Thats a rare thing.
Theyre really doing some interesting things there, so I tip my hat to them.
He was the one in the meeting, talking aboutA Wrinkle in Time.
They still cant tell me how I came into their head.
I heard they were talking to Tim Burton and some other people.
No one else can do this book!
Image via Disney
I knew Sean Bailey because I sat on the board of Sundance with him.
I knew Tendo Nagenda because hes black and theres 16 of us in Hollywood.
I saw him down the black Hollywood hall and went, Hey!
Image via Disney
So, I knew him through black Hollywood circles.
I was able to walk into the room and just have a conversation with them about the work.
They know their wives, or theyre in the same neighborhoods, or they went to the same college.
Image via Disney
I walk in there and I never have that privilege.
Im always a little step behind, in having to attempt to prove myself.
It wasnt anything else.
Image via Disney
It was just the work, in a relaxed environment.
Thats how it began.
They dont have to look like us, but we can still know each other.
Image via Disney
Theres something more than quotas, internship programs and checking boxes.
It was a beautiful process with a lot of back and forth.
There was some culling down.
Image via Disney
The book gets really dense in places and we wanted to ensure we had room to support things cinematically.
We wanted to see the pretty pictures and not explain so much.
There were not a lot of radical departures from the script.
The story was all in line.
On finding the right D.P.
for the film:
DuVERNAY: This was the first time I was making a film with a D.P.
other than a D.P.
He was makingSolo, so I was like, Whatever, Ill see you in a couple of years.
So, I really had to think about who else I could work so closely with.
I was a publicist before I was a filmmaker, and I remember watching this D.P.
on set, on one of the films that Id worked on as a publicist.
That film wasDreamgirls, and I loved the wayDreamgirlslooked.
I loved the skin.
Beyonces skin just looks like butter.
They all looked gorgeous.
I remember seeing [D.P.
Tobias Schliessler] in the middle of all these beautiful black people, and he was lighting perfectly.
He was calm but intense, and intimidating but kind.
It was a mix, and it was weird.
Thats why I called him.
We had our first meeting, and then we started our journey .
I was looking for someone who could work with me, and I knew he could work with me.
I put my images in the hands of someone I didnt know personally, at the time.
Youre really looking for someone you have a personal heart connection with.
I knew he could work with all kinds of directors and I believed he could work with me.
He also works with Bill Condon and didDreamgirlsandBeauty and the Beast.
Im in the middle.
He can work with any personality and really bring that filmmakers dream to life.
I knew he could do it.
I would always see his name come up with that main theme.
We can all hum it, and you come from the other room when its on.
And its not just the theme, but all the music throughout.
He didWestworldand he didPacific Rim.
Theres people that are ride or die for Ramins music inPacificRim.
He just really got the movie.
He just felt it in different places .
I call him the King of Themes.
Theyll play, and then, at the end, they all converge.
Thats what he does so well.
He weaves them all into one master theme, at the end.
He even added a little ticking clock in the background.
That was his idea, among many.
On putting together the soundtrack:
DuVERNAY: I worked with Skywalker Sound.
Theres a beautiful team there.
Ive worked on films before where we just didnt have any money.
They were like, We can try.
Do you want to write a passionate letter?
I said, I will write a passionate letter.
Disney said, We can get it to her, but we dont know what shell say.
She doesnt do movies.
She called me in 24 hours.
I picked up the phone and it was Sade.
She actually worked with me really closely.
Usually, the music is done at the end, but we did it in reverse.
She gave me the song before we even shot, and that song was our inspiration.
We had a very special relationship and it was a special process.
The music and the sound effects and the dialogue all goes to Skywalker Sound and the incredible team there.
We had terrific mixers, one of whom was an Oscar nominated woman, named Lora Hirschberg.
They just did glorious work, making the tesser sound and the music.
Theyve got a board.
Its a beautiful part of the process of the craft thats not often talked about.
Im constantly thinking about audience, all the time.
This film is for 8 to 12-year-olds.
Thats the sweet spot for it.
Hopefully, other people will go out and enjoy it, but thats who I made it for.
I wanted to tell a story and give an emotional experience to that age group.
I saw it and was like, Wow!
I look at it now and Im like, What were you thinking?!
I remember being blown away by that movie.
I remember seeingEscape from Witch Mountainand going, What is happening?
!, and just being blown away by it.
Thats what I wanted to get across to kids this next generation, at this time in our country.
Im the first woman to ever make a fantasy film, at this price point.
I didnt want to shy away from that.
I didnt want to make a film like a boy.
I wanted to make a film like a girl, with what I like.
What does that even look like?
We dont know the answer because we havent seen it.
My answer to it is not the only answer.
There should be many women that are able to play in this space.
That was my guiding thing.
I never shied away from the black woman that I am and what my tastes are.
Its like, Good for you!
You know what else came out?
I said, Ill just be Prince,1999.
Im so excited for them.
There are a lot of things that Im interested in.
Thats a really seminal case out of New York that Im very excited to bring to the screen.
Theres a bunch of stuff that Im interested in.
Im lucky to say that Im not pining away for a project.
I have a go at stay open.
Who knows how long that window will last, but its open now, so we jump through it.
A Wrinkle in Timeopens in theaters on March 9th.
