Speaking to
Coming Soon, Andy Serkis - best known for the role of 'Gollum' in the
Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and will reprise the role in both parts of
The Hobbit - talks in detail about going from directing short to directing second unit for the
LOTR prequel, saying the experience is 'incredible'. He's also says that he'd be interested in directing future big films if the story and characters are worth directing.
You've directed several small short films, but it must be like getting handed the keys to the kingdom directing Second Unit on The Hobbit With all those resources at your disposal, what doesn't change from doing a low budget short to a $500 million dollar film?
It's really incredible. At the end of the day you're finding the right shot to support the performance. That's something I've learned from working with over the years. What I've loved and really connected with is observing his choices in how to tell a story with a camera. I've been very inspired by the way he works over the years, clearly, and I think that's why I feel like I'm kind of in touch with his sensibility. Although I'm there for him on 2nd Unit, his words to me when he offered me the job were, "I want you to make bold decisions, come back with your own take on it, you can cut your own material." He wants a fresh pair of eyes as well. I'm not gonna take it too far from his sensibility, but to have that creative freedom and yet at the same time know that you're aiming towards the same end is a great mix for working on that scale. Working in 3D for the first time, working with such a big crew, all the drama and battle sequences and all the other things.
Will what you do next be somewhere in the middle or do you want to direct big films like this?
I think, yeah. Look, it's all about story and characters, so for me if the story demands a smaller, low-budget approach then I'll do that. If it needs a bigger palette, a lot more money, I think I'm equipped to do that too.
Coming Soon will post their full interview with Serkis later this week, before Serkis' next film,
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, hits theaters this Friday.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters December 14th, 2012, while
There And Back Again will hit theaters December 13th, 2013!
About The Author:
Christian, former CBM editor, movie watcher, music listener, comic nerd.
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