Directors Statement

I think one of the main factors behind my vision for this film is the cheese behind the special effects.  I don’t think you necessarily need to have the highest budget to get quality special effects.  I think there’s an art to cheesy practical effects that as a filmmaker I have come to respect.  I find that the best of these films/shows with these kinds of cheesy effects comes down to two factors.  One is the acting/actors.  For example, when you watch an episode of Star Trek and the crew are all sitting in their positions pushing random buttons on their console in front of them you never really find yourself questioning it.  You simply just accept that whatever button Scotty presses beams the rest of the crew down to the planet below.  It’s all in their commitment to the world they’re living in. The other factor is of course the world itself.  It takes someone with a clear vision to bring a world like this together.  Everything should fit, costumes, set design even the music should fit and not just be a copyright free song.  For another example, a movie that does this really well is The Fifth Element (1997) directed by Luc Besson.  Much like Star Trek the actors really feel like they live in that world.  However, they really have that world to play in.  It all seems so real despite the cheesy costumes and special effects.  It all makes sense and all fits together based on everything else we experience in the film.  Even the music feels like it's ripped straight out of a futuristic Manhattan.  I would like to be able to use the practical effects and set dressing to elevate the actors performance.  That said,  I do understand that my role as director is primarily to work with the actors to get the best performance out of them. Similarly to my statement about being connected to the script I won’t be married to my sole vision of the set design and will remain open minded during meetings with the department heads. I’ve previously taken two directing classes, one of which being an advanced upper level class and will assuredly put my skills I learned those classes to good use.  I would also like to use my background knowledge in improvisation to better establish a “yes and” mentality in my actors minds, allowing them to be more open to the world if needed.  Don’t worry they’ll still stick to the scripts during shoots, so there’s no awkward on screen improv.