Student Filmmakers - June 2008 - (Page 22) Close-Up Persistence of Vision: Exclusive Interview with M. Night Shyamalan Award-Winning Director/Writer Discusses His New Film, by Leonard Guercio The Happening The release of The Happening from Twentieth Century Fox marks M. Night Shyamalan’s eighth feature film as a writer/ director. His rise as a feature filmmaker is nothing short of phenomenal. Since the blockbuster success of The Sixth Sense, he has earned an autonomy that very few mainstream Hollywood film directors have been able to achieve. Yet, his films read more like those of an independent filmmaker. They are sometimes bizarre, yet always thought-provoking and emotionally engaging. To shed some light on the unique arc of his career, perhaps a personal anecdote is in order. The first time I met Night was at a party the day before he was to begin production on Signs, which starred Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. Frankly, I was surprised to see him there, and I told him so. Quizzical, he asked why I should be surprised. I told him that if I were in his position, with a feature film starting the next day, I’d be too preoccupied to enjoy myself. He smiled gently and said: “Well, if you’re organized, you can make time to enjoy other important aspects of your life – like spending time with friends and family.” I was genuinely impressed and understood immediately that a large measure of his success is fundamentally tied to his balanced perspective on life and work. Of course, natural talent, confidence and self-discipline are some of his other proven attributes. At the time of this interview, he had just signed a prospective three-picture deal to produce and direct the first of the big-budget, live-action versions of the Nickelodeon Channel’s anime series, Avatar. To avoid confusion with the upcoming James Cameron film of the same name, Shyamalan’s next film will be entitled, The Last Airbender, and is scheduled for a summer 2010 release. Finally catching up with him, I found him to be genial, warm and accessible. We talked about the making of The Happening and discussed other aspects of his filmmaking process. The Happening is billed as a paranoid thriller. How did you come up with the idea for the story? M. Night Shyamalan: I was on the New Jersey turnpike, believe it or not, on my way home from the mix of my last movie. It was 22 studentfilmmakers June 2008
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