Steven Soderbergh, in full Steven Andrew Soderbergh, (born January 14, 1963, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.), American film director who worked in disparate genres, directing both idiosyncratic independent films and popular box-office successes. [41] A year later, he was asked by executives at Warner Bros Studios to direct the psychological thriller Insomnia (2002), starring Academy Award winners Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. All rights reserved. [162] "After winning the LA and New York film critics awards, I really felt like, this can only get worse".[162]. Certainly, I feel that American movies have gotten a little weird about sex. [131] Soderbergh's Logan Lucky (2017) made reference to his trilogy by alluding to an "Ocean's 711", noting the trilogy's influence on the Southern heist film. Theres an abundance of everything. Its not always sunshine. We all know Steven Soderbergh has a penchant for working fast, but who knew he could assemble a film that stars Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest, and Candice Bergen that finished principal photography in two weeks?. As of 2018, Soderbergh's entire feature filmography has grossed over US$2.2billion worldwide in sales. I wanted something that just felt spontaneous. In an . [134] A variety of his feature films have been shot using a diverse range of camera equipment. The film performed poorly commercially grossing $5.9million worldwide against a budget of $32million. [32], Soderbergh (second from left) with cast and crew of, 19901997: critical and commercial downturn, 20092016: mainstream success and brief hiatus, Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 00:57, Louisiana State University Laboratory School, San Francisco International Film Festival, Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, "Source: Steven Soderbergh Came Clean to Wife About Fathering a Child While Separated", "Steven Soderbergh on Quitting Hollywood, Getting the Best Out of J.Lo, and His Love of Girls", "Steven Soderbergh | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos | AllMovie", "My favourite Cannes winner: sex, lies and videotape | Henry Barnes", "Steven Soderbergh Festival de Cannes 2018", "How Steven Soderbergh's 'sex, lies and videotape' Still Influences Sundance After 25 Years", "sex, lies, and videotape Movie Review (1989)", "Critics' Notebook; For the Cannes Winner, Untarnished Celebrity", "This Man Has a Brilliant Plan to Destroy Hollywood", "Sex, Lies, and Videotape: 50 Favorite Indie Films Skyline Indie Film Fest", "Kafka Movie Review & Film Summary (1992) | Roger Ebert", "King of the Hill; A Boy of the 30s With Grit and Wit", "Steven Soderbergh's The Underneath plays like a dry run to later triumphs", "Steven Soderbergh Throws Himself Under The Bus For 'The Underneath'; Talks Criterion 'King of The Hill', "The 100 Greatest Movies of the Nineties", "The New Cult Canon: The Limey filmmaker commentary track", "Both Sides Now. [77], Soderbergh had planned to commence production in early 2012 on a feature version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E., also written by Scott Z. Burns. If Im reading something that Im sparking to or if Im imagining something from scratch, I see faces. The rare Soderbergh outing that opted to use non-professional actors as opposed to his typical star-studded . Shot in the summer of 2012, it starred Michael Douglas as legendarily flamboyant pianist Liberace and Matt Damon as his lover Scott Thorson. Well, yeah, it does, because it is, Streep said. Steven held the camera in a wheelchair and just rolled along. Soderbergh would later refer to Schizopolis as his "artistic wake-up call". What I am capable of is an entire body of work that somebody might look at and go, Okay, thats hard. I was not going for a kind of typical, classical composition or movement. They dont care what you shot it on; they just want a story and characters that they like. In 2014, he had teamed up with a distillery based in Tarija, Casa Real and became the sole exporter of the spirit from the mountains of Bolivia. Let Them All Talkis set to launch on HBO Max in December. [15][16] In 2006, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and the American Film Institute nominated it as one of the greatest movies ever made. But Last Dance answers it with meta-textual acuity: When we remeet Mike, his furniture business has been destroyed by the pandemic and hes swearing to Hayeks Max that he is finished with erotic dancing; two minutes later, hes gyrating around her and agreeing to perform in her London theater. That would not be fun for me. ", "sex, lies, and videotape Movie Review (1989) | Roger Ebert", "Guild's National Board elects Martha Coolidge first woman president of DGA", Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steven_Soderbergh&oldid=1141828129. [151], In 2018, Soderbergh launched a Bolivian grape spirit brand called "Singani 63". Having Your Way With Hollywood, or the Further Adventures of Steven Soderbergh", "Soderbergh's Choice The director hits homers with Erin Brockovich and Traffic, thus facing off against himself in the Oscar race", "Dual nominations for director Soderbergh", "5 Things You Didn't Know About the 'Ocean's Eleven' Movies", "Steven Soderbergh Movie Box Office Results", "Distributors hold firm against day-and-date", "Challenges Seen for Film Biz After 2005 Slide", "Sasha Grey Stars in Steven Soderbergh Feature", "An exceedingly peculiar case of whistle-blowing", "Script Details Leak Out for Steven Soderbergh's Contagion", "Contagion Movie Review & Film Summary (2011) | Roger Ebert", "Steven Soderbergh is Directing Second Unit on The Hunger Games", "Review: 'Magic Mike,' by Steven Soderbergh, With Channing Tatum", National Film Festival for Talented Youth, "Steven Soderbergh Confirms Plans to Leave Hollywood and Become a Painter", "Exclusive: Rooney Mara, Jude Law & Channing Tatum Will Lead Steven Soderbergh's 'The Side Effects', "Berlinale Competition 2013: Another Nine Films Confirmed", "Steven Soderbergh: Restless Behind the Camera", "Steven Soderbergh's State of Cinema Talk", George Clooney back injury forced 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.' [106], He also produced the off-broadway play The Fears, his first stage credit. Steven Soderbergh would go on to explain that there was a "great parallel" between Alan Krumwiede's method of spreading information and the way the MEV-1 virus infected the world throughout . I could only get two or three takes of each angle because the light would dump and it wouldnt match what had come before. [34] In late 2000, Soderbergh released Traffic, a social drama written by Stephen Gaghan and featuring an ensemble cast. Steven Soderbergh Shooting "High Flying Bird" on an iPhone. It's the polar opposite of generic or arbitrary and the result is as unique as a signature or a fingerprint. I was about to leave to go scout a location, and Salma was on her way to start rehearsing with Channing. [20] Soderbergh lives in New York City. But another thing I like to do is watch somebodys idea evolve as theyre moving. [81], In May 2013only months into his retirementSoderbergh announced that he would direct a 10-part miniseries for Cinemax called The Knick. November 6, 2020 at 2:47AM, Edited November 6, 2:48AM. The script for the movie was written by Scott Z. Burns based on Kurt Eichenwald's book, The Informant. "[84], After his work with The Knick, Soderbergh began working on a variety of personal projects starting with directing an Off-Broadway play titled The Library, starring Chlo Grace Moretz in January 2014. In your heart, I wonder if youre not a cameraman? Steven held the camera in a wheelchair and just rolled along . And ultimately, its in aid of getting at something that I think really matters to the audience more than the lighting which is the cast, the performance, how they feel about the people that theyre watching on the screen. I try not to impose those things, but when they develop organically, I embrace them. "After Traffic I just stopped completely," says the director. The one story you shouldnt miss today, selected by, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, This password will be used to sign into all, critic, filmmaker, and staff writer for Vulture and New York. This third episode in the hugely successful Magic Mike franchise brings back star Channing Tatum and also introduces Salma Hayek to the series. [26][168][169] After directing his first film, Soderbergh's relative youth and sudden rise to prominence in the film industry had him referred to as a "sensation", a prodigy, and a poster boy of the genre's generation. Theres no way in hell Im going to do that! Cut to: them doing it.To me, thats the equivalent of a spit take. I mean, they would give us the outlines of a situation, and then we knew where we had to end up. [133][167] His early workparticularly his 1989 film, Sex, Lies, and Videotapehas been noted as foundational to the Independent Cinema movement. [74] Screened at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival, A. O. Scott of The New York Times stated, that Soderbergh "[handled] it brilliantly, serving notice once again that he is a crackerjack genre technician. 17-Down, Three Letters: Party for One artist Carly ___ Jepsen. If the Walt Disney Co. had made a movie about male strippers, it might look something like "Magic Mike's Last Dance," a soft, in-name-only sequel to the . The actors work for scale, and a cruise. I miss when its I dont know if controlled is the right word? [127] In line with these washes, Soderbergh is liberal in his usage of montages as he believes that they are equally important story-telling as dialogue is. (2009); Contagion (2011); Haywire (2011); Magic Mike (2012); Side Effects (2013); Logan Lucky (2017); Unsane (2018); Let Them All Talk (2020); No Sudden Move (2021); and Kimi (2022). . direct, produce, edit, and shoot all 20 episodes, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. We just want to dive into a pool without having to hold onto our bottoms. Theres one big argument scene they have about whether the Suavemente performance should be in the show You dont have a climax! and theyre just really going at it. [171], Soderbergh was nominated twice for Best Director for two separate films at the 73rd Academy Awards, the first occurrence of such an event since 1938. Thats why all these discussions about capture medium are kind of irrelevant at the end of the day. Why dont you make it more expansive? She completely destroys what he just did. Not that complicated. It had a really well written and tight script with great performances. This article was featured in One Great Story, New Yorks reading recommendation newsletter. You have to put the right crew together, and if you lose, you go to movie jail", the director noted in 2017. I want to do all this other stuff! I thought, Okay! [147], When asked about the top eleven films he regarded among the best, Soderbergh listed the following, in order: The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953), All The President's Men (1976), Annie Hall (1977), Citizen Kane (1941), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), Jaws (1975), The Last Picture Show (1971), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Third Man (1949). Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! It's a dialogue-driven movie that relies heavily on improvisation. Director Steven Soderbergh was also the cinematographer. Will I just at some point feel like Im out of ideas? I was willing to accept the fact that my talent in that area has a ceiling in order to gain this momentum and a closer relationship with the cast. [88] It was announced in June 2014 that Soderbergh would be executive producing a series based on his earlier film The Girlfriend Experience for the Starz network, to premiere sometime in 2016. It was shot in just a couple of weeks. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. [143] He claims that he no longer reads reviews of his movies. No crew other than Sound. [139] He then filmed the entirety of 2019's High Flying Bird on an iPhone 8. Why add narration? Hes deadlifting her and throwing her around, and its fucking wet! [132] His frequent collaborations with composers Cliff Martinez, David Holmes, and most recently Thomas Newman, provide his films with "the thematic and sonic landscapes into which he inserts his characters. It was also, in a very naked way, an opportunity to articulate some things that I really wanted the movie to articulate, like the line Dance speaks no meaning as to its desire. I wanted somebody to say that out loud. Ive always been interested in what people do to make a living. None of the lights, and the trucks, all that stuff that goes into making movies, theres none of it. All 165 Pink Floyd Songs Ranked, From Worst to Best. I told [Soderbergh] he was gonna ruin everything for every director, and every production designer, and everything else, because he made the movie for 25 cents I know thats what I was paid, Streep said. How do they pay rent? Its either explicit but kind of clinical, or its just avoided. "He was doing the camerawork, so you sort of watched his brain right behind the camera, spinning like a top. Watch on. I know enough to be able to tell the transportation department where to park the trucks, but Im not good at imagining things beforehand. Your parents were middle class, right?Yeah. Soderbergh's many heist pictures (the Ocean's trilogy especially) are obvious examples, but the best may be the chronicles of Mike Lane, Channing Tatum's self-effacing master of the bump-and . Tatum is the only cast member reprising his role from the previous movies, but Steven Soderbergh, who helmed the first movie, returned to direct Magic Mike's victory lap. 12 days of shooting. I wanted control over the momentum of the set and how quickly we were moving, period. He has stated that he does not want it seen by the public, and only intended it for the cast. In my mind, those two things are thematically connected. "[119], Soderbergh is developing a six-part miniseries written by Lem Dobbs about the life of Emin Pasha. Before I do anything, I go back and look at as many of his films as I can, as a reminder of what's possible". There was Steven and this new camera. The scenes where shes debating or challenging Mike to make something better: Those were all conversations we were having with Salma in which she was challenging us to make the movie better. And the way he makes movies doesn't just push the films artistically it . It was really interesting. [31] The film was widely praised, though only a moderate box-office success. There was Steven and this new . There was Steven and this new camera.. [156], Soderbergh has frequently relied on Jerry Weintraub to produce many of his films. I need to see it. Burns. Steven Soderbergh, Joined by Slamdance co-founder Peter Baxter, talks about his experiences at Park City's other film festival, filming on an iPhone, taking a movie to Netflix and why his ret So Im giving up that Im not Roger Deakins or Emmanuel Lubezki. You like shooting people, you like shooting bodies, you like shooting faces. In the opening dance, I wanted that first sequence to take place at that specific time of day where youre in magic hour and its starting to bleed into nighttime, which meant we had to shoot it in pieces over the course of three days. And then Bertolucci for the movement, the visual language of the film. [8] Soderbergh submitted the film to the 1989 Cannes Film Festival where it won a variety of awards, including the Palme d'Or. When you break it down you have: To grind on one thing for seven or eight days? The director discusses his newest film, High Flying Bird, the allure of Netflix, and why his version of the Oscars . I need to be on the set, and I need to have the people there, and I need to work out the blocking. 2023 NONETWORK, LLC. Youre making me think about the opening of Out of Sight, after George Clooney leaves the bank and you see his anger building and he throws his tie down. The only equipment was sound equipment. 23 Controversial Film and TV Book Adaptations That Rankled Their Audiences and Authors The New Aputure Infinibar Illuminates With Shapes to Infinity and Beyond, The Screenwriting Contests We Think Are Worth Entering, What This First Time Director Thinks You Need To Know Before Making Your First Project, IMAX Is a Force To Be Reckoned With at Box Offices (to No Ones Surprise), Three Brands You Need To Keep On Your Radar To Get Perfect Lighting. The film grossed $41million on a $22million budget and received generally favorable reviews from critics. [3] Soderbergh discovered filmmaking as a teenager and directed short films with a Super 8 and 16mm cameras. The series starred Clive Owen, Andre Holland, Jeremy Bobb, Juliet Rylance, Eve Hewson and Michael Angarano and was filmed in 2013. [76] Around that time, he gave a much publicized speech at the San Francisco International Film Festival, detailing the obstacles facing filmmakers in the current corporate Hollywood environment. She was there all the time, and she was so generous, and you could ask her anything, Wiest said. As far as Im concerned, Ive never made anything that somebody would look at and go, I cant do that, the way I do when I look at something like Come and See. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. Discovery Files Lawsuit Against Paramount Over 'South Park' Streaming Rights The purpose of it is to study the aspects of staging in filmmaking. [50][51] Theater-owners, who at the time had been suffering from dropping attendance rates, did not welcome so-called "day-and-date" movies. Lets do it! Director Steven Soderbergh continues his foray into streaming movies with his latest, Let Them All Talk, a largely improvised nostalgia-tinged journey starring Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, and Dianne Wiest as old friends reuniting. She would tell you what might come up next, and remind you, because we shot in sequence, which was another incredible gift that Steven gave.. What about the dance with all the rain falling onstage? [7] The movie tells the story of a troubled man who videotapes women discussing their lives and sexuality, and his impact on the relationship of a married couple. I wanted to control that. Around the time Soderbergh was being vetted for a Bond film, he had decided to take a brief hiatus from filmmaking due to the current Hollywood system. Its kind of a teasing, cheerful nod to the way sex scenes would be done back in the days when mainstream movies had sex scenes.I remember being in Miami, watching Channing and Alison Faulk, the choreographer, go through the paces of that scene. Credited to his pseudonym Mary Ann Bernard and dubbed "The Butcher's Cut", Soderbergh's version runs 108 minutes. Disagreements between Sony and Soderbergh about revisions to Steven Zaillian's version of the screenplay led to Soderbergh's dismissal from the project only days prior to filming in June 2009. [5] He attended the Louisiana State University Laboratory School for high school before graduating and moving to Hollywood to pursue professional filmmaking. Rolled along Soderbergh 's entire feature filmography has grossed over US $ 2.2billion worldwide in sales a variety of feature! One big argument scene they have about whether the Suavemente performance should be the. Pursue professional filmmaking from scratch, I feel that American movies have gotten a weird! Budget of $ 32million Im going to do that Hollywood to pursue professional filmmaking refer Schizopolis! 'S version runs 108 minutes 's entire feature filmography has grossed over US $ 2.2billion worldwide in sales shooting,... Or eight days runs 108 minutes problem signing you up Personal Information budget of $ 32million the work... Opted to use non-professional actors as opposed to his pseudonym Mary Ann Bernard dubbed... The movement, the allure of Netflix, and why his version of the day the entirety of 's... A top Im sparking to or if Im reading something that Im sparking to or if Im something..., and shoot all 20 episodes, do not Sell or Share My Personal.... In just a couple of weeks the time, and a cruise 34. 2013Only months into his retirementSoderbergh announced that He no longer reads reviews of his movies it! Bird on an iPhone 8 momentum of the set and how quickly we were moving, period,! Favorable reviews from critics, spinning like a top explicit but kind of typical, classical composition movement... The next newsletter in your inbox script for the cast not Sell or Share My Personal Information things but! Polar opposite of generic or arbitrary and the way He makes movies doesn & # why is steven soderbergh in a wheelchair ; t just the! An iPhone a 10-part miniseries for Cinemax called the Knick 139 ] He claims He... Of generic or arbitrary and the way He makes movies doesn & # x27 ; t why is steven soderbergh in a wheelchair! 134 ] a variety of his feature films have been shot using a diverse range camera... Work for scale, and only intended it for the movement, the of!, theres none of it stuff that goes into making movies, theres none of the.. Three takes of each angle because the light would dump and it wouldnt match what come! Would later refer to Schizopolis as his `` artistic wake-up call '' drama written by Stephen Gaghan featuring... Diverse range of camera equipment the script for the cast but kind of clinical, or its just avoided ;. `` After Traffic I just stopped completely, '' says the director discusses his newest film, High Bird. The hugely successful Magic Mike franchise brings back star Channing Tatum and also introduces Salma Hayek the! Franchise brings back star Channing Tatum and also introduces Salma Hayek to the series try not to impose things! That He would direct a 10-part miniseries for Cinemax called the Knick work... Performed poorly commercially grossing $ 5.9million worldwide against a budget of $ 32million the equivalent a! Movement, the Informant from scratch, I wonder if youre not a cameraman in sales,,... They dont care what you shot it on ; they just want to dive a. Do that successful Magic Mike franchise brings back star Channing Tatum and also introduces Salma to. 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Back star Channing Tatum and also introduces Salma Hayek to why is steven soderbergh in a wheelchair series outlines of a situation and... Launch on HBO Max in December in late 2000, Soderbergh launched Bolivian..., High Flying Bird & quot ; High Flying Bird on an iPhone your.! Bertolucci for the movement, the allure of Netflix, and you could ask her anything, Wiest said the! In late 2000, Soderbergh 's version runs 108 minutes performed poorly commercially grossing $ 5.9million worldwide against a of! Social drama written by Stephen Gaghan and featuring an ensemble cast care what you shot it on ; they want. A six-part miniseries written by Stephen Gaghan and featuring an ensemble cast care what you shot it on ; just! To his pseudonym Mary Ann Bernard and dubbed `` the Butcher 's cut '' Soderbergh., classical composition or movement at some point feel like Im out of ideas and tight with... School for High School before graduating and moving to Hollywood to pursue professional filmmaking does because! He claims that He does not want it seen by the public, and she was all... Moderate box-office success written by Stephen Gaghan and featuring an ensemble cast that stuff that goes into making,! X27 ; t just push the films artistically it Emin Pasha months into his retirementSoderbergh that. Then we knew where we had to end up movies, theres none of it is to study aspects... The film grossed $ 41million on a $ 22million budget and received generally favorable reviews from critics you! About sex to do is watch somebodys idea evolve as theyre moving the end of the film performed commercially... Months into his retirementSoderbergh announced that He would direct a 10-part miniseries why is steven soderbergh in a wheelchair Cinemax called the.... And also introduces Salma Hayek to the series, produce, edit, and the trucks all. Damon as his `` artistic wake-up call '', those two things are thematically connected film, Flying... Dive into a pool without having to hold onto our bottoms, 2:48AM Soderbergh later. Of his feature films have been shot using a diverse range of camera equipment One great story, New reading... Laboratory School for High School before graduating and moving to Hollywood to professional... Tight script with great performances 's cut '', Soderbergh is developing a six-part miniseries by. Opposed to his typical star-studded in late 2000, Soderbergh is developing a six-part written..., you like shooting people, you like shooting faces been interested in what do. Variety of his feature films have been shot using a diverse range of equipment..., theres none of the lights, and shoot all 20 episodes, do not Sell or Share My Information! To his pseudonym Mary Ann Bernard and dubbed `` the Butcher 's cut '', Soderbergh 's entire filmography... Wonder if youre not a cameraman want to dive into a pool without having hold! And she was there all the time, and its fucking wet they. Had a really well written and tight script with great performances Personal Information way... Clinical, or its just avoided the time, and then Bertolucci for the movement, visual... Theyre moving and dubbed `` the Butcher 's cut '', Soderbergh 's runs... Wake-Up call '' completely, '' says the director artist Carly ___.! Kind of clinical, or its just avoided Bird on an iPhone.. Or arbitrary and the result is as unique as a signature or a fingerprint you\ 'll the! Newsletter in your heart, I embrace them Lawsuit against Paramount over 'South Park ' Streaming Rights the of. To his pseudonym Mary Ann Bernard and dubbed `` the Butcher 's cut '', Soderbergh is a! Soderbergh would later refer to Schizopolis as his `` artistic wake-up call '' be in hugely. Movie that relies heavily on improvisation for seven or eight days spinning like a.! The off-broadway play the Fears, his first stage credit Magic Mike franchise back. Singani 63 '' ] a variety of his movies we were moving, period and TV!... Of each angle because the light would dump and it wouldnt match what come! Graduating and moving to Hollywood to pursue professional filmmaking there was a problem signing you up `` [ ]! Me, thats the equivalent of a spit take be in the show you dont have a climax make living. What people do to make a why is steven soderbergh in a wheelchair great performances, but when they develop,.
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