Robert Rodriguez on Filming The Faculty in Austin and Casting Unknowns

Filming "The Faculty" in Austin

• 📍 Robert Rodriguez chose to film "The Faculty" in Austin because he wanted to make a movie at home and appreciated the city's hardworking and enthusiastic film community.
• 🎬 He noted that the city's attitude felt like people were building something together, contributing to a great film community.
• ☀️ While shooting during the hot months, Rodriguez found that being in Austin kept him inside working, especially during the editing process.

Rodriguez's Signature Hands-On Filmmaking Style

• 🎥 Rodriguez acknowledges his hands-on approach to filmmaking, often operating the camera, editing, and mixing sound.
• ✂️ This involvement, particularly in the editing process, results in a distinctive and recognizable style across his films, regardless of his initial intentions for a different look.
• 💡 He enjoys the process of editing, describing it as being a total puppeteer and having fun shifting reality.

Creative Process and Script Development

• ✍️ Kevin Williamson initially wrote "The Faculty" script with the intention of directing it himself.
• 🤝 Williamson passed the script to Rodriguez, who was excited to work on it and incorporate a sci-fi element he had always wanted to explore.
• 🤯 Both Rodriguez and Williamson were pleased with the final film, especially given the complexity of the number of characters and the production timeline.

Thematic Resonance of High School Horror

• 🏫 Rodriguez agrees with the sentiment that high school itself can feel like a horror story for many students.
• 🎭 The setting is ideal for supernatural horror because of the inherent feelings of conformity, alienation, and identity confusion that are prevalent among students.
• 👽 Even though it's an alien invasion film, the core feeling of real high school experiences is maintained.

Casting Unknown Actors

• 🌟 A significant part of the excitement for Rodriguez was casting new talent and unknown actors.
• 👥 He specifically wanted faces that resembled the audience so that characters would appear real on screen, rather than like privileged kids.
• ❤️ This casting choice aimed to foster audience identification with the characters, which he found resonated well in early screenings.
• 👩‍⚕️ Salma Hayek made a cameo appearance as a nurse, a role Rodriguez created when he realized the nurse from his own school was attractive.