If I Could Grow Up Like Taika Waititi, That Would Be Great

“I want to explore the painful comedy of growing up and interpreting the world. I believe that despite our faults and inadequacies, through all pain and heartache, there is still room to laugh” – Taika Waititi

I guarantee I’m not the only soul out there that dreads the question ‘What is your favorite movie/song/book?’. In that mind boggling, anxiety inducing second you either think of every possible film you could mention but can’t decide between, or your mind goes completely blank and you are left hanging like a loose lipped goldfish.

As a filmmaker I regularly get asked questions like ‘So what is your all time favorite film?’, ‘Who is your favorite director?’, ‘What kind of films do you want to make?’. My answer to all of you is ‘Look, just fuck off would ya!’… But seriously, I could give you my favorite film for the current mood I am. I could tell you which directors works I am currently glued to and I could tell you which current filmmaking fad I am hooked upon. But I couldn’t give you a definitive definite answer to end all questions answer. I’m like a dog chasing cars when it comes to these things.

There are however, a few consistencies that never leave me and it is these films, these directors and these techniques that really get me roaring. One such director is New Zealand’s very own Taika Waititi. But why? He hasn’t made hundreds of movies and he hasn’t made any huge blockbuster films (yet). For that, I’ll have to take you into my mind!

So let me explain; I first developed a passion for Taika’s work when I was introduced to the feature film ‘Eagle vs Shark’ whilst visiting a family member in New Zealand back in 2015. It was my first time visiting kiwi-land but I have always been fascinated with it ever since I first saw Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. I was hooked. When I got home, I ordered ‘Eagle vs Shark’ and his other feature ‘Boy’, and devoured all of his short films online. What I had began to realize about kiwi films was that the lack of Hollywoodbucks  had forced their hands to become strong storytellers and to embrace the kiwi ingenuity motto of overcoming obstacles. He’s funny, he’s witty, he’s handsome… oh my. So why have I got a crush on Taika Waititi, who is he?

Taika Waititi was born on the East Coast region of the North Island of New Zealand on the 16th August 1975 (August twinsies ❤ ) to a Maori father and a Russian Jewish mother. Taika originally trained in Wellington as a drama student at Victoria University of Wellington where he became part of the five-part comedy ensemble ‘So You’re a Man’ alongside two other kiwis you might have heard of – Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords).

In 1999 he began acting on screen, winning a local film award for his part in the low-budget Dunedin film ‘Scarfies’. Additionally, Taika began writing and directing short films for New Zealand’s annual 48-hour contests. Including short film ‘What We Do in the Shadows: Interviews with Some Vampires’ (2005) which was turned into a feature in 2014, and ‘Two Cars, One Night’ (2004) earning him an Academy Award nomination.

Taika’s first feature film came in 2007, an oddball romcom about two socially awkward individuals struggling to show love to one another and others around them. Taika actually made a cameo appearance in the film, a tradition he would continue to uphold throughout most of his movies.

But it didn’t go all Hollywood from there for Taika. He spent the next three years directing the odd episode of Flight of the Conchord’s new show and acting the odd small role here and there, till he got the chance to take another stab at the film market with his 2010 feature film ‘Boy’ which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Boy is set in Taika’s home born area of the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island in 1984 and follows the titular character Boy as he seeks to discover fact from fiction about who his father really is. Taika this time takes a much larger role as the titular character’s father, Alamein. Boy received enthusiastic reviews and was a huge success at the local box office becoming one of the largest grossing films in New Zealand. Again though, Taika didn’t explode out in Hollywood and wasn’t swept away; instead turning back to directing a few TV episodes here and there including Super City and The Inbetweeners (no the U.S version not the UK, calm down)

In 2014 Taika Waititi teamed up with Jermaine Clement to co-direct and co-star in the feature version of ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, a comedy mockumentary about a community of vampires that are living in Wellington which premiered at Sundance. Clearly, by this stage of his career his name had began to carry some weight as the film had a clear step up in budget and effects from his previous work. However, he managed this without boycotting his comedy style and strong sense of narrative. Throughout all of Taika’s films the theme of family is a key focus, from ‘Two Cars, One Night’ to something as seemingly off topic as this vampire mockumentary, which effectively dealt with a group of outcasts that have bonded as a family. PS: Don’t be fooled by the thumbnail.

Around about the same time as the production of ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, Taika was approached by Disney about the possibility to helping write the screenplay for their planned islander disney princess escapade, Moana. Taika produced the initial screenplay which in true Taika fashion centered around the theme of family and gender within the Islander/Maori culture. This was to be his first real taste of Hollywood and ‘the big time’, and although Disney dropped these elements in favor of what would become the finalized story, this would open doorways for Taika to his latest project *spoilers*

Two years after his Vampire antics, Taika appeared on our screens again in a cameo of his latest directed film ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ (2016) starring many of the same troop that have appeared in his previous films, plus some new and old kiwis such as the veteran actor Sam Neill. A comedy adventure film that follows a young troubled foster boy and a grumpy and reluctant adoptive uncle who go on the run in the forests of New Zealand after a terrible mixup. The film was screened at Sundance and broke records for a New Zealand film in its opening weekend. In a little side note, I absolutely adored this film and raced across the UK to find a venue that was screening it and now enjoy it regularly on Netflix.

In 2017 I returned back to New Zealand, having taken a year out of my studies at university, determined to gain some real world industry based experience in the country I had become utterly obsessed with. I moved to Wellington for six months and worked for a company called SproutMedia and began laying the groundwork for my move here after graduation. But 2017 was an even bigger year for Taika. He was named New Zealander of the Year, but even bigger still he was put at the helm of his first major Hollywood blockbuster film, Marvel Studios’ ‘Thor Ragnarok (owned by Disney, see told you spoilers) scheduled for release on the 3rd November, or for me in the UK 27th October! A marriage of my favorite director and possibly one of my all time favorite franchises? Pinch me!

Now you’ve had your brief history lesson kids, why do I love Taika Waititi. Well, I can honestly say that if I get to grow up like Taika, well that would just be swell. At the respectable age of 42, Taika would have been 41 when Marvel approached him for Thor, 41 when he directed his fourth feature Hunt for the Wilderpeople, 39 when he directed his third feature What We Do in the Shadows, 35 when he directed second feature Boy, 32 when he directed his first feature film Eagle vs Shark, and 29 when Two Cars, One Night won him an Academy Award nomination. So at my age (26) on the Taika-scale I clock in just before his first released 48-hour short film ‘John & Pogo’ and leaves me three years to create my Academy Award nominated short.

I’ve always said, I’d hate to become a cog in a machine, a number on a sheet. I am in no hurry to make my way to Hollywood and make the big bucks. I am more than happy meandering along at my own pace, and if I get there then I get there. (Unless you are reading this Marvel then hook me up!)

In addition to his general life plan, I admire Taika on a much more personal level. He is without a doubt one of the modern era of films’ greatest master of dry/deadpan comedy. A style of comedy which is very rarely seen, thanks in large to the stream of over the top foolery we receive from Hollywood; making Taika’s films very important. Take a look at the above video where Taika discusses some of the things that help and inform his creative process. I find myself drawn to the countryside, to long walks with music, seeing things in places one time and seeing something completely different the next.

I love the quote from the beginning of this blog post: “I want to explore the painful comedy of growing up and interpreting the world. I believe that despite our faults and inadequacies, through all pain and heartache, there is still room to laugh” because in a world where people don’t feel like they belong and are judged and outcast, there is always an underlying humor that is rarely acknowledged. Take a look at the following video on how Taika finds happiness in sadness in a masterful way. This is the New Zealander narrative ingenious at work.

And now if I could leave you with one final video to watch it would be this TedX talk by Taika Waititi about ‘The Art of Creativity’ which not only tells you more about the character of Taika, but also speaks volumes to all art creators about the painful process of creating art and yet the happiness to be reaped from its success. It explains how he is attracted to the outsider that finds or creates somewhere to belong despite adversity.

Family.

 

 

Intertextuality: Netflix’s Stranger Things

Intertextuality and Nostalgia is the new currency of mainstream cinema. But what the heck does it mean, and is this change of direction over the last few years a good or bad thing for cinema. Let’s take a look at that and its relationship to the Netflix show Stranger Things.

You might not know what Intertextuality is but I bet if you have seen any franchise movies over the last seven years you are going to be familiar with it by another name; perhaps easter eggs, references, fan service, homages. Intertextuality by definition is ‘the relationship between texts’, for example the appearance of the millennium falcon in Star Wars Episode VII, Sauron’s appearance in Dol Guldur during the The Hobbit films and the reveal of Bond’s Specter villain Blofeld. And if you are still unsure, take a look at this video comparing Pixar’s Toy Story and how they used Weaponized Intertextuality.

 

Now when I say if you’ve seen a franchise movie in the last seven years, that is not to say that Intertextuality didn’t exist before then. You can’t escape Intertextuality, it is as old as storytelling itself. It is how language functions. All language reaches back and is informed by what has come before it. But now there is a new form of Intertextuality born out of the endless series of remakes, sequels, prequel and shared universe. Where as before these typically pointed to genre conventions, the influences behind the text, or historical and cultural context,  but in this new generation of films, the Intertextual manifests itself as objects, people or situations that trigger an emotional or nostalgic response in its captive audience. It’s a tool in the filmmakers arsenal that has coined the ‘Weaponized Intertextuality’ term. In fact I’d argue that it has become so powerful that companies will put more time and effort into that than the actual narrative of their films.

If you are thinking to yourself: ‘well, no actually Grant, intertextuality is always secondary to the story and is just a way of saying thank you to their fans’ then I would say ‘Dude, did you even watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of the Martha-club?’. Heck, a whole game was created and spread virally across the world just by tapping into Intertextuality, remember Pokemon Go? Yeah, they obviously didn’t skimp on the core features of the game.

I digress from that rant to bring you back to the subject of this blog post. Stranger Things takes us back to 1983 in the small quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana. When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, a mysteriously powerful girl and the boy’s friends must confront horrifying forces in order to save him. The Netflix’s original drama series quickly became one of the streaming services biggest hits of all time, with nearly 8.2 million people viewing it only 16 days after release.

Part of what made Stranger Things such a success is its Weaponized Intertextualization towards 70’s and 80’s movie. One film that is extremely noticeable as a reference throughout Stranger Things is Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). The mysterious character of 11 or El for short appears and is taken in by the boys. She is being hunted by some kind of government organization for testing because she has powers beyond anyones understanding. However, the kids and El find a way to escape past these antagonists. Sound familiar? If that doesn’t sound like E.T enough, how about the fact that the boys are constantly riding around on their bicycles everywhere? In fact, take a look at these two scenes in which both characters are fleeing on bicycles from the organization trying to capture them.

And the references don’t stop there. Films such as Firestarter (1984), Alien (1979) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) all find a place within Stranger Things, take a look!

So how does all of this Weaponized Intertextuality contribute to the success of Stranger Things and why are the big wigs behind the film so keen to make this happen? You might have noticed that I have been talking about two very different aspects here. Well there are two kinds of Intertextuality in my mind; the obvious and the subtle. When Rey and Finn turn and run for the Millennium Falcon that is what I would call an obvious moment of Weaponized Intertextuality. It smacks us in the face and says “Hey, remember this old thing? From that old movie? Yeah! YEAH!” When we see these obvious moments we are hit with a kind of chill. In that split second everything you know about that object, person or name in question comes flooding back.

The subtle moment works a little bit different. As seen in the above video, a lot of these shots are almost like for like in their homage of movies from the 70’s and 80’s. But to the average viewer at home, hopefully engrossed in the story of Stranger Things, they aren’t going to stop and think oh that looked like such and such a shot from that movie. Rather, these shots will connect with us at a unconscious level. In the instance of Stranger Things, I feel it takes us back to movies from the 80’s because subconsciously we connect these shots with movies of that time period which happens to be when the series is set. We are subconiously reminded of that freaky alien hiding in the wheat field when the boys find El out in the woods. We are reminded of the Aliens lair when we see the government in the upside down.

And if that’s not it, then fuck it, why not just throw those shots in their because they are from other remembered classic films and having shots like those can’t be a bad thing right? Plus what director doesn’t want to be able to sit through their movie and gloat that their audience still hasn’t spotted all of the hidden easter eggs?

And why do the big cats love Intertextualization? MONEY! Why would the big cats love anything if it didn’t result in profit? The same reason we have franchises, sequel, prequels and shared universes. Because what has gone before and done well can be repeated and repeated till it is bled dry and shriveled. Using Intertextualization as a weapon for the production studios is a sure fire way of knowing what will and won’t be a financial success. If I make a new Spiderman movie and throw in little appearances of Tony Stark and make some references to other Marvel stuff then this is going to sell like hot cakes! (Lets face it, anything pounded out by Marvel will sell now just by stamping those big white letters over them).

In conclusion, Weaponized Intertextuality is neither a good or bad thing inheritantly, but rather like any tool in the filmmaker’s arsenal can be used to great or horrific effect. Whilst many have found the finite balance between effective narrative with a seasoning of Intertextuality, there are also films that overtip the balance. Netflix have so far been very deft at keeping this balance in check, not only with Stranger Things but also their Marvel properties and shows like Rick & Morty. Stranger Things knows what it wants to use its Intertextuality to convey and does so to marvelous effect. What are your thoughts?