"X" Director Ty West An ambitious film disguised as a traditional horror film, its theme is "passion for filmmaking" [Director's Interview Vol.221]

Surprising ideas to survive the coronavirus pandemic

Q: The film is set in Texas, but I was surprised to learn that it was actually shot entirely in New Zealand. Could you tell us why you decided to shoot in New Zealand and what you did to create a Texas atmosphere?

West: We were originally going to shoot it in the U.S., but then the coronavirus pandemic hit in the spring of 2020. We really wanted to shoot the film in the summer, and it became impossible to shoot it in the U.S. that year.

The production company, A24, was against postponing filming for more than a year, so I half-jokingly suggested, "Why don't we shoot it in the Southern Hemisphere?" The seasons would be reversed, so we could shoot summer scenes in winter. However, I thought it would be impossible to get an American feel in New Zealand. So I looked into it and found that one area was similar to Texas. So we decided to shoot it in New Zealand.

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At the time, there were still zero infected people in New Zealand, so once I entered the country, I was able to take photos as usual without wearing a mask or other infection control measures. Also, this time, we commissioned the special effects from New Zealand-based WETA Digital*, so being able to shoot in their hometown was a big advantage.

*VFX production company founded by director Peter Jackson. He won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for works such as " The Lord of the Rings " series (01-03).

However, even though it resembles Texas, it is still New Zealand, so I tried to make it look as Texas as possible by building an American-style barn and sprinkling American tastes here and there. Thanks to that, people who saw the film seemed to think that it was shot in Texas, and even many Texans seem to believe that "that's Texas" (laughs).

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Director/Screenplay/Editor: Ty West

Born October 5, 1980 in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. Studied filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts in New York. In 2005, he made his directorial debut with The Roost. He directed The House of the Devil (2009), which was praised by the media as "one of the best horror films of the decade." His Sacramento (2013), produced by horror film guru Eli Roth, premiered at the Venice Film Festival. His major directorial works include Cabin Fever 2 (2009), The Innkeeper (2011), The Vampire Slayer (2012), The ABCs of Death (2012 *Anthology), Sacramento (2013), Valley of Violence (2016), and more. He is also active as an actor.

Interview and text: Tetsuya Inagaki

TV director. My personal goal is to realize a documentary project that depicts the obsessions of manga and movie creators. Programs he has directed in the past include ``The Godfather : The Man Who Revolutionized Manga'' (WOWOW), ``Takeshi's Birth: Master and Asakusa'' (NHK), ``Master and Disciple Story: The Encounter That Changed My Life'' [Masahiro Tanaka x Katsuya Nomura ]” (NHK BS Premium)

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