Robert Rippberger, Filmmaker: This person could get upset about something and could
walk and the entire entire day would shut down.
Film Courage: Does a director automatically deserve respect once they show up on set?
Robert: A director doesn't deserve respect but a director better earn people's respect or it's not
going to be a very good set. For me there's some core things, one is that I am always the hardest
working on set. If other people are working longer I'll be there with them. There's been times where
I've helped load G/E trucks, there's been times where I've helped mix blood and mud and all these
things and everybody knows that I value their time extremely and their contribution as fellow artists
and it's super important to me that I respect them and that it's vice versa. To use the Hannah Arendt
line that it's action in concert and it's so much about the sum of the parts which also goes to say
if people aren't respectful then we get them off set. That it really is your people who want to be
there, your people who are engaged, your people who have bright ideas and your people who are
in a frame of mind to really produce as good of possible film as possible what's your image of a
bad director I think an image of a bad director is one that doesn't listen to outside ideas
that feels like they're better than other people that is also just not a very nice person I really
feel film is such a collaborative medium and that's where you are getting your best ideas and
some of the the directors that I look up to have always treat create have always treated their sets
as as almost families and so yeah I think if you don't respect those that are doing the work then
then you're you shouldn't be a director it sounds like it do going back to what we talked about the
one philosopher not not just their philosophy but their whole sort of idea of being not outside of
the world but in the world yeah sorry who was that Martin Heidegger Knight here okay yeah and
and that sounds like you said you like to operate like that in terms of you're you're in the world
you're in the set that you're they're all these moving pieces yeah exactly it's it's sort of like
acceptance of like the infinite vulnerability of being on a set and for me it's leaning into that
even further and knowing like this person could get upset about something and could walk and the
entire entire day would shut down right like that that everybody is treated with the value of this
enormous like pot of gold that they hold which is to to keep the film going and and to keep
everything everything elevated and it's also just it's also for me it's just common decency it's
like people are there they're working and they're putting a lot out they're sacrificing not being
with family and doing other things and and yeah just showing how grateful and and appreciative you
are of that is is is really important to me can we talk about the situation where sometimes we will
be around energy that won't be as collaborative and it may or may not be anything that we've done
things happen people have bad days people have agendas how do you if you how do you
write the the ship if you feel it's getting away from you the super important thing
about directing is very clear communication and if there's problems addressing them immediately
so there's been a lot of times where people said kind of under their breath comments and I'll stop
them I'll take them to the side I'll get to the bottom of it and then I'll bring them back on set
it's these small things can turn into much bigger ones and
again I want people there who want to be working and who do feel appreciated and do feel valued and
and I also just want a group that loves making movies as much as I do and and that
can can can share in that joy and that experience and exhilaration
and so for me I think it really comes down to just
being empathetic and also being attuned to other people and taking them aside for a sort of quick
re-check-in and recalibration if more conversation needs to be had and then getting right back to it
why would a director want people around them that think differently it's so important to have
collaborators that come from different walks of life that are into different things
because ultimately the director's job is to bring together a bunch of very talented department heads
actors and to unify a vision going forward and so if you just have a lot more diversity
or a lot more breadth of people's background and experience to then synthesize into that vision
it's going to be all the more stronger what filmmaking rule do you break quite often
I think filmmaking rules I break often are maybe all of them I mean never never at the expense of
safety and and union like guidelines obviously
but I think I'll always that's what philosophy does is it gets you to sort of question everything
and so in making this latest in a horror film all shot in one take it was well can we can we
just shoot the whole thing can we make a horror film in one take and can we also have animals
and can we have kids and can we have multiple locations and there are a lot of rules that
aren't safety and and union based that that are just sort of practitioner-based that we thought
let's keep questioning that let's see if we can because our goal was really to
kind of do the impossible kind of create something in which we
felt are we going to be able to pull this off and that for us was pretty exhilarating and
we thought would be exhilarating for audiences as well and you shot in a small town or two in
where yeah we shot those who walk away in Peoria, Illinois and also in Chillicothe and Dunlap and
this kind of surrounding area and it was it was just the perfect location it Booboo Stewart who
played Max in the film was like it even felt like a studio backlot it was just everybody was super
respectful it was it was a gorgeous location and it was perfectly suited for for our needs
I was impressed with their chemistry all the actors do you think that's because was everybody
sort of in close quarters between takes and just developed a rapport yeah we we started very early
doing chemistry tests and and getting a rapport going and this was at the height of even before
and so we were doing regular zoom rehearsals and I would sort of give them a a sort of assignment and
they would do it just the two of them and and then we had rehearsal to just kind of further
that and we then put the entire cast and crew up in one hotel so it did have that we're all we're
all here amidst it and I guess to go back to the to yeah sort of amidst the world idea that yeah
that was really helpful it was really helpful for keeping everybody's confidence I mean this is a
and I missed trying to pull off a film where we're filming in 15 minute takes and and yeah I think it
contributed a lot to the chemistry and the sort of strength of the of the morale and I like too that
the setting was a little more of like a working class it felt like a rust belt town and I was very
intrigued by that it wasn't like this perfect mall setting and and I think that intrigued me more
I felt more of a connection to the characters and especially you have the movie theater in there as
well we don't want to give too many spoilers away but maybe I should take that out sorry no
you're good anything that's in the trailer okay okay but I just felt that there was a realism
and some of the cars and things like that it wasn't like everything was shiny and perfect and
I realized it's a horror film but sometimes you see that even in horror films and so I like that
I'm a big proponent of of shooting in real places I think sets and construction all has its place
but if there is a way to shoot in real places that you ultimately just
can't even imagine what mother nature would do to a house that's been sitting for
10 years right like obviously you can go in and recreate the detail but it's just slightly gonna
feel off and so if there is a way to to do it practically I'm always looking to go that route.