This was the leading edge, so it was the most rough and primitive. Because right to the west of it, you went into Kiowa and Native America land.
It’s quite a journey from the top of Texas down to the bottom, and you had a lot of different influences, and this was interesting because it was kind of the line right at the edge of the U.S. Because that was also quite important, that you went through all these different kinds of landscapes. So, there was a lot of trying to map out what the landscape historically was in each of those places, so that we could find replicas. In Texas, there were several historical societies that I got photos from.Ĭoupled with going through research, location scouting, which we did several times, starting in April, and part of is, the story covers such a geographical distance. You saw towns of all different sizes they were taken as part of recording how the railroad was built across the U.S., so that was perfect. There was a wonderful collection of glass plates in the Oakland Museum that was actually towns in Colorado, but it was the exact same time that our story took place, and they were great for seeing how towns grew up in the West. I did a lot of research with photo collections in the Library of Congress. I started in April, and my crew didn’t start until about the 4th of July. I think that is what you’re always searching for. But it does give you something, so that when you do the sets and they arrive, whatever they’re going to shoot, each of them has a point of view. A lot of that is passed over, only because in serving the story, sometimes it’s too much information. So we did work on that, especially with my set decorator Elizabeth Keenan, to really try to find out what the purpose of that town was, what its size was, what the people there were doing, what kind of businesses would be there. Otherwise, it just becomes, “Oh, they’re in another town.” It doesn’t really matter.
So, you didn’t want your stuff getting in the way.ĭEADLINE: Could you describe the research process you engaged in during prep, and the kinds of resources you turned to? This film presented a unique challenge, in that it required you to dive deep into the history of a number of very different Texan cities.ĬRANK: That was one of the things that Paul and I talked about in the very first interview, was that if they were going to go through five cities, each one had to have a point. I worked with a theater designer once who said, “It’s our job to set the scene and get out of the way,” and I think that was a good for this story, because you do want to set it, but then it is about these two people. No matter what the situation was, it’s still about finding what’s real about it. So, that was drilled in, but that’s great because the work I’ve always done has had that bent. He won’t shoot something if he comes on and thinks it doesn’t look real.” He said, “ very concerned that it always be real and look real. I think the big thing he said to me was about keeping it real and unadorned, and I knew the producer was very clear about that.
So, that was a big draw, because this is just a lot of story.ĭEADLINE: What did you discuss with Greengrass prior to the shoot? Did you bring a lookbook or research materials to your first meetings?ĬRANK: Not to the initial ones because it was all done by Skype. I was very intrigued by Paul because I knew his work, but not him, and he’s a really good storyteller. It was a period that I find interesting, right after the War, and it combined all the wonderful things of being huge and being small. Oddly enough, I never really consciously thought about it as a Western. I had not read the book, but when they sent me the script, the first script we had was very close to the book-and then Paul went back in to change it. How did you come to work on the film, and what excited you about it? Universal PicturesĭAVID CRANK: I had worked with Playtone several times, and I came to it through them, through Gary and Steve Shareshian. DEADLINE: From what I understand, News of the World is your first Western.
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