Director Profile: Paul Greengrass

Born: 13th August, 1955, Surrey, England

Paul Greengrass started his filmmaking career with a super 8 camera he found in his art room in secondary school. Those short movies were animation horror films he made using old dolls, artist dummies, and the general art room clutter.

After studying in Cambridge University he got into Granada Television School and spent the first ten years of his career roving global hot spots for the hard-hitting documentary series, World in Action. By this time he became very interested in the Northern Ireland conflict. At the same time he co-authored the infamous book Spycatcher with Peter Wright, former assistant director of MI5, which contained enough sensitive information for the British Government to ban it during the mid-1980s.

He then moved into drama, directing made-for-television films such as The One That Got Away, based on Chris Ryan's book about SAS actions in the Gulf War, and The Fix, based on the story of the betting scandal which shook British football in 1964.

In 1989, he directed his first fiction movie, Resurrected, that won an award in Berlin. He continued his career as a fiction filmmaker with a serial of TV movies dealing with social and political issues including Open Fire (about a police scandal about a policeman accused of murder).

His documentary style became more dynamic and intense with each movie. In 2002, Bloody Sunday achieved international acclamation and won the first prize in the Berlin Festival. After that he has continued his career in the United States with The Bourne Supremacy starring Matt Damon.

In 2006, Greengrass directed United 93, a film based on the September 11th hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93. The film received immense critical acclaim, particularly for Greengrass' again quasi-documentary-style directing. After receiving many Best Director awards and nominations from critics circles (including the Broadcast Film Critics Association), Greengrass won the BAFTA award for Best Director at the 60th British Academy Film Awards and received an Oscar nomination for Achievement in Directing at the 79th Academy Awards. For his role in writing the film, he earned Writers Guild of America Award and BAFTA nominations for Best Original Screenplay.

He followed this with a return to the Bourne franchise. The Bourne Ultimatum, released in 2007, was an even bigger success than the previous two films and provided him with yet another BAFTA nomination for Best Director at the 61st British Academy Film Awards.

Greengrass' future plans include directing They Marched into Sunlight, a book by David Maraniss which revolves around the controversy surrounding the Vietnam conflict, focusing on one day, when a major battle was occurring in Vietnam and a major protest was simultaneously happening in the US.

Trade Mark Techniques:
Usage of the handheld camera to provoke realism

Quotes:
“By the time I'd done Bloody Sunday I felt I reached the end of a chapter. I could feel it. I wanted to try something new, something different. Then, to my amazement, Bloody Sunday won lots of theatrical prizes, the audience award at Sundance, and then, to my even greater amazement, I had the opportunity to make a film in Hollywood. I mean, you wouldn't think, looking at my films, oh, there's a guy who's going to make films in Hollywood.”

“It was huge to have a director who was putting you first and saying, "Be as natural and real and honest as you can and it's our job to capture it, rather than yours to adjust for the sake of the shot." That's the thing an actor wants to hear.” Matt Damon

Filmography:
World in Action (2 episodes, 1985-86)
Resurrected (1989)
When the Lies Run Out (1993) (TV)
Open Fire (1994) (TV)
The One That Got Away (1996) (TV)
The Fix (1997) (TV)
The Theory of Flight (1998)
The Murder of Stephen Lawrence (1999) (TV)
Bloody Sunday (2002)
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

United 93 (2006)
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Green Zone (2010)
They Marched Into Sunlight (2013) (pre-production)

Final Edit of Thriller Opening

This is my final edit. Please comment, any feedback would be appreciated, as I can then amend any mistakes, and evaluate my film. I have added a second part to the opening to create the meaning that the first part is a precursor to the events at the end of the film, and therefore, the film's narrative would go back to the beginning and move forward until it reaches this event and then reveal the conclusion. I have also added a secondary soundtrack to this part of film and it would be good to get any feedback about it as I still have not made up my mind whether or not to keep it.

Soundtrack for Thriller Opening

This is Dead Reckoning by Clint Mansell which was used in the film Smokin' Aces (Carnahan, 2006), 
and it was my primary influence when  creating the soundtrack for my Thriller Opening. 
I liked the way it kept building until the end - similar to the way suspense/tension builds up in a thriller. 
In order to try to replicate this, I increased the number of different layers/instrument loops in the 
soundtrack to increase the sense of drama and suspense. 
Due to the limit of available loops, I went for a more action-based soundtrack focusing on the use of 
rock-styled guitar bass and drum loops. 
This suits the film quite well as it is more of an action-thriller than a suspense-thriller. 
I think the soundtrack turned out well as it tends to stick in your head after you have watched the film.

Thriller Opening - First Cut & Latest Cut

These videos include the first shoot that I did at the primary location along with the behind the scenes footage, and the latest cut of the film (though still unfinished). Through this, I can show the development between the different stages of my work. The second location worked much better as it had better access, an easier surface to work on, and I got luckier with the weather. Therefore, it was much more flexible.

Thriller Opening 1st Draft

This is a draft version of my thriller opening, I still need to finalise the music (the drums are a bit too loud and need to be more in the background) and I need to re-shoot the sequence that features the two main characters walking towards the shed. This is for 3 reasons: there are water droplets on the lens, my shadow is on the floor, and they both smile as they pass the camera. I will also need to film the final sequence that will join onto the end of this sequence. I have also spelt the title wrong, and therefore, this mistake will need to be sorted out. This video will also act as a reference for the actors so they know exactly what they were wearing so there are no continuity issues in costume.

Director Profile: J. J. Abrams

Born: 27 June 1966, New York City, New York, USA as Jeffrey Jacob Abrams

Inspiration for Thriller Opening – Over exposing light to create flaring effect (Star Trek, 2009)

Trade Marks:

• High-tech, action-packed entertainment
• [Cold opening] A suspenseful sequence prior to the opening credits used to pull the audience directly into the story (Mission: Impossible 3 2006, Star Trek 2009)
• Often uses music by Michael Giacchino

Biography:

Abrams' first job in the movie business started when he was 16 when he wrote music for Don Dohler's film Nightbeast. During his senior year at college, he teamed with a friend to write a feature film treatment. Purchased by Touchstone Pictures, the treatment was the basis for Taking Care of Business, Abrams' first produced film, which starred Charles Grodin and Jim Belushi. He followed that up with Regarding Henry, starring Harrison Ford, and Forever Young, starring Mel Gibson.

Abrams collaborated with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay on the 1998 film, Armageddon. That same year, he made his first foray into television with Felicity, which ran for four seasons on The WB Network, serving as the show's co-creator (with Matt Reeves) and executive producer. Under his production company, Bad Robot, Abrams created and executive-produced ABC's Alias and is co-creator (with Damon Lindelof) and executive producer of Lost. He also served as executive producer of What About Brian and Six Degrees, also on ABC. Abrams directed and wrote the two-part pilot for Lost and remained active producer for the first half of the season before moving on to work on Mission: Impossible III. He later co-wrote the teleplay of the third season premiere A Tale of Two Cities and continues to participate in creative meetings with Damon Lindleof and Carlton Cuse about the direction and mythology of the show.

Abrams contributed in the writing process in Superman Flyby, and co-wrote and produced the 2001 film Joy Ride. He made his feature directorial debut in 2006 with Mission: Impossible III, starring Tom Cruise. He also directed the 2009 blockbuster film Star Trek. Abrams is also the producer of the 2008 monster movie, Cloverfield. His partnership with Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof has grown into the duo producing Star Trek together and while it was speculated that they would be writing and producing an adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series of novels, they have publicly stated in November 2009, that they were no longer looking at that right now.

He composed the opening theme music for Alias, Lost, Fringe, and co-wrote both of the opening theme songs for Felicity. Abrams signed deals with Warner Bros. for new television shows and Paramount Pictures for new films worth around $50 million.

Filmography:

• Taking Care of Business (1990) (writer)
• Regarding Henry (1991) (writer, co-producer)
• Forever Young (1992) (writer, executive producer)
• The Pallbearer (1996) (producer)
• Gone Fishin' (1997) (co-writer)
• Armageddon (1998) (writer)
• The Suburbans (1999) (producer)
• Joy Ride (2001) (writer, producer)
• Mission: Impossible III (2006) (director, co-writer)
• Cloverfield (2008) (producer)
• Star Trek (2009) (director, producer)
• Morning Glory (2010) (producer)

Television:

• Felicity (1998-2002) (co-creator, writer, executive producer, director-2 episodes 1999)
• Alias (2001-2006) (creator, writer, executive producer, director-5 episodes 2001-05)
• Lost (2004-2010) (co-creator, writer, executive producer, director-2 episodes 2004 [pilots])
• What About Brian (2006-2007) (executive producer)
• Six Degrees (2006-2007) (executive producer)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2006) (Guest director)
• The Office (2005-present) (guest director)
• Fringe (2008-present) (co-creator, writer, executive producer)
• Anatomy of Hope (2009) (director)
• Undercovers (2010) (co-creator, executive producer, writer, director)

Awards:

2005 – American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP)

Won, Top TV Series for Lost

2006 – ASCAP Award

Won, Top TV Series for Lost

2007 – Academy of Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA

Nominated, Saturn Award for Best Director for Mission Impossible III

2007 – BAFTA

Nominated, Best International for Lost

2005 – Directors Guild of America

Nominated, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for Lost

2009 – Emmy Award

Nominated, Outstanding Drama Series for Lost

2008 Nominated, Outstanding Drama Series for Lost

2005 Won, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Lost

2005 Nominated, Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Lost

2010 – PGA Award

Won, Motion Picture of the Year, Theatrical Motion Picture for Star Trek

2007 Nominated, TV Producer of the Year in Episodic, Drama – Lost

2006 Won, TV Producer of the Year in Episodic, Drama – Lost

2004 Nominated, TV Producer of the Year in Episodic, Drama – Alias

2009 – Writers Guild of America (TV)

Nominated, Long Form – Original for Fringe

Nominated, New Series for Fringe

2007 Nominated, Dramatic Series – Lost

2006 Won, Dramatic Series – Lost

2006 – Golden Globe Award

Winner, Best Television Series, Drama – Lost

2007 Nominated, Best Television Series, Drama – Lost