The Oscar-nominated film Nightcrawler is now streaming on Netflix. Dan and John Gilroy came to the Egyptian Theatre in January to discuss the film.
On January 7, the Egyptian screened Nightcrawler (2014)
and welcomed twins Dan and John Gilroy.
Dan wrote and directed the movie, John edited. Part of the Cinamateque’s "The Golden Age of Car
Chases" series, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Louis Bloom, a petty thief who pulls over
to the side of the road to see a bloody crash and becomes obsessed with
filming violent crimes and accidents. He sells his work to local Los Angeles news stations; Rene Russo plays
a washed-up producer who competes for his footage.
John Gilroy said of Gyllenhaal’s performance, “He did not
change a word. It was like a play.” Of
working with his twin brother, John said, “I try not to butt in but I have an
opinion about everything.”
The floor opened up for questions, and one audience member
asked the director, “How did you choose your leading lady, and was that character influenced by Faye
Dunaway in Network?” Dan answered, “I’m married to her, she’s my wife...
I wrote it for her.”
During the discussion, Dan spoke about writing the
script. He left out an implied sex scene and
said, “People don’t want to be hit over the head with everything.”
Riz Ahmed play’s Rick, Lou Bloom’s sidekick. While the character Rick is barely able to
read, Ahmed graduated with a double major from Oxford. Dan Gilroy said that that character does
represent a problem in today’s society: a lack of funding for education in the
country’s capitalistic system. Lou Bloom initially offers Rick an
“internship.” Dan spoke about the
exploitation of young people trying to make it in today’s world and that when capitalism becomes a
religion, “it’s a horrible thing.”
Another audience member asked about location filming Los Angeles, an increasing rarity in the industry. Gilroy explained
that, unfortunately, his crew was one of the few to get a tax break that year. He also said that they chose areas where the
streets meet the mountains and the water - they wanted to show that sprawling
aspect of the city and avoid touristy areas. They kept the camera in the car for chase scenes.
Another question was regarding the consistently hilarious
“lingo or jargon” that Lou Bloom uses. “I read human resource manuals,” was the answer.
Next question, “I recognize real newscasters. Is this an indictment?” Dan Gilroy laughed,
“I can’t believe it. They let me use
their newsroom. It made me wonder if
they read the script.” Explaining that
there was a time when news didn’t make a profit, Gilroy said news becomes
entertainment.
Regarding writing a spec
script verses a studio movie, he said Lou Bloom was the same throughout the
story. “I was breaking every rule. There’s no arc. People are
people.”
His recommendation, “If you have something to say in your
movie, say it.” That credo paid off; Nightcrawler was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.