What skills did Mathieson bring to the table?
Scott: Not all cameramen are artists, but John is. He's [also] extremely knowledgeable technically, partly because of his background in rock videos and commercials, where he could experiment. If anything, people making rock videos expect you to experiment; otherwise, the band isn't interested. Each of these three- to four-minute pieces are essays of creativity [set] to music. That's why I have Black Dog we see it as a great beginning for young filmmakers. John had been through a lot of that, and therefore is very inventive.
For instance, I didn't want to just shoot the battle sequences for Gladiator in a traditional manner, so we adopted various styles, which John and I talked about, for the different stages. We used various techniques in terms of cameras and camera speeds. When you've got 2,000 soldiers in the field at any one time, and you're planning to experiment, you'd better make sure you're right, because you can't go back and reshoot it. I like the fact that John had been down those [experimental] routes, whereas others, I think, might rather play it safe. John would go for it, and mostly, thank God, he was right.
When it comes to cinematography, you've been known to be very hands-on. Was that also true on this film?
Scott: I'm a reasonably practiced operator, so I like to get in there and line up the shots. I know that certain cameramen don't like to work with me or my brother, Tony, because we both came up [through the industry] the same way primarily from the visual side into long-form work and we both like to be on the camera. I always think the best job on the floor is the operator's job, because that's where you see the bells going off. I came out of TV commercials, which I feel have very much to do with a director and his eye. On those types of shoots, the director ought to be looking through the camera, and I did a lot of that.
Now that video-assist has become so sophisticated, of course, I don't have to look past the operator's left ear to see what I'm getting through the viewfinder; I can just talk to them very accurately using the monitor. It's not simple; it's hell, actually, but you can move pretty fast if you know what you want, and I always know what I want. I think for the most part, cameramen enjoy the experience with me, even though they sometimes go into it with great trepidation. I believe that the process should be fun and inventive, and I can be influenced by anything or anyone.
Speaking of influences, what did you use as references for Gladiator? A film like this could draw comparisons to classics such as Spartacus, Ben Hur, The Fall of the Roman Empire or Quo Vadis.
Scott: I probably drew from the same references those filmmakers did paintings and drawings. The greatest photographers were the painters who represented those historic times, particularly [artists] from the 19th century. [Sir Lawrence] Alma-Tedema, who was painting Greek, Roman and Egyptian environments with great perception and accuracy, was a big reference; he created beautiful representations of an ideal world. It then fell to me to say, 'Rome was the Golden City, but it was probably dirty and grim in parts, despite the beautiful architecture.' For me, the process mainly involved looking at the illustrations and paintings, and then reinterpreting them based on what I wanted.
Did you make a conscious effort to avoid similarities to previous films about ancient Rome?
Scott: Yeah, but Spartacus is a good movie. Ben Hur's got some great stuff in it, and so did The Fall of the Roman Empire. There's a lot of accuracy in those representations [of the era]. The question is, when you bring a different eye to the time period and [shoot in a] different decade, will the picture look different than previous films? Absolutely. I think through the production design, we got an interesting view of Roman life that I'm very happy with.
How extensive were your interactions with production designer Arthur Max during preproduction?
Scott: When I'm in prep on a period film, the people I probably do the most work with are those in the art department partly because I come from that discipline myself. I love the process. I always make sure I've got the best storyboard artist I can get my hands on, as well as the best production designer. This is my second film with Arthur; we did G.I. Jane together, and I've also done commercials with him. Arthur is an architect, so he's very conscious of architectural details. Naturally, there were endless discussions.
The biggest thing Arthur was doing for Gladiator was [the Colosseum set] in Malta. I had once used the water tank in Malta [for White Squall], and I remembered one lunchtime when I was wandering around the studio. I walked up to a ruined barracks which had been used by the British Army [during its war] against Napoleon in 1803. The whole military infrastructure was built in limestone. There is a prevailing wind in Malta that blows sand all the time, and this limestone is soft, so it has aged beyond its 200 years. I thought if we could put the Colosseum in the middle of one of the parade grounds, we could dovetail our sets into all of the existing architecture. Arthur and I got the original 1803 plans [for the site] from the city. We made a scale model of the actual site, which was enormous, and we started to play chess in that with model pieces to see how our additions would fit within the structure. By doing that, I think we saved ourselves a lot of money.
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