Emily Carmichael is having herself quite a weekend. In addition to seeing her film, Pacific Rim: Uprising, hit #1 at the box office, it was also announced that she is going to be writing and directing a film for none other than Steven Spielberg. In addition to being part of the panel “The Ultimate Guide to Constructing Your Favorite Sci-Fi Universe,” Emily sat down with me to discuss her #1 film, working in established genres, and more.
On Pacific Rim: Uprising and Jumping Into that Universe
I, for one, was very surprised that Pacific Rim got a sequel given how the first film ended. Emily said she was super excited working on the movie. She loved working on scenes like the scraper chase at the beginning. She wrote a lot of dialogue that isn’t in the movie (due to Charlie Hunnam not returning) but she did have fun writing it.
The Limitations of Canon Being Bonuses
Emily is next up on Jurassic World 3 and we know that audiences in genre take the canon of their shows and movies very seriously. Emily had no qualms about jumping into these different areas. Her two biggest credits in fact have come sequels. “I kind of like it cause in a way it constrains the problem by giving you fewer options. The world is limited by what’s come before and given shape by the people before you. To me there’s something cool about that.” She also mentioned that even though as a writer-director of indie films that she’s used to power, but absolutely loves the collaboration that studio filmmaking provides.
Working with a Studio on Jurassic World 3
Emily is co-writing the movie with Colin Treverrow and as mentioned above she loves collaboration. She spoke that getting studio notes shouldn’t be daunting, they can help improve the movie. “Someone asked John August a question on his podcast, “Hey John can you tell me the ways of subtlely convince a studio that I’m doing their notes, while note doing the note?” and John replied, “Maybe try doing the note” Hopefully collaboration is good and productive.
How Being a Woman in a Male Genre is an Asset
It’s fascinating to track Emily’s career, in that she has made her name in genre films, movies that remain sorely lacking in female representation on screen and behind the screen. Emily said she does feel a responsibility and that she’s able to channel it into her work. “It’s good to remember that my experience of being a woman is an asset. Sometimes there’s a fear…you can start to say things to yourself like “well I had a problem with that movie, but maybe it’s just because I’m a woman.” but if you had a problem with a movie because you’re a woman, it has allowed you to see something in a movie that another gender might not see and that is an asset”