When we said we had an extensive interview with film-maker Gaspar Noe, we weren’t pulling your chain. Here is part two of our conversation with the director (part one here) in which the provocateur goes more in-depth on the influences and pre-production for “Enter the Void,” as well as his thoughts on digital film-making and his admiration for “Twilight” actress Kristin Stewart. For those still on the fence or in the dark, check out the epileptic and titillating trailer here.
Can you talk more about how Kubrick inspires you and how that affects the way you direct movies?
I’m not so obsessed in his way of doing movies. I think I’m more of a party guy, drinking every night. But he was a very serious man, very focused on his work, very focused on his family. For me, the fact that he could’ve done “2001: A Space Odyssey” at that time, as perfect as it is, is one of the wonders of the universe. I wish I could have his talent, I know that I don’t have it, but still as I direct I try to follow his path. I’m only obsessed with that particular movie, then besides “2001 A Space Odyssey” my other references for [“Enter The Void”] were more… “The Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome” by Kenneth Anger, or “Videodrome” by David Cronenberg. I’m not so obsessed with directors, personally, I’m more obsessed with movies, particular movies that I can watch over and over. Like I love Bunuel, I read about his life but mostly what I like is watching “Un Chien Andalou” over and over. It’s like asking a mother to reread the same story every night.
Was there any reason you centered “Enter The Void” loosely around the Tibetan Book of the Dead? What drew you to that?
I don’t know who recommended me to read the “Tibetan Book of Death”, I read first another book that had a whole chapter, 30 pages, it would sum up what the “Tibetan Book of Death” was, and I said, “Oh great, this seems like a good structure for my new project.” Then I read the real one, it’s very practical, but very abstract… I think I’ve read it maybe twice in my life, but I took notes last time I read, and managed to pull the structure from that book. But I don’t believe in reincarnation myself.
Do you think you would ever do something this grand again, or are you strictly going smaller?
I don’t know, the thing is the more money you get to do the movie, the more pressure you have to make it commercially successful and help the people who financed your movie to get it back. So I guess to do a good movie most people would need time and the freedom. It’s not so much about money, but there are big movies that you can only do with lots of money, with big crews with big techniques, and this movie needed that. For the next project, I want to go for something small because also, the bigger the movie is, the more it takes for you to start it, to shoot it, and to complete it, and I don’t see myself into another 4 years working on the same project every day. Not right now.
We heard your next film is small scale, about the joys of relationships and sex. Can you talk more about that?
At the moment I cannot say what my next movie’s gonna be and when I’m gonna start it. But I’ve been carrying for many years a very sentimental, erotic movie that I want to do, so if everything happens as I wish, I will start with that one next.
How do you feel about 3D?
Now there’s so many TV channels that are going to start showing 3D that I was told that if I were to make it in 3D, it was be easier to finance it. But, I haven’t tested the 3D cameras yet, there’s a new Panasonic that is very simple to use but also you cannot make real close ups or you cannot see things from far without losing the 3D effects, so maybe these cameras have some secondary effects that will change how you write the movie. For example, if you make a movie with lots of nudity and the people you are using are not too much used to be filmed especially naked, you’d rather have a very small crew and the problem with 3D camera is maybe, to have proper 3D, you need 2-3 camera systems on the set.
Why was this film specifically in English rather than French?
Because English is a universal language and since the beginning I knew that the movie had to be seen through the eyes of the main character or through his mind, so if it’s in English you can have a wider audience that can see the movie without subtitles. Unfortunately, for example, in France, they’ve only released it English with French subtitles and the subtitles kill the dream mood of the movie. Hopefully on the DVD we’re gonna have the French dub version, for example in Germany they’re releasing it with dubbing to German. I’m happy that people see it without subtitles, because all of the best films that are better in English, the subtitles kill the movie.
Was the film, for you, ever too overwhelming, given the scope?
I was surrounded by the right people. When we started this movie, it was like pushing a mountain. But there was no accidents, I had a great producer in Japan, I had a great financier from France, I had a great producer from France, I had the best person I could dream of to do all the sets and also co-produce the movie. The movie was potentially very risky, if we had any problems, maybe the insurance wouldn’t cover it maybe the movie would’ve been unfinished forever. I guess from the moment I went into the editing room with all the material, I felt like the film was all ready. But then I spent a year and a half, two years doing the post production, visual effects, the soundtrack, etc. A very long process. Time consuming, but also energy consuming because you spend 4 years working every day on the same movie and not taking holidays at the end just knowing that you hate the movie but you just want to get somewhere else.
Could you talk a little bit about the casting process for this film?
I found Paz (Paz de la Huerta) before I found the other actors, I really liked her since the first day I saw her. But for me, the thing was to find a brother that could have some resemblance to her who could be a good actor and also who would not be a professional actor who would have narcissistic issues with the movie that would be induced by that you never see the main character’s face and that the all the scenes are shot from the back of his neck. So to avoid having problems with a professional actor for the part of Oscar, I decided to have someone who was not an actor at all, who would be confident in front of the camera, although we mostly hear his voice and see his shoulders, and I met Nathan (Nathaniel Brown) and I thought he was perfect for the movie and he was really happy to be in the movie. I never had any kind of problem with him. When it comes to the other characters in the movie, most of them, besides the kid who plays Victor (Olly Alexander) and the woman who plays his mother, all the other characters are people who have never acted or were just working as critics or in the same industry as directors, or the guy who played Alex (Cyril Roy) was just a bartender who lost his job and was living in Tokyo. I like taking people for what they are, but it all depends on what is in the script. If you have scenes with a character screaming, crying, etc. you’d better get a professional actor like Paz who can do that on demand. But for characters like the one of Alex, it was maybe even easier to pick up someone who was not an actor, because he needs to run, to make jokes, etc. etc. I needed someone with karma rather than with skills.
How close did you stick to the script?
The script was very long. When we shot “Irreversible,” the script was three pages long. In the case of this one, it was like 120 pages and contained over 200 scenes. You couldn’t edit most scenes out because then you cannot understand story, which means it was overwritten. It’s easier if you start the shooting of a feature with a shorter script because then you can add or improvise additional scenes that make sense. We improvised dialogue, all the written dialogue in the script, I would always tell Paz or Cyril or Nathan to use their own words to change whatever they felt like changing.
How do you feel about the advent of digital film making?
In some ways it’s good that you see the footage immediately, as it makes you feel safer on set. For the moment, I prefer the colors and the grain of negative film stock, but I’m sure in one year, two year, three years, the HD cameras will be able to get exactly the grain and the contrast of the negative film stock. Movies shot with the Canon photo camera MK2, and I saw documentaries that were amazing. So I’m gonna buy one, I don’t know what I’m going to use it for but I’m going to buy one of those digital photo cameras that you can use to shoot a feature.
Have you seen “Che?” That was shot HD, with the Red camera.
Yes, I liked it. But Red is kind of a big camera. If I were to shoot on HD, I would rather go for a smaller camera because I do the camera work myself, and I like having a light camera. Like, for example, this movie was shot on Super 16 and the cameras were kind of light.
How do you feel about the ability to watch movies on a cell phone, on an Ipod?
From time to time I like watching movies on my portable computer, but I’d never watch a whole feature on cell phone. When you’re taking a train or taking a plane, it’s great to have a small computer so you can decide which movie you watch. Cell phones are maybe too small. I like the regular TV sets that remind me of my own childhood.
I couldn’t help but notice Benicio del Toro at the screening in New York at the Walter Reade. Do you see him as a potential collaborator?
He liked my first feature very much, “I Stand Alone,” we met, he was dating a French actress at the time that I knew so she said “Oh if you want to meet him…” so I met him and we always hang out if we’re here in New York, Cannes, or elsewhere.. I hope one day we’ll do something together.
Do you have any American actors you’d want to work with?
I guess just the ones who are my friends. The last one I saw was really pretty… what was her name… Kristen Stewart, the one who was in “Twilight.” She has such an expressive face.
“Enter The Void” hits theaters in Friday, September 24 in limited release. — Chris Bell