Quentin Tarantino, this year’s guest of honor at the Cannes Film Festival’s Cannes Classics section, shared valuable advice with young filmmakers on Wednesday. He spoke after presenting two films by George Sherman, a U.S. director known for low-budget Westerns and genre films.
“I want to thank the Cannes Film Festival for organizing this double feature of George Sherman Westerns,” Tarantino said on stage at Salle Bunuel. “Seeing a sold-out audience, almost standing room only, makes me very happy.”
The event featured Sherman’s “Red Canyon” from 1949 and “Comanche Territory” from 1950.
After “Red Canyon” screened, Tarantino discussed Sherman’s career. He noted how quickly Sherman worked when he started at Universal Pictures. “The studio didn’t realize how fast he could run his sets,” Tarantino said. “Being fast is good, but the real question is: how good is the footage?”
Tarantino answered his own question, praising Sherman’s efficiency. “You can see how good the footage is. He worked faster than anyone else under contract, yet his films were high quality. He had a strong sense of story, actors liked him, even Shelley Winters didn’t give him a hard time.”
The “Pulp Fiction” director then offered advice to aspiring filmmakers. “Sherman didn’t have more time than other directors. But it’s what he did with his time that mattered,” Tarantino said. “That’s what I want to share with you young filmmakers here: you only have so much time each day when making a movie.”
He stressed the importance of working within time limits. “We all want to shoot everything perfectly. But it doesn’t count unless you do it within your schedule. How you spend your time, how you use it, that will define you.”
Tarantino had also appeared at Cannes on Tuesday night. He surprised the audience during the opening ceremony by officially declaring the start of the festival. “It’s my honor to declare the 78th festival open!” he shouted before dropping the microphone.
Related topics:
