This was and still is very useful for the anamorphic widescreen format, which has more depth of field.
The lens can focus on a plane in the background and the diopter on a foreground.
A split diopter does not create real deep focus, only the illusion of this.
Thats your homework done.
Now, on with the interview.
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I just wanted to make a feature narrative andPatrickwas the film that came along.
We all certainly wanted to be very reverent to the original.
The writer, the DOP, the producer and myself all love the original.
This was a wonderful opportunity.
We read them and they all seemed to want to turn Patrick into Freddy Krueger.
We said to Tony, Thats not whats great about Patrick.
Whats great is that hes a guy with unlimited powers but incredibly limited ambitions.
Thats what you should probably concentrate on.
Did you work quite closely with Justin as he was developing the script, then?
Justin and I actually wrote the treatment together.
Was your plan always to direct fiction?
Its been a very strange detour, these few documentaries Ive made.
Heres a question I always ask of fiction directors.
So… what tells you that youve put your camera in the right place?
What tells you that youve got it right?
Thats a good question.
I direct as an editor.
The performance is a lot more important than where you put the camera a lot of the time.
It can be about seeing through the camera the performance.
We turned up on set and knew every shot that had to be done.
Why do you ask?
Did you think there were lots of shots where the camera shouldnt be where it is?
No, but there are a lot of shots where the camera is very specific.
Some people seem to shoot blanket coverage, but you…
Oh, we had no time for that.
And some of it, where youve got the split diopter, theyre incredibly specific.
I think they work a treat.
Had we known how easy they are we would have done twelve times as many.
And why did you want them?
Because I love Brian De Palmas films.
I love split diopter shots in all of his films.
Thats good enough a reason as any.
Well, I thought as much.
And Im sure youre not alone in making that decision.
It took us a long time to find the split diopters because nobody uses them any more.
Thats why Pino Donaggio has done the music.
I dont know if youve seen the originalPatrick…
I have, a few times.
Well, that original is very obviously inspired by Hitchcock.
As well as De Palma, theres Argento and Richard Franklin in there.
All the same Hitchcock DNA getting remixed through subsequent generations.
The music is incredible.
Can you remember any of your conversations with Pino?
I couldnt believe it.
And his score is exactly what I wanted.
It announces from the first note what kind of movie this is.
But they didnt have any sound, we could just watch them play.
That was infuriating, but when they were mixing it, they sent us a feed.
Not to run down the humans at all but the clinic is an extraordinary bit of casting.
Why did you choose that one?
As soon as I saw it I loved it.
We then built the interior to match its feel.
I dont see it as an Australian location at all.
We thought this could be set anywhere.
It could be Wales.
Its just the genre convention.
Poor Charles [Dance] was there in these massive woollen suits.
It was a hard shoot.
Was the whole film post coloured?
Talk to me about that palette.
It was the first narrative film for Gary [Richards] the cinematographer too.
The only thing vaguely like this in Australia isNext Of Kin.
AlsoJulias Eyes.The Spanish style of modern horror films.
If I took a colour swatch from your film and theirs, it would be comparable.
I can see that.
Ours might be darker in that theres a lot more shadow, but Im really happy with it.
Yeah, it does.
Its slightly misunderstood in some circles, I have to say.
People either get it or they dont.
Some people just arent prepared for a horror film like this.
Theres space for both, I think.
So whats next, fiction-wise?
I honestly dont know.
Ive just finished my final documentary ever and-
Hang on!
You cant say that.
How can you say that?
Ill leave documentary filmmaking to the professionals from now on.
Did you see the other film about the Cannon boys?
I dont know if youd consider it your competition…
I didnt want to watch it until wed finished ours.
Did you see it?
No, one of my colleagues did.
He saw it at Cannes and rated it highly, Ill admit.
And youve got a lot of very different contributors in your film.
Im very keen to see it.
Ill be very keen to see how the two play, the different tones and style that they have.
Now, were going to run out of time but not quite soon enough, Im afraid.
Theres a question Im obliged to ask you because this interview is for a website with an odd problem.
Lets just play along.
It would have to beCrank.
Its an insane film.
I have no problem with Jason Statham.
Ill go and see any Jason Statham film.
The only time Id ever come back to documentaries is if Im absolutely broke.
So then I hope you dont.
Of course, he died before we got to interview him.
There must be something else you love?
There must be another subject?
There is something else I love.
Its called narrative feature work.
yo bring it on.
Mark, thank you very much.
Its been an absolute pleasure.
Thanks again to Mark for taking the time to talk to me.
Patrickis out now on DVD.
It now has the subtitleEvil Awakens,presumably to set it apart from the original.
