The unbridled decadence and depravity of early Hollywood is depicted in Director Damien Chazelle’s comedic drama, Babylon.
Chazelle’s film chronicles the rise and fall, outsized ambition, and outrageous excess of multiple characters during Hollywood’s transition from silent to sound films in the late 1920s.
On December 17, after the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles, Chazelle discussed the making of Babylon during a Q&A moderated by DGA Past President Taylor Hackford.
During the conversation, Chazelle spoke about his collaborations with his actors and the speed of the set.
“I was a very lucky director on that front, you know, to sort of have this cast. And I think one thing that even talking about the schedule makes me think of is that I do believe sometimes those things that seem like impediments to success can be your best friend. I think the speed at which we had to shoot these scenes, it sort of imbued everyone with a certain kind of go-for-broke energy. No one could walk on the set. Everyone had to be running. So that dictated a certain type of actor.”
Chazelle’s other directorial credits include the feature films First Man, Whiplash and Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench. He won the 2016 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for La La Land. Chazelle has been a DGA member since 2015.
You can listen to Chazelle's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.