On Oct. 28 and 29 the film department hosted a two-evening event focusing on the Sunday HBO programming lineup, which has by many accounts redefined what is possible on TV. The second evening concluded with a panel discussion featuring Director Miguel Arteta ’89.
Miguel Arteta has directed the feature films “Star Maps,” “Chuck & Buck,” and “The Good Girl,” as well as episodes of “Freaks and Geeks” and HBO’s “Six Feet Under.”
When I heard that this brilliant director would be coming to speak at Wesleyan I did what most film majors do when they want to meet someone famous: I asked Jeanine Basinger, Chair of the Film Department, to hook me up! Thanks to Lea Carlson, Cinema Archives Administrative Assistance, Basinger, and of course Miguel Arteta for indulging my fanboy queries.
JF: Did you want to be a filmmaker when you were growing up?
MA: When I came to the United States [from Puerto Rico] when I was 16, I started to discover American movies and yeah, it kinda got worked out for me right away. I had a half-inch video camera that my friend’s father lent me, and I just started making short movies.
One of my first movies was a silent comedy, it was kind of slap stick… and it was not well received. I screened it at the Cinema of Fine Arts in Boston, and I wanted to re-edit it based on the laughs, but nobody laughed! I was devastated and I didn’t make another movie for about a year after that…
But when I got to Wesleyan I made a lot more short films, even before my senior thesis film. And Jeanine [Basinger] was completely inspiring and just turned things around for me. She helped me understand movie making, and made me curious about my own ability.
JF: What was your senior thesis film about?
MA: My senior thesis film was called “Every Day is a Beautiful Day.” It was a musical about a guy who lives in a world where everybody sings and dances at the drop of a hat. Except he’s embarrassed and can’t perform like everyone else does. So he joins a self-help group called “Every Day is a Beautiful Day,” and through their help he learns to sing and dance like the rest. My car mechanic loved the movie.
JF: Your car mechanic?
MA: Yeah, he loved the movie and he wanted Jonathan Demme [director of “Silence of the Lambs” and “Stop Making Sense”] to see it. His ex-wife was married to Jonathan’s cousin Bobby and Jon was making a documentary about his cousin [“Cousin Bobby,” 1992]. God bless my mechanic. He set up a meeting to show Jonathan my short and Jonathan was really gracious and hired me to work on that documentary. I got a lot out of it…Jonathan has sort of been a mentor to me.
JF: Would you want to make another musical?
MA: Yes, I am working on a musical right now, I have an outline and I’m working on a script. I’m excited about it. I’d love to do a big event musical like “Tommy” or “The Wall.”
JF: You transferred from Harvard to Wesleyan to study film with Jeanine. How did the two programs compare?
MA: The Harvard program was heavily a documentary program and so it was not a right fit for me. And I took time off and I spent most of my time at The Revival House at Harvard Square watching old Hollywood movies. A friend of mine [who] was taking courses with Jeanine alerted me to her, and I met her and I transferred. It was a wonderful fit for me because Jeanine teaches the golden era of Hollywood…beautifully.
JF: Having worked for HBO, do you think there’s truth to the slogan “It’s Not TV”?
MA: Yes. They have much more creative freedom, and they’re looking to distinguish themselves through their boldness. So they really have a lot more leeway to do interesting work.
JF: How does directing episodes for television differ from working on feature films?
MA: TV is a writer’s medium. You get to work with amazing writers like Mike White and Alan Ball, but…you’re a guest and the sensibilities of the show are set, so you don’t have as much authorship. In the films that I have done, I’ve had final cut and control over the whole thing and I’ve been very lucky to work with Mike White, somebody whose sensitivities are so similar to my own.
JF: Do you plan to work together in the future?
MA: I would like that again. I really love his writing and his sensibility.
JF: Did you meet Mike at Wesleyan?
MA: No, I met Mike in Los Angeles through another Wesleyan alum, Zak Penn. They were writing partners, and when I was writing “Star Maps” I needed some people to play two writers, and I wrote the parts with them in mind. Mike rewrote his scenes and it was just awesome and that’s how we became friends.
JF: You shot “Chuck & Buck” on digital video. What do you think of the format?
MA: I love digital video. It’s a lot easier to have a smaller, more intimate crew, and I think if your movies are very personal in tone and the human face is going to be the landscape of the film, there’s no better way to go. It’s more intimate, more immediate.
JF: What are some of your favorite movies?
MA: I don’t really have favorite movies, but I’d say some of my favorite directors are Nicholas Ray, Howard Hawks, and Jonathan Demme.
JF: Have you seen any good movies lately?
MA: “Sideways” is a really excellent movie.
JF: What projects are you currently working on?
MA: I have several things in development. There’s the movie “Date School,” I’m developing at Dreamworks, it’s about a dating instructo—e’s a “flirt coach.” It’s a romantic comedy between him and a tactless woman. It’s sort of in the vein of classic romantic comedies like “The Awful Truth” and “The Philadelphia Story.”
JF: Overall, what do you think you took away from your Wesleyan education?
MA: Jeanine teaches film from the point of view of the director, and she has always made it clear to the students that every great director defines film in their own terms, and learning that early on made me feel a lot more fearless about my own talent. It made me realize that my point of view, how I see things, is my strongest asset. It made me fearless about pursuing things from my own point of view. I’m not trying to imitate anyone.
Leave a Reply