Interview: Duncan Jones, the man and the Moon

To mangle a quote from Neil Armstrong, all of Duncan Jones' small steps/giant leaps have led him to his first full-length film, a psychological space adventure reminiscent of the '70s sci-fi classics. Kimberly Gadette interviews the man behind Moon. 

Duncan Jones' own circuitous voyage puts a straight moon shot to shame. Born in England, educated at boarding schools in Switzerland and Scotland, followed by undergraduate studies in Cleveland, Ohio and graduate school in Nashville, Tennessee (majoring in philosophy), Jones comes to a directing career via a unique orbit all his own. But then again, this isn't all that odd for a fellow who first arrived on planet earth with the moniker ‘Zowie Bowie.’

The last thing Zowie, aka Duncan Jones, wanted to do was to follow in his famous father's footsteps as a musician. But working in the medium of film would be something altogether different. And watching dad David Bowie working with director Tony Scott in both the film and ensuing television series of The Hunger, a story about vampire lust, well, it seems that Jones got bit.

Film auteur Tony Scott encouraged him, saying "When you're ready to do film, the way to start off is in commercials. You learn about big budgets, you work with state-of-the-art equipment, you have to deal with clients, deadlines, lots of different projects … it almost works like film school."

The advice resonated. Parking his philosophy studies back in Nashville, Jones returned to the UK. "Tony Scott was a magnificently generous guy, and gave me some terrific contacts back in the United Kingdom." After attending the London Film School, Jones worked his way up the ladder in the commercials industry – from wild-cam operator for Scott, to shooting small commercials and music videos, to co-creating the 90-second French Connection catfight ad for "Fashion v Style," which caused a huge media stir, eventually nominated for a 2006 Cannes Lions award.

His first attempt at a bona fide film project was the 26-minute short, Whistle. "I had written the script in order to make sure that it required me to work in a studio and shoot on location and abroad, all on 35mm film, in order to make it feel as much like making a feature length film as possible."

Kimberly got the chance to talk to Jones over the phone about many the phases of this particular Moon:

IMO: How did you make this film on a $5 million budget?

DJ: We knew up front what our budget was, and we wrote a shopping list, specifically choosing how to spend our money. We kept our cast small, shot everything in studio and used very specific special effects. But everything had to go lightning fast. Just 33 days of live-action photography plus another 8 days of model work. The film had more than 450 effects shots and many scenes had to be shot twice, with Rockwell playing against himself.

I come from an effects background, and knew that we didn't have to restrict ourselves to pure CG. We used model miniatures, comfortable that that would give us a unique look. They don't get used anymore because everyone gets so used to using CG for everything.

We were also lucky that the writers' strike was going on. Films like Angels & Demons, and Robin Hood were on hold. So there were brilliant creative people there, lots of crew people, able to lend a hand.

IMO: Particularly since you've stated that Alien is a seminal film for you, and that Ridley Scott is one of the primary directors who've inspired you, how did it feel shooting in Shepperton Studios, the same sound stage where Ridley Scott shot Alien 30 years before?

DJ: It was fantastic. We had two sound stages at Shepperton, right next to each other. One was the interior lunar base, the same soundstage where they built the Nostromo for Alien, a fully enclosed set. You could wander around and never destroy the illusion you were inside the base.

The other was a replica of the exterior lunar landscape, with two different models of rovers that were about a foot across. They were just pulled along with bits of fishing line. We used a different scale that was about 3 feet across for more detailed photography. A great post-production company called Cinesite did all the clean-up, as well as the digital set extensions and the lens flares, and made it all look good.

IMO: Speaking of Ridley Scott, you mentioned in prior articles that you wanted three people to watch your film: Ridley Scott, Terry Gilliam and Neil Gaiman. I read that Gaiman and Gillian saw it and loved it. Any news yet from Mr. Scott?

DJ: Yes, I got to meet him for all of 30 seconds recently at the British Film Institute and yes, he liked it. I asked him if it was OK if I kept ripping him off, and he said yes, that's all right because he ripped people off, too!

IMO: Since Sam Rockwell has to play two different versions of the lead character Sam Bell, I read that you would shoot the scene with the driving character first, then go back and shoot with the second. Was there a stand-in working with Rockwell when he was playing Sam #1?

DJ: Sometimes we used a double: Robin Chalk, a young actor who's about Rockwell's size. But sometimes it was easier for Rockwell, as an actor who loves to improv, to feel free to move around the set. We would then establish eyelines after the fact. We'd review all the takes, deciding right then and there which one we'd use.

IMO: So then how did it work when you were shooting Sam #2?

DJ: We loaded up the take with Sam #1 on an iPod. Then Rockwell would go back to his trailer – while he was getting into wardrobe and make-up, he would study the scene, particularly the rhythms, rehearsing with himself. He'd hone in on sound cues: a dropped object, a shuffled shoe, working out the beats for the second half of the scene so he could interface both physically and verbally with himself. The two pieces were then put together later. Not only is he a brilliant actor, but his sense of timing is impeccable.

(He takes a pause, then adds): Rockwell's two performances also addresses one of the film's themes: the idea that something cloned in no way takes away from its own individuality. You may have two identical humans, but the moment one of them has any experience of his own, a kind of butterfly effect occurs. From that moment onwards, he is completely individual.

IMO: I read that it wasn't until after you had meetings with Sam Rockwell about a different project that you decided to write a script specifically for him, even using his first name. Once you handed him the screenplay, did you have any concerns about his signing on? How many pins and needles were you on before he said yes?

DJ: Well, we had discussed the idea of what we were going to do. After the meeting, there was a massive investment of nine months to write the screenplay. Then another three months waiting for Sam's schedule to free up, to get his answer. So, yes, I was a bit apprehensive.

IMO: I guess your philosophy background might have helped, given you a sort of metaphysical grounding while you were waiting! Speaking of which, had you always thought of bringing your study of philosophy into the discipline of film?

DJ: No. I went to school, not sure what I wanted to do. Knowing that with my father, I had a heavy mantle, no matter what I took on in the entertainment industry. Studies in academia gave me confidence in myself. And my Dad's been incredibly supportive in what I'm doing.

IMO: Since you opened the door, I'm only going to ask you one little question about your father. Given that the film looks at one man's alienation from Earth, I was reminded of that iconic 1969 song, Space Oddity. Did the thought of Major Tom lost out in space have any hold on you when you were first creating your story?

DJ: Actually, believe it or not, no. That song had been written before I was born. But I can’t get away from the fact that everything I am is a reflection of the experiences I went through growing up … so whether it was the films that I saw, or the music my dad played, it's all made me who I am. But I never tried to consciously reflect that background.

IMO: You've mentioned how this film is an homage to the sci-fi genre of the '70s and '80s, (Alien, Outland, Blade Runner, Silent Running). What do you think went wrong with sci-fi films after the '80s?

DJ: They became so production heavy, that the films had to have a big audience in order to pay for themselves. Meaning they had to appeal to everyone, including the kids. In my opinion, the one studio that consistently does it right, mixing adult and kid sensibilities together, is Pixar.

IMO: Personally, I was struck by the concept of individual alienation, whether in a space station on the Moon, or right here on earth, staring at our own computer screens, our personal interactions becoming increasingly limited. If you could orchestrate it, are there any particular messages that you'd like the audience to glean from your film?

DJ: The film asks: if you met yourself, would you like yourself? Will you only see your faults? Or only the good things? If you can't tell whether or not you're a decent person, then it's worth asking the question. We don't have the opportunity to see ourselves as others see us, and yet we're probably our own harshest critics.

IMO note: Given that Moon has just won the Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival, hopefully Jones will be freed from being his own harshest critic…at least for awhile.

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An overview of the film

Moon opens with a glorious tribute to the fictitious Lunar Industries, in a slick commercial touting the company's dedication to mining helium on the far side of the moon. (A commercial that director Duncan Jones might have created himself in his earlier incarnation as a commercial pitch man.) So much for cheery; we're then transported to a dark patch of ugly, pitted, ashen moonscape hosting an industrial housing and operations base for a lone astronaut named Sam (Sam Rockwell). His assistant is the Hal-esque robot Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Gerty is the perfect mechanical helpmate, his display screen usually expressing a simple optimism via a disconcerting smiley face.

It turns out Sam needs all the good cheer he can get. He's a noble warrior astronaut, working tirelessly for the good of humanity, his three-year stint coming to a close. But with a mere two weeks before he's sent home, there's this cocky new recruit who's messing everything up. Worse, Sam's had an accident. Why is he so sick?

Rockwell's performance is a tour de force. Director Jones couldn't have chose better with an actor so brilliantly, subtly communicative, that every vocal nuance, facial expression, physical tic tells us worlds. As for filmmaker Jones, his is an impressive debut - his film has a marvelous look, relating a well-paced, riveting story that will stay with the audience long after the end credits.

Inspired by a 1999 book by Robert Zubrin (Entering Space), the plot digs much deeper than the lunar harvesting machine that Sam is meant to supervise. Moon looks at creation itself, questioning the validity of biology over science. If we are made, rather than created, do we not have worth? Maybe not as much? Panning back to the bigger picture, if all of humanity is kept alive by synthetic means, then is our very existence a cheat?

And how is it that Sam Rockwell, one of the finest actors of his generation, has yet to get the notice he deserves? Universal questions, all. Lastly: how could you possibly miss this extraordinary film?

Release date: US: July 3, 2009; UK: July 17, 2009

Directed by: Duncan Jones
Screenplay by: Nathan Parker
Story by: Duncan Jones
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
Rating: US = R; UK = 15
Running time: 97 minutes