After spending a substantial part of the quarter viewing and discussing C'MON C'MON, Team 48 got to visit with filmmaker, writer and graphic artist MIKE MILLS in his Silver Lake office. They started and ended their interview in the style (and using some of the same language) of the kid interviews from his movie.
Sit down, dig in, and enjoy their conversation with Mike. Here are their questions...and his answers!
00:00 - Start
00:36 - 1) What was growing up in Santa Barbara like, and what would you say are some of the most significant things you took away from that?
02:43 - 2) You told a story related to your father’s life in BEGINNERS. How did the rest of your family respond to this? And how did responses from members of your former Santa Barbara community affect you?
04:24 - 3) We read that for 20TH CENTURY WOMEN you were inspired by your “mother and sister and their love of ‘underdog, misbegotten, impossible houses’.“ Would you start by telling us about the houses you mentioned?
06:15 - 4) Your mother’s passing was in 1999, and we read that you spent 3 years developing the script. Since the film was released in 2016, it sounds like there was about a dozen years between saying goodbye to her in person, and starting the film to honor her. Please tell us about getting started on that film, and the journey you went on writing the script.
07:33 - 5) What were the most important things about your mother that you wanted to capture?
08:31 - 6) You’ve also talked about the film in terms of honoring your wife and female friends. Is this a correct interpretation…and will you please tell us about that?
09:29 - 7) You have two sisters in real life, and we read that Greta Gerwig interviewed one of them to prepare for playing Abbie in 20th CENTURY WOMEN, which implies her life story was reflected in the film. What about your other sister?
11:16 - 8) Both as journalists and as kids, we really enjoyed your movie C’MON C’MON. You’ve mentioned before that it reflected some aspects of your relationship with your son. What was your experience writing C’mon C’mon?
13:00 - 9) Were the kid’s interviews scripted? If not, how did you achieve that level of realism?
14:31 - 10) What was the most interesting thing you learned about yourself while filming it?
15:33 - 11) We’ve read that you thought picking the right actor for Jesse would be a long ordeal- yet you almost immediately picked Woody Norman. How did you know he was the right choice?
16:44 - 12) On the Alleged Podcast, you recently said that your best chance to make a film that has real value is to write about things that you can look at at a close range and over a long period of time. That you’re more comfortable being like a journalist, watching people you love, and then trying to explain them to strangers. How does that affect the writing process?
18:04 - 13) What are the advantages and disadvantages of making something so personal?
19:41 - 14) In an interview with NPR, you mentioned an idea from a producer of This American Life, Starlee Kine. She said that recording simple everyday moments made them immortal. Tell us about making your observations of your family immortal.
21:19 - 15) Were there any moments in the movie that were especially challenging to direct?
23:20 - 16) Out of the whole movie what scene did you connect with the most?
26:00 - 17) You’ve accomplished so many things and presumably many more to come. Out of everything that you’ve done, what are you most proud of?
27:30 - 18) When you think about the future, how do you imagine it will be?
29:32 - 19) What will stay with you, and what will you forget?
30:25 - 20) What are you inspired by, and excited by? (Guest-Starring McGee, the dog)
31:57 - 21) If you could give us one homework assignment, what would it be?