Revealing behind-the-scenes featurette with Gareth Edwards, director of MONSTERS
One of the greatest pleasures I had at this year's SXSW film festival was attending the World Premiere of MONSTERS, a completely unique film which screened at midnight early in the week. I saw the movie after I'd been at the fest for a few days and at that point I was already exhausted. My days began at 7 a.m. and ran until 2 a.m. By the time I sat down to MONSTERS, I was ready to crash.
And yet, this small little movie quickly became one of the best movies I saw at the festival. Though my eyes were drooping when the lights dimmed, my attention was completely devoted to these characters from beginning to end; I hardly blinked through its runtime.
Perhaps this is why I'm so excited to talk about this featurette, which has Gareth Edwards talking about how he made this movie. Check it out, and my thoughts, after the break.
In addition to being one of the first people in the world to see the movie, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Gareth as well as the two actors in the film, Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able. First of all, that interview was easily one of the most fun of the week, as Whitney played some fun interview games throughout. Second, I loved the interview because from it I was able to glean a vast amount of insight into the care, passion, and work that went into making this film.
As the featurette shows, Gareth had a three-man team as his crew and two relatively unknown actors as his cast. With this small team, they went down into the jungles of Mexico and Central America and came out with one hell of a flick. I'm stoked to see the film getting some attention, as the three people involved couldn't be more deserving. All three, Gareth, Scoot, and Whitney, are incredibly genuine people with a passion for cinema.
MONSTERS is a great example of the future of filmmaking. Not only does it exemplify the recent trends in independent cinema with smaller actors and Herzogian style shoots, but it also shows us how cinema has truly landed in the waiting hands of those with a passion for art. In the 21st century, anyone can make a movie. Sure, it takes some hard work, dedication, and truckloads of coffee, but it's completely possible-- which makes me incredibly excited for the future of filmmaking.
Source Magnolia Pictures
Other articles that you might like:
Commenting Rules: Comments are intended to open up the discussion to our readers about the topics at hand, and as such should be offered with a positive and constructive attitude. If your comment is not relative to the above post or is disrespectful to the authors and readers, we reserve the right to delete it. Continued abuse of our good nature will result in banishment of the offender. Additionally, if you have any burning issues to point out to the GATW crew - typos, corrections, suggestions, or straight-up criticism - please email us instead of commenting here.