Alex Ross Perry Reveals Shocking Inspiration Behind ‘Pavements’ and Slams ‘Unforgivable’ Scripts!

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Alex Ross Perry has shared an unanticipated influence for his experimental musical biopic film about American indie band Pavement, titled “Pavements”. This inspiration comes from Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winning masterpiece, “Dunkirk”. During a discussion at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where he is showcasing both “Pavements” and “Videohaven”, Perry expressed his admiration for Nolan’s work, describing it as “one of the most structurally remarkable, miraculous scripts ever penned”.

He mentioned that this hundred-million-dollar World War II film significantly influenced his work on this documentary. The movie has three interwoven storylines: one spanning a week, another a day, and the last an hour. Remarkably, 80% through the movie, all these narratives intersect simultaneously at the same crucial moment. I had never encountered such a unique structure in a script before, but it proves effective both when read and when watched.

Perry shared that the idea for “Pavements” originated from his feeling of being constantly restless, both as a filmmaker and a cinema enthusiast. In other words, he’s tired of most films he watches daily, so he felt compelled to create something unique.

I didn’t originate the essay film, but I felt compelled to create one. This isn’t a skill most narrative filmmakers naturally possess; it’s more like learning a new language. For me, school never helped when it came to foreign languages, but I find mastering this unique filmmaking language to be an exciting challenge and a way for me to become proficient in something I truly want to excel at.

The unique creation, a fusion of scripted sequences, historical footage, and a live stage play within a film, as the director modestly puts it, “has never been attempted before.” Admittedly, I’m not boasting too much, but let me tell you, this project was extremely challenging: You won’t find anything similar to [‘Pavements’] because it required navigating legal loopholes, and that’s no easy feat. The reason for this is that such a blend is almost legally impossible and time-consuming to accomplish.

During our discussion, I shared my views on the significance of a strong screenplay, as we were joined by acclaimed British filmmaker and IFFR Tiger Jury member Peter Strickland (“The Duke of Burgundy”).

Or:

In our chat, I emphasized the crucial role of a solid script while having renowned British director Peter Strickland (“The Duke of Burgundy”), who was part of the IFFR Tiger Jury, present.

Or:

As Peter Strickland (“The Duke of Burgundy”) and I engaged in conversation, I highlighted the importance of a robust screenplay, serving as an esteemed member of the IFFR Tiger Jury.

Each sentence conveys the same meaning but with slight variations in structure and phrasing for a more natural and easy-to-read flow.

The director admitted that he found it hard to believe he had turned into one of those critics, but whenever a movie didn’t appeal to him, he couldn’t help but point out that the issue was likely with the script itself. He wasn’t great at expressing his opinions about films or writing reviews, but he could always express why a script fell flat or what excited him about one. As for the rest, he had no thoughts on it.

Though he didn’t specify the title, the movie creator mentioned a “highly acclaimed” film that has been released not long ago, whose script he deemed “inexcusably poor.

While watching the film for two hours, you’ll find that if you’ve previously watched another movie, there isn’t a single instance where you aren’t one step ahead of the characters,” he noted. “Every second I spent on this movie was agonizing because I may not be the most frequent viewer, but I have seen a movie or two. To me, this is inexcusable and makes the movie almost unbearable to watch.

Perry finds himself constantly mindful of a script’s requirements, which is both an advantage and a challenge. He admitted that he has grown harsher towards himself than he ever thought possible. “Even just watching a minute of ‘Queen of Earth’, I can tell that we filmed a third draft,” he said, “nowadays, I wouldn’t even consider sending out something unless I had worked on it extensively and felt it was polished to perfection.

Originally, I used to create films because of their impromptu nature. Writing a script and then filming it six months later was an exciting process for me. However, if I had to do that now, it would send shivers down my spine. The director expressed this sentiment in conclusion.

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2025-02-08 18:17