Aspiring filmmakers (and we’d guess that’s got to be at least half of you), take note: this is how you get a directing gig.
When producer Neal Moritz (who, for some reason, has dropped his middle initial, H., from his professional name) snapped up the script for sci-fi actioner, Battle: Los Angeles, back in April, he invited a number of directors to pitch for the job.
That included South African director Jonathan Liebesman, who didn’t conform to the usual job interview ritual: nice suit, nervous small talk, back sweat, laugh at the interviewers’ jokes.
Oh, no – not Liebesman. Instead, he went out on location in Santa Monica and Los Angeles, and shot a number of battle sequences from the film, which tells the story of an alien invasion of Los Angeles from the viewpoint of a single soldier. It’s been pitched as Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day, although we’re guessing that there’s also a smidgen of Cloverfield in there too.
Anyway, Liebesman added CG aliens to his on-the-fly sequences, and also knocked up a pre-visualisation of an alien invasion sequence. With Moritz’ socks duly knocked off, the job was his. Well, he’s in final negotiations, so it’s almost his.
Impressive dedication on the part of the director, who was previously most famous for directing Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (because someone had to). It calls to mind the efforts of Shoot ’Em Up director, Michael Davis, who got Fox to stump up the cash for his movie after showing them extensive animated storyboards interspersed with the words, ‘This Is John Woo’s Wet Dream’.
So there you go, folks. If you ever find yourself lucky enough to be pitching a movie to Hollywood types, or interviewing for a job, then bring some visual aids with you. You never know, you might get lucky.