Film Keynote: Darren Aronofsky
SXSW – Austin Convention Center, March 10, 2018
Article by Stacey Lovett and Photography by Jim Chapin
Director Darren Aronofsky delivered the first Film keynote Address at SXSW on Saturday, March 10.
At Aronofsky’s premier visit to SXSW, he presented a panel where he spoke about the power of storytelling and filmmaking being the most modern and powerful tool for uniting your visions with the world. Broken down in his ‘10 Commandments for Indie Film’ the director of Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, among many others, directed the audience in his archetype for creating that story that challenges our thoughts and emotions and becoming the voice of reason through film.
Aronofsky was the executive producer for Eliza McNitt’s SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime virtual reality project which is featured at this year’s festival – a contemplative visualization and musical experience of a black hole collision evoking a human connection to the cosmos. His involvement in this project was with a different, more experiential medium than his films and it was on the more emotional, humanistic element to which he creates and directs his personal films which evolved from learning to see the world differently early on. Between his studio art education and an experience with a Moroccan storyteller he had while backpacking in Europe, Aronofsky began recognizing both the power of a story as a universal language. The power and universality of emotion we all share reminds us we are all one and his comprehension of that is apparent in the emotional depth of his characters and how he transmutes that feeling from the screen to the viewer. In and after film school, he said no one had prior had written the book on how to do indie films so it was up to him to draw what he had learned and observed in life with his own experiential knowledge in filmmaking.
Relating both advice he’d been given and that which arose from his own experiences, Aronofsky broke down the 10 key elements in film creation for the audience.
1. Make the film only you can make. – Find yourself in all of your characters and tell your story through them; you individual voice is your main gift
2. Persistence is 9/10ths of the game – The more people who tell you “no” the more you know you’re doing something right
3. Work with family – They always have your back – collaboration is key
4. Do your homework. – Be open on set as time is limited; rely on storyboards and rehearsals and allow for procrastination as being part of the process
5. Adapt to reality. – Make limitations into realities
6. Don’t be afraid of your actors. – Find those who are hungry to share themselves and show emotion; create an environment where they feel safe – physically and emotionally – and want to create; gain and honor their trust
7. Where is my audience? – be cognizant of and be present with them; channel the scene and emotion; you are the caretaker of the film and must tell the story through one big thematic idea
8. Commit to the vision and see it through to the end. – hold your own when it comes to your visualization of the project
9. Let your child go. – you can abandon a film to later re-work and tweak; remaining stuck on one can take away time better spent on a new promising piece
10. Give a shit. – art is about disruption, especially in today’s world; there is no excuse to make empty films – be extremely honest and deeply human as that is what it’s all about
Darren Aronofsky has pushed the envelope in his filmmaking by disrupting the comfortable view and delving deeper into the minds of his characters, portraying a raw, humanistic view. Alongside his 10 Commandments, the director parted with advising fellow artists to focus on human love, not violence, and to forget the naysayers and make it a goal to change the world. Quoting Neil DeGrasse Tyson he shared, “Creativity that satisfies and affirms your worldview is entertainment; Creativity that challenges and disrupts the world’s view is art.” Better words couldn’t have been spoken by and about such an artist and Aronofsky left with the challenge “to go be artists – please – and entertain us as well.”
About Darren Aronofsky
Brooklyn born and raised, Academy Award®-nominated director Darren Aronofsky is the founder of Protozoa Pictures. He is the writer and director of mother! starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Last year, Aronofsky produced Jackie. He directed, co-wrote, and produced Noah (2014). Before that he directed the indie box office phenomenon, Black Swan (2010). It starred Natalie Portman who won an Academy Award® for her performance. Aronofsky directed and produced The Wrestler (2008). His earlier credits include directing and writing the acclaimed films: The Fountain (2006); Requiem for a Dream (2000); and Pi (1998).
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DARREN ARONOFSKY PHOTO GALLERY
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