You Have to Feel Safe to Fail: Quotes From a Conversation With Emerald Fennell, the Writer-Director of Saltburn
08/02/2024
From what she jokingly describes as a hostile hotel room in Los Angeles, Emerald Fennell virtually joins an excited group of viewers for a Sundance Collab Spotlight Event. I am so indebted to Sundance. Sundance is the reason I'm here, because they showed my short film, says Fennell, whose short Careful How You Go screened at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. It changed my life. Fennell's relationship with Sundance continued in 2020, when her feature directorial debut, Promising Young Woman, premiered at the Festival before going on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Fennell's sophomore feature, Saltburn, proved to be one of the most talked-about films of 2023, and now the film's writer-director - and co-producer - treats Collab members to a discussion about the project and her filmmaking process. Part dark comedy, part gothic thriller, the visually stunning Saltburn follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) as he befriends the irresistibly aristocratic Felix (Jacob Elordi) and spends the summer at his family's estate.
Discover some of our favorite quotes from the Spotlight Event below, including Fennell's advice to first-time filmmakers and which universal feeling she hopes to convey with Saltburn.
On how Fennell's scripts evolve:
I have the draft, that first write-down that is the draft for seven years of, I don't know, brain work, I suppose. And then I try not to touch it until it's cast, until I've heard the readthrough and done the rehearsals. I don't want to actually necessarily rehearse scenes so much as talk about the characters, look at the way they speak, the way that they interact with each other, talk about their relationships, talk about the actors' relationships with them. And then out of that will come really interesting stuff that then makes its way into the shooting draft. Each actor will come with such beautiful stuff, such unique stuff. You really need to be able to fold that in, but fold it in early enough that it feels like a part of character, not that it's been stitched on.
On casting Barry Keoghan as Oliver:
The closer you get to Barry, the less you know him. That is a very important thing when you're dealing with a first-person narrator. There needs to be something that will remain kind of unknown, I think.
On why Fennell writes people-driven stories:
I am obsessed with people. I love meeting people. The process of publicizing a film can be very grueling - and bruising, actually - but it's OK because I love meeting people, and I love talking to them. And everyone I talk to - you learn something, and if you're interested in genuinely connecting with people, or you question your own motivations, you question why you're interested in something. You're always trying to interrogate why you're responding to things the way you're responding, and why you're telling yourself you're responding to something because you're a good person rather than just a rubbernecker, or whatever it is. I'm always trying to interrogate my reactions to things and where they come from. Put two people in a room together and it's the most exciting thing in the world.
LINK: | https://www.sundance.org/blogs/you-have-to-feel-safe-to-fail-quotes-fr... |
See more stories from sundance |
More from Sundance Institute
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks off today at Cinpolis
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
Interview: Lourdes Portillo, Director of Las madres de la Plaza de Mayo, La Ofrenda
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
25/04/2024
Inside the Archives: Highlighting the Importance of Preservation for the Festival's 40th Edition
Sundance Institute Founder Robert Redford during a press conference at the 1996 ...
23/04/2024
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: LONDON 2024 REVEALS FULL PROGRAMME LINE-UP BURSTING WITH BOLD CINEMATIC VOICES FOR 11TH EDITION
IN ADDITION TO FICTION AND DOCUMENTARY FEATURES, THE SELECTION INCLUDES: PRO...
19/04/2024
Stress Positions Mines Health Anxieties for Comedy
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 18: (L-R) John Early and Theda Hammel attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Stress Positions premiere at Library Center Theatre on ...
19/04/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, the Filmmakers Behind Sugarcane
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
19/04/2024
Mexico City Watchlist: 7 Documentaries About Working in CDMX
Pictured: Midnight Family By Stephanie Ornelas A great way to get to know a city as culturally unique and rich as Mexico City is to listen to the stories tol...
17/04/2024
Sundance Institute Launches RFI and RFP Process to Explore Host Locations for the Sundance Film Festival in 2027 and Beyond
Opening today, the exploration is aimed at selecting a location that will preser...
16/04/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, the Filmmaker Behind A New Kind of Wilderness
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
15/04/2024
The Rise and Fall of The Synanon Fix: Like Frogs Boiling Slowly in Water
(Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)...
12/04/2024
Mexico City Watchlist: 7 Sundance Festival Films Written by Women
[Pictured: A still from Sujo] By Stephanie Ornelas There are so many stories and layers to be told within Ciudad de M xico, Paloma Riojas says over Zoom. T...
10/04/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know David and Nathan Zellner, the Filmmakers Behind Sasquatch Sunset
By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
09/04/2024
It's Only Life After All, but Indigo Girls Bring It to Life in New Documentary
By Peter Jones Amy Ray shuffles through a rack of clothing to find an unusual s...
08/04/2024
Choose Your Partners Wisely: Highlights From a Discussion With Mira Nair, Director of Mississippi Masala and Monsoon Wedding
By Stephanie Ornelas Mira Nair first aspired to be an actor, but working as a ...
05/04/2024
A Love of Movies Is the Real Star of Kim's Video
Kim's Video premiere at 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Becca Haydu By Peter Jones What goes around comes around, or at least rewinds back to the be...
04/04/2024
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: LONDON 2024 ANNOUNCES OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT FILMS
KNEECAP WILL OPEN THE 11TH EDITION OF THE FESTIVAL, D DI ( ) SELECTED AS CLOSING NIGHT FILM...
04/04/2024
Go, Sugar, and More Celebrate Anniversaries in April
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were inspired to make Sugar after reading about the rising number of Dominican athletes who go to the U.S. to play baseball....
03/04/2024
From the Collection: SLAM Reunion Is a Celebration of Freedom
Richard Stratton, Marc Levin, and Henri Kessler attend the 2023 Sundance Film Festival SLAM Premiere at Egyptian Theatre on January 22, 2023, in Park City, Ut...
02/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 by Cinpolis announces the official program for its first edition
The Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 will take place from April 25th to 28th at ...
01/04/2024
Release Rundown: Docs on Indigo Girls, Synanon, and Girls State Among Sundance Titles Reaching Wider Audiences in April
2023 Sundance Film Festival documentary Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After ...
29/03/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, the Filmmakers Behind Girls State
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
28/03/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know 8 Women Filmmakers With Shorts at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
A still from Jasmin Baumgartner's Bye Bye, Bowser, which screened as part ...
27/03/2024
Inside the Archives: It's Lights, Curtains, Action When Sundance Films Become Stage Productions
By Jen Scott It's time to unwrap those noisy candies and put your phone on ...
26/03/2024
CHOOSE CHICAGO, CITY OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE X CHICAGO 2024 COMING THIS SUMMER
New event championing creative independence will feature three days of screening...
25/03/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Mel Eslyn, the Filmmaker Behind Penelope
By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. ...
21/03/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Brett Story, the Co-Director of Union
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. Whi...
19/03/2024
2025 Sundance Film Festival Taking Place January 23-February 2
PARK CITY, UTAH, March 19, 2024 - Save the date to be the first to see next year's independent films and projects that entertain, spark cultural conversatio...
13/03/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Klaudia Reynicke, the Filmmaker Behind Reinas
By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. ...
11/03/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know India Donaldson, the Filmmaker Behind Good One
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
08/03/2024
Back to the '80s: Women Documentary Filmmakers Remember the Festival's First Decade
Paula de Koenigsberg and Lucy Winer in front of a porn shop while filming Rate I...
07/03/2024
Film Festival Watch: 23 Sundance-Supported Films to See at SXSW
[Pictured: Doppelg ngers ] By Stephanie Ornelas The sun is shining, the brisket is smoking, and cinephiles are making their way to Austin, Texas, for the 202...
05/03/2024
Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sin Nombre Among Films With March Anniversaries
dgar Flores stars in Cary Joji Fukunaga's feature debut, Sin nombre, which won two awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival....
04/03/2024
Sundance Film Festival Asia returns to Taiwan in 2024
Submissions Now Open for the 2024 Short Film Competition supporting local artists...
01/03/2024
Inside the Archives: One Degree of Sundance Institute at the 2024 Oscars
Director Mira Nair and cinematographer Edward Lachman on the set of Mississippi Masala. Photo by Mitch Epstein...
01/03/2024
Release Rundown: What to Watch This March, From Love Lies Bleeding to Shayda
(L-R) Katy O'Brian and Kristen Stewart star in Rose Glass' thriller Love Lies Bleeding, which premiered in the Midnight section at the 2024 Sundance F...
29/02/2024
Cinpolis and Sundance Institute partner to launch the first edition of the Sundance Film Festival CDMX
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 will take place from April 25th to 28th in Cin ...
29/02/2024
Film Festival Watch: Catch These 10 Sundance-Supported Docs at True/False Film Fest
By Stephanie Ornelas One of the rewards of being part of a filmmaker's jou...
29/02/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, the Co-Directors of Daughters
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
28/02/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know 6 Black Filmmakers With Shorts at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
A still from Tajana Tokyo's Salone Love, which screened as part of Short F...
27/02/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know J.M. Harper, the Director of As We Speak
By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. ...
26/02/2024
Past Lives Wins Big as Sundance Institute Projects Are Honored at the 2024 Spirit Awards
The vibe inside the big white tent of the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards wa...
26/02/2024
More Life: An Appreciation of Steve Buscemi in Parting Glances
Parting Glances. 1986. USA. Written and Directed by Bill Sherwood. Courtesy First Run Features...
23/02/2024
5 Takeaways From a Sundance Collab Conversation With Alexander Payne, Director of The Holdovers
By Stephanie Ornelas Alexander Payne has deep roots with Sundance Institute, h...
22/02/2024
Sundance Institute Announces 2024 Momentum Fellows
PARK CITY, UTAH, February 22, 2024 - Today the nonprofit Sundance Institute announced eight storytellers selected for the 2024 Momentum Fellowship. Now in its s...
16/02/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Nzingha Stewart and Keyonna Taylor, the Director and Co-Writer of Me/We
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
15/02/2024
Film Festival Watch: 12 Sundance-Supported Films Screening at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival
By Stephanie Ornelas If your film is ready for Sundance, that means you'r...
14/02/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Titus Kaphar, the Filmmaker Behind Exhibiting Forgiveness
By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
13/02/2024
Hard Eight, Velvet Buzzsaw, and More Celebrate Anniversaries in February
Rene Russo and Jake Gyllenhaal star in Dan Gilroy's darkly comic Velvet Buzzsaw....