Ron Howard Interview (page: 4 / 4) Oscar for Best Director	Print Interview

How did you become interested in the space program?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Ron Howard: Initially, when the idea for Apollo 13 came to me, I didn't remember the mission very well. And then, as I looked at the facts, I had a vague recollection of it. I always believed in the space program and the spirit of exploration, but I was not a sort of a space junkie. Initially, I thought, "Wow! This would be a great challenge: to try to recreate for the audience the experience of going into space." And it's a very dramatic story, and that would be interesting. But I was looking at it more as a sort of cinematic exercise, you know, a great learning experience. However, as I began to learn more about the mission, I began to see that it was, in fact, even more dramatic than I realized. And, more importantly, as I began to meet the individuals involved -- not only the astronauts, but also a number of the mission control people who were involved in the rescue -- I began to see that this was really a great story of human triumph. A very emotional story and that you could be very, very truthful. And yet, it was a real opportunity to sort of celebrate what human beings are capable of.

[ Key to Success ] Vision

So my whole point of view about the movie shifted very early in the process. But it was a dramatic shift.

And you've continued with a series on the space project.

Ron Howard: Yes. Our company, Imagine Films, in association with Tom Hanks and his company, are doing a series of programs for HBO called From the Earth to the Moon . Tom is really the visionary on this one. Brian Grazer and I are lending a little moral support, and structural support, and things like that through our company. But I've got to say, this is really Tom's brainchild. The episodes are coming out great.

What would you tell a kid who didn't have the connections that you started out with, but had the same dream?

Ron Howard: A lot of people have been coming up to me and saying, "I have a sense that I might like to be involved in entertainment or film making. But I could also go to med school, or I could go to law school. I could pursue a more concrete, specific kind of academic discipline that leads to a career. What do I do?" What I keep telling them is that any sort of intellectual, academic pursuit is going to be valid to a creative life. You almost can't go wrong pursuing the more obvious course. Given the video cameras and word processors we have now, anybody can experiment with creative writing, with putting together a film.

Film schools are great. I encourage a lot of people to go. I went to film school. It can be wonderful if that's what you want to dedicate yourself to. But if there's any question at all, I would say, "Trust the fact that you can get your movies shown. You can enter them in festivals, you can be creatively ambitious outside the framework of a film school. You really can pursue both avenues. Why make a decision at this point if you don't have to? If you're not going to school in one of the hubs - New York, Chicago, L.A., there are still outlets. There's still ways for your films to be seen.

I really believe that great creative ideas will find their way to the surface. Make your videos. Enter them in festivals. Show them to your friends. Expose them to criticism. Go out and make another film. Don't put all your creative eggs in one basket. Don't write one spec script and walk away. Just keep pushing it and pushing it. You may find that it's too much trouble. Good Lesson. Don't do it. Walk away. You might find that you really love it. If you really love it, you'll find ways to pursue it.

Is there a book that really changed or affected you?

Ron Howard: Frank Capra's autobiography, The Name Above the Title , was very inspirational for me. It's a fun book. How absolutely true it is, I don't know. But it's very inspiring, and it also offers a lot of insight into the process of directing movies: the creative undertakings, interactions with powerful people, stars, and studio executives. It's a really great book. It was a very important book for me.

For writing, there's a book by an author named Linda Seeger, and the book is called How to Make a Good Script Great . It's about rewriting, but it's very useful to anybody who's thinking of sitting down and trying to write a screenplay, because it doesn't present a sort of rigid formula or structure. But it gives you lots of lists. It almost provides you with a checklist, so that when you're inspired, and you come up with your idea, you can ask yourself some of the questions that Linda Seeger asks, and challenge your story in that way. It can be really valuable.

Thank you so much for talking with us. I think your words will be really valuable to a lot of people.

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