Yorgos Lanthimos on the "Love" and "Suffering" of Directing Movies
Making art has long been synonymous with suffering. And that doesn't get any easier when you're doing it on the biggest stage.
Making movies is hard, but the reason we keep coming back to it is that we love the process and sometimes we love the finished product. That stays the same at every level, and it also feels like a universal truth when it comes to directing.
A few years ago, Yorgos Lanthimos sat with the Hollywood Reporter to talk about his film The Favourite and his experience with directing. Check out the video below and let's talk after the jump!
I have always hated the myth that you have to suffer to create amazing art, but I have never been able to dispel that while on set, there is a certain amount of agonizing that goes into every shot. And when writing the script, another amount goes into building the story.
Watching a directors' roundtable like this, it's nice to know other people are feeling the same way. In the video, Lanthimos talks about how all ideas are borne from the love of telling the story. But you go back and forth from that love to the suffering of creating it at a rapid pace.
You love the idea, but writing it is harsh. You love the finished script, but shooting days are hard. You love the dailies, but then editing it together is nearly impossible. This is the suffering process for every director as they work on a new idea.
This kind of stress can wreak havoc on you, but the best course of action is just to keep your head down and accomplish these goals one by one. There is no fast track to success. Handle the problems as they come. Sure, you might wake up a year later with the answer you needed, but making your days is a start and then finding a way to cut together the film of your dreams is how you finish.
Who else has great advice for directors? Let us know how you manage love and suffering in the comments.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
