Storming Hollywood

"I'd like to have a 45-feet-high wave, not 40 feet, and I want the sky a little darker," [I'd reply]. We'd start working on one whole image and design it. It was a fascinating process in which we had complete control.

They'd send us 15 shots or so a week, all works-in-progress shots. And then we'd go through them. "What do you want here?" they'd ask. It was a very layered process. But that doesn't mean it was done all in one sitting. I had to come back and we'd adjust and adjust, sometimes for weeks and weeks, until finally that one shot is completed. It was very elaborate, but you really do get to create your own vision of a storm.

The emphasis on special effects is one of the criticisms of "The Perfect Storm." Are you concerned with special effects and computer wizardry in Hollywood replacing the old-fashioned elements of story, plot and character development?

There is always that danger. You can't be too much impressed by the special-effects thing. But for the movies I do, I think it will help me, because the idea of "The Perfect Storm" is not, "Look, guys, at what great effects we have!" It's more about telling a story of real men who go out to sea and encounter an incredible storm. It's a real tale in a realistic world.

We tried to use all of these computer tools to tell a true story. Since I tend to do these kinds of stories anyway, these tools are absolutely wonderful for me. I can now get into territory and worlds I never could have gotten into before. You could not have done a film like "The Perfect Storm" a few years ago. Water is the most difficult thing to re-create and create in the computer and, for the first time, they've successfully figured out how to re-create water by working with "The Perfect Storm."

I see this whole special-effects thing as helping tell a story in a better way -- especially for films I like. And to get us to real places and situations where we normally cannot go and get out alive. But if it's merely effects for effects' sake, then you are in danger of losing the keys of storytelling and character. And that's a real danger.

You were involved early on in devising the Web site for "The Perfect Storm." Do you see the Web as a totally different form of film entertainment? Or is it simply part of a movie's promotional efforts?

The Internet was completely new to me and I had never done this for any of my films. Three years ago, it was not as popular to have a Web site, not until "The Blair Witch Project," which changed a lot of things here.

But we thought in order to get great publicity for "The Perfect Storm," let's really work on an interesting Web site. I must say, I still don't completely understand how to measure the Web. When I hear about all these hits, these hundreds of thousands of hits, what does that really mean? How do you measure its success? It's all so new. But I was surprised about our success over the [Fourth of July] weekend. We found that almost two out of three people wanted to see "The Perfect Storm" over "The Patriot." And maybe part of that had to do with the fact that a lot of people saw our Web site, which was complex and well-visited. We didn't take any chances, and designed the site as well as we could, hoping it would add to the whole promotion.

At some point, a feature-length film will be on the Internet. The big question, though, is how do you control it and make sure you're not going to get financially ripped off?

But watching films in a theater with a big screen will never change. Everybody still loves that. Movies in theater are more popular than ever, even with DVD and videos and laser. People still go like crazy to theaters and sit with 1,000 other people, partly because it's a tribal experience.

How different are European film audiences than American moviegoers in your experience?

Wow! How different are they? Very. Europeans are quieter and more pensive. When I first came here to America, I arrived with the typical European arrogance and went to see "Star Wars" in a huge theater with 2,000 people, who ranged in age from 8 to 88. But when the film started, they were all screaming and yelling at the action on the screen. It was unbelievable. I was shocked. Americans really talk to the screen -- and they are loud. It's like a circus. I love that. In Europe, when you go the movies, it's like going to a temple to see art. You'd never yell at the screen.

Were you worried about "The Perfect Storm" being judged harshly by the real characters it depicted?

Oh yes, very. I was concerned and hoped they would see it and appreciate the way we did it. We screened it for the people in Gloucester and had a party afterwards and it was a very emotional time. It was a lovefest. A lot of tears but also a lot of hugging, too. "This is our life," they said. "Thank you for a great tribute to our world." And the people who are the closest to the Andrea Gail victims were very relieved. Chris Carter [the woman, played by Diane Lane in the film, who lost her lover to the sea] said that the film was a closure for her.

Of course, they were saddened because after eight years they had to go through it again. But they were proud, too. We tried to show the men on the Andrea Gail as good people with problems, hopes and dreams. Their world is blood, sweat and tears, but the residents are all proud of what they do. It was an unusual experience for me. Bottom line, it was great.

So what are you on to next?

It's too early to say. This film took a lot out of me. I go to Europe and then to Japan to promote it. Then, I'll come back and take a deep breath. And then you can call me again to ask.

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