Imagine being alone in the middle of the ocean trying to not be eaten by a vicious and hungry shark. Sounds like everyone’s worst nightmare, right? Well, Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra is recreating that horror and then some in “The Shallows,” a film about Nancy Adams (Blake Lively), a young woman stranded just a short distance from shore when she is attacked by a great white shark.
Nancy is seeking solace after the death of her mother, and she has found peace on a surfboard. Eventually she locates what she is looking for: the secret beach that was a special place for her mom. Though she knows it is dangerous to surf alone, she risks it when her travel companion bails.
What she thinks will be a chance for her to reflect, turns into a situation in which Nancy will need to gather all her strength, bravery, intelligence, resourcefulness and creativity to get out of it alive. She finds herself against the apex predator of the ocean. As resourceful as Nancy becomes, the shark is equally determined to live and will give everything has.
The director orchestrating the combat is Jaume Collet-Serra ("Orphan," "Non-Stop," "Unknown"). “Every movie he’s made has had an extraordinary amount of suspense,” said Lynn Harris, producer of “The Shallows.” “He gets great performances from his actors, and he understands every scene and every frame from the point of view from the audience, what’s going to be the most satisfying experience for them in that moment.” Latin Times had the opportunity of chatting with Collet-Serra, and this is what he told us.
Latin Times: What was the biggest challenge while shooting this film?
Jaume Collet-Serra: All of it. Every scene was a big pain for everyone, from the actress to the production team. Shooting anything in the water is extremely hard because water breaks everything. It does not play well with the equipment, electricity, damages the cameras, if you’re in the sea you have to take into consideration that salt water destroys makeup, and most of the equipment as well, and if you’re in the tank, where we also shot, chlorine had the same effect. Also having a wet actress in a bikini on set for 40 days is not an easy thing either, but little by little it all came together.
LT: Based on what you just said, do you think the fact the movie didn’t have many actors was an advantage?
JCS: Well, it was what we wanted. We wanted a very minimalist film so people could focus on the story. The other actors in the movie are there so you know the girl’s story, but once they’ve disappeared and she’s the only one left, you really start caring about her. If you pay attention to the movie, all the secondary actors are very likeable at the beginning, but not her (Nancy, Blake Lively’s character). But little by little you start realizing how she really is and what she’s capable of. We didn’t want to have a likeable protagonist from the beginning. We wanted you to get to know her first and then connect with her in one way or another.
LT: What did you enjoy the most about making this film?
JCS: Finishing it! Yes, I think so. It was all very challenging. Up until one week ago we didn’t have a shark. The shark takes a long time in the editing room. When we shot the movie we figured out ways to move the water and make the actors believe there was a shark, but then we have to begin a 3D process that takes months in order to get the shark right. And you don’t really see it until the last minute. Throughout this whole year that I’ve been working on this movie, there wasn’t a shark, so as the premiere date approached, I was beginning to get very nervous, especially when you want to have a very realistic shark.
LT: When you shot the movie, had you discussed the size of the shark? Because it looked huge!
JCS: Yes, but it’s not one of the biggest ones, and it was a female shark. Female sharks are bigger than male sharks and they have a lot of markings because male sharks grab them by their necks with their teeth so they can reproduce. That’s why our shark has so many bite marks. Female sharks are very majestic visually speaking, but Discovery Channel might do a better job explaining all of this. The biggest shark known to date was 25 feet long and ours was only 20. We knew we wanted big, but not the biggest one.
LT: You do a lot of thrillers. Is there something in particular that draws you to this genre?
JCS: It is what I do! If I could do some comedy, I would. But I can’t do comedy.
LT: Why not?
JCS: No, no, each person does what they know how to do. I’m only funny outside of the film set! But really, I do thrillers because I like Hitchcock very much. I like to put the audience in a situation and let their imaginations run wild figuring ways of getting out of it, but then surprising them.
LT: As a Spanish director who made it big in Hollywood, what do you think was the key to your success?
JCS: Luck. I think there have been many people who’ve come here and tried, but it’s also a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I began my career making TV commercials, and I was lucky enough to be introduced into that world when I was still studying. I saw how a lot of directors made good money making TV spots, and I figured I would do that as well, instead of trying to make a movie. I was young, and luckily made a name for myself and that opened the doors for Hollywood. But this doesn’t work like that anymore. There are so many ways to poke your head in the movie industry now, especially with YouTube.
LT: What are your future projects?
JCS: Another thriller with Liam Neeson. This time on a train! We start next week in London.
“The Shallows” is in theaters now.
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