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Journalism of Courage
When the action hit Cloverfield thrilled audiences in 2008,few in theatres could have guessed that they were,at least in part,under the creative stewardship of Steven Spielberg. Thats because Spielberg has no credit on the production. But that didnt stop him from giving the movies director,Matt Reeves,and its producer,J J Abrams,advice on how to improve the film.
He had this idea about the ending, said Reeves who had sent Spielberg a cut during postproduction with the hope that he would give them creative notes. That version showed the giant monster that wreaks havoc on New York being last seen on the loose,at war with fighter jets.
Spielberg suggested the inclusion of air-raid sirens to give the impression of a countdown. It prepared you so that even though the ending was still inconclusive,it wasnt letting you fall off a cliff, Reeves said. It helped the movie a lot.
Spielberg,66,is considered the most influential director of our time,thanks to the impact of the more than two dozen features that he has directed. And then there are the more than 175 films that he has been ultimately responsible for,mostly through his production company,Amblin,and his studio,DreamWorks.
But less recognised is the feedback that Spielberg has provided as a sounding board for filmmakers. Being the recipient of such creative input is as close to receiving a benediction as one can hope for in Hollywood.
His love of movies and desire to collaborate extends far beyond those projects that he is required to work on, said Abrams,who has been hailed as a Spielberg protege.
Abrams,46,asked Spielberg to read the scripts for 2006s Mission: Impossible III and 2009s Star Trek. For Trek,Spielberg suggested lengthening several scenes and advised that the female communications officer,Uhura,be developed further.
I think,for Steven,sometimes its the most fun to weigh in on someone elses work when there are no consequences, said David Koepp,who has worked as a writer and director on several Spielberg productions. He is free to just talk about the creative part.
Koepp asked Spielberg to read an early draft of the script for 2012s Premium Rush,which Koepp directed but to which Spielberg had no affiliation. The film features a bike messenger engaged in several chase sequences from one tip of Manhattan to another and back again.
Spielbergs advice to Koepp was to show the main character entering the screen consistently from one side when he was going downtown,and to enter the other side when he was going uptown,to help orient the audience.
He is exceedingly practical and grounded in the storytelling, Koepp said. In giving his notes,Spielberg referred to how Peter OToole’s character in Lawrence of Arabia does the same thing when crossing the desert.
Premium Rush benefited from that simple geographical clue, said Koepp,who added that while it was not uncommon for well-acquainted filmmakers to ask one another to give notes,Spielbergs come with a signature undercurrent of kindness.
Abrams said Spielbergs enthusiastic note giving does not infringe on the autonomy of directors who work under him. He doesn’t mandate, said Abrams,who directed 2011s Super 8,which Spielberg produced.
When Chris Columbus wrote 1984s Gremlins,which he directed,it was originally a horror film with a hard R rating,he said,about critters that tear up a town. But Spielberg,his executive producer,suggested not letting all of the gremlins turn malicious,and keeping one of them,Gizmo,good. It was a change that taught me how the audience could become emotionally attached to the film,Columbus said.
Spielbergs advice ranges from what sounds apocryphal (telling Sam Mendes,the first-time director of 1999s American Beauty to wear comfortable shoes on the set) to the technical (advising Robert Zemeckis to use wide camera lenses on his 1978 directorial debut,I Wanna Hold Your Hand). He is so aware of the geography of storytelling, said Abrams.
After Cloverfield,Reeves asked for Spielbergs advice on how to work with children for his independently produced 2010 film,Let Me In,about a young vampire. He reminded me that I was trying to remember what it was like to be 11,but he said: Your actors are actually 11. You should ask them what they would do.
Reeves credits a moment in the film,when a police officer is hunting a child in his room and mistakenly steps on a toy,as coming from one of his young actors.
A spokesman for Spielberg said he considers his conversations with other filmmakers to be private,so he did not comment for this article.
