Draft 2 PhD Introduction - ResearchSpace@Auckland

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As usual Ward’s approach to directing the film was to demand a great deal from his cast
and crew and this earned him a reputation for being tough even by Hollywood
standards. Robin Williams described him as “a pitbull”, but enjoyed the experience of
working with the director. 938 Ward however, was unapologetic about his approach:
Look, when I direct, I try to be fair and reasonable. I always want to be
considerate, but directing a movie is like running an army. I have to keep
everything together. I am demanding, meticulous and very detail-orientated. I
don’t want to be an easy-going guy when it comes to making films because I’d
end up with a mess. I have a definite view of what the film should be and I fight
every inch to have it realised on my terms. 939
French cinematographer Eduardo Serra, who had worked with Ward on Map of the
Human Heart, was the film’s director of photography. Ward’s characteristic concern
with light was part of his reason for choosing Serra: “Eduardo is very methodical and
particular about light. He can create what I call ‘exotic experiences’, particularly in
smaller environments. He paints in tones photographically, so he’ll underexpose a
background element in a very measured way – by two or three stops – but he’s very
conscious that that element is an important part of the shot, which creates this very
layered, European effect”. 940 Serra, like most people who have worked with Ward,
found him to be not only a perfectionist but an artist who is always pushing the
boundaries:
Vincent is only interested in what has not been done before, which is basically
the same for me. He’s always invited me to invent things and to use a very wide
span of whatever can be done with a camera, so he is very open to all kinds of
technical solutions. What makes his richness as an artist is his way of thinking,
which is not a scholarly A plus B meets C. Vincent’s creative process can be
very confusing for people around him; he will say very strange things and make
great demands that sometimes contradict themselves. But that’s his way of
938 Manelis, "Vincent Ward," 34.
939 Ward quoted in Manelis, "Vincent Ward," 34-35.
940 Serra quoted in Magrid, "Dream Weavers," 43.