Throughout his legendary career, Ridley Scott has created some of the most iconic moments in cinematic history, whether it is a Xenomorph bursting through John Hurt’s chest in Alien or Russell Crowe giving his vengeful speech in Gladiator. These moments, and the dozens of others like them, weren’t the product of some whim on set, but instead part of a meticulous planning process carried out by the Academy Award-winning filmmaker weeks and even months before shooting begins. This supports that supports the “true essence” of his various films, including his unforgettable House of Gucci.
This intense addition-to-detail approach by the director is on full display in “The Making of Ridley Scott” featurette that accompanies the House of Gucci home release, which is currently available on Digital and will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD on February 22. To celebrate the home release, Universal gave CinemaBlend an exclusive look at the clip that goes into great detail about everything, from Ridley Scott’s obsession with storyboarding to ways in which he makes his sets feel like something completely different for the House of Gucci cast and crew.
Although it's not that long, the clip is packed with interviews with everyone from Adam Driver to Lady Gaga, the latter of whom went as far as to compare the visionary director to a conductor, saying:
It’s almost as though, we as the cast, we’re all different instruments in an orchestra. And this movie is him conducting a symphony of all these different parts to support the true essence of the film.
According to producer Kevin J. Walsh, one of the ways that Ridley Scott is able to get the most out of the various members of the cast and crew on set is through his habit of storyboarding every single frame of the movie ahead of time and then handing those out each day so that everyone knows exactly what they’re doing that particular day. But that is just the beginning of the process, as Scott also prefers to go with the rather unique set-up of having four cameras shooting simultaneously so that multiple shots can be captured in a single take, and he does this for one reason:
The key about it is the freshness. No actor wants to do 38 takes, trust me.
As several members of the cast and crew point out time and time again throughout “The Making of Ridley Scott,” the director’s knack for preparation helps liberate the actors. As Adam Driver explained, it makes the whole shoot feel like “theatre in the round.” However, Ridley Scott still leaves room for improvisation on the set and trusts someone if they come forward with an impulse or idea they really want to explore.
In addition to “The Making of Ridley Scott,” the home release of House of Gucci also comes loaded with various other featurettes and bonus content. You can preorder a physical copy or watch the Digital version on Amazon. If you want to know what other movies you’ll soon be able to watch at home, take a quick glance at CinemaBlend’s 2022 DVD release schedule.
