When you look at Steven Soderbergh’s IMDB, it’s clear the filmmaker likes to keep himself busy. Whether he’s directing a new film or working on a TV show, Soderbergh seemingly doesn’t enjoy downtime. And right now, it appears one of his various projects is a book.
According to an interview with THR, while at TIFF for the screening of his latest film, “Presence,” Steven Soderbergh revealed, in addition to his work on films and TV series, it appears the filmmaker is actually writing a book about the making of the classic “Jaws.” Well, it’s not really just about “Jaws,” as it’s more of a book about filmmaking that also happens to utilize the production of Steven Spielberg’s iconic film as a series of lessons.
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“I’ve been working on this thing [the book] that is ostensibly about directing and uses as its spine an analysis of the making of ‘Jaws’ day-to-day,” Soderbergh said. “This book is not for general consumption. This is for people who are interested in films, either as moviegoers or [who] want to do this job. Because if you’re going to do this job, you need to understand the job. This is the job.”
He added, “I’m going to walk you through the experience of making [‘Jaws’] as a jumping off point to talk about problem solving and process.”
Using the production of “Jaws” as the “spine” of a filmmaking book is actually a great idea. There have been numerous videos and essays about the creation of “Jaws,” as Spielberg’s film is often used as an example of a troubled production. Not in the sense that people were fighting and there was any sort of fights, of course. The drama on the set of “Jaws” was much more technical and required incredible problem solving. And as we know, a lot of those decisions made by Spielberg directed relate to how well the film was ultimately received.
Whenever this untitled book becomes a reality, you know there will be a ton of Soderbergh fans who will eat it up. The filmmaker has proven himself to be one of the best working today, and not only that, but his filmmaking style is very unique. Plus, who wouldn’t want insight from a guy who is able to work on so many different projects at once?
As mentioned, it’s far too early to know when we might see this book come to fruition. However, knowing that Soderbergh likes to finish projects fast, we could see it sooner rather than later.
