Busy as always, Steven Soderbergh currently has the limited series “Mosaic” airing on HBO, and is gearing up for the Berlin International Film Festival premiere of “Unsane” followed by its theatrical release this spring. But the filmmaker is also a producer on the Elvis Presley documentary “The King,” directed by Eugene Jarecki, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and he swung through Park City and spent some time with Indiewire chatting up a whole variety of subjects.
As you might have noticed, Soderbergh’s recent directorial efforts have either landed on premium cable (“The Knick,” “Mosaic“) or gone out through indie distributors (“Logan Lucky“), and as far the filmmaker is concerned, his days of trying to navigate the major studio system is over.
“I can’t imagine a scenario in which I’d get back and do that,” he said. “I don’t know what the upside would be. I don’t think they’re necessarily looking for what I bring and I don’t know that I’m looking for what they bring. There are things they do very well and they do them.”
Even though he’s had plenty of studio success (notably his ‘Ocean’s’ trilogy), this really isn’t a surprise for the filmmaker who has spent the last few years rightfully pointing out the inadequacies and waste found in the hallways of the major players. It’s part of the reason why Soderbergh has started rolling up his sleeves on the distribution end of things himself via his Fingerprint Releasing, and drilling down on how his pictures are financed and marketed, to ensure profitability. In short, the filmmaker wants to be agile and smart about how his pictures are made.
That said, don’t chalk up his using an iPhone to shoot the upcoming “Unsane” as some kind of frugal, money-saving decision. Soderbergh — long a proponent of digital filmmaking and RED cameras — has nothing but great things to say about using Apple’s smartphone.
“I think this is the future,” he said. “Anybody going to see this movie who has no idea of the backstory to the production will have no idea this was shot on the phone. That’s not part of the conceit.”
“People forget, this is a 4k capture,” Soderbergh added. “I’ve seen it 40 feet tall. It looks like velvet. This is a gamechanger to me.”
READ MORE: Steven Soderbergh Going Horror With ‘Unsane,’ ‘Panama Papers’ Still In The Works
A camera that shoots in exquisite HD that you can literally fit in your pocket? It’s no wonder Soderbergh is thrilled by that technological leap, especially considering he’s the kind of filmmaker who cuts while he shoots, and often has a rough cut version of a movie ready shortly after he wraps production. Needless to say, his embrace of technology extends to Netflix, and while he understands there are valid criticisms against the service, he ultimately lands on the side of more platforms being a boon to filmmakers.
“Getting upset about Netflix to me is like getting upset about the weather,” he said. “It’s just something that’s happening and we have to decide what we feel about it. They’re not going anywhere anytime soon. For as many instances as you can say, ‘Oh, they’re being destructive or cannibalistic in this space,’ they are absolutely providing eyeballs for filmmakers in another space that just wouldn’t exist, period. I don’t see any benefit on partisanship within this arena of storytelling and trying to reach an audience. You don’t make these things to be seen in a closet.”
By the same token, the director doesn’t buy the death rattles being shaken for the theatrical experience.
“Look, the people who are saying moviegoing is dead are the people who don’t have an investment in moviegoing,” Soderbergh said. “When people say that moviegoing is dead, I go, OK, so the makers of ‘Get Out’ should’ve sold that movie to a platform? Then they don’t have this insane, crazy success theatrically all over the world. At the end of the day, it’s the filmmakers that have to figure it out.”
Smart stuff from Soderbergh, as per usual. “Unsane” opens on March 23rd.