Site created 12/15/97.		page created: 10/27/99 Jerky Treats! An Interview with Ravenous DVD Producer David Britten Prior (continued) Back to page 1 David Prior: You reminded me of something. Back when I was probably about seven or eight years old, and just starting to figure out my sensibilities - looking at movies on television - I knew that movies were different in the theater, but I didn't know why. And I used to wonder how they got that strange kind of pan… [everyone laughs] Bill Hunt: Yeah, and your eye always went right to it, and you knew something wasn't quite right… Todd Doogan: Columbia was worst about that… David Prior: And, yeah - it's dead still, and then it was like, zzzzzzzzz… and the camera moves over… Bill Hunt: And your mind always supplied the motor sound. David Prior: [laughs] There were times when it worked in a bizarre way, not because it was better, but just because it lent itself to the scene in an odd way. And I used to think it was part of the way it was shot, and should I try to replicate that or not? Then of course when I figured out what it was, I threw all that out the window. Todd Doogan: But some people didn't. So these filmmakers would say, "I got it from this movie", and all you can say is, "No you didn't - you got it from the panned and scanned version. You didn't get it from the movie, you got it from some video technician named Carl, sitting there in a room doing the film transfer." [more laughter] David Prior: Which is why you look at movies now, and you'll still see that influence. You'll see these close-ups crawling up people's noses, for no dramatic reason whatsoever. Not because these people don't understand anything about frame size, but just because they watch too much television. Bill Hunt: And now there are a few directors out there who just don't appreciate the wide screen. There's sort of two schools - some who've gotta have that "scope" look to their movies, because they grew up looking at movies like Lawrence of Arabia in widescreen on laserdisc, and then there are all these guys who were videophiles, who think in terms of television. And when they put their movies on video or DVD, they even to this day say, "You know, I want it to fill the screen…" David Prior: Like James Cameron. Bill Hunt: Sure. Todd Doogan: Well, it's gotta be hard to compose a frame like that, for a video safe area. You probably in your mind think that you can, but then you get on set, and think, "How the hell am I gonna do this?" And then you start shooting everything in the center of the frame. David Prior: It takes an aesthetic discipline. Max Ophüls, who directed Lola Montès, struggled with it for a long, long time. And he one day went up to Peter Ustinov in the middle of shooting, and he said, "I think I've cracked it." And he came up with this "rule of threes". Now I don't know that he invented it, and I'm sure anybody who had worked in widescreen before had stumbled across it, but he found it on his own - which was using middleground, foreground and background, always within the frame. Of course, that doesn't work for a close-up, but just adopting a kind of ancient Greek ideal of what is aesthetically pleasing, it becomes a lot easier. Bill Hunt: I know William Friedkin is another director who thinks in terms of TV - I spoke with him briefly at a signing for The Exorcist DVD, and he originally wanted that to be full frame when it came on DVD. And Warner really had to push him to do widescreen. David Prior: That explains the Sorcerer laserdisc. I haven't seen the DVD, but the laserdisc was full frame. Todd Doogan: So what kind of aesthetic do you bring as a filmmaker to DVD production? I'm sure you have to have a knowledge of both film history, and what people want to see in order to so a successful DVD like Ravenous. David Prior: Well, I think that it boils down to the same thing that applies whenever you're doing anything creative. I'm pretentious enough to consider myself an artist, not necessarily in the realm of DVD - there I'm just trying to represent someone else's work. But I just try to do what I want to see, and hope that there are other people out there who will be as interested as I am. Bill Hunt: As an artist, representing someone else's art as you just said, is there a certain amount of respect involved? I mean, obviously you love the film, and have a certain amount of reverence for it… David Prior: Absolutely. It's all got to be about the work. The film has to take top priority. Which is why, when I was really tearing my hair out about the supplements on Ravenous, I had to stop and remind myself that the real focus here is the film. But apart from just trying to create some sense of unity, the supplements and whatever added-value stuff you're putting together has to sort of fall in line with the aesthetic of the film in some way. And it's important to try and understand the film - fortunately, so far I've been dealing with films that are about something. So the farther you dive into the themes and the meanings, there are little sign posts that help you to understand how to execute some of the supplements. I mean, if you're doing Fraternity Vacation, it's a little easier to dive in… Todd Doogan: I like that movie. [everyone laughs] David Prior: It's a likable movie. And there are all kinds of movies that I like that would fall into that category. But they're easier to grab onto. And even more complicated films, as you really start digging into them - as good artists, directors sort of leave you a trail of bread crumbs to follow. And as soon as you find that, you can get a better idea of what approach is best when you're working on the DVD. Todd Doogan: Can you do that same thing, apply that artistic sensibility, to something you're not as passionate about? David Prior: Yeah. That's where discipline comes in. And I'm - I'm the latest riser I can think of, and I have virtually no discipline. But I think, when it comes to my work, I'm very disciplined. Because it's more than just a passion for the individual title, it's a passion for the medium, and the whole nine yards with movies. Bill Hunt: Getting back to something we talked about earlier - the artists' involvement - what did Antonia and some of the others think of the disc when they saw it? David Prior: Actually they haven't seen it, because it hasn't come out in Region 2 yet. Bill Hunt: So they haven't seen anything you've done yet? David Prior: The people in England haven't yet. I don't even know that they know it's out yet. I've been meaning to send Antonia an e-mail to tell her about it, and hopefully, she'll come to the States soon, and I'll be able to show it to her. Ted Griffin has been very pleased. He called me very excited on the day it came out - he went into Virgin and saw it on the shelf, and said he was very proud of it, and that made me feel great. He's such a talented writer and so uncommonly fearless about taking on risky material early in his career. His reaction made me very proud. Todd Doogan: With some of the stuff that you said you had wanted to with Ravenous, but weren't able to - more of a look at the history behind the story, and just more comprehensive extras… are you going to be able to do that more now, now that Ravenous has been a success? David Prior: I don't know, but I'll continue to try. I think that the battles hopefully get fewer and a little easier to win as you go on. As I said before, Fox is terrific to work with now. They got off to kind of a rocky start, but everyone there that's involved in the day-to-day work on DVD is very much behind the format. They're very interested in doing added value material. And I think you're gonna start seeing some really great stuff coming from them. I know they're much more favorable towards 16x9 now… Bill Hunt: That's something that our readers talk to us about all the time. David Prior: Yeah. I can understand why they [Fox] were a little reticent about 16x9 early on, because the first couple of generations of players - there was a noticeable degradation of the image in 16x9 on a regular TV. And the simple truth is that nine-tenths of the population still has 4x3 TVs. Bill Hunt: That quality argument is the same thing we heard from Criterion, and THX and some others. But now that the technology has developed, that problem has solved itself, and they're all realizing the benefits of anamorphic. David Prior: Right - it was the early players and not the software. And now Fox has decided that since the players are no longer a problem, they're going ahead. Todd Doogan: Speaking of Criterion, do you personally think - because I do - that every single DVD special edition that comes out should have a thank you to Criterion for pioneering the idea… [everyone laughs] David Prior: I think it should be on the cover of every box. If it wasn't for them - I actually find it hard to believe that time is passing so fast. It surprises me that it was so long ago, that Criterion was the only game in town, doing these amazing discs, and I felt like I was a market of one. I'm personally thankful to them for doing all that work. And now, it's like every studio is doing them. Bill Hunt: Well, I think that's the difference with DVD. I mean, laserdisc was a great format, but it was so inaccessible to a lot of people. Whether it was the size of the disc, or the side-flipping, or the cost - you can get into DVD now, just two years into the format, for a lot cheaper than you could buy into laserdisc for a long time. David Prior: I think it's the timing too. I don't think a lot of people were ready for laserdisc-type technology until CDs hit. And then when that crested, DVD was inevitable, and already on the way. Laserdisc just didn't have a chance. Because when it first came out, it was at the same time as VHS, and your average home consumer was like, "Well, I can record on one, and I can't on the other…" Todd Doogan: But some people still have that complaint about DVD. They're like, "Well, can I record on it yet?" And you say, "Well, that's what you have a VCR for." I mean, CDs and cassette tapes co-existed just fine for a long time. They still do. Bill Hunt: But I think fewer people are having that complaint these days, because of just exactly the things you were talking about a moment ago - DVD sort of piggybacks on CD. DVD discs even look almost exactly like CDs, even though they're very different formats. People are used to that shinny five-inch disc, and they know how to handle them, and stack them on their shelves. It's friendlier to them. David Prior: Exactly. I think - you know, a lot of people use "digital" as a catch word for quality, and it's not. It's just another way to record information. And I think that maybe we threw over laserdisc a little too quickly. Because there are still things about laser that are superior - just using uncompressed video, for example. And DVD is getting there definitely - I've seen some very impressive looking DVDs lately. Personally, I think Ravenous looks terrific. But there's still quite a few DVDs that look bad. When high-def DVD comes in - if it comes in - people are talking about what the uses are for it. I hear things like "even more supplements," or "five movies on one disc." And I'm saying, "No... how about one movie, with uncompressed video." Something about compression - just the notion of it - really bothers me. But I'm an anal-retentive purist. Bill Hunt: Well, sure. I mean, what with MPEG-2 compression on DVD, you're losing like eighty percent of the original information? David Prior: It depends, but something like that, yeah. Bill Hunt: So getting back to your work on the extras for Ravenous, tell us about your experience with the director and actors while recording the commentary tracks. Was it hard to get them talking about their work, or did they have plenty to say? David Prior: Well, the irony is that the troubles I encountered in making the disc were a light easterly breeze compared to what they went through making the film, so there was some reticence about getting too into that on their part. But, in the end, it was pretty easy really. I mean, each was different. Antonia considered doing it with a film historian along with her, to sort of interview her and ask questions, but it ended up just being her and Damon Albarn, who co-composed the music - in the studio. And they sort of worked off of each other. Robert Carlyle was by himself, and he was very specific in his commentary to what was going on on-screen. Ted Griffin and Jeffery Jones I just recorded at Jeffery's house on a portable DAT machine, and I'm surprised at how well that turned out. I mean, we all just sat around watching the film for three hours, drinking coffee, smoking like fiends, and we had a great time. It turned out to be a very entertaining commentary. Todd Doogan: I think that maybe is the best way to record a track like that - in a more relaxed setting. Bill Hunt: And I think that having people - a director and writer for instance - in the same room together really works on a commentary. One of the best tracks I've heard is Wolfgang Peterson on the DVD version of Das Boot, and he's got Jürgen Prochnow with him, and the producer, and it's a blast to listen to them work off each other. David Prior: Yeah, I really think those things make a difference. Todd Doogan: This is a more personal question, but you said you were a filmmaker. What kind of films inspire you? David Prior: Well, my great grandparents were silent film stars, so… Todd Doogan: Who were they? David Prior: John Gilbert was my great grandfather, who was Greta Garbo's on and offscreen amour. Todd Doogan: Oh, wow. David Prior: And Leatrice Joy, who left the business in the '30s, but she was the star of the original silent Ten Commandments, and she did a few C.B. DeMille movies. It's weird... I go back and try to think about when I got really passionate about movies, and I just can't remember - it was so early. But I remember the one movie that made me go and ask my mother how you make movies, was Jaws. And then of course, Star Wars cemented it. And I think that, as much as I was the typical nine-year-old berserk for Star Wars in '77, the movie that year that pushed me hardest towards filmmaking was Close Encounters. Todd Doogan: Damn that Spielberg. David Prior: Well, I haven't exactly been thrilled with anything Spielberg has done in the last dozen years or so, but I think that he made three perfect movies back then. Bill Hunt: There's a sense of wonder missing. David Prior: And such craft! I mean, you look at the difference between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park… Todd Doogan: Well, don't you think that computers and digital effects are kind of killing that? David Prior: Well, in some ways… Todd Doogan: And I think that they're using them wrong. They're no longer using them as a tool, but as a way to tell the whole story, and you can't do that. David Prior: Exactly. I mean the ending of Jurassic Park is a perfect example of that - just because it's a big, cool CG effect, doesn't make it a good ending. Like any new technology, I think opticals and matte work - and real matte paintings, which aren't being done much anymore - had evolved to a point over the years, where the gimmickry had started to diminish, and people were just using them to get their work done. And CG still hasn't gotten to that point yet - people are still doing it just to do it. To break new ground. And you look at something like The Matrix - there are a lot of shots in that movie that would have been better done using traditional methods, you know, whatever you say about the film. I worked in special effects for years, but phased myself out when computers arrived, because I think they took the fun out of it. I mean, building models and blowing stuff up, and all that. The unavoidable truth is that there are definitely some cases where CG is absolutely the best way to go, and that's when you use it. But it's just being used for everything now. Todd Doogan: A friend of mine works in effects, and he tells me that some of the digital effects shots in Fight Club are just amazing. David Prior: Well, I just saw the film yesterday, and I know exactly what he's talking about - exactly which shots. And they are very impressive. But they look digital. Todd Doogan: They do? David Prior: There's a patina of artificiality that CG always has… Todd Doogan: But you were saying that some filmmakers are using it for everything. Is Fincher being more traditional with it? David Prior: I think Fincher is much too interesting a filmmaker to fall into that trap. He's using it for things that you really couldn't do any other way. There's a sequence, for example, where the camera is zooming down the side of a building, into an underground garage, and then through the back of a truck, through the front of the truck… and you just couldn't do that any other way than with digital. And it's impressive, but it looks digital. Bill Hunt: I think a lot of it comes down to business, and what sells. Digital effects bring people into the theater seats - The Phantom Menace, for example. And getting back to someone like Spielberg, I think he's gotten so involved in producer mode, and "running a studio" mode, that the pure filmmaker in him doesn't get to come out as much as it used to. And, let's be honest… he doesn't have the same world view as he did when he was younger, for better or worse. And that's not so much a criticism, just the natural evolution in a person over their life. I think that he himself has even said that Close Encounters is a movie that he would never be able to make today. But I'm still not sure how he could make a movie like Jurassic Park in the same year as he makes Schindler's List. I don't know how you switch gears like that. David Prior: I think you're right about that. And I think that the fact that he had to make do with much smaller budgets back then - more of a guerrilla filmmaking style - forced a toughness and more of a creative edge to his work. Bill Hunt: I think that's why Saving Private Ryan works so well when it does - Spielberg sort of just went into the action combat cameraman-style, and captured moments that he never could have gotten any other way. Todd Doogan: He was forced to be more creative in his direction. Also, there's just no need for filmmaking budgets to be so unbelievably high. David Prior: Right. Which is why I think little movies like Ravenous have to be supported. Because that was a twelve million dollar movie, from a major studio. That just doesn't happen much anymore. The fact that it does occasionally, is I think worth throwing up a flag about. I think the trend should go back to lower budgets. And I hope it does. I've heard people saying now, "Nothing over seventy million!" But even that's too much for most movies. I hate to be typical, but I really pine for the '70s. Todd Doogan: It was a really magical time in filmmaking, wasn't it? David Prior: Definitely. Every couple of weeks, you had some kind of interesting new Friedkin or Scorsese picture to go and see, with really naturalistic acting. Bill Hunt: Can you imagine a movie like The Conversation being made today? It would never happen. David Prior: Well, it did… and it was called Enemy of the State. [a big laugh all around] Bill Hunt: Exactly. You're absolutely right. That really sums up the differences in filmmaking from the '70s to the '90s perfectly, right there. So is there anything else you'd like readers of The Digital Bits to know about the Ravenous DVD, or your work in general, before we wrap up? David Prior: Well, I guess, to sum this all up, my reasons for doing Ravenous were selfish. I loved the movie, and I really wanted it done right on DVD. But beyond that, I hope that when you go into the store, and you're browsing through the DVDs, and you pick it up, and you go, "What the hell is this?", you'll see all the extras on it, and see that someone put some time into it, and think that maybe it's worth taking a look at. And you'll discover a great little gem. Bill Hunt: David, thanks for taking so much of your time to talk with us. This has really been fun. Todd Doogan: Yeah - really, this has been great. It's nice to talk to someone doing DVD that actually loves film as much as Bill and I do. David Prior: Believe me, the fact that you guys care about film and DVD, and understand it, makes it real easy to talk about the work I'm doing. I mean, I talk with people all the time who just don't get it, or just don't care. It's like a breath of fresh air talking with you guys. This has been a lot of fun. Bill Hunt: We'll do this again soon on the Fight Club DVD. Todd Doogan: Yeah, and we gotta get a couple of this cool bars of soap. David Prior: [laughs] Definitely. Take care, guys. Thanks a lot. Editor's Note: Be sure to read our review of the Ravenous DVD to learn more about it. Todd and I really think it's a disc that deserves a closer look, if you haven't seen it yet. And you can be sure that we'll have David back again very soon, to give you all a sneak peek at the Fight Club DVD. Based on what he's told us about it, we can tell you that it should be VERY cool. Hope you all enjoyed the interview, and thanks again to David for chatting with us. Stay tuned!
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