One of the best films of 2018 isFirst Man. Directed by Oscar-winningWhiplashandLa La LandfilmmakerDamien Chazelle, the film is based on a book byJames R. Hansenand chronicles the amazing behind-the-scenes story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing onNeil Armstrongbetween the years of 1961 and 1969.Ryan Goslingfills the role of Armstrong in the film, with Emmy-winningThe CrownactressClaire Foyplaying Armstrong’s wife Janet. The film also starsJason Clarke,Kyle Chandler,Patrick Fugit,Ciaran Hinds,Ethan Embry,Lukas Haas,Shea Whigham,Corey Stoll, andPablo Schreiber.First Manwas written by Oscar-winningSpotlightandThe Postco-writerJosh Singerand produced byWyck GodfreyandMarty Bowenalongside Chazelle and Gosling.
While we’ve all seen a number of movie and TV projects about the early days of NASA and the space race, Chazelle opens the door to a new way of looking at the subject matter with the way he frames the events on screen. Trust me, even though I knew which missions were successful I was on the edge of my seat as I watched the astronauts attempt to do the impossible. I cannot recommend this movie enough and I’m extremely confident it will be up for all the big awards at the upcoming Oscars.
Last week, I got to visit Kennedy Space Center in Florida to conduct interviews for the film. In today’s installment, Damien Chazelle talks about the various challenges of filming the astronauts on the Moon, how they ended up creating the biggest film light that’s ever been used to recreate the Sun, the reason they never cut back to NASA during a key sequence in the film, why he wanted to tell this amazing true story, wanting to immerse the audience in the experience, and getting to meetHans Zimmerat the Toronto International Film Festival.
Check out what he had to say in the player above and look for more interviews all week.
Damien Chazelle:
Here’s the official synopsis forFirst Man:
On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash,La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’First Man, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost—on Armstrong and on the nation—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.
