By Zack Sharf (IndieWire) & Richard Trenholm (CNET)
Translator: csh
The translation was first published in "Iris"
Steven Soderbergh and Christopher Nolan have been friends for nearly two decades. So there's no psychological barrier when they laugh at their respective film preferences. Soderbergh attended the 2019 Slendance Film Festival, where he had the world premiere of his new film "High Flying Bird" and was awarded the "Founder of the Slendance Film Festival". Awards," a film that explores the NBA's business system, will be released on Netflix on February 8. But at the premiere of "High Flying Bird", it was Nolan who stole the show.
(Translator's Note: The Slandance Film Festival was originally held in 1995 and has a history of more than 20 years. The main goal of the film festival is to cultivate up-and-coming independent artists, and has made certain contributions to American independent films over the years. The famous directors, the Russo brothers, screened a short film at the Slandans Film Festival in 1997, and last year they also won the festival's "Founder Award", which is used to recognize the contribution to independent filmmaking. Outstanding contributors.)
Soderbergh participated in a special Q&A session ahead of the screening of "High Flying Bird." Directors handed pre-written questions to the showroom, and Soderbergh answered them. Nolan's question kindly mocked Soderbergh's love of digital images. He asked Soderbergh, "When will I leave that 'dark zone' and return to the embrace of film photography?" Soderbergh responded quickly, and countered Nolan's army: "Wait until K. Reese starts writing the script in pencil."
Nolan, a longtime fan of film photography, has always been against digital cinema. But Soderbergh embraces the age of digital images with enthusiasm. Both this "High Flying Bird" and Soderbergh's last directorial work, the psychological thriller "Crazy Mind," were shot using the iPhone's camera. Soderbergh's love of digital images allowed him to shoot and edit at the same time—something that Nolan could have done when he was on film.
Although "Avengers" directors Anthony and Joe Russell weren't there, they sent in their own questions about exactly how Soderbergh used the iPhone to shoot the film.
Soderbergh said that "High Flying Bird" was shot with an iPhone 8, and he was equipped with a "Moon Dog" anamorphic lens and a DJI Osmo stabilizer. At the same time, he shoots 4K video through the app "Filmic". Soderbergh didn't do much processing after shooting the footage, but used the plug-ins he had used in "Insanity" to create an old-fashioned look.
But Soderbergh doesn't sanctify film or traditional technology.
“If we had shot High Bird the traditional way, it would have taken us longer. And I can’t guarantee it will be better,” he told the Slendance audience, “but I can A lot of arguments are made to justify that it makes it worse.”
"If only the technology we used to make this film had been invented when I was fifteen years old," Soderbergh said, reflecting his excitement about using new technology because it could help He solves the problem better, "At that point, you've got to save some money, rent some equipment, get some film, and shoot the image on film. It's going to take you weeks to get your shot. .Maybe some look good, some don't shoot well. And I prefer a situation where I shoot some sequences during the day, take them home that night, and immediately determine if they shoot well or not. . If it doesn't go well, I can call my producer and tell him, 'Okay, I'll have to see this and that on set tomorrow so I can reshoot it.' "
Soderbergh's favorite thing about shooting on the iPhone is that he can work extremely fast, quickly putting his ideas into practice, since the "camera" is so light.
"If you're going to stick a camera to the wall, that's a luxury," he says. "If you want a lens that sticks to the wall, you don't necessarily have to punch a hole in the wall and stick the camera. Put it in the back. This (iPhone) is a fantastic tool.”
While the two directors like to debate each other in the film versus digital battle, they are indeed fans of each other's work. Their friendship began in 2000 when Soderbergh fell in love with Nolan's blockbuster directorial, Memento. In a recent Deadline Hollywood interview, Soderbergh can still recall how much he loved Memento that he ended up being the man who brought Nolan to the world of Hollywood movies. key person.
"When Nolan started working on Insomnia, I heard from my agent Dan Aloni. He said he couldn't arrange a meeting with Warner Bros. He said they weren't going to see him, and Won't talk to him. I said, it's ridiculous," Soderbergh said. "I called the guy who decided not to see Nolan and told him you have to sit down with this guy. Talk. Whether it's about this project or something else, you have to meet this guy. You have to have a chat with him. And Nolan got a chance to meet him, and they had a great conversation. Then he So I went and made that 'Insomnia' and started his collaboration with Warner Bros. So, I just did one thing, which was to bring him into that room."
"Insomnia" became the beginning of it all, and Nolan has since started working with Warner Bros., shooting a series of acclaimed, critically acclaimed and incredibly successful films, including the Batman movies, "Inception" , Interstellar and Dunkirk. Warner Bros. recently issued a statement that they would support Nolan's next feature film, which will be released on July 17, 2020.
"It's no brainer," Soderbergh said, referring to himself urging Warner Bros. to consider Nolan's past, "this guy is an incredible genius, how could you not want to meet him What? That's how I felt when I watched Memento."
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