Visual History with Carroll Ballard
Interviewed by:Robert Markowitz
Inspired by his father’s career as a boat builder, Carroll Ballard set his eye on becoming a car designer. While at ArtCenter College of Design, he became disenchanted with the design, dropped out of school and joined the Army, where he developed a passion for still cameras and film. Following the Army, he enrolled in UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television intending to study cinematography, but quickly transitioned to directing. After graduating, he directed several acclaimed shorts, including Pigs! (1965), Beyond This Winter’s Wheat (1965), Harvest (1967), which earned him an Academy Award nomination, The Perils of Priscilla (1969), and Rodeo (1969), among others. He transitioned to features when Francis Ford Coppola, a fellow UCLA alumnus, offered him the chance to direct The Black Stallion. In addition to The Black Stallion, he has directed the features Never Cry Wolf (1983), Nutcracker (1986), Wind (1992), Fly Away Home (1996) and Duma (2005).
Ballard has been a member of the Guild since 1977.
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Highlights
On The Black Stallion
Director Carroll Ballard speaks about how he relied on a childhood memory to solve a problem with an uncooperative horse while shooting a sequence for the The Black Stallion.
Carroll Ballard / On The Black Stallion
Director Carroll Ballard speaks about how he relied on a childhood memory to solve a problem with an uncooperative horse while shooting a sequence for the The Black Stallion.
Maintaining a Youthful Perspective
Ballard talks about the value he finds in telling stories that are unfamiliar and maintaining a youthful perspective as a director.
Carroll Ballard / Maintaining a Youthful Perspective
Ballard talks about the value he finds in telling stories that are unfamiliar and maintaining a youthful perspective as a director.
Rehearsing Before a Scene
Ballard prefers not to rehearse before shooting a scene to capture a more lively performance from the actor.
Carroll Ballard / Rehearsing Before a Scene
Ballard prefers not to rehearse before shooting a scene to capture a more lively performance from the actor.