Michael Rodrigues’ First Time on Set: “To Me, It Was a Wonderland”
With storytelling having always been a passion, it’s no surprise that Michael Rodrigues chose a visual medium to convey his creativity. The director was first introduced to the industry through a friend, towards the final few years of his schooling, and from there, it was love at first production set.
While learning more about the medium through his studies, it was ‘Road to Perdition’, ‘A Clockwork Orange’, and the British series ‘Skins’ which inspired him, alongside the classic inspirations of Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Stanley Kubrick. Slightly further afield, Michael also looks to the storytellers J.D. Salinger and F. Scott Fitzgerald for their complex characters and depth of imagination.
To hear more about this, as well as how he’s working on strengthening the audience’s connection to characters, Michael speaks to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani.
LBB> Everyone finds their way into creativity in different ways. What was your process of finding the creative industries? Were you always a creative child, did someone inspire you or was it something else altogether?
Michael> I always loved storytelling, and I began penning little narratives at a young age, and there was always a deep feeling of satisfaction when I did. Cinema was also always there as something I was enamoured by. I would spend whole afternoons in video stores, perusing the back of every VHS cover.
In grade 11, I met a guy at my part time retail job who was studying at AFDA, and only then did I realise, “Oh this is something I can actually pursue”. I went and hung out with him on set one day and even though it was a bunch of film students running around in a panic, to me, it was a wonderland, and from that moment I never really turned back.
LBB> Once you realised that’s where you wanted to pursue a career, how did you begin to hone your craft?
Michael> I studied directing and screenwriting at AFDA, and later I did my MA in filmmaking at the Raindance Film Foundation in London. But just as importantly, I watched a hell of a lot of films - everything from the French New Wave to Italian neorealism to The New Hollywood Movement of the ‘70s, and of course the grandmasters - Bergman, Tarkovsky and Kubrick.
I feel that through constantly watching and appreciating cinema you realise what kind of films you want to make and what kind of filmmaking you want to be, also subconsciously you absorb techniques and an elevated approach to crafting scenes. A lot of the time, I’ll inject something into a scene and only later realise that the seed of the idea was planted by something I saw a number of years ago.
LBB> Did you take the more traditional path of study to land your job or did you follow a different trajectory?
Michael> I wish my road to this point was straightforward, but it’s been challenging, and I’ve had to be steadfast. It took a lot of years of banging on the door to finally get people to believe in me, and at this point, I’m still fighting for my key to the castle. I think my love for this medium and my desire to contribute something of value to it has instilled an incredible tenacity within me.
LBB> Are there any pieces of work which initially inspired you in those early days?
Michael> There’s been a few - watching ‘Road to Perdition’ when I was a kid was one. I think I was a similar age to the main character, and I was also starting to awaken to the reality of the world, so the way it all plays out hit me in the gut. To this day it’s still one of the most poignant and beautiful films I’ve seen, and it made me fall in love with cinema. ‘A Clockwork Orange’ is just an immense film and I think I reference at least one thing from it in everything I do. Then the British series ‘Skins’ was the first time I saw kids being portrayed in a way I could really relate to. It inspired me to capture people honestly and revel in all of the facets of their lives.
LBB> What are some of your favourite pieces of work to have been involved with?
Michael> 2022 was a weird time, so I directed a weird series of vignettes called ‘Vestiges’ that chronicled different characters; some coming out of lockdown, some stuck within lockdown, and some reckoning with the idea of the world ending. I cast a really interesting group of kids with the intention of their unique personalities being at the heart of these pieces. I wanted ‘Vestiges’ to feel like a faded newsreel of a few eclectic kids tied to that uncertain moment in time.
I’ve had a lot of fun doing music videos over the years, and it's been a great creative outlet for me. I got to really stretch my legs on ‘Wildones’ in 2020, a music video that I co-directed with Tarryn Hatchett for Mwanje & Sampa the Great. We referenced the grand, awe inspiring frames of Akira Kurosawa to make our Zambian artists feel like mystical figures within a rural African setting. We then used the tender photography of Wolfgang Tillmans as a reference point for some of our more intimate scenes of sisterhood and connection. All of these ideas were wrapped in the visual narrative of a young woman’s spiritual awakening, which resulted in ‘Wildones’ becoming something quite interesting.
It’s not often that you have the freedom to be inventive when mapping out your approach to a commercial. But the Assupol Brand Films I directed last year offered me exactly that with a time hopping journey that chronicled Assupol’s ties to historical events and the everyday South African over the past 110 years.
LBB> Where do you find your inspiration, and who within the industry or externally, makes you want to create?
Michael> I find a lot of my inspiration in books; I love reading the classics and I’m obsessed with J.D. Salinger and F. Scott Fitzgerald. They both create incredibly complex characters, and there is a depth to all aspects of their novels, it’s never just one thing, it will be romance tinged with ennui or self-discovery leading to social isolation. It’s a reminder to dig deeper when exploring an idea.
Then, of course, music constantly inspires me. I love playing music on set to lay down the tone and the feeling of a scene. It’s great for the actors to feed off, and the whole crew feels the moment more. I’m also forever fascinated by the world and people around me, there’s constantly a comedy, a tragedy and an adventure playing out. I’m interested in all of it.
LBB> In terms of equipment, what are the bread-and-butter pieces of tech that you use?
Michael> I love a zoom lens! A dolly and track or a gimbal offers a physical movement that we understand, it’s familiar, and it’s how we move. But a zoom for me is cinema, it’s cerebral, it’s an unusual movement that feels like we’re drawing the audience into the thoughts and mindset of a character.
However, there is a time and place for everything and I would say being considered and knowing when to use a certain device is the sign of a strong filmmaker.
LBB> Are there any aspects of the process that you’d rather not tackle, and how do you overcome that feeling?
Michael> Pitching is still my least favourite side of the process; I want to be on set or in the edit suite. But pitching is a crucial part of it, and if you’re feeling insecure and doubting your ideas, rather question why and get your idea/treatment to a place where you really believe in it, and then all of a sudden it becomes a lot easier.
LBB> How would you describe your personal filmmaking style? How has it evolved over the years?
Michael> It has definitely matured. When you’re younger, you’re more insecure and you don’t have the confidence to decide on something like, “Let’s just hang on this shot for a while, everything is here”. As you become more experienced you realise if a moment is working you don’t need to try and impress the audience with a whole bunch of flashy cuts and camera movements.
I’ve realised that the only thing that holds the viewers’ attention is the characters and what they’re experiencing, so I need to make choices that strengthen their connection with those characters rather than distract them from it.
LBB> For someone just starting out, where would you recommend they start? Is there any advice you’d be keen to share?
Michael> The thing with filmmaking is that you can’t do it alone, you need to seek out a team or a community of people that you can create with. Find like-minded people who have the same taste as you, and whose talent you believe in. Then most importantly listen to them, if they’re telling you something isn’t working, they’re not trying to sabotage you, they’re trying to help.
LBB> What can we expect to see from you going forward?
I have a short film in post production. It’s a tongue-in-cheek look at a relationship where both parties are realising that the person they're with is a complete stranger to them.
I’m also co-writing a ‘lovers on the run’ feature film that’s going to be set in the Klein-Karoo. I think we have an interesting South African spin on the genre and I’m looking forward to sharing more.
I’ve also just joined Together Films as a commercials director and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can create together.
