Name 5 directors you would love to talk to

[Dude111]

1) Stanley Kubrick - I would tell him I love the shining and talk to him about other stuff :)

2) Mel Brooks - I would tell him I love Blazing saddles!!!!
3) James Cameron
4) George Lucas - I would ask him why he destroyed star wars!! (And wouldnt let up until he told me (to my satisfaction))
5) Steven Spielberg - I would tell him how much I love ET!!

[denphone]

1/ George Lucas
2/ Orson Welles
3/ Peter Jackson
4/ David Lean
5/ Martin Scorsese

Although there are many more who ain't even on that list.

[General Maximus]

What an excellent question. I am going to cheat a bit because I don't really want to talk to 5 directors. If I could choose 5 people they would be (in order of preference):

1) John Williams
2) Bruce Boxleitner
3) George Lucas
4) Steven Spielberg
5) Patrick Stewart

[Damien]

Seems a bit difficult because I don't know what you would talk about.

I guess the most interesting directors to me would be: Edger Wright, Christopher Nolan, Danny Boyle, Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson. If only because these are all directors I would go to see a film from irrespective of the subject or reviews.

[General Maximus]

Seems a bit difficult because I don't know what you would talk about.
that is the thing, I would be one of those sad fans who would bow at the feet of somebody like George Lucas. I would be asking him tonnes of questions about what it was like making Star Wars and all sorts of questions about the production. The one thing I loved about the prequel trilogy is that they were very passionate about letting fans be part of the magic and I think it was every week or month you had an exclusive behind the scenes featurette giving you an update on what they had been up to.
I would be the same with Steven Spielberg. I would just love to talk to the person who makes movie magic and try and appreciate and understand their thought process and how they view things. He isn't a normal director and the normal rules don't apply; what he makes is gold.

Bearing that in mind, although he isn't a director, another person I would love to talk to is Kevin Feige aka Mr Marvel.

[Damien]

that is the thing, I would be one of those sad fans who would bow at the feet of somebody like George Lucas. I would be asking him tonnes of questions about what it was like making Star Wars and all sorts of questions about the production. The one thing I loved about the prequel trilogy is that they were very passionate about letting fans be part of the magic and I think it was every week or month you had an exclusive behind the scenes featurette giving you an update on what they had been up to.
I would be the same with Steven Spielberg. I would just love to talk to the person who makes movie magic and try and appreciate and understand their thought process and how they view things. He isn't a normal director and the normal rules don't apply; what he makes is gold.

Bearing that in mind, although he isn't a director, another person I would love to talk to is Kevin Feige aka Mr Marvel.

"Hi Spielberg. I like movies too! I like your movies too! What's...urmmm..your favourite movie?" :D

[General Maximus]

I know what I want to ask but I can't think how to phrase it and put it into words atm. I would want to ask him some questions which would shine a light on his approach and thought process when he goes into a film and how he influences the story and puts those magical elements into it and the characters. It is the same with Marvel and the characters in the MCU; it is all down to Kevin Feige and the same small group of producers and writers you see credited in each film. You go into any Marvel film, even news one with as of yet unseen characters, you know you are going to watch something special with loveable heart warming characters, a fantastic story, many lol moments and great action. I have got some friends that blow it off as nothing special but if anybody could replicate that tone and magic formula then all films, especially superhero, would be as good the MCU films and they aren't.

[Damien]

I think the Marvel Films definitely have a formula they work too. They have similar tones and structure to each other. They tend to have the quippy characters having lighthearted moments with one another which helps you bond with them as characters. It's a franchise which sorta limits the Directors and puts them on rails to adhere to the overall project.

What is undeniable about them though is how well they execute on that. Other films have clearly tried to ape that formula and fallen flat on their face, it always seem forced whereas it comes naturally to Marvel. You know it's going to be a fun few hours at the cinema when the Marvel logo comes up.

I also think the MCU itself is a pretty extraordinary achievement in cinema, to build this world where people drop in and out of various films and it feels like one-piece. I think that is the more stand-out aspect of the whole thing than any one of the films.

Obviously as well as Feige you have Favreau who seems a key element of that team. I also think Joss Weldon , although he never gets credit since he fell out with Marvel, deserves a lot of credit because so much of a character interaction is very much his style established in the first two Avengers films.

[General Maximus]

Yeah, and that begs the question now, are we going to see Happy again or has he gone forever with the rest of the Spidey world?

[Stuart]

I don't know, because I have heard a lot of directors on DVD/Blu Ray commentaries, and while they may be excellent directors, they can be boring people. Ridley Scott, for example, has excellent commentaries if you want to hear about the technical aspects of directing (and I would heartily recommend his commentaries to anyone interested in pursuing film making as a career), but can be a bit dry.

Jodie Foster would potentially be a good person. Her commentaries tend to be filled with good directing advice, and interesting anecdotes from her films.

Joss Whedon is a good writer and director, and is also interesting to listen to.

Another one I'd pick is probably Ron Howard. Like Ridley Scott, his commentaries tend to focus on the technical aspects of film making, and he probably wouldn't be interesting if you weren't interested in the art of film making.

My final pick would probably be Christopher Nolan or Tarantino.

[Eastendersfan]

Rian Johnson
Woody Allen
Martin Scorcese
George Lucas
Stephen Frears

[Dude111]

Isnt Steven Segal a director also??

If so,he is def 1 I would love talking to!

[General Maximus]

get your hearing aid ready :)

[TheDaddy]

No Hitchcock yet, I'd choose him because he went to an East End school mine was as off shoot of.

Spielberg would be easy, no question and answer session could be as awkward as attempted seduction by a naked and ancient Joan Crawford

I think a chat with Blake Edwards might be interesting to