Pictures from the Last Days On Set

MAGGIE RENZI - Producer

What was your favorite film you’ve worked on: This is like asking a

mother which her favorite child is. Sunshine state had a knock out

production team and we were living on the beach in Florida. On

Matewan I really felt like we were bring history to life. I liked

living in Alaska on Limbo and in Louisianna. This is one of the best

experiences yet, certainly the most exotic, and I’m loving the

Filipino actors. There’s a kind of creative hands-on spirit that’s

fun to be around. The Filipino’s aren’t afraid of hard work. It feels

like the films we were making in the early 80’s.

I’ve heard that this film should take 12 weeks instead of 6: It

should take 15 weeks and $60 million, but the crew is efficient and

we own all the land so we don’t have to worry about distractions.

John said it’s the first time since Ireland that we can shoot 360

degrees and shoot all day. It’s like we’re in a studio except and the

trees and mud are real.

What qualities make a good producer? You have to be able to listen

and act, suss out wuickly the lay of the land, deal with the people,

the contract. You have to come off as tough and loving, which is

different than tough love. It helps to work on a movie you love, so

then the sacrifices you make are in service to that vision. It also

helps to have a responsible director. It would be much harder if

you’re making some dopey comedy or a slasher. You have to feel a

sense of purpose.

How long does it take to produce a John Sayles film? We started in

June 2009, so just about a year. This one was fairly quick.

What are the challenges specific to Baryo? It’s far away from home,

so its bound to be different. It a foreign language, there are major

cultural differences, but challenge isn’t necessarily a negative

word. In some ways that’s what’s meaningful