Ridley Scott has had to learn to be “patient” as a film director.
Ridley Scott has had to learn to be ‘patient’ as a film director
The 87-year-old moviemaker has helmed classics such as The Martian, Thelma and Louise and titles like House of Gucci in more recent years but admitted that it is sometimes “impossible to be kind” to those he is working with.
He told ScreenRant: “Be kind if you can. Sometimes it’s impossible, doing my job, where I’m facing a unit of 1,200 personnel [and] I want to kill 40 of them..
“But you can’t do that so you learn to be very patient, then you can quietly walk in the trailer, kick the door, and then come out smiling. You know what I mean? That’s what I learned. You only get the best out of people by not shouting at them.”
The award-winning director has seen major technological advances across his near-50 years in the industry, but insisted that turning to visual effects should not be used to “repair” a poor film.
He said: “I still get the opportunity. So I must be doing something right, but it is difficult. And not only that. It is very much a lean in the direction of visual effects. The idea of visual effects is a marvelous tool. [But] it’s a tool. It should not be a repair bill for a badly-made movie.
“That’s where your budget shoots up. When you haven’t got it right in camera. Visual effects are an enhancement, and should be [used] where you are saving money rather than spending money to repair a badly planned movie. And the problem is, the tendency of that is happening more often.
“The film I’m doing now [is] called The Dog Stars.
I’ll be finished in 38 days. Napoleon was 52 days. Gladiator II was 48 days. Normally that’d be a hundred days plus, but if you’re working [with] eight to 11 cameras, it’s eight to 11 cameras faster, providing you know where to put the goddamn machine. If you don’t, don’t try–you’ll get into deep s***.”