Lucy Darwin speaks to Phil Stubbs about her work on Twelve Monkeys,
The Hamster Factor and Lost in La Mancha...
Phil Stubbs: You worked on the post production of Twelve Monkeys. How was
that?
Lucy Darwin: Terry Gilliam asked me if I would coordinate the post production
on Twelve Monkeys in London. The film was made in Philadelphia and then
brought back to London for editing. I was very thrilled to be involved. Chuck
Roven and his Production Supervisor Kelley Smith Wait were in Los Angeles and
I helped them with the administration of the six months that covered the editing
and delivery process. I had never done this kind of work before, so it was Terry's
faith that got me the job and I relished ever minute of it. Watching this wonderful
film being assembled , the visual effects being created, the music being written
and scored and the chance to see the editor Mick Audsley - who is a genius - navigate
and create the complex story that became such a successful film. Highlights included
arranging a blue screen shoot with animals that appeared in the cityscape snow
scenes; working with the animal wrangler and a not very co-operative lion!, booking
the crew and supervising the shoot. Watching the film's score being recorded at
Air Studios, I really liked Paul Buckmaster the composer. Working with Kent Huston
and Susi Roper at The Peerless Camera Company whose team created all the magical
effects, and of course the chance to work with Terry and his editorial team. The
postproduction of Twelve Monkeys also introduced me to Keith Fulton and
Louis Pepe when they came to London to shoot additional material for The Hamster
Factor. It was the beginning of a very good relationship and my involvement
in their film was a great experience, one we are now in the process of revisiting!
What projects have you worked on in the past few years?
In the past few years I have continued to work with Woody Allen for whom I co
ordinate international pr. We've worked together for ten years now and each of
his many films tend to be well-supported both by him and his cast in Europe. I
go to festivals: Venice, Cannes etc and organise the cast to represent the film,
co-ordinate press junkets for the various distributors outside of the US and deal
with day to day enquiries - the many people who send him invitations and requests
and projects. After the post production of Twelve Monkeys I consulted
on the marketing and publicity for the theatrical release and both video rental
and sell through for the film with PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. I also helped
to raise the money and then represented the financiers on Women Talking Dirty
the first film from Elton John's Rocket Pictures - for which I had an associate
producer credit. Women Talking Dirty was released in the UK in December.
I've also been busy with a feature project which is in development with DNA Films
called Leonardo Secret Agent.
How did this project come about? Lost In La Mancha came about when Keith & Lou asked me to help them
back in July 2000. They asked me if I would produce the film and I went about
trying to raise the money which was a real challenge. We wanted to make a film
about pre-production , how films get off the ground, and of course there was a
time problem because Terry was already planning the film and we needed to get
Keith & Lou to Spain quickly so that they did not miss any crucial opportunities.
What responsibilties did/do you have as producer?
As producer, my main task has been to raise the money and then spend it wisely!
Being responsible to the investors! Working with Keith and Lou who are both experienced
at producing their own material was a challenge and I have been doing the administration;
banking, accounts, contracts, hiring crew, liaising with our subjects, and more
recently nurturing the sales, which of course we need to recoup the money for
our investors - us included! Some of the work is creative, looking at all of the
material we had shot and helping to make decisions on aspects of the editing.
I made the approach to Jeff Bridges to narrate the film and it was a wonderful
moment when he said yes! He has the best voice on the planet and we are extremely
fortunate to have him - I know he did it for Terry, but I am eternally grateful
to him. Ultimately, I suppose the producers job is to be supportive and keeping
your eyes firmly on the prize - a wonderful film which will entertain even strangers
to Terry Gilliam, because it's a very human story and a little drama in it's own
right.
Has Terry Gilliam seen the film? What was his reaction?
Terry has seen the film, and although I'm sure it's hard for him to relive the
difficult days of the shoot, I know he admires the end result and has been incredibly
supportive of Keith and Lou throughout the process of making the film.
Did Terry enjoy having a camera crew following him while he's shooting?
I can't say if Terry enjoys having the crew there , but he certainly gave Keith
and Lou a tremendous amount of access to the inner workings of the production
and vouched for them to the principal actors. The trust he had was conveyed to
all the key people on the film and helped us enormously.
How confident are you that The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will be made
and released?
I can't say if The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will eventually released,
I can only say I hope it will be. I agree with Andrea Calderwood (who was interviewed
for the film) when she said she just wants to see it on the screen.
When is the premiere?
The world premiere of our film Lost in La Mancha is on February 11th in
Berlin, where it is the official selection of the Panorama of this very prestigious
international film festival. We're very excited to see the film finally with an
audience!
How easy will it be for people to see the film at a cinema or on DVD?
We are in the process of selling our film to the Independent Film Channel (IFC)
who may release the film in some cinemas (very small release) and then on Video/DVD
and eventually on their television network in North and South America. We are
working on deals for the UK and other major European territories. We hope therefore
that anyone who wants to see it will eventually have the opportunity!
