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| SXSW '08 Interview: "Bananaz" Director Ceri Levy |
by William Goss
The "Bananaz" Pitch: "'Bananaz' takes you behind the scenes on one of the great creative partnerships of our time. For the first time, the virtual walls of Gorillaz come down, and the audience sees the true brain child of Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn: the work that went into the drawings, the animation, the music and the voices. As one radio interviewer puts it, "it's a parallel universe - these guys aren't in the band, but they know the animated characters who are"."
Describe your movie using the smallest number of words possible.
A lunatic trip around the lunatic fringe!
Is this your first trip to SXSW? Got any other film festival experience?
This is my first time to SXSW. I have only heard good things about SXSW and am looking forward to being a part of the mayhem. So please prove the hearsay correct and let me come back to England singing the praises of SXSW! We have just recently been at the Berlinale which was fantastic. I really enjoyed meeting other filmmakers, going to industry parties and realising it was much cooler to go and hang out in East Berlin in wonderfully esoteric and odd bars until sunrise!
Back when you were a little kid, and you were asked that inevitable question, your answer would always be "When I grow up, I want to be a..." what?
An astronaut or fossil finder/collector.
Not including your backyard and your dad's Handycam, how did you get your real "start" in filmmaking?
A friend of mine was directing a promo and I went along to watch. The set was meant to be wet implying it had recently rained. Everyone kept shouting for water, but nobody did it. I saw a hose, turned it on, sprayed the whole set, wondered if I had misunderstood when everything was soaking wet, then got patted on the back and became part of the crew! I was immediately hooked on the camaraderie. Showing a moment of endeavour at that one particular moment of time probably changed my life forever.
Do you feel any differently about your film now that you know it's on "the festival circuit?"
Absolutely not.
During production, did you ever find yourself thinking ahead to film festivals, paying customers, good & bad reviews, etc?
Not once.. and still trying not to! The most dangerous thing in the world is to ever start imagining where you may end up. Flights of fancy are banned in my head!
How did this film get rolling at the beginning? Give us a brief history from writing to production to post to just last night.
It all started seven years ago when Damon and Jamie told me of their idea. I suggested it might be a good idea to document the project, for no particular reason other than to create a record of something from the very beginning. So, for the next six years, we recorded the life of Gorillaz, not realising how successful the project would become. Finally I sat down with the greatest editor I have worked with, Seb Monk, and he made sense of what we had. This was a lengthy process and I will always be in debt to Seb for such incredible work. Then Rachel Connors became involved, firstly helping with the arrangement of the story of the film, and then as my co-producer, she took us into the very real world of film, taking care of the business side of things. And now, here I am, visiting Austin for the very first time.
If you could share one massive lesson that you learned while making this movie, what would it be?
Don't do everything on your own. It makes you go insane... Get a team! Team Bananaz...
What films and filmmakers have acted as your inspirations, be they a lifelong love or a very specific scene composition?
D.A. Pennebaker/"Don't Look Back". Ondi Timoner/"Dig". Too many others, from "Passport to Pimlico" to "City of God"...
Finish this sentence: If I weren't a filmmaker, I'd almost definitely be...
...A Purveyor of Fine 20th Century Modern Art.
Have you 'made it' yet? If not, what would have to happen for you to be able to say "Yes, wow. I have totally made it!"?
What is it? I once made a clay vase on a potter's wheel at school... That was pretty much it for a long time...
Honestly, how important are film critics nowadays?
All opinions are interesting... Just don't get carried away if the reviews are great and don't feel destroyed when they're shit!
You're told that your next movie must have one product placement on board, but you can pick the product. What would it be?
In 2006, the Demeter Fragrance Library released a fragrance containing the smell of Play-Doh! A firm childhood friend of mine, that smell! Coincidentally, the same company has made a fragrance called Dirt, which is purportedly worn by Clint Eastwood!
What's your take on the whole "a film by DIRECTOR" issue? Do you feel it's tacky, because hundreds (or at least dozens) of people collaborate to make a film - or do you think it's cool, because ultimately the director is the final word on pretty much everything?
I have no real opinion... for me, "Bananaz" was made by a very small team of people, and if I had taken anyone out of the mix, we would not have the film we have today.
In closing, we ask you to convince the average movie-watcher to choose your film instead of the trillion other options they have. How do you do it?
"Bananaz" is a genuine look behind the lines of creativity: two men, one brainwave and a large cast of ever-changing guests. This is an inspiring insight into how to make an idea a reality
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Ceri Levy's Bananaz will play as part of the 2008 South By Southwest's "Spotlight Premieres" slate. For more information, click here.
link directly to this feature at http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=2433
originally posted: 03/05/08 09:48:59
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