He allows you as an audience member to decide on certain things for yourself.
Trust me,Midnight Specialis a really great movie and a story you havent seen before.
Try and catch it in theaters.
I recently landed an exclusive interview with Jeff Nichols.
Talk a little bit about the pressure of doing press when everyone likes the film.
JEFF NICHOLS: I dont know.
Image via Warner Bros.
Because it seems to keep going from like 90 to 84 to 87 to 86.
I just venture to tell people exactly where I was trying to come from.
NICHOLS: And you know that the rest fall where it is.
Image via Warner Bros.
So I dont know.
I like people liking the movie and it makes me feel good.
I walked into this movie without having seen any trailers or TV spots or anything.
Image via Warner Bros.
Because I had heard, Try not to hear anything about the movie and just go see it.
Obviously I am going to be in the minority, in terms of walking in not having seen anything.
NICHOLS: Its a bummer.
Image via Warner Bros.
NICHOLS: Well, you know I think its a couple things.
And Warner Bros. has been really great about it.
And we kind of had a list of things not to show, and that weve stuck to.
Image via Warner Bros.
And I said, There are these other things youre gonna have to show.
Youre going to have to show the boys eyes.
Youre probably going to have to show this moment at this gas station.
Image via Warner Bros.
So try and break those things up.
I think Warner Bros. are probably some of the best people in marketing films in the world.
Like who the hell am I, really?
Image via Warner Bros.
You guys arent trying to talk to everybody.
So lets put a trailer out there that just gives the essence of what the movie feels like.
Lets just work on that and then you could throw some cool images together.
Image via Warner Bros.
The musics great– lets just do that.
And it seemed to be they were pretty well on board with it.
Thats what critics do.
Image via Warner Bros.
Its up to the audience to decide how much of that they want to take in.
Its on the audience.
Fortunately, I dont write reviews.
NICHOLS: (laughing) Oh good.
Sorry, I didnt mean to put you in that category.
No, its fine.
I just do interviews, which is fantastic.
How long was your first cut versus the finished film?
NICHOLS: Uh, we took one big scene out.
But then we added one small scene back in.
I actually dont know it either.
NICHOLS: Its under two hours.
I think picture to picture its probably around, I would say 108, 110.
But that doesnt count credits.
Yeah it hasnt really changed that much.
So yeah its stayed pretty well in line.
NICHOLS: Its pretty much just like this, in fact.
In the other films, theres always been one scene that I take out.
And its not just about length and pacing, although thats usually where the conversation starts.
Its really about information delivery, and when people know something.
In the film, he only sees her once.
And there was this second great scene where he really talked a lot.
Like he actually kind of laid out his world view.
And its a beautiful scene.
Mike did an amazing job.
Hes still kind of pissed at me that it isnt in the movie.
So why stop and tell us all that?
Just to ensure we catch all those people who arent paying attention?
Well, fuck those people who arent paying attention.
And so, were going to keep going with the movie and make it faster and tighter and better.
He goes home to his house and he builds a bonfire next to his house.
And his dad comes out and starts burning his mothers clothes in the yard.
And its this really emotional scene.
Talk a little bit about your writing process.
And then there are others its like a nine to five job.
So for you, what is it?
Thats kind of the fun part.
Well, its all somewhat fun I suppose.
Im just kind of collecting images, thoughts, collecting characters, collecting lines.
And theyre all just kind of like a tape ball, growing over a period of time.
And so I start putting all these things down on note cards because I heavily outline this stuff.
For instance, forMidnight SpecialIll say ,Okay I know this scene about the night vision goggles.
I have a scene of this satellite.
Ive got all these other things, and I start to throw them down on the ground.
So they start to take this form, but then there are all these free-floating scenes.
And theyre just ideas.
And you start to put those next to other ones.
And that helps you kind of break up your linear mind.
The note cards help to break the backbone of your linear thinking.
And I dont think in terms of plot structure.
I dont really think in terms of plot lines.
I do think in kind of like waves of the movie.
And before I start typing, I have a note card for every scene.
And sometimes it will just be a description of a sequence.
Sometimes it will be actual lines Ive written on it.
I can sit back and I can watch an outline of the whole movie on my wall.
And you might sit there and just kind of close your eyes.
You just watch the movie.
Well that doesnt really matter.
You know I know guys that write 400 pages to get 100 good ones.
Im not like that.
I outline and outline and outline and then Im very specific about the stuff I write.
This is the biggest question Im going to ask today.
What blackmail material do you have on Michael Shannon that hell keep on coming back and working?
Besides that youre a good person and writer and director.
NICHOLS: I feel like he might have it on me.
Im just lucky to have him around you know.
Its a weird thing.
No, but seriously, whats the blackmail?
NICHOLS: I got nothing you know.
Mainly because hes an open book.
Mike genuinely doesnt care about being famous.
Mike genuinely, I think, is in it for the work.
Its very rare, I mean watching him on press tours.
He does not like doing press.
Hes still good at it.
NICHOLS: Hes good.
Hes charming when he needs to be.
Hes not a moron.
He understands the efficacy of it.
He doesnt like just sitting around and talking.
Its like, Why did I make the movie?
And he kind of gives you that attitude that he does not suffer fools.
Were just really pragmatic about things and were really pragmatic about things on set too.
You know its not like, Tell me was I beat as a child as this character.
You know we dont spend time talking about that.
Youre like, You gotta get from here to here and heres how Im covering the scene.
This is what I want to see.
This is what I thinks important in it.
This is the moment I thinks really going to get people in this scene.
And this is where I think the cameras going to be when I do that.
Its like, Okay Nichols.
And then he does it.
NICHOLS: Yeah, one
Yeah I think thats what he said.
So was it one of these things where you were like, I need you to be in this?
Or was it like, I want to play this character?
NICHOLS: No, you know I sent him all my scripts.
All like Im prolific (joking).
But anytime I finish a script I send it to him.
Thats what happened withTake Shelter.
And he always texts me.
But he texted me and he was like, This is fucking brilliant.
He said the same thing withMud.
We actually had a phone conversation afterMud.
Midnight Special, he texted, I love it.
WithLovingI sent it to him and he said, he just texted back, Instant classic.
And we hadnt really talked about what role he was going to play or anything like that.
Because its a sort of quiet, emotionally closed off, brooding Southern guy.
But I didnt see him as Richard Loving.
And as youll see when you see the film, hes kind of gregarious.
And Id seen Mike in this one man play calledMistakes Were Made, which was amazing.
Because as this photographer, he enters peoples lives and very quickly has to ingratiate himself to them.
Like he becomes their friend, so that he can take these really delicate photos.
And I wanted to see Mike do that.
So I just asked him if hed do that, and then he said he would.
We didnt need him more than the one day.
We didnt have to collapse anything especially to do that.
Thats just how he shows up in the film.
And luckily he was like, Yeah that sounds good.
I would love to do it.
I dont know whenLovingis coming out.
When am I going to start seeing some marketing on that/when am I going to see it?
NICHOLS: They picked a release date for November 4th in limited.
Focus just released that actually.
So it could be at the Toronto Film Festival?
NICHOLS: It could be.
Yeah we havent started that process yet.
I actually havent called picture lock on it just yet
Well its very early, though.
Its still only the beginning of the year.
NICHOLS: Yeah, I dont know man.
(laughs)
Sure, I understand.
NICHOLS: Ill say this: its done enough to know Im very, very proud of it.
And I really want people to see it.
Are you writing something else now?
And Im really liking it.
Mark Twain always talked about a creative well that gets drained and has to refill.
I need to refill the well.
