Congratulations on the film.
You probably get this a lot, but I really enjoyed it.
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Not enough, man, not enough!
Its like chasing the dragon once you get one compliment, you just want more!
[Laughs] But no, thank you.
Thats really the hard part of the films I make, is finding that balance and a tone.
We really want to put jokes in there, but people get bored if its just jokes.
So was important to you to not just adapt it, but put your own spin on the book?
When I wrote the first adaptation, it was actually about eight years ago.
And I guess I hadnt really found my tonal comfort zone.
Theres no car chase, theres no Rhys [Darby] in there.
And it definitely had a darker ending.
Its definitely a mixture of drama and comedy balancing those tones.
So I put it into my own style.
I added a lot more humour, and the priest, and all that sort of stuff.
More of that situational stuff.
Theres a sense of the absurdity in everyday life in your films.
Is that absurdist philosophy an important part of your humour do you think?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
The ridiculous events in everyday life are often overlooked people dont recognise it as potentially cinematic.
I went to a funeral and the minister there gave a sermon very, very similar to that.
Cans of Fanta and all of this.
I remember sitting there just thinking this is crazy, but its also filling me with this secret joy!
Even back then I thought, This is a great character.
So thats an example of the everyday.
You know, people probably wouldnt believe that that actually happened.
Hed never say all this stupid stuff.
You tell the story from their level rather than from an elevated standpoint.
I dont like laughing at people unless theyre in a privileged position, or if theyre in authority.
So theres those sorts of things.
Yeah and also, establishing empathy for your characters give you so much latitude in terms of storytelling.
Its a similar thing in your film.
I had to escalate the situation a lot.
I guess because I didnt want to ignore the ludicrous nature of their journey and how far it got.
There are some great shots in this film.
How closely did you work with your cinematographer to capture those, given your budget and schedule?
There are some lovely uses of silhouettes against a night sky, for example.
We worked closely together throughout the shoot.
Theres a bit ofRambo: First Bloodin there, as well.
A little bit, with the headband stuff thats veryFirst Blood-esque.
The bits where theyre running around the bush, going hunting.
I think these characters have watched far too many American movies!
Well, hes a very generous person.
I think youre right, it is a generous performance.
Hes the one that retains a sense of reality.
Hes very much the eyes of the audience, the way he reacts to everything.
I think Julian learned a lot.
Nobody asked him to do it!
So what was the atmosphere like on set?
It was actually pretty fun most of the time.
I think I usually run a very relaxed set; theres good camaraderie and its very inclusive.
The crew have family, and they often have their kids on set.
Families are always welcome.
Yeah, its a lot of fun, and an easy environment to be creative in.
One of the hardest things we had to contend with was the weather.
We were shooting in winter and it was very muddy and wet.
There were tempestuous days with flooding.
There must be quite a contrast between making this and something likeThor: Ragnarok,then.
How have you found adapting to such a big movie?
Well, so far Ive been able to put a decent sized stamp on it.
Thats what you hope on any film it doesnt really matter what the budget is.
Thats what youre trying to aim for.
Its just the whole machine around it thats a lot bigger.
I think in superhero films and most studio films its really important to get those things right.
Taika Waititi, thank you very much.
Hunt For The Wilderpeopleis out now in UK cinemas.
