As directors develop their own style they also develop their own way of making movies. Sometimes a Martin Scorsese will watch a Steven Spielberg film and wonder how they pulled off a moment, and they often will get in contact either directly or through others to learn, but a day of Production on the sets of the two filmmakers can be radically different in approach and that’s an important part of the process.
Paul Thomas Anderson didn’t just come up with One Battle After Another. It developed over time, including while they were scouting locations, filming and in the edit. He’s a surprisingly loose filmmaker considering his movies often end in ways that feel inevitable based on the journey. 1st Assistant Director Adam Somner would keep PTA on budget and schedule while allowing him to find the story during production, eventually earning Producer credits on PTAs films.
For Phantom Thread, the story takes place on only a few sets. The most expensive technical aspect would be the Costume Design by Mark Bridges (The Artist, Joker) which won an Oscar. The script is credited solely to Anderson, but he even says Daniel Day-Lewis had so much input – including naming the character Reynolds Woodcock – that he should be seen as co-writer. There is no credited Director of Photography. Anderson designed the look with the Camera Operators and Gaffer Jonny Franklin. I’m sure many aspiring and established filmmakers would like to spend time on set to see how that dynamic works.
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