INTERVIEW: Starchitect Bjarke Ingels comes into focus in new doc
The new documentary Big Time follows the work and passions of the influential architect Bjarke Ingels. The focus of the piece, which follows Ingels for six years, is the architect’s latest projects in New York City: World Trade Center 2 and the skyscraper VIA 57W. Coincidentally, Big Time will play the Landmark at 57 West, which is part of VIA 57W, beginning Dec. 1.
Ingels’ ideas are clearly tremendous in scope and scale, and that’s probably why the architect’s company is called BIG.
Kaspar Astrup Schröder directs the film. He is an award-winning filmmaker who previously directed The Invention of Dr. Nakamats, Rent a Family Inc. and My Playground.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Schröder about his new movie. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What first attracted you to the idea of telling this story cinematically?
Well, I have a background in fiction films. I spent the first many years in this business … in the editing rooms of fiction films, and I think that when we make films we should exploit all the possibilities and means available from telling stories through film. So why not make it cinematic? To me it doesn’t matter if it’s fiction, documentary or commercials. The project has to justify to be told through film; otherwise it might just make a better news article or photo book. So when I make my films, I try to work with the best possible tools and people that can help tell a dramatic and cinematic story that is worthy of the big screen.
How long did you follow Bjarke? Did you have full access?
I filmed Bjarke for six years. It was a very long process to find and evolve the story. I found him and his ideas fascinating, but for a very long time, I didn’t know what the dramatic story was about. I wanted to tell a story about architecture, but through character. And I wanted to tell a story that didn’t only appeal to architects, but also people that didn’t know they were interested in architecture. A more universal and personal story about a modern man that has the ability to conquer the world, but maybe forgets himself and his personal needs in it.
Thankfully Bjarke gave me full access and trusted me completely.
What were some of the challenges of portraying Bjarke’s architecture on screen? Did you take a lot of time to figure out how you would lens the picture?
The challenges was to describe Bjarke’s creativity and also visually describe his architecture. I mean, if you only talk about it, the audience won’t believe you. You gotta show not tell, so very late in the shoot, I actually think it was during the editing, I came up with the idea of having him draw and sketch down his ideas on paper. Both his architecture, but also more universal questions about his life and this helped a lot to understand him and his projects.
Filming his actual built architecture was difficult, and usually I’m not a big fan of drones. But I really think it worked well to shoot architecture with drones, ’cause you really get to see the whole building, the surroundings and the different angles a building presents itself from. That mixed with Bjarke’s pov worked well, I think.
What do you hope audiences take away from the documentary?
I hope that audiences that maybe weren’t interested in architecture before will take away an interest and consideration on why they live the life they do. And how they live it. What makes a great building. What matters in the way that we live and why does it matter?
When did you first fall in love with documentary film?
Hmm, I don’t know really. As I said I worked with fiction for a lot of years, before I, by chance, came across editing a doc. But that really changed something for me in terms of how to tell stories. The small crew, the unpredictable situations that arise and just telling true stories, really feels much more worth it to me to spend my own life on. Reality is truly stranger than fiction, and challenging myself in making a film about it, is what really drives me.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Big Time, directed by Kaspar Astrup Schröder and featuring Bjarke Ingels, will open Friday, Dec. 1 in New York City. Click here for more information.
