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| Reference Type |
web
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| Title |
Interview with Ray Lawrence |
| State |
Unknown |
| Country |
Australia |
| Publication Date |
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| Citation Date |
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| Site URL |
http://www.sonyclassics.com/jindabyne/prodcredits_int.html |
| Comments |
This unique interview with Ray Lawrence defines his persona when it comes to his works. In his answers he demonstrates the simplicity and repetitive nature of how he executes his films and what he needs to do to achieve that. by comparing his work to real life situations, the audience can understand his aims goals and objectives that are portrayed on screen by the actors he has chosen. In this particular interview, Lawrence demonstrates the great deal of trust he puts in to his crew and how he finds himself working with those who share his common interests and traits in film making. From this interview, I learnt of the similarities in his cast, crew and filming techniques. Jindabyne was a film he intended on filming years in advance and he was inspired by the short stories themes, and potential ways of manipulating it. with the questioning of morals, exceeding limits of ones compassion, and others embracing at a time of heartache, Jindabyne met the qualities in Lawrence's movies and was a masterpiece in the making. Lawrence chose the film also due to the location and setting, "he knew the area" and thought it would be a great starting point to make a story on a story, that is, the historical site of Jindabyne, and he linked the two together.
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| Synopsis |
Interview with Ray Lawrence
Talk to us about the very beginnings of this story.
After I finished âBlissâ, I was reading purely for pleasure and there was a story I thought would make a good film. I ran into Paul Kelly. We had common interests. We didnât become fast friends then, just interested in similar things. I started to tell him about the story, and he introduced me to the writings of Raymond Carver. One of these stories was âSo Much Water, So Close to Homeâ, which had at its heart the most fantastic moral dilemma. I thought maybe that would be better than the one I was planning. That was almost 20 years ago.
What was it about the story that made you stick with it?
I tried to do other things. It sort of came and went. It was the same with âLantanaâ. Thereâs just one little thing in a story you like and sometimes you forget everything else. Itâs just that one little piece, like a hook, it catches you. With So Much Water, So Close to Home, it was the difference of opinion that promoted very strong discussion between men and women.
There was a time when it wasnât politically correct to talk about men and women being different. Whereas now, especially with this film.
Theyâre really the only dynamics there are. Politics, the sexes, even if theyâre the same sex, itâs still somebody playing a male or female role. I donât know who it was, but somebody said there are only three stories: man, woman and Godâwhichever God that may be. Iâm fascinated by how people stay together, why they break up and when they choose to or not, why some people have kids. There doesnât seem to be much else.
Can you talk about the first visits to the Jindabyne area, to the Snowy Mountains...
I used to go there all the time to fish, fly-fish, so I knew the area. That was part of the fascination with the story, the outdoors. I really wanted to do a film outside. So when Beatrix [Christian] and I decided we were going ahead I said, âLetâs do what Raymond Carver did. Letâs go where we want to set it and see what happens.â Thereâs a story about the lake. It was starting with a germ, like a short story writer. We just walked around, saw a river and wrote about the river. Years later when we brought the key crew to the location they said, âItâs very similar to the script isnât it?â So, that was the script. We knew where we were going.
Can you talk about why you use natural light?
It radiates out of my desire and hope to get as natural a performance as possible. I think itâs easier to get good performances without lights. Lights introduce a style to the film, they impose. The cinematographer has a style. Things he likes, even if theyâre subconscious, get imposed onto a film. On this film, except for the night sequences, where itâs pitch black, we havenât used one film light. Theyâve all been domestic bulbs or daylight. I turn more lights off than I turn on. I think the actors subconsciously react to it in a good way. So itâs not a style thing, itâs a practical choice that Iâve made to try and get rid of the paraphernalia that goes with making a film. Iâm not the only one who does it, itâs just that I really do push it.
Can you talk a little bit about the cast, and working with them?
I always seem to end up with ensemble casts. Itâs difficult because, even though theyâre all working basically the same way, they all have their needs. I donât like seeing anybodyâs work. I donât like âhearingâ the words, I donât want to know someone has written them. I want the words to sound like theyâve just fallen out of their mouths. I donât want anybody to see my work either. I much prefer to be like wallpaper. And they wonder what Iâm doing. Thatâs good. It takes away a lot of the pressure that I think is fake on a film. After a while the film starts to make itself. The notion of that happening, in the three times that Iâve done it, has never let me down.
ouâve also worked with a lot of the people around you for many years...
I go to the same restaurant, sit in the same chair and order the same meal. I find it very comforting not having to explain things. I think I work in an unusual way, or Iâm told I do. When I find that I work with people that arenât used to working my way, itâs just slower, because then Iâve got to get them up to speed and they donât always like it. So, all the people that I work with, in the main, are ones that Iâve worked with for years.
What would you like the audience to take away after theyâve seen the film?
The root of all this is to confirm peopleâs lives. I donât like the aspirational thing, Iâve said it before. Itâs odd, having spent so much time in advertising. In the stuff that I do, I always try to take the aspirational dimension out of it, and put in some sort of confirmation. Aspirational is just a way of controlling people. Itâs okay to be human. You look at some of the magazines, and some of the shows, and some of the products you seeânot very average is it? Itâs hard to feel sympathetic for somebody who gets out of a Porsche. |
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