Face to Face with... Paul WS Anderson

The Mob Film Company’s Paul WS Anderson is the man behind film such as Event Horizon, Resident Evil and the upcoming The Three Musketeers but when he’s not shooting blockbusting films he can be found on a commercial film set. He has recently completed this time-lapse, 3D spot for Deutsche Telekom and, here, talks to shots.net about the project and his love of commercials.

What attracted you to the script for this project?

It was the chance to shoot ground breaking 3D for a commercial, and to work with Christoph [Waltz] again.

What was it like shooting in Timelapse 3D?

It’s a long process; some of the shots were almost three hours. The preparation and research we did for this was very tricky but very exciting. I have one of the best 3D crews in the world, we love a challenge. In fact we built several one off rigs just for the job.

Had you worked with 3D technology before; how did you find it?

Yes. I have shot two movies in full 3D (Resident Evil Afterlife and recently Three Musketeers) using the PACE system which was first used by Jim Cameron on Avatar. In my opinion there is no better 3D rig in the world.

What are the main differences working on a commercial to working on a feature?

Obviously the length of time you have to shoot. However, I shoot with my features crew as much as possible on my commercial projects. To be honest I don’t see what the difference is between them. For me it’s the choice of the crew, the commercials crew I have worked with are just as good as the features crew I have, and vice versa. Shooting a commercial is a more collaborative process, I love this. I am really lucky in that all the creatives I have worked with have been fantastic, especially the guys from Tribal DDB Hamburg, Catrin [Florenz] and Moritz [Pupke]. We had a fantastic time during the whole process and I really loved working with them.

You’re working with Christoph Waltz on The Three Musketeers; is it easier to work with actors you have an existing relationship with?

Yes. We worked together for six weeks on the movie. When you spend so much time with an actor you get to know them and you develop a short-hand. This really helped on the commercial as we only had a day with him in Berlin. He is an amazing actor, excellent choice for this project.

Do you think 3D will continue to dominate films, television and advertising over the coming years?

I hope so. If it’s done right it looks awesome. Would you like to work on more commercials? YES! I love making commercials. I get to play with lots of toys, and of course my excellent team at The Mob. My producer, John Brocklehurst is very particular in what scripts I see or I would say yes to everything. We have been to some great places and worked with some cool people. I’m looking forward to more. In 3D of course!!! I would love to make an ad with my wife [Milla Jovovich]. Mercedes meets L’Oreal?

Can you tell us a bit more about your work on The Three Musketeers; will it be a different take on other versions?

You’ll have to watch the trailer which was released on April 1.

Do you know what you’ll be working on once that’s completed or will you be taking a well-earned rest?

I have several movies in development – all in 3D of course - watch this space!