t.A.T.u. Interview

t.A.T.u interview conducted by Tatu.ru

Published July 9, 2007

Link: http://tatulife.kulichki.com/?en/page/pub,1/1589

Richard Nord: Finding t.A.T.u. is turning kind of... Felliniesque

“My kids are jealous of me because they think I get paid to watch TV all day. They are right in a way, because that is my job, to sit at a computer and move pictures around”. Richard Nord smiles and this smile is a little, well, “tired” looking. An Oscar nominee, who works for director Roland Joffe and has edited such films as «The Fugitive», «Biloxi Blues» and «Passenger 57», is now editing his latest film with working title Finding t.A.T.u.

We’re sitting in his editing room, surrounded by all the latest high tech HD/Digital equipment on the planet. Richard’s job is to sort through all the material that was shot for the film and put it together in a way that best tells the story.

We were waiting for this meeting for several weeks… Finally, hello!

Well, you know what happened? When the project first started, I had more time than I do now. When I first arrived in Moscow from Los Angeles, I pretty much said “yes” to everyone. For instance, I did an interview with Mosfilms, then, I agreed to teach two seminars for the Studio’s Assistant Director training program. After doing those things, I felt I did my share of community service and it was time to focus on editing and not be disturbed. Then of course, you guys called and wanted to meet. My instincts were to lay low and hide.

By the way, did you go to the latest t.A.T.u. gig at B1 club?

No, I didn’t. I usually try not to hang around the set. I like to stay behind the scenes and see the action from the safety of my editing room.

Is it your rule?

It’s not a rule; it’s more like a preference. I guess the reason why is that the set or location is the place where the director, the actors and the crew come together to do their work. The last thing they need is an editor walking around, tripping over cables and spilling coffee onto their laps. On occasion, I do get called to the set and asked my opinion on how something should be shot. It’s best, however, to keep visits short and let the filmmakers do their work.

Are we on schedule?

Last time I checked, we weren’t. But, due to the ambitious nature of this film, that’s not a surprise. We have over 190 Scenes and we’ve been shooting all over Moscow. It’s hard to absorb all the bumps on the road, so we probably are a few days behind. But that in a way is a good thing. That means we are not rushing to a point where we compromise making a good film. Sometimes it takes more time to get things right. It takes a smart director and good producers to realize that. Therefore, it’s better to have a good film that comes in late than a mediocre film that was made on time.

How is this film being shot in terms of equipment?

We are shooting this film in HD with the new Panavision Genesis camera. That means we are actually not shooting on traditional film. We are shooting HDSR Digital Video. Someday, in the near future, we will no longer be using the word “film” to describe movies.

One of the set assistants said that Genesis costs around one million dollars. It is true?

Actually, that sounds good but it’s not quite true. You see, you cannot buy an HD Genesis camera. Panavision and Sony invented this camera and they only let film productions companies and studios rent them out. This way they control the market. If you tried to buy the Genesis camera, you couldn’t because they are not for sale. So, in a way, the camera does become priceless. Even for a million dollars, they are not for sale.

Are all high-budget movies shot on Genesis camera in Hollywood now?

No, not yet. This is an up and coming, new way of working and it takes time for everyone to accept change. Roland was ready. He chose to shoot in HD because he was convinced that it would match the look of film and he would have more options in making it look the way he wanted.

Philip ( Philip Robertson – movie’s cinematographer – tatu.ru) agreed. Working in HD is new for me. That’s why I asked all the HD experienced people that I know for advice beforehand. That meant getting ideas and valuable information from Americans, English and Russians. It’s almost like working on the space station; it takes an international community to bring it all together.

HD video does sound like a lot of fun…

HD/Digital Video is really only a bunch of numbers. It’s a whole lot of numbers that computers crunch and change into moving pictures. This new way of working is replacing film. Light sensitive film has been around for over 100 years. But its days are numbered because the time has come where HD video has matched the look and quality of film.

Could you describe the editing process?

I come to work each day and I put the film together the way I think it should go. I let the film tell me what to do. Roland shoots his material in such a way that I can see his intentions in the film itself. It takes patience and observation but if I look carefully, the film will lead the way. Like a sculptor, you have to let the substance you are shaping tell you how to shape the object. You have to let yourself “go with the flow.” Otherwise, the work comes out forced and unnatural, and makes everything seem unbalanced.

In another interview you said that you’re doing a parallel editing – meaning you start editing right away and not when the filming process is over, like they do it here in Russia. Is it a better way?

The mindset in Russia is that the director is the boss and he or she tells everyone what to do. Everyone waits for the instructions and everything waits until the director makes a decision. This ultimately turns out to be an inefficient way of working. Another approach is to see the director more like a general rather than a dictator. His job is to command his troops and get results. His job is not to be the guy with the gun shooting at the enemy; he has trained sharp shooters to do that for him. To have the general out on the front lines shooting his gun is not the best use of his time. That’s why a director, like a general, would benefit more by having good soldiers and smart officers to help him do his job. The mindset in Hollywood is to have a director lead a creative team of people that he harnesses to help him reach his goal. He cultivates a talent pool and he allows them artistic expression. These artists accept guidance and direction and shape the film to what the director wants and needs.

That’s a good military metaphor…

And when it comes to editing, the director cannot be in two places at once. If he’s busy shooting the film, he cannot be editing. Therefore, unless someone puts the material together for him, the entire production has to wait for shooting to stop before editing begins. Roland lets me start assembling as soon as he starts shooting.

This allows him to have a full assembly two weeks after he stops shooting. Also parallel editing allows us to see what additional pieces we may need before shooting wraps.

You’re saying that in several weeks from when the shooting ends “Finding t.A.T.u.” is complete. Then how come the post-production requires 5-6 months more?

Most people don’t realize it but it takes time to make a movie. Besides editing, you also need sound FXs, music, special visual FXs, mixing, and titles to be done. All these additional elements take time to do and more people come on board the project to help make these things happen. Besides that, the director needs time to work on the editing and try to make the film the best it can be. During this period performances are evaluated, scenes are re-cut and material can be either rearranged or deleted. Whatever helps to make the best film possible is tried and tested. Sometimes the film is shown to people to get their views. The final version of the film is referred as “director’s cut”.

From what you’ve just said it’s clear that Roland trusts you. How long have you known each other?

I’ve known Roland a little over two years. “Finding t.A.T.u.” is our second film. I was impressed with Roland for quite some time.

He’s done some extraordinary work. Every shot that Roland designs is special because he bends over backwards to make things visually stimulating.

Hopefully, with time, I earn more and more of his trust. Up to now he has been magnanimous in allowing me a full range of creative expression on his films.

Do you remember your first thought what you’ve heard about “Finding t.A.T.u.”

Quite honestly, we had a TV show in America in the 70’s called Fantasy Island. In that show, there was a dwarf named Tatoo. At first, I thought the film was about trying to find that dwarf.

Imagine my relief when I found out it was about the rock duo t.A.T.u.!

That’s funny!

I know! I was like, why are they making a movie about him?!

When you go to the movies, do you pay attention on editing?

No not really. I like to watch the story. Just like you don’t see the words when you are reading a book, editing should be invisible and not draw attention upon itself.

Sometimes, I will force myself to pay attention to the editing, but most often I just let the editor do their magic and I sit back and eat my popcorn.

Is there a movie that you could say – yes, the editing is perfect?

Well, Alfred Hitchcock once made a movie called “Rope”. You can say that film had perfect editing because Hitchcock shot it in a way that it all plays out as one long continuous shot. I think there’s no such thing as perfect editing and you can’t really say that someone’s editing is better then another. It’s all a matter of taste. That’s why when the Academy Awards chooses a film for “Best Editing” it’s more like winning a popularity contest than anything else.

How’s “Finding t.A.T.u.” coming out?

I’ve seen almost 99% of the film so far and I am very optimistic about it. One thing I can say is it’s turning kind of… “Felliniesque”. By that I mean we have a bunch of crazy characters whose story lines are interweaving beautifully with each other. Fellini, in my mind, did that best. His films came out like poetry. With a little luck and hard work, we will achieve the same.

Are you… tired?

Yes. But I get an enormous amount of pleasure from my work. It’s worth it. Now, back to work… and no more interviews!