PROFILE
FROM Robert Zemeckis
Robert Zemeckis and Tom Rothman: The Walk Robert Zemeckis and Tom Rothman discuss difficulties in large studio filmmaking and the balance of making an "anti-authoritarian" film that the entire family can enjoy.
Zemeckis Director Bob Zemeckis earned fame and power in the movie business with successful films like Back to the Future, Castaway and the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump. But for the last 12 years he's been devoted to making motion-capture movies (Polar Express, Beowolf) and he's found himself the object of skepticism and criticism. His new film is Flight starring Denzel Washington as a gifted pilot who miraculously lands a plane in free fall despite the fact that he's drunk. This adult drama was made for the relatively low budget of $31 million. Zemeckis and Washington cut their fees for the film, and Zemeckis used elaborate previs to be able to shoot the plane crash on the cheap. Zemeckis talks about how in today's Hollywood, filmmakers and studios need to work together to do that. He also defends the value of motion-capture technology, and talks about how he's decided to abandon his long-held plans to remake The Beatles' Yellow Submarine.
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