[Video] Behind The Scenes With The Writer And Director Of ‘The Artist’

By now, most of us have at least heard about the box-office hit known as The Artist. In case you haven’t, it’s a near-silent film that was met with critical appraise and even managed to win a few Oscars this weekend. In this video, we get a sit-down chat with the writer and director of The Artist, and a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the movie. As a casual movie fan, I can say that upon my first viewing, I didn’t pay much attention to the level of detail and staging that went into this film.  After checking out this interview and BTS, I think I’ll have to arrange for a second viewing!

Michel Hazanavicius, the mastermind behind this lovely film, goes into a bit of detail regarding what sets a silent film like The Artist apart from a normal ‘talkie,’ or, as most of us know them, movies. Every element on the set and in the scene must be carefully considered, as there is no dialogue to move the story along. The viewer must make all of their own conclusions using their eyes, and any small distraction in the scene could wreak havoc on that process. If you’ve seen the movie, you will probably have an ‘a-ha!’ moment: as soon as he mentioned this, I instantly remembered back to sitting in the theater and noticing how clean every shot was. If there was something in the frame, it was directly contributing to the visual storytelling. I find that many of the best photographers and graphic artists adhere to this principle and as a result, achieve great results.

This is a truly remarkable film (a rare thing these days) and this video provides some great insight into the creation of the movie and the creative process itself. A must for aspiring filmmakers, photographers, and creatives!