The geekiest film of 2013 gets its home release this week.
We spoke to him recently about his influential body of work.
Youve spoken before about mumblecore being this kind of accidental movement.
It would take quite a bit of hubris to ask for anything better [laughs].
I mean it would be nice to just be considered a good filmmaker.
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And its made waves around the world.
I was reading that theres a Berlin mumblecore movement, for example.
What defines the genre in your opinion?
Well, I never knew what it was.
Its been interesting for me to see a neologism take root and spread across the world.
I think the word was useful in defining…
I mean, certainly from my own films at least.
In fact, if anything, Im probably the most retrograde of that group.
I was the one who was shooting on 16mm.
I spent a lot of time thinking about that and trying to figure it out.
And I find that very frustrating.
Im not good at it.
Im a terrible player.
And in that there was a passing mention of these computer chess tournaments.
or where was it held, or something like that.
And then, I dont know, I just fantasized on it for years.
Its very hard for me to reconstruct how this thing came to be.
The aesthetic quality of the film is something thats really striking.
It was shot on one of the earliest Sony video cameras, wasnt it?
Yeah, its the AVC-3260.
Theres a real sense that were watching the story unfold in a completely different time period as a result.
How did you go about researching the equipment and, in particular, the setting too?
I think we did our due diligence.
We didnt really have the time or the money to knock ourselves out.
We didnt have to build 1979 or 1980 perfectly, we just had to build a nice sturdy tunnel.
These things flow in to each other and there are always echoes of the past that continue to resonate.
Ultimately, I think the quest to build an artificial intelligence has to be kind of a spiritual one.
You cant seek to build an intelligence without on some level reflecting on your own intelligence.
I think thats something thats kind of taken for granted today.
They just kept getting better and better.
And thats also a little bit scary, but fascinating.
It would be a completely different movie and we would have made it completely differently.
I think theres always a way to tell a compelling story, but its not the same.
You dont tell those stories the same way in those media.
People seemed to be annoyed that I didnt want to join the 21st century and shoot on video.
And, in a way, this was kind of my reaction.
And so this was a very particular case of shooting the story to the medium.
And could you make a movie about a computer chess tournament on nice new digital video?
But you couldnt make this one.
Youre renowned for working with non-professional actors.
What does this bring to the fold that professional actors wouldnt, or couldnt?
With professional actors, its often part of their training to endeavour to clarify things for the audience.
And, in a way, I think that kind of goes against an actors training.
So we shall see.
Non-professional actors take this and translate it in to something that sounds completely authentic.
How much improvisation was employed onComputer Chess?
Without the document to refer to I just had to have more information in my head.
So it really depends from scene to scene.
What is it that attracts you to outsiders and awkwardness?
Its probably my general awkwardness [laughs].
Its certainly something that seems to have been commodified more and more by Hollywood in the past decade.
How does mumblecores brand of awkwardness differs from Hollywoods, do you think?
[Laughs] Well its just the difference, as you say between the commodification.
I mean Im certainly a Michael Cera fan and I enjoy what he does.
It wouldnt necessarily belong in one of the movies Ive made, but who knows?
There are just different ways of getting it.
Sometimes they work and sometimes they dont.
You mentioned that youre looking to come up with an idea that steers you towards…
I dont want to say Hollywood because thats not what it is.
Lets say bigger budget productions…
I mean, quite honestly, thats all I ever aspired to.
Can I do something that will connect more broadly?
Even if that just means you put a movie star or two in it.
Now, it becomes a problem to crack, just like any other.
Computer Chesswas all about how do I tell a story in this outmoded, abandoned visual language?
And so you go from there and you keep asking that question and ideas begat ideas.
And so Im trying to crack that problem with the same unscientific method.
Theres something that feels distinctly American about the raw style of mumblecore.
I get the impression that a British attempt to recreate the genre would be very different.
You guys are the best at it.
Mike Leighs very good at it.
Was that a frame of reference for you when you were starting out?
I adore Mike Leigh and hes a huge inspiration for sure.
Theres a lot it’s possible for you to learn from watching his movies.
And so, yeah, for sure, hes a big deal for me.
But lots of people are.
And you could go and steal that and build something out of it and thats exciting.
What can I get away with?
Andrew Bujalski, thank you very much.
Computer Chessis available on dual format disc now.
