Interview
Evolution in Progress. Miguel Egido. Digital Opinion. April, 2009.
«…every filmmaker has a responsibility, as his works have an influence on the new generations…»
Francisco de Lucas is a film director and screenwriter, who has already achieved 31 awards for his work in Canada, England, Ireland and Spain.
Francisco, has the cinema industry necessarily become universal? Is it possible today for a local production to get successful?
The cinema is a communication channel that does not understand frontiers, independently of the language it has actually been recorded, since the audiovisual language is assimilated today by any person in the world. It's inside all of us. Any 5-year-old boy perfectly knows the cinematographic narrative. A successful film can tell a local history, but that same success will lead it to a worldwide distribution. Nowadays, the cinema is a phenomenon not restricted to be distributed in a country only; and if this happens, it is a great mistake.
What real impact do you think the cinema has today as a mass-media? Is it being devoured by other more immediate channels or does it keep its influence?
The cinema is a unique mean of communication and it is not comparable to other ways of communication. Each one has his place and they all can live together because they all are necessary for the audience. The key point of the issue is the way that each media is using advertising. Advertising is critical when selling any product.
How do you evaluate the present-day movie evolution? Where do you believe it's going?
The new technologies make it possible to make things come true where it was unbelievable before. From my point of view, the cinema is going to evolve towards something new, something that seems so true as life itself and gets the audience so involved as one more character. Perhaps this will require several development decades.
What can be and what cannot be shown today in that widescreen?
I suppose that every filmmaker has a responsibility, as his works have an influence on the new generations, and sometimes they create negative habits. But this can never be extended to obsession. It's desirable that a moderate control of what is shown exists. But I do not agree at all about the creative barriers that the producing companies are imposing many times, and I mean the so frequent limitations in order that the cinema is similar everywhere, when the subject variety should be the priority.
As a director and a screenwriter, what is your vision on the reality of piracy?
Piracy has obviously negative effects. But when something happens on a large scale, we should think ourselves that we may be doing something wrong. Let's think that piracy is actually a warning. Let's see bright side of what's happening to us and let's improve. Is it logical that a DVD is so expensive? And the movie theatre ticket? Why do videoclubs almost no longer exist? The movie industry is changing, but we neither analyze why nor what are the possible solutions.
Physical formats are going to finish holding the business. Everything is going to have to be sold and distributed through the internet in the future, that is also changing. And the movie business people are going to have to think quickly because it is now or never. Distribution channels are going to change and prices should also change. Possibilities are infinite. We have something exciting in front of us and we are not capable right now to understand it correctly.
How does a director face the challenge of materializing a history in celluloid?
It is a big challenge, yes. There's more and more competition. And although production means allow now to shoot with very short funding, what's not to say that distribution channels are better. Everything is precarious in this sense. There are few of real opportunities. Everything is confused and badly-organized. And what is worse, in Spain the systems of cinematographic financing keep on being the same. That is, held back systems. The Spanish cinema needs to adapt to a world market that demands higher-quality storyplays and productions with higher budget to compete of international way, all this demands private investment. Enough of preventing new talents from coming. The Spanish cinema belongs to clans. It is a big mistake. A lot of producers in Spain do not know how to identify talent. And they should not take my criticism as an insult, but as an idea to look for other options of work that enable more cinematographic products variety. There is a lot of hidden talent in Spain.
What does a director need to develop his work successfully? And a screenwriter? What is the most difficult?
Both roles are very awkward. But it is obvious than without a storyplay, there is no movie. A good screenwriter should know how to control his imagination to adapt to a good narrative structure in order that his idea is successful, so it's understood by everyone. But like every cinematographic work, it's one more piece that is nothing without the rest. Pieces and more pieces, layers and more layers to create a complete meaningful story. Both the director and the screenwriter need big amounts of inspiration, passion and discipline, good advertising for their work, a receptive market, and, most of all, some brave producers that take a risk for what's different in order that the industry evolve. And I am not talking about the experimental movies, that I am not personally interested in, but of an industry that may combine art and show. We should abandon the concepts of «pulling some strings» and «clans» in the world of cinema.
What kind of movies do you prefer? Why?
I stick to thriller, but a thriller with a dose of humour. Just like Hitchcock did. The thriller allows you to control the plot more and better and so you can reach the audience in a more direct way. However, every kind is good for me if the story shows quality. I know that many people will say that the terms of good and bad are arguable, that they depend on the audience view. And it may be so in some cases. Although quality in capital letters is always noticeable.
What do you believe the main difficulties and opportunities are to be confronted in this sector now? What would you wish for the future?
We are in a time of deep changes, so much at the cinematographic sector as in society. All this generates tensions and uncertainty, but things should go well provided that producers are well trained about what is talent and how to look for new more efficacious financing ways, that distributors are imaginative and create new more flexible distribution channels with a reduced price that allow watching more films better. The audience would watch more movies if it was cheaper and easier to watch. Technology right now is ready. It is not necessary to watch a movie in a theatre. Nowadays it can be watched in any device. All this proves that the cinema is business and art at the same time.
Thank you very much, Francisco, to get us closer to this exciting industry.