The celebrated filmmaker Phillip Noyce who will be awarded this year’s Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement award, delivered a Masterclass on ‘How to succeed in New Hollywood’ at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), held at Kala Academy in Goa.
Addressing a packed audience full of enthusiastic young filmmakers from across the country, Noyce gave several tips to the budding filmmakers. “To make a mark in Hollywood, one has to overcome certain hurdles”, Noyce said. “Over the years, I have learnt some trade secrets of surviving in Hollywood. One of the most important things is the faith of the crew members on one another.” Citing the example of a blind game he plays with every member of his filmmaking crew before beginning a movie, he said, “you have to let go of your hesitation and fear, and have utter and complete faith in one another to make a successful film. In the end, it all comes down to conviction and trust.”
“If you can find the right crew and right idea, you can make a great film”, said the ace filmmaker. A visionary filmmaker from Australia, Philip started his journey from a young age. “Very often, I would go to the neighborhood circus to watch it from close quarters. At that age, the job of the ringmaster seemed the most lucrative to me as he knew how to control everything-from the animals to his crew. So, I wanted to be a Ringmaster too.” Later, Noyce said he realized that he wanted to hear the sound of laughter from the audience more than anything, which paved the way to a career in show business entertaining the audience for decades.
Noyce made his debut as a director in the year 1975; however, he attained critical and commercial success later in the 1978 with the movie, ‘Newsfront’. “As a director, you are only as good as your script is”, Noyce stressed upon the fact that the writer is the backbone of any movie. “You have to be kind to your writer. A cohesive and solid script can elevate your movie to a new height. The relationship between a director and the writer is a key factor in any movie.”
In a career spanning 54 years, Phillip Noyce has attained legacy and success through a range of diverse and though-provoking movies. Touching upon the subject of budget in a film, Noyce said, “You have to learn to make movies in a small budget to make greater revenues. Modifying your resources is key; one way of ensuring that is to use modern technology to cut down budget and risks of the crew.” The pre-production process, planning, story-boards are all important elements of filmmaking. “One has to make a movie many times before it finally gets approved by production houses, actors and other important persons involved in the filmmaking process”, summed up Noyce. The session was a testament to the genius of the great filmmaker; with his nuanced method of storytelling, he inspired many promising filmmakers throughout the session.