“When I direct a film, my only concern is how to tell a story as simply as possible,” Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford said here on Saturday. He was speaking at ‘In Conversation' with Gujarati writer Prabodh Parikh, organised as part of the 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Mr. Beresford is the chairperson of the jury in this year's film festival.
Mr. Beresford said his films were not inspired by the works of master filmmakers. “But I learned a lot about the structure of a film from their works. I try to work out why some films work well,” he said. Mr. Beresford said he made his films in a straightforward manner.
Filmmaker Shaji N. Karun said he was inspired by the spirituality in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky. Mr. Karun said cinema was a tool to address spirituality and the unknown. “And that is what I try to do through my films,” he added.
Mr. Beresford's obsession with opera is widely known. He said music could give tremendous insight into the story and the characters enacting it. Mr. Parikh noted that the two filmmakers, who did not know each other personally, were now together in exploring the art form called opera. Mr. Karun said his next film was based on an opera as well.
“I usually have a few films in my mind at a time. Luckily, one of them finds a way to communicate with the financiers,” Mr. Beresford said. He said he was amazed by the number of films he had made. “When I work on a film, I think about the entire film, not fragments,” Mr. Beresford said.
One should be careful to avoid repetition while constructing a film. “I make sure that one scene of a film tells a story which no previous scene has said,” he added.
