Robert Zemeckis Visits Campus

November 1, 2012

Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis talked about his career and shared advice with students, faculty, staff, and alumni on campus before heading to the red carpet at the 48th Chicago International Film Festival where he screened his new film “Flight.” Film & Video faculty member Ron Falzone led the conversation and Q&A with Zemeckis, which focused on movies Zemeckis has directed, including the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” and “Forrest Gump.”

“You have to love the art form. Movies are hard to do—back breaking and nerve wracking,” mused Zemeckis. He went on to share that he thinks the writing process is crucial and that the way in to the business is to write, saying “The world is desperate for good ideas.” When it comes to directing, his advice for aspiring filmmakers was that “talent is the key, but casting is crucial.”

Discussing his newest movie “Flight,” Zemeckis said he was looking for a creative soul mate. He asked screenwriter John Gatins to be on set with him for the entire production, saying that movies can look awful if the writer and director don’t form a relationship and work together.

“Flight,” a live action feature film in which an airline pilot saves a flight from crashing but spurs an investigation into the malfunctions, opens in Chicago on November 2.

Approximately 200 students, staff, faculty and alumni attended the conversation with Zemeckis on October 25.

Photo Credit: Charles Celander. Full story on Film & Video news feed.