Video Interview: Erroll Morris & Werner Herzog

This is outstanding: A sit-down conversation at the recent Toronto International Film Festival featuring Erroll Morris and Werner Herzog. Erroll Morris only has one writing credit, but it’s a brilliant one: The Thin Blue Line (1988). However it make shock you to learn that Herzog has 51 writing credits including Aguirre: The Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo.

These videos are courtesy of Roger Ebert:

On Sept. 13, 2010, Morris and Herzog both premiered their new films at the Toronto International Film Festival: Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” a 3D documentary about cave paintings 32,000 years old; and Morris’ “Tabloid,” about the UK tabloid sensation “The Case of the Manacled Mormom.” Earlier in the day, they held a conversation at TIFF’s new Bell Lightbox. Herzog questioned Morris’ slow process of post-production, Morris suggested you could find strangeness as easily in Van Nuys as at the ends of the earth, they discussed a book of letters written to a dead dog, and then talked about their own voracious reading.

They discussed single shots in detail: A shot repeated five times in “Tabloid” of the heroine repeating the same thing, and a shot in “Grizzly Man” when the hero disappeared into some grasses and wasn’t seen for an extended period. Morris realized their favorite shots had both been photographed by their subjects themselves. Yes, said Herzog, but the secret is to recognize them. He found his shot discarded by a subeditor.

Herzog’s advice to a young would-be director: “Read, read, read, read, read, read. Read.” As for Morris, he offered no advice and cheerfully implied he doesn’t have a clue what it takes.

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/v/OG0HvHQlvzM?fs=1&hl=en_US

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/v/ycezwjJFqFE?fs=1&hl=en_US

Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/v/BUu2jaksb-I?fs=1&hl=en_US

By the way, both Morris and Herzog got distribution for their respective movies at TIFF.

Ebert’s OP here.