Venēcijas Biennāles Norvēģijas paviljonā nogrābu interesantu grāmatu – Black Screen Book. Grāmata ir par grafiskās vardarbības ietekmi uz cilvēku, kas mani maz satrauc, bet iekšā atradās vareni interesanta intervija ar brāļiem Ridliju un Toniju Skotiem. Kas ir katrs no tiem, domājams, nav jāskaidro, jo viņu filmogrāfijas runā pašas par sevi. Un jāsaka, ka brāļi cērt fišku kā neviens cits, un nebaidās arī atklāti runāt par lietām, par kurām parasti atklāti neviens nerunā. Zemāk fragmenti no intervijas ar maniem komentāriem.

Galvenā atbilde uz jautājumu, kapēc vispār top filmas.
Tony Scott: The pursuit of making money is the only reason to make movies... We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. Our obligation is to make money, and to make money, it may be necessary to make history. To make money, it may be important to make art... or some significent statement. To make money, it may be important to win the... Academy Award, for it might mean another ten million dollars at the box office. Our only obligation is to make money, but in order to make money, we must always make entertaining movies.

Parakstos zem gandrīz vai katra vārda. Nav naudas – nav kino. Pats priekš sevis gan es gan vairāk izvirzītu naudu UN slavu, respektīvi, es gūšu lielāku gandarījumu, ja manu filmu noskatās 1,000,000 civēku, nekā šaurs draugu loks. Nu un nauda, protams, arī ir motivējošais faktors, jo mērķis vienmēr būs uztaisīt superb filmu kas ienesīs milzīgo kāpostu, nevis vienkārši superb filmu, par kuru varēsi pats priecāties.
Un jā, ja mūsu cienījamie kinoļaudis kaut mazliet ieklausītos Skotta T. Vārdos, filmas Latvijā taptu daudz vairāk.

Nauda, nauda, nauda... Bet kā tad ir ar radošo daļu?
Tony Scott: A powerful idea is at the heart of any successful movie. A High Concept. The creative premise is what first attracts people to the product... A good idea is one that seems imaginative, original, and in some way new and unique. The power of the biggest blockbuster movies is that they came out of... nowhere and break new ground. In many cases, a compelling idea may not be strictly original, but it will seem different and exciting for it’s time. The most distinctive quality for a strong concept is that it does not seem familiar.

Tā jau ir. Neskatoties uz to, ka kopš 1899. gada ir bijis pilns ar filmām par dinozauriem un citplanētiešiem, cilvēki pūļiem gāja uz Jurassic Park un Independence Day, jo neviens vēl nebija viņus TĀ parādījis. Tonijs liek skaidri noprast, ka arī taisot tīru „komerciju”, nākas krietni papūlēties, jo mūsdienās cilvēki ir izlutināti, tiem vairs nepietiek vienkārši ar omfgbbyq specefektiem vai populāru aktieru ģīmjiem, viņš grib jaunu, jaunu, jaunu, un ar katru gadu apmierināt šo vēlmi paliek aizvien grūtāk un grūtāk.
Tapēc arī ir vajadzīga stipra ideja, jeb arī... spēcīga mārketinga nodaļa ;)))

"Nodevība! Krāpšana! Notrulināšana!" kliedz estēti un „īstā kino” cienītāji. Holivuda mums izdrāž smadzenes? Principā, jā ;)
Tony Scott: Don’s (nelaiķa Dona Simpsona – pieb.) philosophy is that there’s no other... obligation attached to film production than money. Everything else – quality, artistic quality , message – is a byprouct of this hunt for money. This should mean that the money-driven entertainment industry is a buisnesswithout obligations. And in this respect it’s amusing to look at the messages. What is traditional Hollywood message? What is it that gets said? Well, what we hear is: „Break the rules, follow your heart, defy authority, believe in yourself and seek freedom.” That’s the blockbuster message. „Live a life without limits.” „Overcome your limits and fears.” Etcetera. In my case it’s „Blow up property!” (Laughs.) That’s anarchy in it’s purest form. I can never stop asking myself, why does money generate such a message, and why does... such a message generate money? It’s a story of two incompatible entities continually producing and counteracting each other. Simultaneously!
Ridley Scott: Even so, there is something fundamentaly sad about the entertainment industry’s call for attention and thereby also money. What seems outwardly to be a bulldozing strategy on the part of the image industry is in reality a hand stretched out pitifully to passers-by, not unlike that of a beggar. This begging, however, is formulated as follows: „What do you want me to do for you in return for you giving me your money? I’ll do anything you like. I could for example claim to hate money and the mass mentality. I’ll do it if you all give me your money!” (laughs)

Nu un uz beigām par mūžīgo tēmu. Kādēļ filmās vienmēr jābliež no galvenā kalibra? Kam tas vajadzīgs?
Q: You make films for the lads, Tony. You have directed Top Gun, The Last Boy Scout, Crimson Tide, True Romance, Enemy of the State and Man on Fire, to mention a few. Your films always have big stars who go round hitting or shooting people, or blowing up property. What motivates you?
Tony Scott: I’ve always been interested in situations where the usual... rules of the game have been set aside. If I were to boast of having a mission in making film it would have to be that I want to compensate my viewers for the fact that such situations arise all too rarely in ... in real life. I have dropped the structural issues in favour of giving the audience a genuine experience of... state of emergency.

Un, visbeidzot, veiksmīgas filmas recepte no Tonija Skotta.
Tony Scott: To make money you have to enter the public imagination. This simply requires your that ideas are unique, regardless of how simple and... superficial they seem to be. What’s the difference between Top Gun and Days of Thunder? Nothing other than that one tiny inexplicable difference that makes a success or a failure.

Abas filmas ir uzņēmis Tonijs Skots, abas producēja Džerijs Brukhaimers un Dons Simpsons, abās galveno lomu tēlo Toms Krūzs, abas ir mucho-macho grāvēji ar principā identiskiem sižetiem, viens par lidmašīnām, otrs, savukārt, par autiņiem. Top Gun nopelnīja 176 milj. USD ASV vien (vēl 177 overseas), rekruitēja vairāk kā 2 milj. cilvēkus iekš Navy, saņēma Oskaru un kļuva par 80-to kultūras fenomenu. Days of Thunder nopelnīja precīzi uz pusi mazāk, gan ASV, gan Worldwide, nesaņēma neko un vispār tagad to reti kad atceras. Ei nu izproti ;)