LiveWorld Transcripts

Boxtop presents

Film Director Whit Stillman
"Last Days of Disco"

July 16, 1998

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Da-brat: What year did you make your move The last Days of Disco?

Whit Stillman: The Last Days of Disco was shot in the period of August - October 1997. It's portraying about 9 months of time in the early 1980's. The film was completed at the very end of April of this year.

Outlawslady: How did you like working with Rosanna Arquette and do you consider her a screen DIVA?

Whit Stillman: I liked working with her and consider her a screen Diva in the best sense. She was a lot of fun, and was willing to fly out of LA. Chris Eigeman also came down from New York to be in it.

Newman5: What all have you produced?

Whit Stillman: The three films I've produced are the ones I've also directed, Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco. The co-producers on The Last Days of Disco would like me to produce more films, other directors films so that we can stay together as a unit to make them.

Nofuzzivum: Did you like boogie nights?

Whit Stillman: I take the Fifth Amendment.

Kdaddy: What first inspired you to write The LasDays of Disco?

Whit Stillman: I think a strong dramatic, romantic memory of the period was a heightened moment in my experience and the title and the first few scenes and performance almost immediately which is something that's never happened to me before.

Corbusier: On the subject of social decline of UHB - was it intentional to portray people in advertising, or sales (as in Barcelona), as a part of that decline?

Whit Stillman: I don't think so!

Purplechango: Whit, what would you recommend for me? I want to be a writer/director as well.

Whit Stillman: But well put! Go into a publishing training program.

T3: Which screenplay writers do you like?

Whit Stillman: I know Bill Goldman and I think he's an amazingly good and prolific screenwriter. Other great ones are Nick Kazzan, Peter Carrey, Ron Bass, and Steven Katz. Also, Dennis Feldman.

Bacetheace: What has been the most exciting project you've worked on this far in your lifetime, and what do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?

Whit Stillman: I think the Herman the DO mayoralty campaign in 1969 was very exciting.

Era: Do you need to copyright your work right away, or is it automatically copyrighted in the production of it? What is the procedure, if you can tell us briefly?

Whit Stillman: I believe under the new law, what you write is immediately copyrighted without action on your part. However, in order to claim substantial damages, in any litigation, you have to have the copyright registered. That registration can be made subsequent to the publishing of the work. When I was reading manuscripts at Doubleday, it always seemed a very bad sign if the writer put a copyright notice on their manuscript. A certain amount of trust seems to be the mark of professionalism. But I'm not a lawyer.

Rainbowslight: What actor do you most admire and would like to work with?

Whit Stillman: I would say, Tom Hanks would be one, but for the historical film, I think Harrison Ford would be the best movie star for the role.

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