The Soloist

Questions;

1. Who produced 'The Soloist'?
2. What did Steve Lopez question about the film from the start?
3. When did the producers meet Nathanial?
4. Where were the real life locations of the film?
5. What was Susannah Grant's aim when screen writing?
6. Why was Joe Wright apprehensive about making the film?
7. What does Robert Downey Jr say about the role of Nathanial?
8. Why did Joe Wright want authentic locations and authentic people in his film?
9. How long did the set designers have on location to build the set?
10. What process did the actors go through to ensure that the acting was authentic?
11. What comments are made about the ending by Susannah Grant and Russ Krasnoff?

Answers;

1. Russ Krasnoff and Gary Foster.
2. He question where the film would go. 'How can you make a movie if you didn't have an ending?'.
3. Late 2005, after lunch with Gary and Russ.

4. The Lamp on St Julien, Skidrowe. The Disney Concert Hall and the tunnel.

5. Her aim was to get across the message that everyone, even homless people, are somebodies mother,   father, brother, sister. 'Everyone has a heart-breaking story.' she says, she wants to give people a wake up call, and humanise the homeless. Make it real.

6. America was alien to him. Using real people was nerve-racking because it's about somthing he knows nothing about. Needed to getit right as Steve and Nathaniel were watching the film be made and filmed.

7. A difficult character, alot of techinical elements not only learning to play the cello, but portraying the whole of his disability. He say's 'We've all seen crazy done wrong.' showing how much pressure Jamie is under. There are huge amountsof emotion. Robert said the character (Nathaniel) won him over then he receivs the new cello and wants to give somthing back.

8. Theres a moral obligation, if they're using there homes to film in he needs to give then jobs, give somthing back by letting them learn new skills. The real people show the reality, authenticity and let the actors see how it's done.

9. 4 weeks.

10. There were difficult timings and cues in order for the scenes to look authentic. They had 3 weeks of workshop, actors were put into real situations, they gain trust from the other people and see what it's really like. Jamie had to learn the cello and Nathaniels vocal patterns.

11. The ending is honest. He says he couldn't have a happy endingthat says Schizophrenia has a cure or is easy because that's not true for all the sufferers of the illness or people who deal with the ilnees everday. It's not a fairytale ending. 'It gives me hope' - Russ Krasnoff.