Transcript of Every Jon Favreau Movie, Explained by Jon Favreau | Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair
0:00I come from a background of0:00improvisation and there's a whole yes0:02and aesthetic of you have to discover it0:04together and you have to support the0:05creative choices and heighten the0:07creative choices that your partners are0:08doing. As a director, you you have a0:10very light touch and you let things0:11unfold and you really just put the0:13ingredients together and the thing0:14glides and lands hopefully on the0:16bullseye.0:22[music] Hi, I'm John Favro. I've now0:24directed 10 films and here are some0:25thoughts on each and every one of them.0:29Made. Made was uh filmed kind of on the0:32heels of Swingers. Swingers was a film,0:34the first thing that I wrote. And it was0:36a film that put Vince Vaughn and myself0:38on the map.0:39>> You know what? You probably could have0:40hit that if you didn't have to take a0:41song.0:41>> Definitely not like that. Give me that0:44 Mike. I think she liked you.0:46>> I know she really knew.0:47>> Shut up. Okay. I know she liked me. I0:49just didn't want to do anything tonight.0:50>> I had met Vince on Rudy. We were both0:53actors. And then I wrote uh uh the0:56script for for swingers for both of us.0:59But especially inspired by his persona,1:01his creativity, his his comedic rhythms1:04immediately after even the dailies from1:06swingers came out. His talent was1:07recognized by a lot of people and people1:10were very uh excited by what he could1:12do. And then he went on to have you know1:14fantastic career both in comedy and and1:16in drama. Uh it was directed by Doug1:17Lyman but it was a very small production1:19so it was a real creative partnership.1:21the success of that or the recognition1:23that we gained. It wasn't so much a1:25commercial success, but it it definitely1:26opened up the doors for us to do more1:29projects together. And Vince had uh1:31really uh enjoyed a lot of success on1:33the heels of Swingers and uh used a lot1:36of that clout to help us get this film1:39green lit. Very low budget film. We1:40filmed it in Los Angeles in New York. Uh1:43a grittier film. It was produced by by1:45Vince as well. I think what was nice1:47about going from the process the1:49creative collaboration on swingers into1:50maid was then he could really bring a1:53lot more to bear uh as a producer1:55bringing in people like Chris Doyle who1:56had worked with a great cinematographer1:57who's working with Ron Carw and did like1:59chunking express and then just playing2:01into a different dynamic because I don't2:03you know it wasn't the same characters2:05it wasn't a sequel uh but wanted to play2:07into the chemistry I always liked uh2:08performing with him he's so fast uh and2:11and and funny and smart2:14>> what happened to your money I have I2:16have some stuff left.2:17>> How much money do you have left?2:17>> I got like 80 bucks left.2:18>> 80.2:19>> 85. I got five in the room. I got2:20>> 85 bucks. What happened to 1500 Max you2:22gave?2:23>> Well, you could have picked up a2:24tab once.2:25>> I picked the half the2:26>> And so it was like musicians who who2:29play with one another and um and that2:31that came out of uh spending so much2:33time together both on the set of Rudy2:35through swingers into this and then of2:37course he was much more involved again2:39in the editing process and uh it was a2:42real partnership. The scene that stands2:43out to me the most remembering was the2:45predium scene.2:46>> Everything you need or need to know is2:50in those envelopes. Do not2:52>> on one side you have Peter2:54>> Faulk until you have left the office.2:59>> Often I'll try to use two cameras when3:01there's going to be a lot of improv. We3:02didn't get to do it in this set. It was3:04a tight set. It's a real location. We3:06didn't get to build anything. It's one3:07of those great scenes where there's so3:09much such a status difference between3:10the two characters. So, just from a3:12comedy standpoint, there's a lot of3:13opportunity for for comedy to emerge and3:16also there's a lot of tension in the3:17scene because we're finally getting our3:19big shot talking to the boss.3:21>> I started opening it before I heard the3:22Do you mind if I borrow a piece of tape3:24just that way I'll3:25>> open the thing up to the point3:27in the movie he's been pushing me to3:29push for us to get a shot with this guy3:31who's a big boss and to send us out on a3:33a first very lowlevel job. I mean,3:36that's all conceded this is that you3:37know what's an entrylevel position. And3:39I always like that kind of Rosen CR3:41Gilden Stern level of hero where you3:44you're trying to prove yourself. You3:45don't really know what's going on. The3:47vulnerability of those characters uh I I3:49find inspiring. It's easy to write too.3:51>> You will not for that matter carry3:55anything other than what I have just3:57given you.3:59>> Keys.4:00>> What?4:01>> What about my house keys? Cuz that way I4:03can get back in when I come in town.4:05Vince just found, you know, what bits I4:08wrote and then bits that he was adding.4:10And of course, Peter Faulk would go4:12right back and forth. But the way Peter4:13Faulk would improvise wasn't for comedy.4:16It was for the for the real. So, he4:18would always lean into what the4:19characters were really feeling, which of4:21course makes it even funnier.4:22>> You can carry your key.4:24>> Peter Faulk, he's a guy that really uh4:27is one of the Mount Rushmore figures of4:30independent film. and to be able to work4:32with him and have him improv with us and4:34knowing that he had worked with CVetes4:36and at that point we're all pretty young4:38and new in our careers and so to have4:40this elder statesman there be a part of4:42that uh was very memorable and just4:44getting to know the guy some of the4:46biggest laughs you know you could think4:48of an independent film like Tarantino4:49films because the tension's so high and4:51he knows how to break the tension and4:52make it funny so tension is your friend4:54when you're trying to do comedy it's4:56very easy to get laughs4:57>> is there a pattern forming here.5:01>> Absolutely. Yeah.5:02>> What is it?5:04>> You want us to be wherever you want to5:05be?5:05>> Let him tell me.5:08>> No, don't worry about it. I got it.5:10>> Tell me what is it?5:12>> I don't understand why you're sing why5:14you're picking on me, Max.5:15>> And then on top of it, you throw on a a5:17really funny back and forth to the point5:19that Peter Faulk had an outburst and5:21just starts screaming at him. Uh, but it5:23was off camera, but it was so funny that5:26we play his take even though it's just5:28audio and it's just you see our5:29reaction.5:30>> I listen to a LOT OF5:30>> BECAUSE YOU LOST MY CARPET5:33CLEANING VAN AND I DON'T [screaming]5:36LIKE YOU, YOU5:38>> And that's one of those moments where5:40something happened, we used it. It's5:42such a rough type of style of film that5:44you could get away with it. And so it5:45was a for me as a director it was a real5:46learning exercise how you could really5:49uh you know get get a great cast and5:51then take full advantage of what they5:52bring to it. And it was a film that um5:54again didn't didn't really break through5:56commercially but was a big step for us5:58creatively.6:01>> Elf.6:04>> You're a big boy. What's your name?6:06>> Paul.6:06>> And what can I get you for Christmas?6:08>> Don't tell him what you want. He's a6:10liar.6:11>> Let the kid talk. You disgust me. How6:14can you live with yourself? Just cool6:15it, Zippy.6:17>> You sit on a throne of lies.6:19>> So, by the time I was doing Elf and it's6:21it's such a meandering path and you6:22know, I look back at it and it all feels6:24very straight, but at the time you're6:25just kind of checking doorork knobs,6:28what's open, what doors are open, what6:29are closed. I had thought after swingers6:32especially. Uh, maid wasn't really a6:34didn't really move the needle, but it6:36did it did establish me as a director6:38after being more of a collaborative6:39creative on swingers. I had some roles6:41as an actor. I was on on Friends. I had6:44uh got in a few movies, got cut out of a6:46few movies actually before that. But6:48what I was getting a lot of attention6:50about was script development as a6:52writer. In the case of Elf, it was a6:54project with Will Farrell attached and6:55there was a script and I was hired to6:58try to help get that script made. Uh it7:01was quite different tonally. I had come7:03in with a take and part of it was that7:05if I could get this script green lit7:07that I would get to direct this film.7:09Will had been on SNL, so everybody knew7:11how funny he was and talented, but he7:14wasn't really a proven entity in movies7:16yet, but he had already done Old School.7:18>> So good.7:20Your lips. It's so good.7:22>> Vince was also in that, so I was on the7:24set of that. And he I knew he was7:25hilarious. And I had gotten to know Will7:27and so I was doing rewrites and and I7:29brought a different tone to the film. I7:31knew we weren't going to have a lot of7:32money to do it. I knew we couldn't have7:35a lot of crazy visual effects. Very7:38expensive. But aesthetically, I thought7:40my take was what if it's not just a7:42human that was raised by elves, but a7:44human that lived in a in a ' 60s like7:47rank and bath style Christmas special7:50that I grew up with. And it also opened7:52the door for me to do stuff that I was7:54interested in doing from a young age,7:55which is like I really love visual7:56effects and the illusion of visual7:58effects, the magic trick of visual8:00effects. I loved reading Starlo8:02magazine. I loved hearing how they made8:04the wolf man transform in the old black8:06and white movies. And in Elf, there was8:07an opportunity also to do things like8:09stop motion, force perspective, all of8:11these old school tools. Force8:13perspective, we were looking at Dario8:14Gill and the Little People. I mean,8:15that's going way back. We're using the8:17same technology. You have little clues8:19on how to do stuff like that. And force8:21perspective, for those who don't know,8:22is you take you basically have two sets8:24that line up perfectly at different8:26scales. You light it so that they look8:28like they're the same shot. the the one8:30that's supposed to appear big like Will8:31Ferrell at the North Pole is closer to8:33you. And then you have Bob New Hart8:35who's human size also, but he's on a8:38much larger set further back. And when8:40you put them together, Bob New Hart8:42looks small. Will Farrell looks big.8:44That was for me the geekiness of getting8:46to do that. And it was my first taste of8:47CGI. I wasn't convinced that CGI could8:50be executed well in all cases. As great8:52as it was in Jurassic Park, there were a8:53lot of films where it wasn't. Costs a8:55lot. I know a lot about it. I learned a8:57lot by the reindeer cuz we needed to do8:59it for the use it for the reindeer. But9:01for the most part, I wanted most of it9:02to be analog and just feel old-fashioned9:04and timeless and feel like this movie9:07could have been cracked out of, you9:08know, a time capsule from when I was a9:10kid. And the other thing was it was we9:12were filming it uh after, you know,9:14after the events of 9/11. There was a a9:17heaviness. And so to have a movie that9:20we're filming in New York that brought9:24the magic back to the city that I9:27remember growing up.9:28>> Don't you know each cloud contains9:31heaven9:35for9:37>> to have a completely controlled9:39environment is very difficult and9:41expensive and often doesn't look real. I9:43love the energy, that feel of the real9:45city. And we learned a lot of that from9:47from working with Doug on on on9:49swingers. His whole thing was, hey,9:50let's go to real clubs. Let's really9:53just dive in with a camera and capture9:55almost that sort of semi-doccumentary9:57feel. And the good thing about Will9:59Ferrell on the day on the on the set, he10:01delivers and he would make something10:03funny happen everywhere.10:06>> Macaroni.10:09>> You did it. Congratulations.10:12World's best cup of coffee.10:14>> I like the one where he's eating the10:15gum.10:22>> At that point, I had my my son was tiny10:26and when your kids small and they're10:28like toddlers, you let them run around a10:29little bit in the at the park and they10:31come back chewing on something. You're10:32like, "Whoa, whoa. I didn't you didn't10:34have any food." I always thought it's10:35funny that, you know, he's like a almost10:37like how a dog will eat uh gum off the10:40sidewalk. Concept was funny. But what10:42made it really funny was Will because10:44Will just knew the timing and understood10:47it.10:48>> So when we went to film a buddy arriving10:52in Manhattan, I kept thinking about that10:53shot from Tootsie when you first saw10:55Dustin Hoffman walking down the street.10:57It was a long lens shot. So you see all10:59the heads bobbing up and down and just11:01the layers and layers of New York, but11:03because it's in a long lens, that11:06character sticks out. You see them, but11:08you feel the energy of the city. And I11:10kept talking about that shot and talking11:11about that shot. And there we were with11:13a small crew running around Manhattan.11:14Okay, get out there in your elf suit. Go11:16walk. And I kept telling the cameraman11:17next to me. There's a shot in Tootsie11:19that I want to I want to He says, "Yes,11:21I know. I filmed that shot." So I said,11:25"Always hire people who know more than11:27you do."11:31>> The movie like Elf has a big heart. And11:34that's the music of John Debney. That's11:36Greg's cinematography. That's Joe11:38Bower's visual effects, Bob New Hart's11:40presence, the whole cast, Mary Steam,11:42James Khan, all of it works together.11:44And ultimately, Will Ferrell, as funny11:46as he is, and as much as he does uh he11:49could do over the top characters,11:50there's a heart always that grounds his11:52performances, leaning into that, I11:55think, really helped. And then A11:57Christmas movie in New York and the11:59message of it, and it was very, it was a12:01big deal. I'm a kid from Queens and I12:03remember going down there on 6th Avenue12:05and there we were and I had been12:08remember I had been an Austrian movie12:11theater. I've been a background12:12performer in Chicago. I'd worked my way12:14up to doing a supporting role bit parts12:16and then finally getting into the union12:18supporting role in Rudy making my own12:20things. Now here I am making a big12:22Hollywood production in New York with12:25trailers and trucks and my parents could12:27come and my friends could come and visit12:28and it felt like a dream and that was12:30one of the first moments where it just12:31felt like a dream having the slayigh12:32shot that was going down and there with12:34Mary Steam Virgin and Jimmy Khan, Daniel12:36Tay and Zoe. That was one of those pinch12:39me moments. Nobody expected anything12:40from the film. It ended up surprising12:43people. It stuck around. But the big12:45thing I'm the most proud of is that it12:46keeps coming back every year and on12:48social media every year. People will12:50start posting as Christmas approaches12:52with them watching Elf or showing their12:55little kid watching El for the first12:56time in front of a TV. People all around12:58the world sharing a good feeling. All13:00the projects I've worked on that one13:02feels like it created like a little bit13:04of a ripple on the pond in a in a13:07positive way.13:10Zura now on the heels of ELF as you can13:13imagine people approaching you to do13:14lots of stuff and Sony had come to me13:17with this project that was a very high13:19priority as it was characterized here's13:20a script only you're getting it you're13:22going to read it it's a followup to13:24Jumanji that was an existing piece of13:27work but it wasn't a piece of work that13:29people knew that well it was a picture13:30book that was very short but beautiful13:33illustrations there were images of what13:35these different cards were in the game13:37and it was space and it was sort of13:39pulpy old pool space stuff, which is an13:41aesthetic. I like that nostalgic look.13:43And then it became about13:45all the things I could do with it. And I13:49had the momentum of a studio that was13:51really pushing for something. So unlike13:52the other films where we had to kind of13:54fight our way up from obscurity, it13:56would be nice to have something where13:58there's a budget and a set of13:59expectations around it. So I wasn't14:01fighting upstream. And then we told a14:03story and I think it's similar to like14:05maid or swingers where there's bickering14:07siblings.14:09You're a baby.14:12[screaming]14:12>> JEEZ, IT WON'T STOP.14:14>> You start to see patterns in what you're14:16drawn to in the comedy of the sort of14:18heightening of that conflict. Got to14:20work with Tim Robbins there as well.14:22That was really cool. And I was working14:24with CGI for the first time.14:29[music]14:36[music]14:37were definitely fighting uh against what14:40the studio was advising because they14:42want CG for everything and I want to do14:45a practical a lot of practical that14:47opened up the door for a relationship14:49with Stan Winston an icon in visual14:51effects worked with probably most14:53famously at the time was was Jurassic14:55Park for the animatronics on that I14:57wanted to do motion control miniatures14:58so the house is a miniature house but I15:01even wanted the zorgons to be I go15:04motion I had actually tried to reach out15:06through my team to Phil Tippet to see if15:08he still did like Dragon Slayer. Go15:10Motion is stop motion with motion blur15:12and I wanted to do them that way. So I15:14was already still into like the old15:15Harry Hen aesthetic, all that stuff. And15:17and and with Elf, I had to fight very15:19hard for stopotion. They kept asking me15:21to cut it out. They didn't even like15:22that part necessarily. It was always15:24challenged. But I always like deep down15:26that it's a chance to play with these15:28toys and learn from these people. And I15:30also thought the aesthetic was really15:31good for the movie, for the story. And15:33so we had uh a lot of practical effects,15:35a shaking house, a house house on a that15:37moved and of course the zorgons. We15:39didn't end up using uh stop motion, but15:41but Stan Winston shop built these15:43creatures. We had designed it to15:44disguise the human form that the head15:46would stick out the back. We'd paint15:47that out. We had the robot, which was a15:49rod puppet. So I started working with15:51all those puppeteers on rod puppets. We15:53had a miniature one. We had a big one.15:54We got to play with scale, which is a15:56big thing that I think film offers that15:58you could play with tiny things, big16:00things. Great experience filming it.16:02After Elf, I I made the commitment that16:04every film after that I was going to I16:06was going to base in Los Angeles. So16:07Zura was the first one. We we filmed it16:09at Sony and I've I filmed here uh uh in16:12Los Angeles uh ever since16:16Iron Man.16:24Wait a16:25>> second. Deploy flares.16:33So, uh, Zura did not do very well and16:37even though it was a priority for the16:38studio, I think it got fairly good16:41notices, okay notices, but at the box16:43office it was just and then I learned16:45what that does that sort of like really16:47stalls your career. A lot of people16:49worked hard and I thought a lot of work16:50was beautiful. Subsequently, you know,16:52now, of course, as people who are that16:54age have grown up, were uh in their 20s16:56now, I I sign a lot of uh DVDs and they16:59say how much it meant to them, and I'm17:00very proud of it. But uh I learned later17:02from Kevin Feige that it made me a17:05perfect candidate for Iron Man because17:07Iron Man was the first MCU film. They17:09were looking to make this a film at a17:11budget. They had were used to working17:13with Fox or other partners. They were17:14going to do it alone, but we weren't17:16they weren't going to spend a lot of17:17money. And so I was a bit of an17:19undervalued element to the thing. You17:21know, you definitely get affected by the17:24by the the failure uh commercially of17:27your last project, but they saw the17:28technical work that I had done in it and17:30they said, "Oh, he actually understands17:32this stuff." It became a calling card17:34for that. I had been trying to develop17:36other projects that weren't going. And17:38then finally this one came together. And17:40that one was um it was exciting. I was17:44it was the one where I I I I flipped17:46from being very reticent about CGI to17:48seeing what they were able to do with17:50hard surfaces. Transformers had kept17:52come out too at the same time. So So I17:55all this metal transforming metal stuff17:57super cool. We can make this guy fly. My17:59relationship with ILM started working18:01with on the CGI version of the character18:03and with Skywalker Sound. You know, my18:06hero, George Lucas, Star Wars, the movie18:09that arguably set me on my path at 1018:12years old into loving all of the genre18:14stuff and learning about film and mono18:17myth. And here I was now mixing mixing18:20sound up at his ranch. But the big thing18:22was Robert was hiring Robert Downey Jr.18:25It wasn't the type of film where, you18:26know, they felt that the that the the18:28hero, the mask was going to be the star.18:31Uh, so it wasn't the type of movie where18:33you're paying for a high dollar movie18:36star to to to to front it. Now they were18:38going to self- finance. And uh, Robert18:41was on the comeback. Of course, it was18:44difficult to hire him. At first, they18:46were there was a there was push back.18:48They questioned his age for the role18:49too, to be honest with you, which is so18:51funny now thinking about it how many18:52years ago it was. Uh, but Tony Stark was18:54a character that should be older than18:56Spider-Man. He was in a different18:58position in his life. There was a lot of19:00push and pull on that piece of casting.19:02I know. I I met with Robert and I I saw19:04in his eyes he was like this is he he19:07just made a very compelling case. I just19:09saw it. He agreed to go and do a test19:12which I think you could even see.19:13>> Crazy.19:14>> Okay. Done. Done. You're still19:18Buckingham Palace. What do we got?19:19[laughter] But I got to break out the19:20scops. There it is. There's a smile.19:22It's okay. Yeah. So, it's natural. Less19:24less muscles to smile. Yeah, seriously,19:26[laughter]19:28>> I got to hand it to you guys. Every19:29single one of you deserves a medal.19:31>> And he just made it undeniable. As a19:34director, you're trying to get a take on19:35something. And you know, it it's sort of19:38all a little bit murky. And then the19:40idea of Robert being Tony Stark, all of19:42a sudden the fog cleared in my head. I19:44knew every choice in the movie would be19:46inevitable would make sense because that19:48was the that becomes your lighthouse.19:52>> I am Iron Man.19:54everything was lining up19:57after I cast him then Gwyneith and you19:59know you had all these other cast20:01members uh coming on board and so the20:04film started to feel like you know it20:05could have been a cast of like a really20:07a high-end independent film and they20:09were all funny too and the chemistry20:10especially between him and Gwyneth was20:12wonderful20:13>> okay now make sure that when you pull it20:14out you don't pull out that there's a20:15mag at the end of it that was it you20:18just pulled out okay I was not expecting20:20don't put it back in don't put it back20:21in20:22>> what's wrong I'm just going into cardiac20:24arrest cuz you yanked.20:25>> I thought you said this was safe.20:27>> We we had Stan Winston again who I'd met20:29on Zuran built the the the chest with20:32the hole and Robert was it's an old, you20:35know, magic trick where the head's there20:37but the body's fake. Found the comedy of20:39it.20:39>> You're going to attach that to the base20:41plate and make sure YOU20:46>> But then there's also like a nice20:47moment, a poignant moment at the end for20:49their relationship. Don't ever ever ever20:52ever ask me to do anything like that20:55ever again.20:56>> I I don't have anyone but you.20:59>> So, not only is it humor with21:01heightening and transforming, but it's21:02also21:04landing a relationship story point to21:08help you feel more cuz I think at the21:10end of the day with all these projects,21:11if you don't feel something, then you've21:13you've missed an opportunity. It's how21:15you make people feel. Especially if you21:18make a lot of people feel something that21:20they think is unique to them, but they21:22realize they're sharing it with other21:23people, too. And I think that there's21:25something about we're a communal21:27species. We like to feel connected,21:28especially right now. A lot of things21:30are making us feel further apart. And we21:33really I think really people really21:34appreciate coming together and and21:36sharing something. I'm happy that movies21:38seem to be sticking around now cuz it's21:40one of the few places where you go for21:42that feeling.21:45Iron Man 2.21:48[music]21:52Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to21:55exit the donut.21:56>> Iron Man 1 was a bit under the radar. I21:58mean, it's hard to remember now, but we22:00were an underdog. It was coming out, you22:01know, around the same year as Nolan's22:03Dark Knight, which was, you know, a real22:05uh high watermark commercially uh u22:08creatively. So DC was still a bit22:11dominant, but Marvel was like, "Oh, this22:13is cool." It captured the tone of of22:15Marvel and the fun and the funniness.22:18What I liked about it is that it was a22:19lot like the relationship between the22:20two uh comic brands, but the success of22:23it led to Iron Man 2, which we, you22:27know, that's when I got to experience22:28the other side of things when it's like22:29here's the release date. The MCU was22:31starting to fill out other things that22:33were happening. So we weren't just the22:35first thing alone starting from scratch.22:37There was the Incredible Hulk was coming22:39out. There was a scene from Thor. They22:41were filming Thor and other things were22:43starting to get threaded in that was22:45working at the time. I didn't really22:46understand completely to this Avengers22:48crescendo.22:49>> Told you I don't want to join your super22:50secret boy band. [laughter]22:52>> No, no, no. See, I I remember you do22:54everything yourself.22:55>> And also uh the mixed blessing of22:58expectation based on past success. I23:00found that the the the slot you want to23:03be in is where there's limited23:05expectation. You could exceed that. when23:07the expectations up here, that's keeping23:09the belt. It's a lot easier to get the23:11belt than keep the belt. So that that23:12that became a uh gave me a lot of23:15perspective on the gig. And a lot of it23:19honestly is learning how to just tune23:21out the stuff which is what other people23:23expect or other people want. So on the23:26one hand, you are leaning into the your23:28audience. You want to make them feel23:29something. You want to connect with23:30them. But by the same token, there's a23:32lot of vocal expectation whether it's23:35from executives, whether it's from fans,23:38whether it's from people you're23:40collaborating with. Everybody has a23:41different set of expectations and you23:44have to figure out how to tune out at23:47certain points what is inter what might23:49interfere with the creative process.23:51Sometimes it's protecting the set from23:53the outside world. Sometimes you're23:56working with somebody who's very famous.23:57Robert became much more famous. their23:59whole life shifts. These are all things24:02that makes it a more complex thing than24:04it was when you're just starting off and24:07trying to build something from scratch.24:09And on the other hand, we had to take24:10the progression of Tony Stark as24:13forgetting all the Marvel stuff. What24:14happens when you build this suit? You24:16know, the hearings where they try to24:17take it with Gary Shandling, which is24:19one of my favorite moments there.24:20>> Mr. Stark, please.24:22>> Yes, dear.24:22>> Could I have your attention?24:23>> Absolutely.24:24>> Do you or do you not possess a24:26specialized weapon? I do not.24:28>> You do not.24:29>> I do not. Well, it depends on how you24:31define the word weapon.24:32>> But at the end of the day, it's Robert24:33Downey Jr. and Gary Chandling going back24:35and forth. It's just you're watching,24:38you know, the final round at Wimbledon24:39and they're just two great players24:41rushing the net. Because I come from24:43comedy with all the stuff, I still24:45always24:47spark two24:49really talented, funny people. uh24:51especially when they're making choices24:53where there's a certain degree of um24:56spontaneity or improvisation involved.24:58That that's what gets me that's what24:59makes me lean forward as a director.25:01>> Suit and I are one to turn over the Iron25:04Man suit would be to turn over myself25:06which is tantamount to indentured25:07servitude or prostitution depending on25:09what stage you're in. Can't have it.25:12>> Look, I I'm no uh expert25:14>> in prostitution. Of course not. You're a25:15senator. Come on. I learned people who25:17have endured and been prolific over a25:20long career have learned how to preserve25:23the creative process and the smallalness25:25of that set and the smallness of their25:28lives even though everything else has25:30gotten a lot bigger and also helping25:32others who were in that room do it.25:35Learned a lot from Robert. Robert's been25:38on a lot of movies. He tells me what he25:40needs. Like he likes it whenever you25:41clear the whole set. Everybody's in a25:43rush. Get to the set. Get in makeup. We25:44got to get the first shot off.25:47Everybody leave the room. Just the cast.25:48Let's talk. Let's read through the25:50pages. All right, let's bring in the25:52department heads. All right, let's do a25:53full rehearsal. All right, let's now25:55let's do the scene together. It's a25:56creative rhythm that's you set the tone.26:00And Robert Downey was always good at26:01understanding that he's he's hosting a26:05party. He's hosting a dinner. That's26:07what it should feel like. [music]26:10Cowboys and Aliens.26:12>> Oh, we're out of time. more Spielberg.26:14[laughter]26:15>> I'm sorry we ran out.26:26>> Cowboys and Aliens was uh such a fun26:30experience. I I got to play with the26:32with the western genre, which I had26:34grown to really appreciate26:37because I still think the western is26:40represents a high watermark of mythic26:42storytelling in American cinema. We're26:44dealing with the same archetypes and26:46it's very much leaning into the mono26:48myth and a story that has predictable26:51characters and predictable storylines26:52and settings.26:55[music]26:58But it's a genre that's also inherently27:01not commercial. And a lot of the27:03archetypes and tropes of it were adopted27:05in the 70s by films like Star Wars. The27:08gunslinger was Han Solo in in there. uh27:11cop shows, cop movies, those were27:13inheriting all of it because the western27:16no longer felt relevant after being the27:17predominant genre, many directors want27:20to try their hand at the western. And by27:23mixing it with this mashup with uh with27:26an alien uh movie and also working with27:29people like Ron Howard and Steven27:30Spielberg who were executive producers27:32of this thing, working with the great27:34Kurtzman Norsey, with great writers,27:35with Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, great27:37cast and and the artwork was beautiful.27:39And I was coming off of the momentum. It27:41was experience where it's like, "Oh,27:42this is going to be commercial success27:49while we were in post on on on Iron Man27:532. I was working on this at the same27:55time because there's a long tale on27:56those effects movies where you're not27:59busy all the time, but you need to be28:00attentive." And then pre-production,28:03there's a lot of artwork and storyboards28:04and previs. started playing around with28:05previs a lot, really planning, using28:08technical tools to plan action sequences28:10and also working with people like Ron28:11Howard and Steven Spielberg who were28:13executive producers of this thing to28:14have Steven Spielberg to be able to28:17bring in and show what you're working on28:18and have him tell you stories about how28:20he designs aliens and creatures and then28:22come to the editing room and he said28:24things to me that I still remember and28:27still repeat back. I've gotten to know28:29him better since, but at the time, you28:31know, it's he's still this um larger28:33than-l life character. I remember Close28:35Encounters like it changed my life and28:37now he here's a real person who's28:39speaking to you uh especially as a28:41director to give advice to another28:42director. Wonderful. You know, I28:44remember with the visual effects, we put28:46together this whole great we pre we28:48storyboarded, previs, designed, had28:50artwork, production art of the aliens28:53coming in and snatching the cowboys off28:55of the uh horses with lassos. And I show28:59him the whole scene. We put it together.29:01We have visual effects in there now. We29:02we're starting to really cook and go. He29:04comes into the editing room. He says,29:06"That's that's so that's so cool." He29:08says, "You got a lot of shots in there."29:10He says, "You got some of them are29:13queens, kings, aces. Some of them are29:15seven, eights, nines. Some of them are29:17fives and sixes. Now your job is to go29:19in there and take all the aces and kings29:22and queens. Keep them in. And anything29:25that's not that, either cut out or work29:27on it and turn it into a jack or an ace29:29or a king.29:36the lack of preciousness cuz I had, oh,29:39we worked on these shots. We did all29:41this stuff. It's so good. Now, it's not29:43playing right yet. You got to look at it29:44from the perspective of the audience's29:46fresh eyes. You got to only put your29:49best stuff out there. It it doesn't have29:50to be a big menu, but everything on your29:52menu's got to be good.29:56Chef, it so it all it all lines up very29:59neatly when you're uh if you're watching30:01a video here. But that mo that time30:04between Cowboys and Aliens and Chef was30:06actually a pretty significant comma in30:09this in my career. Although Iron Man 230:12was successful at at the movie theaters,30:14it wasn't embraced as Iron Man 2 as much30:16as Iron Man 1 was and and Cowboys and30:17Aliens was both uh critically and30:19commercially unsuccessful. There were30:21other films that I was developing that30:23didn't happen. So now here I was a30:25director. Even though I had all this30:28under my belt, it everything kind of was30:31grinding to a halt. I was doing things30:34like directing TV pilots and doing30:36commercials and things. I still feel30:38lucky I get to do any of it. But as much30:40as you get to be creative, there's30:42always somebody over you telling you, I30:44like that hat more than that hat or30:46let's recut that or cut that out. If30:48you're doing a commercial for somebody,30:49they don't care. You know, you show them30:50what your version is and they do what30:51they want. Same thing for a TV pilot. I30:53asked my my uh my agent, I said, "What30:56budget of a film would I have to make30:59where I didn't have to listen to anybody31:00creatively? I get to pick what color the31:02hat is." And he gave me a budget. He31:03said, "For31:05probably 11 to 13 million, you could31:07probably do what I was." Okay. And I31:09went I wrote chef. [music]31:12>> Okay. Coming up.31:16>> Got it.31:17>> I got four radio here.31:18>> The fries was you. Yeah. Here we go.31:20Thank you, sir. Thank you for your31:21patience. Who needs a little bit more?31:23>> I love food stuff. Uh, I love watching31:26food. I Food's very cinematic. Food's31:28one of those things where it doesn't31:29cost a lot of money to film it, but it31:31looks very, for some reason, it's there31:33are certain things very hard to do on31:35film. A poker game is hard to make as31:37interesting on film as it would be.31:39Standup comedy is a hard thing to make31:40look as interesting. Hacking a computer.31:42Cooking is something that I think you31:44get more [music] out of cinema from.31:46Yes, you're so right,31:49girl. [singing and music] You know,31:50>> you you get like a almost like a31:52synthesia. You you see something, you31:54feel like you taste the thing. And maybe31:56it's more about me that how I feel31:58about, but I love watching people cook.32:00I love things watching the assembly of32:02of something being built. There's32:04something about that progression that I32:05like as an audience member. So the idea32:07of of using a chef as part of the to to32:10to tell a story about the creative32:12process also I was really into watching32:15cooking shows and Top Chef and things32:17like that. So it was something I was32:18interested about. When you're doing a32:19movie you got to be really interested in32:20it because you got to learn as much as32:22you can about it and you're spending32:23years dealing with it and learning about32:25cooking from Roy Choi. One of the perks32:27of the business is you can learn thing32:29if you say I'm making a movie about32:31being a chef. You could reach out to32:33somebody you never met. They'll teach32:34you, you know, you learn how to cook32:35with them. And to this day, I love32:37cooking. And I also my first time acting32:39in something that I wrote since made32:42really. I mean, I had small parts in32:43some of them like Happy Hogan, but I32:45didn't know at that age if I could still32:47do that. Maybe that was a younger man's32:48game. I get to touch people's lives with32:51what I do32:53and it keeps me going and I love it.32:56And I think if you give it a shot, you32:57might love it, too.32:58>> So, all of it felt really, really nice.33:01And then a lot of people like Robert and33:03Scarlet, Bobby Kavali, John Leguisamo,33:05they came in and were part of this. It33:08just felt really nice to be working with33:09people who were working on it to work33:11with me on this. It was me figuring out33:14how knowing everything that I knew and33:16having relationships with other people33:18who would be cast members and writing33:20alone in my room and making this small33:22film. When you're writing, there's a lot33:24of control. You have an idea. You could33:26show it to people and go back and forth33:27and get notes, but it's usually just a33:28handful of people. you get to the set33:30even on a small movie now you have33:33department heads you have33:34cinematographers they're going to bring33:36ideas that are different than what you33:37have planned I come from a background of33:39improvisation you have to yes that you33:41got to see what they're bringing and try33:43to find the what we call the game in the33:46scene which is like what's the pattern33:47that's emerging how do you heighten and33:48transform that on a film set it's not33:50just your scene partner a33:52cinematographer could be doing that or33:54an editor or or or a composer or a33:56costume designer so I'm very um collabor33:59collaborative with my department heads34:02and try to hire people who know more34:04than I do or about what they're doing34:06and try to learn from them and try to34:09give them a certain amount of autonomy.34:11>> Is that for us?34:12>> That's for us.34:12>> That whole for us.34:15>> Can you believe that? Oh my god.34:17>> All right. So, I guess we got to cook34:19some food.34:19>> It was a successful film for me because34:22it got me creatively feeling my juices34:24flowing. I connected with it. It was34:26very challenging because we didn't have34:27a lot of dough.34:29uh but it it caught people's fancy and34:33was successful for what it cost. And so34:35that's a big part of it too is like34:37success is dictated by the context34:39often. So part of it creative success34:41and that's a much clearer thing to to34:44track. But some of it is also financial34:46success for your partners. No matter34:49what you make, if it costs more than34:51that, it wasn't a good business34:53opportunity for these people. It34:55connected with people and I was proud of34:56it. I like the tone of it, the message34:58of it. I like being on screen in that35:00kind of room. And so to learn those35:02skills and to present it, and to and it35:05just felt like a really celebratory35:08film and experience. It was uplifting35:10and and then that opened the door, the35:12success of that for, you know, I was35:14popping up in festivals and doing things35:15and and and and more opportunities35:17presented themselves.35:20The Jungle Book,35:23[music]35:26>> the original may have been the first or35:27one of the first movies I'd ever seen.35:29So, there was a very deep impression of35:31the original. If I'm adapting something35:33or remaking something, the first thing I35:35do is I say, "What am I what do I35:37remember about the original?" And with35:38Jungle Book, there was a handful of35:39things. I remember Ka the Snake and the35:41hypnosis. I remember Belaloo going down35:43the river. I remember Mowgli and him35:45being friends. And also the original was35:47so long ago that gives you a lot of room35:49creatively. So that I understood the35:51tone and the vibe of the whole thing.35:53And then the notion of actually building35:55all of it digitally. It it was exciting.35:57By the time Jungle Book happened now, I35:59was slowly adopting CGI, working with36:02really good people and not not asking36:04more of the technology than it was36:05really good at. We had ray tracing,36:07which is a better lighting, you know,36:08lighting sims, fur design, muscular36:12design, creature design, and starting to36:14use these digital tools that had been36:16developed for bigger budget movies that36:18you could then inherit and starting to36:20really roll up my sleeves and be36:21innovative in the process and creating36:24blue screen stages, but having that36:27actually be an element shoot. In other36:29words, instead of going off and filming36:31a whole movie and then cutting it36:32together and figuring out what you had,36:36let's instead build it almost like you36:38would an animated movie. You build story36:40reels. Animation's interesting because36:42even though there's no stage, the36:45physical execution of those shots is36:48very expensive. And dating all the way36:49back to Walt Disney, they would sweat36:51box these. They would look at pencils36:53and get the story just right. And by the36:55way, Pixar does the same thing. that we36:56get the story just right until they ever36:59rendered or painted a frame. And so we37:01inherited that front end for Jungle Book37:03and got it just right so that by the37:05time we're actually filming, we were37:06just shooting elements that would fit37:08into a larger thing. So we actually came37:10the whole thing before we ever rolled37:12anything. We didn't render things out37:14and then change things afterwards. We37:16figured it all out as you would on an37:17animated movie. And we did it with37:18pencils first and drawings. Then we37:21started cameraing with virtual cameras37:23on a almost like a motion capture film.37:26And then eventually we shot elements37:27with the real live action actor.37:29>> Oh, how magnificous it would be. A37:32gigantic like me could learn to do like37:36you humans do.37:39>> And so I learned a lot about the process37:40and was innovative in how we did it to37:43best utilize the tools that we had and37:46then create this photorealistic end37:48product while not driving the budget37:50crazy because we made our creative37:52choices when it was less expensive.37:56The Lion King.37:59[screaming]38:07So on Lion King, we wanted to build on38:09what we had learned from from Jungle38:11Book. And it was at a a moment also with38:13Disney where there was a you know it38:15they were really exploring what to where38:17live action was going and how to best38:20utilize properties that they already had38:22from animation. And the notion of of38:24Lion King came up. What was interesting38:26about that from a technical standpoint38:29was now we had a chance to take it one38:31step further from what we did. Remember38:33in Jungle Book we were shooting live38:35action elements and then setting it into38:38environments in camera. So we would see38:40the backgrounds but it was all done in38:43uh I think Motion Builder at the time or38:45Photon. One of these uh technical tools38:48that required a tremendous amount of38:50imagination to see what it would really38:52look like. you're really just getting38:52the layout. By the time we were doing38:55Lion King now, the tools had come much38:59further and we were looking into doing39:01everything completely virtually, but you39:03still wanted the human performances. And39:05so we would do kind of that blackbox39:08theater where you would do you you'd39:10film the actors and their performances39:12and record their voices and get that as39:14reference for the animators. [laughter]39:17>> He's telling me what to do. This is39:20strength.39:22>> And then you would build on top of that39:24in this virtual 3D space. You would39:26build the animation based on those voice39:28performances as you would in a cartoon39:30or in a traditional Disney animated39:32film. And then we would build our volume39:35and we would move our cameras. We would39:37have physical camera operators to give39:39everything a real analog feel. And we39:41picked an aesthetic which was kind of39:43like a planet earth nature type39:45documentary with certain sequences that39:47departed from it and got into bigger39:50than life cinematography but but really39:52trying to ground it in the in the39:53rendering the animation and using the39:56voices of the actors to help drive it.39:58Hakuna matata.40:00>> What?40:00>> Hakuna. Most people GET A BIGGER40:02REACTION WHEN WE SEE IT IN THE FRONT.40:03OKAY.40:04>> Some people start laughing. Hakuna40:05matata. But ultimately creating this40:07completely virtual world that we could40:09move cameras around within. And that was40:11a big breakthrough. Uh technically for40:14us it was combining different techniques40:16that had been used by other people but40:17combining it in a very unique way.40:25In this case, the movie was very present40:27in people's minds, especially40:29millennials who this was a foundational40:31piece for them. And so, you have a lot40:33less creative uh wiggle room than you40:36would for something like Jungle Book.40:38There are people with very strong40:39memories of the original Lion King. And40:41so, now you're presenting something new40:44that's connected to what they love, but40:46it's not exactly the thing. And one of40:48the sequences that I really like in The40:50Lion King, because it's not completely40:52connected to what was in the old one and40:54people's memories around it, is when40:56Rafiki discovers that Simba's alive.41:02Some hair or scent is carried on the41:04wind and lands uh at Rafiki's tree and41:07he smells it, realizes that he he has41:10survived. But what we were able to do41:12with our with with Andy Jones and with41:14our our team and uh an MPC was we built41:17a whole sequence where we follow this41:19little piece of hair that follows along41:23a dung beetle up catches the wind. It's41:26carried by ants. Like there's this41:28really nice, really creative sequence41:30that has the same story point, but it's41:32it's it serves the story point in a way41:34that's that's very new. Of course, Han41:37Zimmer's music plays underneath it and41:38and you feel a lot41:42is alive. [music]41:50>> And again, one of the great things about41:51The Lion King, whether it's the original41:53or the stage show or, you know, the ver41:55all the versions, because of the music41:56and the visuals in the story, you feel a41:59tremendous amount from from that. And so42:01that's something as a as a as a42:03storyteller you want to preserve and42:05inherit not interfere with and hopefully42:07build on top of Star Wars the42:10Mandalorian and Grou.42:23So now remember when we're talking here,42:25we're talking about features, we're42:26talking about movies. But in it was 201942:29and we launched The Mandalorian on a42:31streaming format and did uh three42:34seasons of that as well as other shows42:37that I had been working on in42:38partnership with Dave Fona. Television42:40is more of a writer medium, producers42:41medium. I was writing a lot. I only42:43directed, I think, one episode of all of42:45them. Now was my chance as a director to42:47come in and use that voice and that part42:49of my skill set. But fortunately, I had42:51the partnership of all the people that42:53I've been working with. I've been42:54working in this Star Wars world at this42:56point like eight years. And that's its42:59own very unique world, and it's a world43:01that George Lucas created. So, you're43:02fitting into a context, and you're also43:04fitting into many generations of of43:06audience members and fans that are43:07slightly different. There's my43:08generation that was, you know, 10 when43:10the first film came out. There's the43:11prequel generation, there's a sequel43:12generation, there's the animation,43:14animated. So, you're fitting into a43:16context of a very large community, but43:18they're also very engaged community.43:19When we got into the Mandalorian Grou,43:21we wanted to uh make sure that all the43:24people who love the show or Star Wars,43:26we could do something that would be43:27great for them, but also because of the43:29first time Star Wars movies in theaters43:31in 7 years. Who's the audience that was43:33too young to see Star Wars last time it43:35was in the theaters and they know might43:37know these characters? Maybe they saw it43:38on TV before. How do you tell that43:40story? And having this IMAX tall format,43:43which is also a much different way to43:45think about it. You're asking people to43:46go to a movie theater after they've43:48watched the show on TV before. You got43:50to give them something. You got to give43:51them something more. What I learned on43:53Jungle Book and Lion King from a43:54technical perspective. We're all43:56combined in this because we had live43:58action photography. We're actually43:59building uh effects into video walls44:02using this new technology we were44:04innovating. But also now we were doing a44:07feature. So I didn't want to rely on44:09tool. I didn't have to rely on tools44:10that were quick turnaround. But what I44:12learned there helped me with things like44:14interactive light, reflections, camera44:16position, previs, and we got to build44:19much bigger sets, go on to location.44:21It's kind of feels like animation in the44:23beginning like we did with The Lion King44:24and and Jungle Book, but there's also44:27real actors that we bring in. We do44:28motion capture. We use a little bit of44:31everything. A little bit of Avatar, a44:33little bit of Walt Disney, a little bit44:35of George Lucas, you know, all these44:38things combining allows you to go on44:40this ride that feels like what Star Wars44:42felt like to me. Star Wars felt like44:44something I'd never seen before. I also44:46love the Star Wars affords me the44:48ability to do all those things I was44:50curious about. the stop motion, you44:52know, I've worked I finally did get to44:53work with Phil Tippet who we're trying44:55to reach out to on on Zura and uh the44:58stop motion that I was doing on Elf45:00motion control miniatures like I was45:02doing on all the things I was sort of45:03playing with and now we're getting to45:05use all of them, the audio animatronics45:06or the puppet. Star Wars affords you the45:08ability to mix all these different45:09techniques and if it's a little bit45:11funky, it kind of feels like Star Wars45:13whereas I don't think in a Marvel movie45:14they would sit together as as uh45:16elegantly. And then of course45:18state-of-the-art CGI and using all the45:20tools that we learned on the show, which45:22is planning and prevising and mocapping45:24and preparation and collaborating with a45:27lot of people so that I get to learn45:28from them. I wish I felt the way I do45:31now when I was in school because the45:33older you get, the more you want to45:34learn. It's a weird thing. I'm very45:36fortunate that in my line of work, I get45:38to still be a student and I get to45:41teach, too. I'm very grateful that45:44I have been able to learn about film45:46making through watching other filmmakers45:49talk about what they do and what's45:50interesting to them and exciting. It's45:52amazing how much of a human endeavor all45:54this is. There's a tremendous wealth of45:56information available whether it's in45:59commentary tracks or interviews. Not46:01just the directors by the way, the46:03artists, the writers, the the46:04performers, the production designers.46:07You know, there's a film called Visions46:08of Light, which is just conversations46:10with cinematographers. Together, you46:12make you make the story, and it has to46:14be coherent, cohesive. The movies have46:16always been a very technical medium.46:17It's always been storytelling, meeting46:19the latest technologies, combining them.46:21And I think it's very important for us46:23to remember that this is still people46:25telling stories to people. It's about46:27what's interesting to you. It's about46:30connecting with the people that you're46:31making the movies for and who you're46:33making the the movies with. So, I'm I'm46:35grateful every day that I get to do this46:37stuff.
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