» News
Video Blog: Do Directors Need To Be Fans Of Source Material In Order To Be Motivated?
Whenever a director (or producer for that matter) becomes attached to a video game movie, or comic book movie, or movie based on a book, or movie based on an old show… the very first things that usually happens is that they do an interview where they tell the public how much of a fan they are of the original source material.
This usually gets fans excited with proclamations of “He’s a fan!!! That means he’ll make sure it’s good!”
Uh huh…. and Santa will leave you a nice gift because you’ve been sooooo good this year:
True that. JJ Abrams was not a huge fan of Star Trek and he made that good from what I heard.
I didn’t like it. It was all action with no clever story.
The plot holes were massive.
Fuck them, it was awesome. Haha.
The movie seriously lacked a brain.
It certainly helps if the director helming the next Superman film, for example, genuinely loves the source material.
Though it’s not allows needed. See J.J. Abrams.
You’re wrong saying that it’s stupid to think that if a director is a fan he will make a good movie.
Example…The first Superman movie. It turned out to be a great film adaptation and the film that future comic book movies aspired to be as good as because Richard Donner admitted in interviews that he was a big fan of The Man of Steel. Therefore his passion of the material showed up there on the screen. And this is a guy who we’ve all heard the infamous headbanging he had to take with the producers while filming and yet he still pulled it off spectacularly what the tagline of the film was, “You’ll believe a man can fly”.
No Kelsey… I’m not wrong. My point about the Dungeons and Dragons movie proves it.
Just because a director is a fan doesn’t mean he WON’T do a good job. But just because he’s a fan doesn’t mean he WILL do a good job at all.
JJ Abrams on Star Trek
Bryan Singer on X-Men
Jon Fareau did not grow up on Iron Man Comics
Too many other examples to mention.
I think it’s different for writing purposes, though. Of course someone has to be talented before they can make a good movie – being a fan won’t make up for a lack of that – but liking and understanding source material can help so much in the formulating of the movie.
A talented director might be able to make a good movie out of something, but will it really be what its supposed to be? Meaning, will it be right in terms of atmosphere/themes/whatever… and I think being familiar with the work intimately helps in that respect.
You can spout as many examples as you want that a fan of the source material can make a good movie, but all it takes is one single example that they can also make a shitty movie and John’s point has been proven. Oh, and he already did that with D&D.
They need to UNDERSTAND the source material and the significance of the elements therein, period.
Being a fan helps for obvious reasons, but is not the most important factor.
Hey Jim,
But that can be said of ANY director for ANY movie. A director has to understand the script and the significant elements in it.
A director can know nothing about Thor before taking on the project and then get to understand it and the significance of certain elements before they start shooting.
Good point John cause most films are not directed by the writer and the director is attached after the story has been written. The director may call for some re writes or get a writer he feels can improve the story to help his vision.
Tough call, I think most directors that say their fans of whatever movie there doing is lying their pants off. But, on one hand a director that is a fan should have a good direction of where he wants the film to go. That doesnt mean its a good one example David Goyer. On the other hand a director thats not a fan could take the franchise in a new direction that turns it into a success. Chirstopher Nolan for example.
I agree, after watching Superman returns no way I believe that Bryan Singer was an actual fan of Superman. I believe he may have read a few Superman Comics as a kid, but it is clear to me and other true Superman fans, he wasn’t at all.
A good director is a good director, that doesnt change because he is or isn’t a fan.
Well I believe it depends on more than just being a fan.because many fans love an view each show with different emotions an have a deep attachment with there favorite characters for there on reasons.so i don’t think it matters just on the director being a fan or not because they can’t please very fan junkie.also live action can’t capture what cartoons show.which is huge emotion.deep crying,loud laughter an exploding craziness onto teammates(naruto,bleach,cowboy bebop,)mostly animes.but yea it does help if the directors love the material.
You are dead on John your most intelligent blog in a while.
My opinion lies somewhere in the middle…
I agree that being a fan should not be a requirement for a director, in terms of expected quality of the finished product or the director’s motivations. I think skill, creativity, and experience all trump fandom.
However, I do think a director being a fan is a bonus. Wasn’t Jon Favreau a huge fan of the Iron Man comics? If he had been a crappy director, it wouldn’t have mattered, and if another director who wasn’t a fan had enough skill & vision, he or she may have done even better than Favreau. But, since Favreau is apparently a decent director *and* a fan, it made the movie better. I don’t think it’s about motivation as much as familiarity with the material.
Which is why I don’t think this guy who might direct Baywatch is a good idea. He wouldn’t necessarily have to be a “fan” of the series, but if he’s never seen a single episode, that’s the other extreme. He’s not familiar with the source material, so he may be less inclined to honor it and make something that is as true to the source material.
Granted, the source material for Baywatch isn’t very deep. But to say, “Oh, it’s *just* Baywatch,” is an excuse to not take it very seriously. Better to have someone who has at least seen some episodes, is familiar with a handful of characters, and knows the general premise & tone of the show.
Baywatch is not the best example, Todd.
You don’t have to be a fan to know what the series was about; it was less and less about characters and more about hardbodies. Hell, they even ran out of ideas, started rewriting old scripts of produced episodes, and they lost half the cast because of it!
Baywatch isn’t the best example
Yes…I suppose some folks tuned in for the surf action. I’m betting more tuned in to see beaches and pairs of plastic explosives, in a matter of speaking.
It is a double edged sword.
In some areas, a director will be a “fan” of the source material, and bog the film down with “winks to the fans”, references to past films which in the new film makes no sense whatsoever…
(example: Paul WS Anderson and the AvP film)
In some areas, a director will be a “fan” but will have to concede to compromises that the “fans” want (example: Sam Raimi on ‘Spider-Man 3′ regarding Venom) only to have the “fans” bitch about it.
In some areas, a director is a “fan” and be so faithful to a source it actually alienates a fanbase and the fans become divided (Bryan Singer,”Superman Returns”)
In some areas, a director who is a “fan” makes a stinking pile of manure because the translation isn’t great or corners are cut because “the spinoff will take care of the problem” (Tim Story, the Fantastic Four movies)
In rare occasions you’ll have a director who is a fan of something, and they put in objectivity and their own style into the project. Sadly, there is only one Guillermo del Toro.
Does it help that directors have to be “fans” of something? It doesn’t hurt. But since it is a group effort, it doesn’t always matter if the director is or not. Everyone on that set, fan and non-fan is there for a reason: to make the film. If the gaffer is working on the set of Green Lantern but is not a fan of the DC character, and is not was into comics (a rare bird, I know, but bear with me) does that mean he won’t do the best job he can do, as opposed to the dude next to him who is a comics fan? Absolutely not. He’s there doing a job. He may be won over in time, but it doesn’t matter if he, or the guy next to him, is a Green Lantern fan or comics fan in general.
We know David Goyer is a huge comics fan; was Christopher Nolan a fan of Batman? We all know how those two films turned out, especially the one a year ago.
I don’t think a director being a “fan” has to be a 100% requirement. In the end, it all comes down to the same thing.
It’s either a good movie or it isn’t.
i agree no need me to tag on it anymore
i will add that i think it really all stems on who owns the rights etc….like kevin smith talking about the superman producer. all in all fans and fanboi’s hope for the best..i mean shit starwars was lucas’s baby and the last 3 sucked and just left us feeling unattached.
Hey john
I totally agree but I remember that Tim Burton story you had a long time ago on how he was going to do superman movie even though he hated the character. At least make sure the director doesn’t hate the source material because as you mention alot he has to keep the spirit of the original source material.
Just sayin.
No, they do not need to be fans. Sure it helps, and in some cases it can really screw things if he/she wasn’t a fan to begin with. Example (IMO of course)of how Watchmen could have been
Zack Snyder-Fan Of Watchmen novel, very motivated.
Random director(Not familiar with it) woudn’t be as motivated and probably would screw it.
No, yo don’t have to be a source material fan to be motivated, because they are getting major $$$, but it sure does help, because I think Directors familiar with the material would end up doing a better job.
It can work numerous ways. Sometimes a director is such a “fan” that they fail to recognize what works and what doesn’t work in translation onto the screen. But, I feel that a director should have a certain respect for the source, afterall, what’s the point in doing something you hate?
Personally, it doesn’t matter to me. Hardcore “fans” are often impossible to please and relying on a “fan” to direct doesn’t increase the chances of success for the film in any way.
Doesn’t have to be a fan, but shouldn’t hate it either. The makers should respect the sourcematerial enough to keep what is adaptable and what works on the screen but change what won’t work
For a remake of a movie or tv show I think it might be better to have someone that is not a fan. Let them take it and make it their own. The original will always be there and the director should be able to make it his own.
When it comes to books, comicbooks, and videogames I think it should be a fan or at least someone who has respect for the source material. When the fans haven’t seen it on film before it should be true to the source material. In this case I think the director should try to please the fans before making it his own.
Just to throw out a random example with no point behind it. Sam Raimi is a spiderman fan and made two good spiderman movies. He is not a venom fan and look what happen when he was told to put venom in a movie.
I did a post about the guy who’s never seen Baywatch being the director of the movie when the news broke, and I included the line “Seems like an odd choice to write the movie, then.” It was my immediate reaction and I still stick by it.
But I agree with you John that a director/writer/actor/ doesn’t need to be a a devoted FAN per se to be motivated to do a good job (or for it to be acceptable he even get the job, for that matter). But I still think it’s important they’re at least somewhat FAMILIAR with it. Again, they don’t need to be a fan but maybe if they haven’t seen it, they should pop in the original movie/an episode or two of the TV show to familiariaze themselves to at least a DEGREE.
I’m sure writers/director/actors who’re NOT familiar with the source material they are going to be working on in an upcoming movie will rent the original movies, read the comic/book or whatever. I hope this new Baywatch writer does that to get a feel for what came before his take on it (Is it even POSSIBLE for a member of the male human species to not have seen a single episode of Baywatch? I didn’t think so before this news broke!:P).
hmmm interesting. i think no one can please a fan lolz, thats the hardest part for anyone. theres always something that is not right. but i think its really about the directors themselves, they have to be excellent in what they do, and if they are a fan of the source material, its an added bonus i guess. Peter Jackson is a big fan of LOTR, but its not about motivation, its just that hes a good director who loves LOTR, eventhough, still lots of fans of the book hated the movie lolz
I hear ya John, but too often a director thinks he get’s it, but chooses to deviate from the source material in a way that he wouldn’t if he truly understood certain things. Let’s take Judge Dredd as an example. The director of that film supposedly should have understood the elements involved correct? Yet he chose (or Sly did, don’t know) to have Dredd remove his helmet early on and leave it that way. Well anyone who really understands the Judge Dredd comic knows that the helmet stays on, period – and that removing it would kill his mystique. He didn’t have a proper appreciation of the character, and definitely could have achieved this without necessarily being a fan of the book.
A director can easily make a movie of Interview With the Vampire and not have a proper understanding of Louis’ struggle to maintain his humanity, and simply concentrate on other elements. He can achieve this insight without necessarily being an Ann Rice fan however.
That’s all I’m saying, but not sure if I’m making any sense. :)
Hey John, great blog- I agree completely.
Let’s not forget that everybody’s favorite Star Trek film, the second one, was directed by Nicolas Meyer, who was not a fan of Trek.
2001: A Space Odyssey was directed by Kubrick, who was not a fan of science fiction.
It could go either way. Fan or not, a director can make bad decisions. In terms of a fan director, often it becomes about “eye winks” to other fans than the story itself. Sure, it’s fun to watch the first time around, but by the second or third time you watch it, it gets old. On the other hand, a non-fan might stray way too far from the source material to the point where the characters and their ideals are lost and become unrecognizable. But at the same time, I get tired of hundreds of homages being jammed into one film.
Yeah, a few references thrown to the fans are okay, but I get really tired of constant in-jokes and self-references.
I love these Video Blogs…kinda replaces the Movie Blog Uncut Podcast
Thanks John, Keep’em up!!
How many hats do you own John? Seriously.
i dont think i have seen him were any other hat execept that one
And btw.
You dont have to be a FAN of the source material, but you have to KNOW it, if this guy says hes never watched one episode then hes litterally fucked.
Also, hes got to LIKE it, like the Eclipse director, that fucking prick that said hed rather get shot then watch Twilight. If he doesnt like it then it wont succeed. This is an Universal law, if you dont like your job youll do a shitty job. If you have a phobia for roaches you cant be an exterminator. If you are, then youre a shitty one.
Its foolish to think that only a fan could make it a good movie. But he must do his homework and check the source material, you cant just make a Baywatch movie and not know who the characters are, ALSO, you gotta like it, if you hate comedies, dont direct the 3 Stoogies remake
zak penn on the subject
CraveOnline: Do you think you need to be deeply familiar with the comic book to write the script.
Zak Penn: I wish that that was the only requirement because I know a lot about comic books and video games. That’s what I spend my time doing. I wish that were the rule but it is crazy when it’s not like it’s that hard to catch up on the mythology of some of these characters. It’s no harder than adapting anything else. By the way, you know who wasn’t? Bryan Singer was not a fan of any of those comic books. He admits it I think. Sometimes the people who are the biggest fans of it are the people who screw it up the most and vice versa
craveonline.com/entertainment/film/article/avengers-movie-update-with-zak-penn-80387/3
Being a fan certainly doesn’t guarentee that its going to be great, but i do think its a good sign.
Does a director NEED to be enthusiastic about the source… no, but they better be enthusiastic about the script they’re using. For example, David Cronenberg didn’t even know that A History of Violence was based on a graphic novel when he agreed to do it, he just loved the script. In fact once he learned there was a graphic novel he made a contious decision not to read it for fear of it clouding the vision he was already forming.
However, if a director is just signing on because he knows that this is a big property and that it will lead to a big paycheck, then he probably doesn’t have enough passion to make a great movie.
BTW, a lot of the names being thrown around are bigger fans then a lot of people think. J.J. Abrams wasn’t a major Trekkie when he signed on but he did call himself a casual fan and some of his writing partners WERE big time trekkies.
The Nolans were also fans, they read a ton of the comics and have said that most of their story ideas were taken from the pages of Batman comics.
So in closing, fandom is not the only route to great direction of these movies, but it can be a big asset.
another example: Michael Bay
he wasnt into transformers and still made a good movie in 2007. apropos John I wish you would have watched Transformers in German :D when I saw it, I LOVED it didnt understand why u hate the twins that much BUT in english?? holy shit they talk so much bullshit! I think this is the first time that I would say a movie is better in german than in English the twins dont talk like hood gangsters in german they are more like Kidz thats all they werent annoying at all
Is there any director out there whos a fan of CRYSIS??? I’d like to see a CRYSIS Movie the Suits are a lot better than those cheap GI Joe Accelerator suits
Bad example.
Years ago Sam Raimi stated “Venom is for squares”. We all know how that turned out.
doesn’t have to be a fan. but at least they have to like it.
Motivation no…
But I think that they do need to be a fan to understand what the fuck they’re doing, and to see whatever it is they’re doing from a fans perspective. Directors…not so much though. I’m more talking about the writers. As a writer, I believe you do need to know the source material in order to appeal to fans. Maybe you’ll make a good movie afterall…but a ‘good movie’ doesn’t make it fan-friendly.
But yeah, when it comes to motivation I totally agree :P
I feel they need to be familiar with the source material, not necessarily be a fan of it. Even if they don’t become familir with it until AFTER they get the job.
If they don’t understand or dislike the source material, they shouldn’t be directing the film. (McG – Superman)
And I agree, being a fan doesn’t mean it’ll work. Recent example, Brad Silberling – Land of the Lost.
great blog john, my favorite so far because it brings up so many debatable points! So thanks for the great post.
I don’t think the fact that the guy has never seen baywatch matters at all. You could watch 20 minutes or just the opening sequence and get the show.
IMHO the question is NOT motivation. You keep arguing whether fandom leads to motivation. I don’t think the question is motivation, the question is decision making. You want a guy that’s not gonna crap on the history. You want a guy that respects the myth and enhances it, instead of selling out and making superman have a son.
do i think you have to be a hardcore fan? hell to the no. In fact, a hardcore fan may have a harder time bringing the genre from comic book to film by trying to keep every single element that may or may not translate to the big screen.
Am I more comfortable with a good director that also happens to be a fan, yep. Cause he knows how to make a MOVIE and how to respect the years of source material.
When we’re talking about adaptations of previous material then the only reason to get excited about the director being a fan is the hope that the film might be the ultimate wet dream/childhood come to life movie that we’d want to see.
A die hard fan of Transformers would obviously want a director who appreciates the complex relationship between Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave and Shockwave and will put it on the screen. Clearly, Michael Bay couldn’t care less about that but he did know how to make a successful film about robots beating eachother up. It doesn’t stop the film from being good, it just stops it from being a 100% faithful to the source material movie.
It’s live action! I dont think you could stick so much to the source material! By the way in the MakinOf of Transformers you see that most of the ILM guys were HUUUGE fans with thousands of action figures! :D
“It’s live action! I dont think you could stick so much to the source material!” – Did you bother to read over your own words?
Hmm they don’t need to be fans tho it helps, they just need to respect, understand and translate the source material to the big screen.
It does bother me when a director proclaims to be a fan just for the publicity and then delivers a sloppy film.
Fandom is not the issue. The issue is love– which is often ASSISTED by fandom.
The mark of a good film for me is not how it holds up technically to a Kane or a Rear Window, but rather that someone really believed in it, was passionate about it, and ultimately cared a great deal about the project.
That’s why people like Welles, Kubrick and Hitchcock are the legends that they are. They were intensely invested in their work on every single level. Most directors don’t do that because being a director is a really difficult job.
Kubrick is actually a good example of this, because he did so many adaptations of books. Lolita, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining are all extremely different from the books on which they are based. Who knows how much of a fan Kubrick was. What ultimately mattered was that he understood the material well enough to translate its essence onto the screen and that he was moved enough by the original material to be passionate about his projects.
In short: you don’t need to be a fan to do source material justice, you just need to give a shit.