Interview by Emmanuel Itier ▪ Friday, August 28, 2015 – 1 minute ago
“The Visit”, in theaters October 7, M. Night Shyamalan, the director Sixth Sense, Signs and The Village, is tested with the cinema so Jason “Insidious” Blum budget but great effects. Meet the director.
A “small film”
M. Night Shyamalan The Visit is an original idea I had many years ago. I had kept in a corner with the hope of one day this “little movie”. So I clung to this idea while waiting for the right time. There are two years old, I thought about it in more detail and I thought about how to produce it and turn. This is where I finally officially launched the project I wrote, I produced it on a budget, I turned and once finished I contacted Jason Blum. Basically, I stole the concept of Jason! (laughs) Or rather it inspired me with its approach of producing short films, allowing to propose extremely original works. So I contacted Jason and I asked him to see the film
Jason Blum. Yes, it was in the summer of 2014. I saw an early version of the film, I loved it, I thought it was crazy. Night has managed to do what we advocate still better than us! So we acquired the rights to distribute the world
Found-Footage or documentary?
M. Night Shyamalan : The Visit is based on a documentary format. The documentary is one of my favorite film genres. And that is very different from the found-footage. The found-footage captures a moment. While the documentary -and therefore The Visit- adopt a certain aesthetic. How to explain …
Jason Blum : We have produced many found-footage. A genre that implies that the person filming does not have a professional approach of the frame. This is not the case of The Visit. The composition of the plans is fabulous … The concept being that the person who is interested in cinema films and the cinema can do. In the film it is a character but actually talking … Night. It is very different from a found-footage.
A film about forgiveness
M. Night Shyamalan : The themes of a film appear to me when I take what I mean. Sixth Sense spoke of communication. Signs dealt with faith. Each of my films has a central theme. Maybe no one will see it, but The Visit speaks of forgiveness. It follows a decomposed and broken family, a young girl esaye gather through a documentary. Unfortunately, it goes very wrong! (laughs)
tremble, laugh, shake, laugh …
M. Night Shyamalan : I had a very specific tone in mind. I wanted to mix the mystery, suspense, terror … and laughter! Balance is very hard to define between these “colors”. This is also why we are few films that manage to make cohabit these two opposing paddles. For this reason, the film was very long to climb. It took me almost a year of editing … which is very long in our digital era! We went through a very funny version with all the fun moments, and then only to a terrifying version to finally arrive at this final version which offers the balance that suits me. The priority was to set up the mystery, then sprinkle humor and fear. But it was a long and difficult process.
Jason Blum : I agree Night. It is a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat but it’s extremely funny, with lots of very light moments. What makes it even more challenging film because the audience can enjoy relaxing beaches: they are relaxing, they laugh and terror overtakes them when they least expect it. The great genre films have that balance, but it’s very hard to get. And I think The Visit manages to enter this circle
future of cinema
Jason Blum : We disagree on this point, Night and me. (laughs) For me, the future of cinema is to do films and to offer them simultaneously around the world on all distribution platforms. This will make the film even more relevant that it has ever been. But Night is another point of view on this issue …
M . Night Shyamalan : There are different content, different forms of content. You have the ability to access certain content when you want, where you want. This is a first form and a way of life stories. And there’s another one: it is to take your car, going to the movies and share a movie experience with three hundred foreigners. You get involved, you put your life on pause to this shared moment. This is called -or appelait- cinema. And that’s what I do first. I turn to television also (Series Wayward Pines , Ed) , but The Visit was thought to be seen at the movies with people you do not know and with whom you will share an experience. If you see it on your computer or your sofa, you may like and you will have a great time. But you miss something if you do not see three hundred foreigners.
Jason Blum : I must admit that it is very convincing … I’ll perhaps change my mind! (laughs)
The Visit Trailer
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