In November 2016, Robert Eggers was solely the thirteenth visitor on IndieWire’s then-new podcast, Filmmaker Toolkit. He got here on to do a deep dive into his first characteristic, “The Witch,” however throughout the dialog, he mentioned his lifelong obsession with F.W. Murnau’s 1922 “Nosferatu.”
As a child, Eggers couldn’t deal with watching the hardcore horror movies he now makes himself, however he was drawn to “something darkish” and feasted on early Common and Hammer horror movies. It was at the moment he noticed a picture of actor Max Schreck because the notorious vampire in Murnau’s silent traditional.
“I noticed an image of Max Schreck a Rely Orlok in a e book in my elementary college and I misplaced my thoughts,” mentioned Eggers again in 2016. “In rural New Hampshire, it was not the center of nowhere by any means, nevertheless it was not simple to seek out, [and] my mother drove me out to this mall to get the order the VHS.”
It’s an obsession that will result in Eggers stage a theater manufacturing of “Nosferatu” whereas he was nonetheless in highschool, and after “The Witch” turned a breakout success, he received the chance to do his personal remake as — a minimum of, what he thought on the time can be — his second characteristic. Stated Eggers on Toolkit again in 2016, saying “Nosferatu” can be his subsequent movie, “[It’s shocking] to me. It feels ugly and blasphemous and egomaniacal and disgusting for a filmmaker in my place to do ‘Nosferatu’ subsequent. I used to be actually planning on ready some time, however that’s how destiny shook out.”
Because it seems, Eggers must wait to make “Nosferatu,” which was a blessing in disguise. When Eggers got here again on Toolkit this month to interrupt down how he made “Nosferatu,” he mentioned how he may by no means have delivered on his imaginative and prescient for the movie if he hadn’t made his second and third options (“The Lighthouse” and “The Northman”) first.
“I wouldn’t have had the management as a result of I didn’t have the clout, and I additionally didn’t have, frankly, the expertise,” mentioned Eggers when he got here again on Toolkit to debate “Nosferatu.” “I used to be a much less adept filmmaker than I’m now. I imply, possibly it have been even higher if I waited longer [laughs], however definitely I’ve realized quite a bit and I’ve grown quite a bit as an individual and as a filmmaker.”
Trying again, Eggers views “The Witch” (2016), “The Lighthouse” (2019), and “The Northman” (2022) as essential studying studying steps towards realizing his dream mission.
“‘The Witch,’ pleased with it, however I used to be pissed off that I wasn’t capable of get what was in my head onto the display. ‘The Lighthouse’ was an ideal stepping stone the place I felt like I used to be ready to try this. And ’The Northman,’ as a result of the scope and scale was so large, it was tougher for me to do the identical,” mentioned Eggers. “It was a beast, a giant studying expertise, I’ve mentioned this earlier than, after making ‘The Northman,’ I lastly felt like I understand how to direct a film, like I’m not attempting to persuade those that I understand how to direct a film. I’m not somebody who has lots of concepts and simply hoping that it’s going to work. That gave me the instruments to lastly really feel assured as a director, so it was good going into ‘Nosferatu’ with that feeling.”
The true present of “The Northman,” based on Eggers, was Regency and Focus Options permitting the director to convey his inventive heads of division from these first two, a lot smaller movies. Usually, when a director makes a giant step up from a low-budget movie to a $90 million manufacturing like “The Northman,” the studio surrounds them with veteran expertise behind the digital camera, however throughout the board, “The Northman” was an unlimited step up for Eggers’ closest collaborators cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, editor Louise Ford, manufacturing designer Craig Lathrop, costume designer Linda Muir, composer Robine Carolan, and re-recording mixer/sound designer Damian Volpe. Collectively, the group had by no means made something greater than “The Lighthouse” and would proceed working with Eggers on “Nosferatu.”
“It was a movie that was too large for our britches,” mentioned Eggers of “The Northman.” Going by that studying expertise along with his workforce is what Eggers marks as the largest supply of his progress as a filmmaker. “My collaborations with my inventive heads of division has simply grown a lot stronger and we’re additional extensions of one another. We will push one another, additional past what any of us may think about with out the opposite considered one of us pushing. We’re quite a bit higher at articulating what’s in our imaginations and getting it onto the display.”
To listen to extra about how Eggers collaborated along with his “Nosferatu” crafts workforce, subscribe to the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite podcast platform.