Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1316365
www.postmagazine.com 14 POST NOV/DEC 2020 OUTLOOK DIRECTORS P ost's annual SWOT feature once again asks leading feature film directors their thoughts for the year ahead. Here, Alexander Payne, Steve McQueen, Jon Avnet and Lee Isaac Chung look at the way technology is influencing filmmaking and the post process. They also reflect on the weight of the pandemic and whether or not audiences will ultimately return to cinemas. ALEXANDER PAYNE Downsizing, The Descendants, About Schmidt, Sideways Over the course of just seven films — a small but potent body of work — the director/screenwriter/pro- ducer has established his formidable rep- utation as an astute observer of human nature and contemporary society, able to mix biting satire and social commentary with emotional depth and dark humor. Payne has won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, and is a three- time Oscar nominee for Best Director. STRENGTHS: "Filmmaking is pretty much all about post — about editing that is, the facet of filmmaking unique to filmmaking. As Kurosawa used to say, 'The only reason I write and direct is to get material to edit.' Editing is by far my favorite part of filmmaking. You're finally sitting atop all the hideousness of writing and securing financing. Directing can be exhilarating but soon grows physi- cally and psychologically taxing. When I finally reach the cutting room, I feel as though I've washed up on the shore of the promised land. Here, the editor and I can lead a civilized life with regular, if long, hours and actually make the movie. The bonus is that here in editing lurks the land of mystery, surprises and discovery. Discovery begins in writing, of course, and extends through directing — each choice, especially the ones you'd not foreseen, is an opportunity to add in- terest and meaning to the film. This mag- ical path grows even wider in editing, and you're aware of the fragility of film — making a cut two frames this way or that, starting the music two frames this way or that, pulling a reaction from an actor after 'cut' had been called, this sound effect, that instrument carrying the mel- ody in the score, adding more contrast to the clouds in the sky — it's all part of the mystery and beauty of editing." WEAKNESSES: "Many filmmakers, myself included, might first mention the 'notes' and previews part of commercial filmmak- ing. It's always great to screen your film for others — that's the only way to know what you have on your hands. But when some people are thinking only about commercial prospects, their comments cannot always be trusted to make a film for the ages. It's true that often the finan- OUTLOOK 2021 FOUR DIRECTORS LOOK AT THE STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS FOR FILMMAKING IN THE YEAR AHEAD BY IAIN BLAIR Alexander Payne's 2017 film Downsizing.