Robert Eggers is an American filmmaker who has made three films thus far in his career. Directing and writing his own films, Eggers most recent film is The Northman, a Viking epic which was released on April 22, 2022. With his first film The Witch premiering in 2015, Eggers has specialized in making films in the genre of psychological horror. His work is incredibly meticulous and jarring as it focuses on subjects from the past such as “witches” in 1630s New England and 19th century lighthouse workers while containing scenes of graphic violence and disturbing imagery. In crafting each of his films, Eggers researches the subjects of each of his films deeply. For example, in writing the screenplay for his 2019 film The Lighthouse, Eggers took inspiration from a Welsh folktale about two lighthouse keepers who shared the same name and became stranded on their lighthouse station. In the tale, the two men eventually go mad and one of them dies. In seeking to perfectly recreate the aesthetics of the 19th century lighthouse and the men who worked on such stations, Eggers delved deeply into historical records of the time, blueprints of lighthouses, symbolic art from the period, and classic literature from authors such as Herman Melville to capture the essence of the environment he was seeking to recreate. He states: “There are some things that we stretch, but my entire process is research-based. With the creation of the physical world, the material world, I’m trying for it to be as accurate as possible…There are so many choices to be made that it’s nice to have choices being made for you by research.” In this statement, Eggers describes the process of collecting as informing how his creative process operates. For Eggers, collecting this wealth of information for each film allows him to better control how he can construct the visual world of the film, providing his work with an element of realism that is able to draw the audience in to the work and keep them grounded and invested amidst the chaos of the horror surrounding the characters. It also enables him to devote more time to crafting the thematic and emotional elements of his work that truly make his films so impactful.
Collaboration is also a major aspect of Eggers’ creative process. As a film director, collaboration is a necessity, but Eggers seems to make special note of how important of an element it is to his work when discussing his creative process. In writing The Lighthouse, Robert worked alongside his brother Max in researching and crafting the narrative for film. Additionally, Eggers has also worked with actress Anya Taylor-Joy on two of his three films. In discussing their recent collaboration for The Northman, he states: “I mean it was so great because we’ve both grown a lot since we worked together on The Witch. I love repeat collaborations…But also as far as her work in the film when you’re working with someone who you already trust, like we can push each further and get to better results quicker.” Eggers frequently notes how collaboration is able to spur such an intense variety of ideas that can elevate the films he makes. Even when working with repeat collaborators on different projects, he discusses how those creatives can grow and change between projects and how that development over time that can spark new ideas that he could not have imagined himself for the film. For a writer-director such as Eggers, working with others may seem counterintuitive to the more individual type of filmmaking that he is embarking on. Yet, Eggers is able to recognize the tremendous value of collaboration and how working alongside others and utilizing their ideas on top of his own is able to elevate his work further. While Eggers is young and still has yet to truly make his mark in the film mainstream despite working with some of this generation’s most prominent actors, his incredible creativity leaps from the screen. His brand of psychological horror is incredibly unique, and I hope to see his work gain a greater following as he continues to make films, influencing and impacting audiences and other creatives alike.
Sources:
https://www.gq.com/story/robert-eggers-the-northman-interview
https://www.joblo.com/interview-the-northman-director-robert-eggers-on-his-viking-epic/
https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/10/15/20914097/robert-eggers-lighthouse-interview-witch
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/04/04/robert-eggerss-historical-visions-go-mainstream
I can see how collecting is a big part of Robert Eggers creative process. It's cool how he mixes historical events (realism) with his own imagination and vision to create horror films. I feel like it could be difficult to work with other people when Eggers might have a clear vision of what he wants to create, but you mentioned in your post that he has worked with a few creators on several films which makes it easier to collaborate when you can see the vision and push each other.
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