"There's no generic learning process" | Ridley Scott on Directing

2018 BAFTA Fellowship recipient Ridley Scott talks making his way from directing commercials to sci-fi blockbusters like Alien, Blade Runner and The Martian.
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[@SunnyBear]

It's amazing to hear Ridley Scott saying "if you're doing 30-40, takes you don't know what you're doing" and then hear David Fincher having the total opposite philosophy, wanting the actors to do countless takes and operate on muscle memory. And guess what - they're both great directors and none of them are wrong. :)

[@MessiahEntertainment]

So true. So many people act like it’s either one or the other with filmmaking techniques. To hear him say he always storyboards, but someone like Werner Herzog be on the opposite end is really inspiring. No one way to make art.

[@ScottyColoradoKid]

Clint Eastwood (as a director) just does like two takes I agree with Ridley......

[@oshaqlaghari9591]

@@ScottyColoradoKid Kubrick would do dozens of take, his highest number is more than 120 takes of onr scene.

[@BarriosGroupie]

Yeah, great artists do it their way, however it's done.

[@JamesV1]

@@BarriosGroupie Exactly! It's no different in film than it would be for painting. Each unique style makes it special

[@ifstatementifstatement2704]

His two last sentences. "Authority is important. Even if you're pretending in the beginning, try to pretend properly". Nice!

[@quirkypurple]

Mr. Scott is apparently 80 years of age. What a sharp mind and energy he has. I hope I'm like that at his age.

[@krismatt2355]

whiskey and cigars

[@cmjproductions1986]

I'm guessing he took extra care of his health.

[@subjectluka4450]

Read

[@akhil_person]

Narcissists tend to live long. Don't ask for evidence!

[@southlondon86]

@@akhil_person So true. The power of the mind is unquestionable.

[@AllgoodthingsTv]

I love that he was so straight about everything - no self-deprecating BS. He's like "I have an eye... My reel from 30 years ago would still hold up today."

[@matahari1576]

Ridley Scott is something else. Born in 1937, clear minded, full of plans. I hope so much to see more of his work.

[@theessayist25]

Ridley Scott is one of the greatest visual directors ever

[@oldgit4260]

Mmmm but his latest films have been bad

[@EagerSnake]

@@oldgit4260 That's like, well, your opinion mate... Ridley is AMAZING.

[@khris83]

indeed he is a paint artist

[@walterdavids4002]

Fact.

[@innosanto]

Inflamed Toe Juice In Harlem / I disagree Prometheus for me is a great movie and for me a classic.

[@thedigitalemotion]

This is gold for any person looking into directing. Ridley is the ultimate teacher, he tells it like it is and cuts out the bullshit you don’t need to know. Superb

[@dutzumiho9449]

Not sure how a massive talent like Ridley Scot could ever be underrated as a director but I feel he is. The man is a master.

[@solivier7983]

Just worked on a shoot crew with this man. What an exhilarating ride, fast, furious, focused, and a happy, motivated, focused crew, loving the ride and learning so much. A team leader of note.

[@denizzagra6423]

Wow that's so cool! Could you describe how it was working with hin directing?

[@solivier7983]

@@denizzagra6423 frenetic. But so so inspirational..d'you know, he draws his own storyboards and I swear, the final product is practically an animation of them. Razor sharp and focused.

[@denizzagra6423]

@@solivier7983 Wow! I read somewhere that he stills storyboards his films personally. Glad it was a good experience for you.

[@halfvader8015]

@@solivier7983 I did one a few years ago. He still goes twice as hard as directors half his age. Does say some strange things from time to time, but still, most directors do, haha.

[@TLL228]

You guys have no idea how valuable these interviews are for aspiring filmmakers!! I can't thank you enough!!

[@harrisonutoft5871]

Well met, my fellow aspiring filmmaker.

[@MaeBelle-bk6by]

EXACTLY!!

[@johnbailey2850]

"Guess we should've taken better care of ourselves." Dude's like 82, looks like he's 60 and talks like he's 30. ... I think he's done OK for himself.

[@southlondon86]

Fuck u

[@tonyweier]

"stamina is very important" so true, after knowing many directors working tirelessly on set without much sleep, such a wise old man.

[@innosanto]

Havir strangely i cannot think of ridley as an old man because je has young man energy.

[@Wilburgur]

16:09 thats some hot thick motivation right there

[@robberesford7939]

"if you're doing 30-40, takes you don't know what you're doing", i guess Kubrick never got the memo

[@AllThingsFilm1]

Wow. One of the most insightful interviews of a director's experience I've ever seen. To hear it from Ridley Scott made it doubly enjoyable. Thanks for this video.

[@KushagraaDubeyy]

It’s quite interesting to note that in filmmaking, the director can actually be anybody and have any sort of a process but if he’s truly madly deeply in love with what he’s doing he’ll swim through the dark oceans of filmmaking challenges. David Fincher deliberately shoots several takes and Ridley Scott calls that naive.. yet both are legends in their own right !!

[@TheGeorgeD13]

Shooting many takes can be naive if you don't know what you're doing. Fincher knows what he's doing.

[@KushagraaDubeyy]

George Daugherty thanks for stating the obvious !

[@jameswilliams-zr8co]

no comparison, fincher is not in the same league as ridley..

[@KushagraaDubeyy]

@@jameswilliams-zr8co only if you consider mainstream gung ho filmmaking an essential proof of greatness!

[@mikedehooghblackflagracephotos]

TOO visual? How can a movie be too visual? Critics are like politicians. Completely worthless and the world would be better off without them. Ridley is my favorite director... because he's so damn visual.

[@suat365]

One of the greatest director of all time

[@juliendunand6409]

I love his sense of humor. He's so fun.

[@bryanfreeman3411]

Basically every minute of this is invaluable knowledge from one of the best directors in modern history.

[@ansarmaskenov5284]

Please do more videos on directing!

[@gustenhr]

A directing course in 17 minutes by one of the greats.

[@xbulelo]

Seeing Alien, Bladerunner & Gladiator, it is easy to see that Ridley has a background in art ... these particular films are beautiful.

[@tru3dialect]

With his sharpness in this interview I hope he can keep directing for another 10 years

[@NicholasEllis-pe2lk]

Boom

[@johnrobinson1762]

What a generous filmmaker. He gave the world so much

[@louduva9849]

Like all directors, his talent is for screwing writers.

[@KenoSNeal]

Love Ridley Scott. So blunt and to the point. This was very helpful.

[@daniellatteo_thefilmmaker]

Grandissimo Ridley!!! One of the very best film directors.

[@allisayisthatyouhavetobehere]

He’s honest, direct and talks no BS. You can tell he is a master director. He gets what he wants because he has a vision, plans it and executes it. He describes clearly and bluntly what it takes to make it, what not to do, how to behave to get the proper result. He doesn’t fuss around.

[@cinematnicmusic]

Ridley Scott ... amongst my great loves of my life in terms of career role models! Thank you for giving him proper time to express himself rather than a rushed Q+A. 💕

[@user-vw6xp5nl6t]

Great stuff. Thanks for this!

[@HipHopMovieNews]

This was so great. Living legend.

[@SceneOfAction]

Such an inspiring talk. He really is one of the best.

[@joshuafelder7757]

Ridley Scott....thank you. This interview had more juice than any I've heard from in a long time. Thank You.

[@emmanuelagudo4918]

communication - and how you communicate your ideas to the rest of team is the real challenge of film-making and the overall art of motion picture. am glad that Sir Ridley Scott tells us the wisdom in all of that first hand.

[@TheMathPipe]

Excellent video, some priceless knowledge!

[@dimifisher7942]

I wish him all the Best, may he live two hundrend years

[@sitedev]

Wow!!! Blew me a away with how real and down to earth he is.

[@sofiasurreal.]

Wonderful video, so insightful!

[@andywood375]

I could honestly listen to this guy all day

[@AbirTarafdar]

love this chap

[@cafinario]

Great interview to a very talented director.

[@frenchcoupon3391]

One of my favorite directors.

[@fabioaraujo552]

It's amazing to hear people who are on top of their game.

[@lightningbolt4451]

love this guy

[@wattsnottaken1]

Alien and Black Hawk Down. Def my faves from this beautiful and creative man ❤️

[@barbararey4337]

God bless him, absolutely agree as to the number of takes and so much more. :)

[@Fendeguard]

I rewatch this every 6 months.

[@TheGilbalfas]

I love this man talking about shooting film

[@zairehaylock4974]

I am a fan of Ridley Scott because he is one of my favorite directors I like to work with.

[@doritos6893]

Legend.

[@MotoGreciaMarios]

"If you're doing 30 or 40 takes you don't know what you're doing". I'd love sooo much to see Stanley Kubrick's perspective on that if he were still alive lol. Make no mistake here, my top-3 favourite films of all time were Scott's first three films. Masterpieces, all of them.

[@two_owls]

An incredible technician and artist

[@joshuaj.chinda9873]

One of the greats

[@MerchantIvoryfilms]

I love his take on natural light, he must have loved "The Revenant" Not one light used, all nature light apart from one (1) scene with the campfire.

[@halfvader8015]

Sure, but natural light doesn't mean no bounce cards gobos and flags though. Just saying.

[@ramial-madhon3293]

"If you're doing thirty, forty, fifty takes you don't know what you're doing". 99 takes - the first scene in Social Network - David Fincher

[@ChortlingMandrill]

Ridley has never tried directing that Sorkinese

[@innosanto]

Kubrick also, every director has a dofferent approach.

[@DrunkenM33rkat]

really humble guy

[@eurekafilmsNz]

Great stuff

[@bamfrd]

from Newcastle to Hollywood. Incredible.

[@fileravecsolseon]

l just love him.

[@davidoster9055]

Ridley Scott: "If you do 30,40,50 takes you don't know what you're doing." David Fincher: "........"

[@Pimp-Master]

No rehearsal time for actors may be the hidden Hollywood secret, because I worked on dozens of low budget films and rarely was there any rehearsal. That practice is hard for the crew because we may see the whole set up only once, so all the lines and continuity gets established super quick. There's no time to take notes about what actually happened.

[@StokeShed]

Frick this is amazing.

[@zijadbajramovic8822]

Well done.

[@skysedgeproductions6170]

Ridley Scott and David Fincher both my fav.

[@profundus8946]

Gladiator's opening scene still is THE Ridley Scott impression for me. The transition from that peaceful little bird on a branch to the Roman cavalry arriving at the frontline of a battle about to start, that moment Hans Zimmer's score kicks in. Just cinema gold.

[@kollerbrian]

Right on! BAK

[@issiewizzie]

wow enlightened

[@LtMjBurrito]

Masterclass right here.

[@ifstatementifstatement2704]

I can't stop listening. Help!

[@ronmexico6901]

I like the engineers face on the upper left

[@Digmen1]

Gee I'm 71 and he looks and sounds better than me. He really paid his dues with all those commercials

[@adexterwolfe]

Ridley Scott is fucking cool. He reminds me of a wise old drunk sat by the fire in a country pub.

[@linostephanomonroyvazquez2489]

It would be great if Riddley Scott made a remastered and enhanced remake of the 1985 film "Legend" like he did in the Alien films and its prequel Prometheus.

[@MultiAustin86]

True story: I used to produce VFX for music videos, and commercials... even worked with RSA (Ridley’s company) and their directors called “Radical Friend”. Stopped doing it back in 2012. Got burned out. Lately, I’ve been praying (I’m a Christian) about getting back into it. Asking God for a confirmation. For a sign. This was a childhood dream-to direct, and I was almost there. I started watching this video for inspiration and as Ridley was talking about storyboarding, my mom “just so happened” to be going through storage and texted me a picture of something she found in my box from high school. The picture was of an old storyboard template that I made for my short films I used to shoot: Three rectangles, a spot to write “page__of__” and my ‘company logo’ (courtesy of Microsoft ‘Paint’). The text/photo literally came in when Ridley was speaking about storyboarding. Perfect timing from God above.

[@TomDeLaCruz]

here is advice, stop waiting for signs from a god, and make your own decisions and take responsibilities for your own actions... the more you wait around for god to take charge the longer you'll be waiting around wasting time

[@jep1437]

This is a great story, I'm a Christian too & I aspire to go further in Film too. I've been struggling lately but this story was inspirational from me. Thank you for sharing, god bless you.

[@CP-mo4kp]

You've got to start making things happen for yourself. Best of luck to you Austin...

[@ananthagastya2152]

It's been 8 months since you posted that comment; i hope you found what you were looking for

[@Ryanbenitezfilms]

@@TomDeLaCruz Here's some better advice. God will never let you down.

[@prakashyadav008]

so much difference in his and stanley kubrick filming

[@cd78]

A true icon

[@xenomorph7299]

Please I want more alien movies!!!!

[@globalnomad1221]

real life, real talent

[@amannagar1108]

EXODUS, MARTIAN, GLADIATOR, ROBINHOOD . Wow. ❤️❤️❤️

[@progyandas9650]

Just finshed watching an installment of Alien film series for the first time, the covenant one that is ....brilliant .

[@southlondon86]

Fuck u

[@progyandas9650]

@@southlondon86 Racist

[@pallabdasgupta6780]

Sir, I am more interested to learn Film Direction,Could U suggest me how & where it is possible to go through any study if Under Ur Kind Guidance or Ur Esteemed Institution,Expecting Ur Kind suggestion soon,The amazing video,Thanks to the Channel for uploading such a good video,🙏👍👌💖🙏👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍👍

[@Zehahahaa]

I seriously want to meet him

[@TomDeLaCruz]

you just have virtually, he has just given you all the info you need off him

[@seriesscratchx9807]

Besides being a genius, people I know who've met him say he's a nice, down-to-earth guy.

[@micgivens23]

@@seriesscratchx9807 He is a prince.

[@floresgraphics8468]

Fully Storyboarded with 4-6 cameras...makes sense...i wonder how long editing takes

[@Abdullah_rahil86]

Great talk by his highness Scott as I am a proud actor

[@caseyn8182]

you suck

[@jothishprabu8]

Finish what you started Scott! Finish the Alien prequels!

[@ChocoLater1]

He looks like on his 100th birthday he will be still directing another movie.

[@udaykiran495]

Please add captions

[@yacj]

Just watch this 17 min video and don't bother with film school!

[@emmanuelagudo4918]

progressive elaboration has brought me back to this again, at last.

[@WJstudios04]

What if Ridley Scott directed Troy (2004) with Brad Pitt

[@NlHILIST]

Very interesting and educational. He makes it all sound so commonsense and easy. Which it is of course anything but. Can't wait to see what comes out of the Lady Gaga Gucci film. Potentially explosive.

[@leedummett4412]

ridley has a visual mind. me to.

[@Digmen1]

I always wondered how directors got into it. He started doing commercials - that sounds like a great intro I also wonder how much money top directors make - considering that it may take them 2 or 3 years to make a movie. What jobs do they go back to if they fail?

[@aliensoup2420]

Top directors are likely sharing in a film’s profits since they typically initiate the project with a producer, or produce it themselves. Mid level or low level directors work for hire and get jobs through an agent for a flat fee., and their projects are shorter schedules. Some resort to directing episodic tv, which is shorter schedules and less time commitment. They can work on a weekly basis, and possibly make more money than doing low budget films. Some directors start in tv or commercials then expand to movies, and some start in movies, then move into tv. Part of it is economics, and part is personal working preferences.

[@user-pd5vu9jz7h]

"And even if you are pretending,try to pretend properly

[@kikicallahan3662]

Hey Ridley Scott, I heard the pterodactyl guy from Metroid was named after you!

[@prestonspicer]

Amazing that his idea on takes is exactly opposite of David Fincher. Both have made incredible films, some of my favorites, but they're so different.

[@innosanto]

Preston Spicer this is a lesson in itself. Great dorectors can do great things woth their own process.

[@kubolor1234]

Ghana representing

[@generaldom]

g o a t

[@farid1406]

Weak era

[@dkthg]

Weak comment

[@dcrux47]

Thanks for the video! 2020.09.03

[@walterdavids4002]

Visionary and phenomenal, just wish he’d respect the established Alien lore a bit more.