make movies like novels
Director Matt Aselton chose to tell the story of an adopted child. You know, making such a movie is a very difficult thing, and the difficulty lies in the writing of the script. Matt Aselton said, "Adam Nagata [the film's screenwriter] grew up hoping that his parents would adopt a Chinese child so that he could justifiably have a little brother or a little sister. The only child's childhood is often lonely, and we all need a playmate." After determining the framework of the story, Adam Nagata and Matt Aselton began writing the script. "We all really liked the story and it got us excited," Nagata said. "The idea of adopting a child made us feel like a lot of Gigantic things were going to happen."
In fact, Nagata and Matt Aselton have been friends for many years. They were once very fond of literature and words, and wrote a lot of novels. Matt Aselton said: "Fiction and film, I don't think there is much difference, they are ultimately the art of telling a story and forming a character. But now the film is so focused on the visual gluttony that people often often Forget about the story and characters, and just stare at the computer stunts and explosion scenes. I don't want to make such a movie, I want to make a movie with the attitude and method of writing a novel. Movies can be both realistic and unreal. Yes, but the only thing that doesn’t work is that the movie gives the audience too much explanation.”
The story of the film is not complicated, but it is trivial, and there is almost no major dramatic conflict. Maybe this style is the literary nature of the film. "Yes, that's what literature is about," Matt Aselton said. "In novels, you often see authors depicting a person eating, how he eats, what he eats, and what order he eats. It's very tedious and detailed. But in the movie, there are very few details like this. And I just wanted to make a movie full of details and intriguing. For example, I depicted Brian's father's life and his The impact of upbringing on Brian. I also gave a detailed account of Haibei’s living habits and how Brian and her have changed since his arrival.”
The meaning of the title of the video
The title of the film, Gigantic, means "gigantic, huge" in English. It has nothing to do with the story and theme of the film. Why did the author of the film hang such an adjective as the title of the film? Matt Aselton said: "The word doesn't really have any special meaning, it's not an allusion or a pun, but it's a hint. The reason I use the word is that gigantic is often used by children. Describes the meaning of 'Gigantic, great, cool'. When looking forward to something or something, you can also use this word to express your thoughts. In the film, Brian wants to adopt a Chinese child, and he looks forward to this When a child arrives, his life can take a huge, unexpected turn. So, I use that word. In a way, it's juxtaposed with Bryan's life after adoption. So, I There is no stereotyped title such as "A Salesman's Dream" for the movie. I think the title of a movie must be like the title of a novel, and it must attract people's attention. I say this title It's a hint that, in addition to implying that adoption is a gigantic thing, it's also an implication that life itself is gigantic. You can never predict what's going to happen, and there's no way to stop it from happening or control it It doesn't happen. So, I think the title is gigantic".
Production of low-budget films
The script of the film was completed very early, but no one had invested in the film, so the script had to be put there, unable to start shooting. The final film's producer, Mindy Goldberg, took the script to Kristen Vulcan of Killer Film, hoping she could raise money for the film. Kristen Vulcan liked the story so much that she decided to raise money to start filming. Matt Aselton said, "Actually, this film doesn't require any large investment. As long as you find two leading actors, everything will be fine. Finding such two leading characters is the biggest challenge in filming."
Paul Franklin Dano , one of the leading actors , said after reading the script that he liked the script very much, he said: "When I got the script, I felt that this must be a brilliant movie, whether it is a big investment or a small investment, as long as It's a good script and a good movie, and I won't refuse it." Later, Paul Franklin Dano became the first actor signed by the crew, and Paul Franklin Dano also used his fame and popularity to bring in several other actors for the crew. starring. Also for financial reasons, Matt Aselton used his old subordinates and old friends in the process of filming the film.
Director Matt Aselton is very satisfied with Paul Franklin Dano's performance, he said: "Paul Franklin Dano is a very good, very spiritual actor, he understands the whole story very well, and he can very much identify with the mood of the people in the play. And feelings. He was the first actor to enter the crew, and I am very lucky to have such an excellent starring role." After Paul Franklin Dano , the heroine Zo came to the crew. Paul Franklin Dano said: “ Zo is a very emotional actress, she can bring out that emotional nuance and that’s what we need most when we’re on set. Matt Aselton is almost He signed Zoe without even thinking about it, and looking at it now, he made the right decision."
