In The Director's Chair: Catherine Hardwicke

PW: Ok, with that out of the way, I know this was a rather hectic production, so how do you feel about "Red Riding Hood" with a little bit of distance?
Catherine: It was a very wild ride. You spend months trying to get a movie made and from the moment they said yes we had a very compacted, tight schedule. They cut a third of our schedule in post-production -- after we wrapped, they said, “it has to be out on this date!” We couldn’t even take a breath. It was one of the most exhausting things I’ve ever done – 110 hour work weeks just to get the movie finished. In a way, I never had time to take stock of what just happened. So I’m looking forward to watching the movie again and seeing it now that I have a little more time. Like every filmmaker I would have loved to have had more time to finesse it, live with it a bit more. I wish I could have, but there was a schedule I had to keep.

PW: I was also pleasantly surprised to see a Gag Reel on there -- something I feel like dramatic directors don't embrace as often as they should. I mean, who wouldn't want to see a "Schindler's List" Gag Reel?
Catherine: I wanna see that! [laughs] It’s funny because I had that dilemma on “Twilight” and I didn't end up putting the Gag Reel on the DVD, but this one has some fun stuff – mostly in regards to working on a period movie. Clanking around in the armor. Getting stuck on walls. It’s goofy fun stuff that I thought people would like.

PW: So what will be next for you?
Catherine: I think it’s a movie that will be shot in Europe – it’s back to my raw indie roots. I can’t say what it is, but it’s wild. We’ll probably announce it in a few weeks so keep your eyes out. 

PW: Now that you've sort of dabbled in both indie & studio fare, do you have a preference?
Catherine: It’s so interesting because there is something wonderful about both sides. Working for a studio, you’ve got all the support of these executives, marketing people, beautiful sound facilities and all the equipment. But you also have a lot of input from those executives who are busy on all their other projects. Juggling release dates is difficult. They want a movie to come out this day!So you have a beautiful machine to work within. With indie film, you have nobody telling you anything. No one says “don’t make it R rated” or “make that character nicer!” I'm free to do what I want to do, but in that freedom comes no money – which is why my car, furniture and clothes are in “Thirteen!” [laughs] After doing a few studio films in a row, I want to do another indie – I think it’s good for the soul to struggle a bit. To make something out of nothing.

Check out the entire interview here.