'It is not my thing': Barry Jenkins unlikely to return to CGI filmmaking after Mufasa: The Lion King
Barry Jenkins isn't keen on a return to all-digital filmmaking after working on directing 'Mufasa: The Lion King'.
Barry Jenkins has no plans to return to all-digital filmmaking after working on 'Mufasa: The Lion King'.
The 45-year-old filmmaker has helmed the photorealistically animated picture that serves as both a prequel and sequel to the 2019 remake of 'The Lion King' and found it strange working on a movie where no sets or costumes were required.
In an interview with Vulture, Jenkins said of the process: "It is not my thing.
"It is not my thing. I want to work the other way again, where I want to physically get everything there. I always believe that what is here is enough, and let me just figure out what is the chemistry to make alchemy?
"How can these people, this light, this environment, come together to create an image that is moving, that is beautiful, that creates a text that is deep enough, dense enough, rich enough to speak to someone?"
The 'Moonlight' director admits that he was surprised by some of the criticism that was aimed at him when he signed up to direct the flick but was determined to silence the detractors.
Barry recalled: "When I took this job, the idea was, 'What does Barry Jenkins know about visual effects? Why the hell would he do this movie?' Why would he be making 'The Lion King'?
"I think part of that I found very invigorating. People make these things, you know, with computers. So anybody should be able to do this. Anybody, right? There's nothing physically that says I am incapable of doing this."
Jenkins revealed that he was planning to turn down the film after he was first approached.
He said: "My thought was, Oh, I'll just give this a few days and I'll call my agent and tell them I've read it and I'm not going to do the project."
Barry admits that he forgot about the picture after he went on holiday with his wife Lulu Wang and was convinced to direct it after reading 50 pages of the script.
The filmmaker said: "OK, s***, that's right! I have to call my agents tomorrow and remind them that I'm not going to do this project.
"I turn to Lulu and go, 'Holy s***, this is good.'"
The 'If Beale Street Could Talk' set out to put his own stamp on the picture and was happy to keep flawed elements of the project – such as a scene where it appeared that a camera operator had lost their balance.
He said: "Don't smooth the s*** out.
"We want just something that has texture, something that feels organic. And sometimes that can be the hardest thing to dial in because every single blade of grass has to be created by someone.
"But you ultimately don't want everything to feel like it's been created by anyone. You want it to feel like it naturally arose."
