 --> 00:12:00.620 science edge. Do you see yourself branching into 00:12:00.620 --> 00:12:02.100 other genres? Are there other things that you 00:12:02.100 --> 00:12:07.919 want to do? Absolutely. I'm open to doing anything. 00:12:08.179 --> 00:12:11.980 And it just happens that they've been like this. 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.159 And I think it'll change. Now, how about critics? 00:12:14.220 --> 00:12:17.440 How much do you let critics influence your future 00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:18.820 work or stuff that you've already worked on? 00:12:19.139 --> 00:12:22.039 My mentor, Stuart Rosenberg, used to tell me 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:28.710 that the And the point is that if you get a good 00:12:28.710 --> 00:12:30.309 review and you read it, it just messes with your 00:12:30.309 --> 00:12:32.570 head even more. OK, I want to get some advice 00:12:32.570 --> 00:12:35.809 for you. I'm sorry, from you, for the students 00:12:35.809 --> 00:12:37.509 that are watching. For someone who's just starting 00:12:37.509 --> 00:12:38.929 out in college, what is the best piece of advice 00:12:38.929 --> 00:12:43.509 you can give them? In filmmaking or just in college? 00:12:43.809 --> 00:12:48.909 In college, I'd say enjoy yourself. Don't enjoy 00:12:48.909 --> 00:12:51.190 yourself too much, but definitely enjoy yourself 00:12:51.190 --> 00:12:54.889 and take the classes. Take interesting classes, 00:12:54.929 --> 00:12:57.970 because it's those weird little strange classes 00:12:57.970 --> 00:13:00.690 that you didn't expect that stuff sticks with 00:13:00.690 --> 00:13:04.789 you. Where I went to school, they made you take 00:13:04.789 --> 00:13:07.269 some classes. I remember things like poets, poetry, 00:13:07.370 --> 00:13:10.029 and poems. It was not my choice of something 00:13:10.029 --> 00:13:13.029 to take, but things that it rounded me out a 00:13:13.029 --> 00:13:15.169 lot, because I now actually remember some things 00:13:15.169 --> 00:13:18.470 about that. It gave me an appetite for poetry. 00:13:19.870 --> 00:13:22.570 And then I wasn't much of a science guy, and 00:13:22.570 --> 00:13:25.830 I took a class on geology, and the knowledge 00:13:25.830 --> 00:13:28.889 from that just helped me a lot. So just take 00:13:28.889 --> 00:13:30.769 cool classes is what I think, and have a good 00:13:30.769 --> 00:13:32.649 time. That's excellent advice. Thank you so much 00:13:32.649 --> 00:13:35.070 for being with us today. We are all finished, 00:13:35.169 --> 00:13:36.350 but I wish we had more time.