Made on a Mac: Roger Avary
“I designed ‘Rules’ to be a culture bomb.”


Method and Madness
Avary, whose work reflects the broad knowledge of cinema history of a life-long student of film (and ex-video store clerk) as well as rare technical understanding of the techniques of film production, worries that the reaction to “Rules,” as well as his Academy Award-winning scripting on “Pulp Fiction,” have skewed his reputation. “I know, I’m actually labeled ‘Gonzo filmmaker, Roger Avary,’” he says.

The Rules of Attraction poster But Avary has received his share of critical adulation. His first feature film, the cult classic “Killing Zoe,” garnered best film awards in Japan’s Yubari International Film Festival, Italy’s MystFest and the Cannes Festival’s Prix Tres Special. It has been hailed by Daily Variety, Cahiers du Cinema and the Village Voice as one of the finest debut films of the last 20 years.

Avary has also collaborated with director Quentin Tarantino as co-author of his Cannes Film Festival Palm d’Or winner “Pulp Fiction.” In 1995 the two shared best writing accolades from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics’ Circle, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the National Society of Film Critics, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television for their work on “Pulp Fiction.” This phenomenal success has led to a prolific writing career at all the major studios.

Working It
“Suddenly out of the blue Shannyn Sossamon grabs the girl and starts pulling her out of the bathtub.” Avary brings to his sets a unique combination of hands-on skills, including writing, directing and editing that he balances seamlessly and comfortably. “When you wear different hats as a writer/director, the biggest danger is that as a writer you fall in love with your material and think it’s the Chosen Word,” says Avary. “When you put your director’s hat, you have to look at the dynamic of the moment and not worry about sticking to the page.”

Avary successfully made that separation, and enjoyed it, during the making of “Rules.” “I found it extremely pleasurable to watch the project evolve from how it affected me 15 or more years ago to final cut. For example, there was this one scene in it where they discover this girl who had committed suicide, involving a scream. And I couldn’t wait to shoot that scene.

“But Shannyn Sossamon didn’t feel that she could scream, for real. We tried it several times until suddenly out of the blue Shannyn grabs the girl and starts pulling her out of the bathtub. Now I could never have thought of that at the writing stage. When you’re living within the reality of the film, that reality will bring you things that are better than your expectations.”

Continued: “I can walk into my living room or office and quickly make a change.”
Pro/Film

“The Rules of Attraction”
1. Culture Bomb
2. Method and Madness
3. Deep Edits



Tools of the Trade
Power Mac G4
Cinema Display
Mac OS X
Final Cut Pro
Cinema Tools
QuickTime



Change of Direction
Avary hasn’t committed to a next project, but he says it will likely be an extreme change of direction from “Rules.” “No more powerful social criticism. I’ve gotten that out of my system for the time being,” says Avary.

What will not change is his commitment to Apple technology and Final Cut Pro. “Why go to something else? I own the system. Why use anything else? It’s just the same reason I prefer to use Macs over Windows, why I prefer to drive a Mercedes over a Yugo. They’re both cars, they both get you where you want to go, it’s just that one is more comfortable and more elegant, one drives smoother, it feels more safe. Sounds very elitist. When equipment becomes this cheap, why not be an elitist?”