Today me and my friend Melody went to Leeds to see High Rise before it's release and also a question and answer session afterwards from the director, Ben Wheatley. I have went to this cinema before and I really love it with it's comfy sofas and the fact you can order pizza and wine while you are watching the film.
There was a few adverts before the film (mostly superhero movies) then followed by an intro from Chris Cooke (co-director of Mayhem Film Festival) and Ben Wheatley. He then said they had a significantly less budget than the adverts we just saw and to enjoy and stick around for the Q and A where we could get a limited edition shirt if we ask a question, but not "can I have a t shirt?". So that was my question out the window! I did have one in mind though.
https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/473792823278101505/
I was very excited to see the film itself as I keep linking it on here as a case study and this whole adventure is key experience for me; I am face to face with a real famous director. High Rise was very dark and gritty and a perfect representation of the 80s. There was some hilarious moments ("I'm an orthodontist, not a homosexual" being my favourite line) and some weird remixes of ABBA. Tom Hiddleston's performance was amazing and well acted, one scene between him and another actor had no words but you could tell what was being said/conveyed through facial expressions. Some symbolism was lost on me (I was going to ask the relevance of 'Little Bo Peep' but my other question was more important) and at times there was very little progression of plot and some ambivalent scenes. But overall it is a very clever film.
6/10
Me and my friend luckily got front row tickets, right in the middle, so it was great for the question and answer session afterwards (not so much for the film as our necks were aching). We were bound to be noticed! While watching the credits roll, I also noticed Ben Wheatley edited and wrote the film which I found interesting.
Chris Cooke then asked a few questions to start and give us some ideas for questions and discussions. What I found interesting is how they pre-produced the film. Usually it's a highly collaborative process but Amy Jump (co-writer) was very secretive of the screenplay and wrote it entirely, then discussed it. She is still secretive now and refuses to answer or go to any question and answers. Amy gets the final say as writer and also helped edited it as they both tell a story. They then briefly talked about Thatcher's influence of the film (with the quote at the end) and how The Iron Lady is "the best sci-fi film" he has seen.
Production design was also a key, if not the main, feature of the film. The 70s set dress and costume made us think if it was a 70s or a modern film with it's themes covered that are very relevant today. Wheatley then said that the book was sci-fi and the film is period. He portrays the "70s that never existed". The actual high rise building was made to look like a hand and was also made to look feasable; where would you but the balconies?, where would you out the camera? The shopping scene was also made from scratch with made up brands and logos. He wanted to create an "alternate reality".
https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/movie%3A-high-rise
It was also interesting to find out that the project had multiple directors but kept dropping out, but they left their ideas behind as it was "their creativity". They also edited the film in their own house and away from human influence which is challenging normal conventions where they are open for feedback. They had a vision in mind and nothing was going to change it. The psychedelic montages of the film was described by Wheatley as a "fungus" with key images planted in them. They started editing during production with these key images. They also had no legal control over production.
The main character was more human than usual protagonists; he made mistakes and is a coward, which made the film more relatable. The dark themes of the film mirrors the book as Wheatley wanted to keep this theme as much as possible. Cooke then made a comment on the film being 'British' with the mannerisms to which Wheatley added "mannerisms and killing". So British. The cast was huge which was a big change for him, but he then stressed that famous doesn't matter, he looks for talent. Amy also had a say in casting and some faces in mind as she was still writing. There was also a few cameos of previous films he directed and that also had resemblance to their characters in both films, such as the corrupt police man from Kill List who was also corrupt in High Rise. He then said it was like the "Marvel universe" and wanted to join the dots.
The film also had a few visual influences but Wheatley said they weren't intentional as he didn't have time during production to think of this. As he was editing, he noticed a few influences. He then said that this was "not a shopping list, it is a emulsh of cinema". He then briefly talked about influences when he was little, comic books being the main one with narratives being told visually and also how they are non linear. The one thing he regretted about High Rise was the budget. One key feature of the book was the fact that a dog had two back legs missing so the character made prosthetics for the dog. But this would cost £2,000 so they put a blanket over the dog instead.
Wheatley is a busy man and is constantly flitting between projects. He then briefly talked about his episode in Doctor Who; he wanted to do this so he could make something that his son could watch. He was also excited to hear that Loki was going to be in Dad's next feature. Wheatley also has another film coming out later this year called Free Fire.
I met Ben Wheatley afterwards!!
One person in the audience asked how much time he got with the actors due to the busy schedule (7 weeks production and to get everything filmed). They shot it non linear- Luke Evans' first day was him in a pool covered in blood. Most of the film was long one shots. He also said that if the performance the actors gave came across as awkward, it was his fault. He wanted natural acting and most of the dialogue was improvised. Tom Hiddleston, he said, was a pleasure to work with and "just does it" [what you ask him to]. The camera swings to keep up with the dialogue. He gave the actors an atmosphere where they can't fail and with no stress- he gave little direction as he wanted natural reactions. He then gave some interesting advice saying that "direction is the first thing a character says. The rest doesn't matter", kind of when someone gives directions and you listen to the first thing said "turn left" and not "just past the roundabout with the sheep on top".
He then talked about advice for budding directors (this was my question) one key piece of advice he gave was STORYBOARD EVERYTHING! He also then said that you don't need permission to film anything but he did need a risk assessment when the kid went up the ladder on the side of the building, but they got around this by lying it on the ground just like the old Batman's. He then said to not bother with a short film and do a full feature instead (go big or go home). For writing inspiration, look where you are while writing (at a desk, on a bench...) and start from there. Settings do not matter; they are minimal. It's the drama that matters. Then he said (he really liked my question!) to not fall into the trap of money. You don't need money to make a film; you can film anything on your phone nowadays.
I got a t shirt and badges for asking a question!
The dark humour of the script gave the film "life" according to Wheatley and more of a variety. The surrealistic nature of the film was also very realistic, with their focus on continuity and reasoning behind different props in a scene and how high the bin bags should be stacked, to also make is smooth while editing.
