But Flanagan did get the gig, and so Ive been waiting impatiently for his film for months now.
Happily, I was not even the slightest bit disappointed.
Mike Flanagan:We knew that we couldnt really repeat ourselves with our shots.
I tend to over-prepare my shot lists.
We knew the camera would have to float around like the eye of god.
Theres the old standby of a push in on a character as they realise something.
That certainly happens a couple of times.
What were your other ideas in how to frame Jessie?
MF:Jessie dictated what the camera was up to.
Luckily, for me, [Stephen] King wrote such a compelling protagonist.
MF:That is true.
The more she was in her head, the closer we got with the lens.
MF:We wanted the room to be neutral so that Carla could project the character onto it.
There is a fun little easter egg in there in that fans ofOcculusmight recognise the headboard of the bed.
Its actually the bottom of theOcculusmirror!
Oh, I thought it was just another prop in the Flanagan style and not literally the same thing.
MF:It is!
I wonder if that wasnt part of the original appeal inGeralds Gamefor you?
MF:You know, I dont know.
This is certainly in that wheelhouse.This story is definitely being told by the makeup on Carlas face.
How did you phase that out?
Did you have a graph, or maybe a number of set stages?
How did you design the journey of her face?
It wasnt about stages of makeup as much as just gradually removing it.
MF:I tend to shotlist exhaustively.
Or do you let the actors block out their own movement sometimes?
The shot list is scaffolding.
The shot list gives us everything we need but still allows us freedom for improvisation.
In your shot list example you were talking very visually.
Do you plan the sound much ahead of time?
When do you start working on the sound elements?
MF:Thats usually something I keep in mind from the very first draft of the script.
Im lucky enough to have worked with some wonderful sound mixers.
I also knew I wouldnt want much music.
What was your idea with the palette?
I watchedDolores Claibornebefore we went into this, and looked at how they handled the eclipse.
How concerned were you with the look of that film either nodding to it or staying away from it?
MF:I certainly didnt want to emulate their look but I wanted to acknowledge their movie.
I love that movie.
And King fans know these stories are very well connected.
I wanted to ensure that connection was mainatined in this movie, in the dialogue as well.
MF:That would be a depressing afternoon.Thats what I go to the movies for!
I think your casting is really on-point.
Can you remember your conversations with Carla as you were putting together the character?
I told her your performance will live or die on your face.
We shot on the Arri 65 which has a very large sensor so we would see everything.
We would see her thoughts.
Were there any distinctions youd like to point out in the performance there?
We had to decide on who the character was and then how he was perceived and translated by her.
MF:I always approached it the way I approached all of the other movies.
I made it as cinematic as possible.
Always.Now youre working on something episodic,The Haunting Of Hill Houseas a series for Netflix.
This is new for you, I believe.
Whats interesting and tricky about writing for episodes?
MF:The beautiful thing about Netflix is that there are no commercials and people tend to binge.
The episodic nature of it isnt as rigid as it is on data pipe television.
I hope thats the case.
Thats how I watch a lot of shows.Well, its pretty likely that I will.
MF:I hope so.
I look at it as a ten hour movie.
What did you learn from makingGeralds Game?
MF:Oh, wow.Geralds Gamewas the hardest shoot of my career.
I learned hundreds of individual lessons, just in scene work and working with these actors.
Id never tried to do that before.
For example, the character in the novel called Ruth, her role has gone.
I think that was a very important decision.
What was your thinking behind some of these bigger alterations?
What improvements do you think youve made?
MF:I dont know if Id call them improvements.
They were necessary for translating this to the screen.
I thought the audience would be more invested if Jessie and Gerald were the only people in the room.
Multiple interior voices dont lend themselves to… well, the translation is more cinematic, inherently.
Trevor, Ive left you on the shelf a little.
TM:Oh, Im enjoying this super-detailed conversation, I dont feel left on the shelf at all.
Were also lucky to have it released when theres so much awareness of Stephen King.
Your original stories have often really sideswiped me.
Theres a drawer full of original things just waiting.Well, let me know when I can pop round.
Id love a little read.
MF:Of course!Thank you both so much.
And good luck with the film.
Its a wonderful film.
Geralds Gameis available on Netflix from Friday 29th September.
you’re free to now addGeralds Gameto the list.
