Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/37786
director’s chair ton of them in any of my films. But I’m al- ways awed by what these guys are able to do for your movie.” POST: How important are sound and music to you? KASDAN: “It’s all incredibly important. They’re all storytelling tools — and comedy tools.The right musical cue or sound effect can make or break a scene, The people I made them grayer and greener than you’d get naturally in LA. “With exteriors, you just get the light you get, so we played with color and con- trast a lot, and made all kinds of adjust- ments to get more of a Chicago look and feel. So for me, the DI is an invaluable part of the post process.” POST: Did you always want to direct films? KASDAN: “Yes, pretty much al- ways. I guess it’s in my blood.When I was a kid I was in several of my dad’s films, like The Big Chill and Sil- verado — little roles. I was always around movie sets, and you pick stuff up just hanging out.” POST: So what did you learn from your father about directing? What’s the most important advice he gave you? KASDAN: “He’s given me all kinds of advice over the years, a lot of it really good. Maybe the most useful advice he ever gave me was before I started my first movie. He told me,‘No one hires you for your technical expertise. You’re sur- rounded by department heads and The DI was done at Sony, where the director used it to create more Chicago-like lighting. work with in those departments are people I’ve worked with many times. and they’re all very close collaborators. I really like having the same people around me on every film if possible,and my whole post team has varied less than any other aspect of my operation. So apart from Tara there’s Joel Shryack. He’s the supervising sound editor who works with sound designer Bob Grieve, who has also worked on all my movies. Initially Bob was the supervising sound editor, and he’s been teaching for the last few years, but he comes back to do the mix with us. “The music team includes Michael An- drews, who has also scored all of my films, and again he’s a very close collaborator and close friend, and my music supervisors Man- ish Raval and Tom Wolfe have also been with me a long time. So by the time I get to post, it really is like working with family.” POST: Did you do a DI? KASDAN: “Yes, at Sony. My first films were before people did DIs, and I’ve seen it evolve over the years and it’s just incredi- ble. Now it’s completely replaced the film color correction process, and it’s amazing what you can do. I embrace all of the digital tools and like them a lot, and on this it was so useful in terms of the lighting.The quality of light in LA is very distinct and different from that in Chicago, and we wanted to move away from that California brightness. So with our interiors we very deliberately 14 Post • July 2011 crew who really know what they’re doing and who are better in their area than you will ever be — or want to be, almost. So you’re there to tell the story and get all of those people to help you tell the story.’ It’s a sort of philosophical but very practical ap- proach that’s been so helpful to me.” POST: You’ve always done a lot of TV pro- jects as well. How does that influence your film work, and vice versa? KASDAN: “I think working in different areas means working with different sched- ules, and TV can teach you to work a lot faster and more efficiently. But it’s basically using a lot of the same skills, although the process can be a little different. All the TV projects I’ve done have been very collabo- rative; there’s a big group of people and it’s a bit like being in a band, and the lead per- son is really the show-runner.When you make a movie, it’s also very collaborative, but as the director you need to be the gen- eral and guiding force.” POST: Is film dead? KASDAN: “No, it’s definitely not dead. These things are probably cyclical, and I think film will come back to some extent. But I do think all the digital cameras are advancing at such an amazing rate now, and there’s so many reasons to shoot digitally, and I really like shooting digitally, even though we shot this 35mm. I’ve actually shot way more pro- jects digitally than on film. But it always de- www.postmagazine.com pends on the specific project.There’s a look to film that has so much character, but there’s a flexibility and versatility to digital that I really love.” POST: Hollywood’s gone 3D crazy it seems.Any interest in doing a 3D film? KASDAN: “No, I’m just not that inter- ested. Never say never but it doesn’t sit high on my list.” POST: What’s your take on Hollywood these days — healthy or ailing? KASDAN: “It depends on how you look at it.The business side is healthy, but there are fewer movies getting made and as a film- maker I wish there were more.” POST: What are the best and worst parts of being a director? KASDAN: “The truth is, it’s a great job and the great parts far outweigh the down sides. I love directing and making an audience laugh. It’s pretty joyful from my perspective.” POST: What’s next? KASDAN: “I produced this new film Friends with Kids. It’s directed by Jennifer Westfeldt and stars Kristen Wiig and Maya Making sound good: Joel Shryack was supervising sound editor; sound design was via Bob Grieve. Rudolph, who are hot off Bridesmaids, along with John Hamm and Megan Fox, so a great cast. I actually like producing and I’ve produced almost all the movies I’ve di- rected.This was the first time working as an active producer on someone else’s film, and I really enjoyed the experience. As for my own movies, I’m developing several pro- jects at the moment, so it’s a matter of see- ing what comes together first.” Bad