Last month, Guillermo del Toro announced he was taking a year long sabbatical from directing, but he won’t just be sitting around the house. The director will not only keep his hands busy producing, but he taking some time to interview filmmaking legends Michael Mann and George Miller. It might be for a book or documentary (or maybe none of those things), but for del Toro it’s chance to celebrate their work and learn from the masters.
The director hit Twitter this holiday weekend to explain why he was going to sit down for some extensive chats with Miller and Mann, and he explains that he’s eager to really go into detail with each of them, in a way that the regular press cycle for their films doesn’t allow:
As a result, often, these films get discussed in "all aspects" at once. But mostly, plot and character- anecdote and flow, become the point of discussion. Formal appreciation and technique become secondary and the specifics of narrative technique only passingly address
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 23, 2017
I think we owe it to these (and a handful of filmmakers) to have their formal choices commemorated, the way one can appreciatethe voigour and thickness and precision of a brushtroke when you stand in front of an original painting.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 23, 2017
Uh- it's not quite 13 tweets yet but you catch my drift- and I have brussel sprouts in the frying pan- gotta go. But, there- that's the idea behind those 4 weeks of visit to two masters. Hugs to all.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 23, 2017
I had my caramelized brussel sprouts. Nice.
Anyway, my hope is that we can dissect the importance of audiovisual tools delivering/reinforcing theme and character in a film. If these interviews / dialogues are useful I would keep having them. Filmmakers to filmmaker.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 23, 2017
Frankly, we’re pretty geeked out already at the idea of del Toro himself nerding hard with Miller and Mann. No matter what format those talks end up taking, let’s hope that del Toro doesn’t keep those conversations to himself for too long.
Del Toro’s latest, “The Shape Of Water,” opens on December 1st.
