Exclusive: Zack Snyder Talks 300

Exclusive: Zack Snyder Talks 300

IGN.com

November 9, 2006

During Warner Bros.' recent preview for the forthcoming adaptation of Frank Miller's 300, IGN cornered director Zach Snyder to talk about designing this amazing visual odyssey. In addition to describing his creative process on the picture, the Dawn of the Dead helmer addressed the action scenes, the process of making the historical backdrop believable, and the pressure of being a promising filmmaker.

IGN Movies: Is the movie pretty much complete at this point?

Zack Snyder: It's about 90 percent done. There's probably about 200 shots that need to be updated.

IGN: Some of the footage we saw was almost black and white. Will that be changed for the final film?

Snyder: Maybe we're still tweaking the color a little bit, but probably not much different from what you saw. I think that what you saw is probably about 98 percent what the movie looks like.

IGN: Was this a dramatic change for you in the way you shoot from your work on Dawn of the Dead and in commercials?

Snyder: Absolutely a dramatic change. I mean, definitely... look at the movie. There's no way to prepare yourself for it. I really didn't do anything but just go: "this would look good" and "that would look good." So I never psyched myself out by going, "Hey, we should do this." You know what I'm saying? If you think about anything too hard, you can talk yourself out of it. So it's probably better to say, "Yeah! No problem."

IGN: During the presentation you said that you had to get in there and show them that you had your bearings from the very beginning. Is this the kind of movie that's tough to see "the big picture?" Or do you need to pay more attention to the smaller details?

Snyder: I drew the whole movie. I drew every freakin' frame of the thing, so I pretty much knew what it was going to be. So that part... you know, I had lived it already. That's a great way to prepare, but then you've got to just trust your instincts. The whole thing is just trust your instincts, and that was really the formula. And, hopefully, everyone else trusted me.

IGN: How much of a surprise was it when you saw finished shots after dealing with blue screen work on set?

Snyder: It's just rewarding to actually see. It's more like Christmas, you know, when you get a shot in that looks great and it's exactly what you want. It's a great feeling, and there's nothing like it. It's not like a normal movie; you just keep living it.

IGN: Working on a movie that is so hyper-stylized, is it a process of writing or shooting or directing that helps you keep the film from becoming only an exercise in style?

Snyder: Again, you don't know, really. That's the difference really between [what we're trying and something purely stylish] because you're trusting your instincts and going, "That's not goofy." Or, "That is goofy." The other thing is the actors, who gave 100 percent. That's what makes it good, you know, when the actors do it 100 percent. They never wink at the camera. They never pretend, "Oh, I'm not in Thermopylae. Look!" They just go 100 percent. Gerry [Butler] never breaks that for a second, and I think that's the thing. In the end, with all of your style, it boils down to the reality of them in their head. That's what makes it cool.

IGN: The fighting style employed by the Spartans is so unique in comparison to what we've seen in other movies. Where did that come from?

Snyder: One of the blogs on the Web site -- the Damon Caro blog -- is a video journal where we sort of created the style. Because Damon, who's the stunt coordinator and one of the fight choreographers, he's a [jeet kune do] guy and he's the kali guy so you see a lot of that stuff in there. Plus, we had to create that crazy [phalanx attack] where they're all under their shields. With the real phalanx, basically what happened was the front of the phalanx really wouldn't do anything. The actual guys that would kill were in the row behind the front row. If anybody would come against them, they could just spear everyone. And so that whole "roof block" stuff and the opening and killing and closing, well, it's bullsh*t, but it looks cool.

IGN: Some of the people in our office watch the trailer every day. Do you feel any pressure since this film has the potential to catapult you to a level with directors like Peter Jackson or the Wachowski brothers?

Snyder: I try not to. For me, because you do it moment to moment, you don't have any perspective. I just hope it's good. I hope people like it and they have fun. That's all I really and truly hope. I mean, it's weird because people lately have been coming up to me and going, "Oh, my God. 300 is huge." I'm like, really? It's not done yet! I feel like the movie is starting to get its own … momentum. I mean, the other day we were number four on the Movie Meter on IMDB Pro and I was like, "That's cool, but we don't come out for like five months."

IGN: You have great actors and great talent behind the camera, but is the real star of this movie its look?

Snyder: I do believe that [Butler] is amazing, but I do believe the movie, not even just the look -- the way each one of those elements just comes together -- I really think it's [the most important thing]. To me anyway, it's a movie that gets better and better as it goes, as the movie actually progresses and you get into it, because it really is an experience that I feel like you actually invest in. Visually, it's phenomenal. Murder and mayhem actually pays off. It actually means something in the end, so that part of the movie, I think, is the star of the movie. I like the end of the movie; you know, the last two reels to me are like freaking crazy. We were just mixing it the other day and the movie ends and you're like, "More!" And I've seen it. It's good if you like watching the movie, and I like watching it. I think that's a good sign.


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