Greetings once again, readers! Our coverage of the new, in development, steampunk-inspired sci-fi project, “Aether”, continues, thanks in no small part to its creator/director and Frame 29 Films owner Drew Hall, with further insight from its Director of Photography, Alex Funke. Yet another industry veteran, Mr. Funke has worked on projects ranging from “The Abyss“, “Total Recall“, “Executive Decision“, and other smaller projects like the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “King Kong“, and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug“! Ok, so those last few weren’t “small” perhaps! And to add to this, how about being a 3-time Oscar winner? So, OneFilmFan.com presents to you our interview with Mr. Alex Funke!
One Film Fan: The story so far, how were you first drawn to the Visual Effects profession? When did it become evident that visual effects was going to be your career choice?
Alex Funke: When I entered the UCLA Film School, in about 1963, I was coming from a major in Biochemistry. I really had no idea which direction film-making might take me. Except that I was totally enraptured by the sheer mechanics of film.
O.F.F.: How did you further learn/enhance your skill set (ie: mentors, influences)?
AF: I entered the US Army for a couple of years, and when I emerged I went to work at the Office of Charles Eames. I count Charles and Ray as two of my major mentors; they taught me how to see. The others are my mother and father, who taught me to draw, and Stephen Burum, ASC, who gave me so many opportunities as a camera assistant to learn how to work in the crew environment. And the rest of my education was mostly the school of hard knocks!
O.F.F.: What was your very first project and how did that prepare you for the future in the film industry?
AF: In around 1978, after about 12 years with the CEO, during which I photographed many films including “Tops“, “Powers of Ten“, “Design: Q &A” and so on, I had a chance to join John Dykstra on “Battlestar Galactica“. This was my first VFX show, shooting many miniatures in many scales, and I have been doing miniature cinematography ever since. So I guess that B.G. was my “first.”
O.F.F.: To date, based on other projects you’ve been a part of ie: “Total Recall”, “The Abyss”, “Executive Decision”, “King Kong”, “Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” and 2-time Oscar wins for the “Lord of the Rings” series, how has the experience of working with directors and actors been? Has it lived up to expectations (if any) you had in getting into the film industry?
AF: I have always enjoyed enabling the vision of directors to come to life. I won’t say that every director has been a pleasure to work with, but even the hardest and toughest (there have been some, and I name no names) had an abundant understanding of what I was trying to do. And of course directors such as Hoyt Yeatman, Peter Jackson, and Andrew Adamson are gentlemen, impeccable craftsmen, and a joy to work with.
O.F.F.: Now, 2 Oscars wins were for “Lord of the Rings”. What was the third Oscar win in association with? Can only imagine it feels amazing to be recognized like that?
AF: My first Oscar was for “Total Recall”. It was treated as a “special achievement award,” since that year no other candidate for the VFX prize had qualified. In such a case, the Academy Board of Governors can vote to give a special Oscar. Dennis Muren has several of these. And yes, it is a true honor to be recognized for ones’ work on both TR and LOTR. When you get right down to it, though, the Oscar award ceremony is not quite as much fun as the public thinks. Very hectic, very organized, very much run to a timetable! I must say that the greatest pleasure in winning the LOTR Oscars wasn’t any of the Hollywood stuff, but rather bringing the shiny gold guy back to New Zealand and presenting it to my crew, since after all it was they who had actually won it!
O.F.F.: So, onto a current project, “Aether”, currently in development….What drew you to this project or how did the opportunity come about?
AF: I have known Horst Sarubin for many years, since he was on my Miniatures crew. He had talked often of the “steampunk project.” I was excited when he and Drew asked me to come and shoot the Prologue. And, having seen just the tip of the iceberg (and having read the whole script) I can say that this is a groundbreaking film concept.
O.F.F.: Tell us a bit about how it’s been overall so far working on this project and the development of the greater film/series.
AF: I’ve always been a steampunk fan, although I often cringe when I see how far from the original concept the current interpretations go, far from William Gibson’s original notion (in “The Difference Engine”). Horrors like “Extraordinary Gentlemen” just give s/p a bad name. But, I had the pleasure of being around the geniuses at the Weta Workshop when the original Dr. Grodbort’s weapons were being created; s/p engineering at its finest!
O.F.F.: If you can share, what do you personally feel are the biggest strengths of the concepts being explored in “Aether”?
AF: One of the best aspects of the larger “Aether” storyline is that it doesn’t get bogged down in the minutiae of the ‘technology.’ In effect, it’s a story like, let’s say, “Children of Men“, only with a much better plot and not so much dopey moralizing. There are so many depths to the story and they are played out without every being “precious!”
O.F.F.: More specifically, how has the experience of working with director Drew Hall so far? Any funny anecdotes to share?
AF: Of course I have had great fun working with Drew, Horst, Brian, Scott, and everyone on the production. I’ve been telling my friends that it was a hoot to be shooting real actors at 24 frames per second again! Our team was absolutely top notch.
O.F.F.: We can only guess you feel a great sense of accomplishment in the projects you’ve had the chance to be a part of, especially some of the bigger films. Do you find you desire to ultimately stay with larger projects, or does the indie film world offer more chances to experiment and be even more creative?
AF: Well, I have worked on my share of giant films, with TR, “The Abyss”, “Executive Decision”, “Starship Troopers“, “Mighty Joe Young“, LOTR, “King Kong” and all that. But, if those are ‘tentpole films’ , then I would now like to work on (to borrow John Bailey’s expression) ‘tadpole films.’ Specifically, to work on truly hand made films like “Aether”, and on more personal projects involving puppet animation and stop-motion.
O.F.F.: What advice would you give to someone looking to get into the production side of the film industry in general?
AF: I’ve been asked this question for so many years. And I still don’t know the answer. How does one make a break into film? How does one become a concert violinist? I don’t know that there is any direct way into the production side of film. I think that that has closed, because there are so many people already in that side. But, there are some interesting, newly-created specialties; Stereographer, Digital Image Technician, Data Wrangler. I suppose that these could be studied for, because they are going to become more and more important. But actually, the only real opportunities lie in digital production; sad but true. The person who has mastered Nuke, Maya, Z-Brush, 3DS Max, Houdini and whatnot is the person who (if he or she is really good) will be a player in the real nexus of film production for the future.
O.F.F.: Readers know this last question well, as we always end with it: What is YOUR favorite film of all time? Why?
AF: How can I pick just one? The film that first inspired me to get into film was a tiny little B&W western, “The Ride Back“, directed by William Miner and shot by Joseph Biroc, ASC. I saw it in 1957 and have re-watched it uncountable times since then. But, otherwise, Antonioni’s “Red Desert“, Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Stalker“, and Jean -Pierre Jeunet’s “Micmacs“. All favorites. Maybe “Micmacs” is at the top of the list.
More fascinating insight into the world of filmmaking directly from someone who has seen his fair share of major movies he’s worked on brought to the screen, big and small! We are truly grateful for Mr. Funke taking the time to speak with OneFilmFan and stay tuned as we will keep this coverage going as new source material becomes available!
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