Gareth Edwards, director of the 2010 indie film “Monsters,” has taken a different approach with his latest film, “The Creator.” While the budget for “Monsters” was under $500,000 and Edwards handled most of the production himself, “The Creator” has a budget of $80 million and involved a much larger crew and extensive visual effects work.
Despite the higher budget and involvement of major actors like John David Washington, Allison Janney, and Ken Watanabe, Edwards wanted to maintain the spirit of a small indie film. He aimed to create a film that felt spontaneous and allowed for creative freedom. Edwards worked closely with cinematographers Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer to strip down the production to its essentials and utilize lightweight filmmaking technology.
Edwards has learned from his experiences with big-budget studio films like “Godzilla” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” that a massive crew is not always necessary, especially for smaller, dialogue-driven scenes. He wanted to find a leaner way to make studio movies on a blockbuster scale.
For “The Creator,” Edwards insisted on keeping the crew out of sight, with only the necessary personnel present during filming. The film may have the grand scale and intricate world-building expected of a big studio film, but it was made at a fraction of the cost of others in its category.
Edwards has embraced a DIY approach to filmmaking, even in the face of Hollywood’s unstoppable machine. He wants to have control over the process and believes that how a film is made is just as important as its screenplay. Despite reports of his experience with “Rogue One” being taken over by the studio, Edwards remains focused on finding ways to improve the filmmaking process and create a better final product.
“The Creator” promises to be a gargantuan experience for audiences, packed with violence, intensity, and stunning visual effects. But behind the scenes, Edwards is leading a smaller, scrappy team that aims to capture the spirit and spontaneity of an indie film, even on a massive scale.