Uwe Ball: ”Michael Bay got scared of a fight with me”
As part of his support for the fundraising campaign for the production of Rage 3, Uwe Boll answered questions from fans about his career, collaborating with Hollywood stars and the failed fight with Michael Bay.Don't you think that criticism directed at you is far from always justified? I've made more than thirty films, but I always remember a couple of the most failed projects. There are directors who have made only one good film in their entire lives, and critics will continue to sing their praises to them, even if their new work is low-quality thrash metal. Journalists are brave only if there is no big film company behind you. This situation reaches the point of absurdity, because they are afraid to write badly about Transformers, so that they would not be deprived of their accreditation. Independent filmmakers are always the easiest to attack. You should watch a couple of my recent films - they can change your mind about me. As for the critics, even if I shoot ten masterpieces in a row, they still won't forgive me old mistakes.  You once challenged Michael Bay to a boxing match ... I never hid that I hated " Transformers ", and Bay called me a loser in response. I said that it makes sense for us to sort things out in the ring. And then his lawyer calls me and threatens with some kind of lawsuit ... I think I have the right to my own opinion. Bay is raking in so much money that he could be more comfortable with the fact that many people consider his films to be trash. There is no dialogue, no plot, and decent actors like Mark Wahlberg risk their reputations for a substantial fee. The main problem is that these 100 million blockbusters block access to screens for other films, because cinemas clog all sessions with them. Bay never dared to accept my challenge. It will be more complete, because I would have knocked him out.  Which of your films has become the most expensive? The budget of the film "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Story" was $ 65 million . Filming lasted four months and post-production took almost two years. This project took a lot of my energy, but I was happy to work on one of those big budget films where you can get whatever you want from the studio. Usually I have to spin myself, and here it was enough to say “I need a hundred more extras” to get what I want right away. Did you enjoy collaborating with Hollywood stars? As soon as you start a conversation with them, you will be bitterly disappointed, because many of them do not fit the image of movie stars at all. They are often not as smart as one might expect. The worst was the case with Tara Reed, who not only does not know how to play, but also constantly came drunk on the set of "Alone in the Dark". In vain we gave her the role, but for me it was the first film with the participation of Hollywood actors, and therefore I simply could not lose the money that we managed to pay the actress. If I shot this film today, I would have fired her on the very first day.  What do you think of your notoriety in the gaming community? Personally, I think Postal has become the best video game adaptation in history. At the same time, I understand perfectly well that "House of the Dead" or " Alone in the Dark " cannot be called good films. There are a lot of people in the gaming industry who hate me, but this is partly due to the fact that I have shot the most pictures from games. Other filmmakers were often even less successful, but their wave of criticism was bypassed. Will the fourth film in the Bloodrain series see the light of day? The gaming company no longer wants to make films based on this franchise. I don't quite understand this decision, because the viewership significantly exceeded the number of fans of the game. It would be interesting to postpone the action in our days after we visited the 18th century, the Wild West and World War II.  Is it even possible to work outside of the Hollywood studio system? Young filmmakers should find an agent, make a portfolio, shoot a short and post it on Facebook or YouTube . This can help them find jobs in Hollywood. At one time I was very lucky. Although I dreamed of becoming a director from early childhood, in Germany I had little chance of getting into the film industry. I had to start shooting my films with the Super 8 camera. My friend and I spent $ 50 thousand on the German Kinosolyanka. Then the cinemas were ready to show our film, because we agreed to take part in the promotional campaign and meetings with the audience. But those days, unfortunately, are left behind. Now you have to pay for cinemas to agree to show your film. In the modern world, this is becoming an insurmountable problem for many aspiring filmmakers who have no choice but to look for a place under the sun in Hollywood. Source: Reddit The Topic of Article: Uwe Ball: ”Michael Bay got scared of a fight with me”. |
