This interview with “Good Night Oppy” director Ryan White first appeared in the Guild & Critics Awards/Documentaries issue of awards magazine TheWrap.
Ryan White’s documentary “Good Night Oppy” is the real-life story of NASA’s two Mars rovers, who landed on the red planet in 2004 and were expected to run out soon after, only to “live” for a long time. plus. It’s also a tribute to humanity’s ingenuity and curiosity: the ability of different people from various walks of life to come together to create something revolutionary. We spoke to White about his film, which was produced by Amazon Studios and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment.
Why did you want to make this film?
I think a lot of my career is trying to balance a heavy subject with something a little more hopeful. I don’t see this movie as light in any way. I think it’s emotional. And I think it has very important issues, but I see it as very hopeful.
How did you find the human side of this story?
I like to tell human stories, and the record line is really moving: a robot that was supposed to live for 90 days survived for 15 years. But that doesn’t really mean anything, especially in a documentary film, if there aren’t amazing humans and storytellers to guide you through it. I thought it was going to be a big challenge. But there were so many people with such great stories and interesting, anecdotal ways of engaging with the rovers or infusing adventure or excitement into the rovers’ journeys.
Industrial Light & Magic was responsible for a large part of the film, depicting what the rovers were going through in the landscape of Mars. What did you ask them?
I said, “Is there a world where we can take the audience to Mars in a photorealistic and authentic way based on this photography and this data? Has that ever happened before?” They said, “We don’t know, but we’ll connect you with people who have those answers.”
Since you made the film for Amblin, have you received any feedback from the man himself, Steven Spielberg?
I did. It was one of the best and unique days of my film career. Making a movie like this, which is very Spielberg in his mark, I was intimidated to take on the project. I felt a lot of pressure that I don’t always feel in my documentaries. But the producers Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank told me that Spielberg had seen it and loved it. I feel weird even saying that, but I’ve been told I’m allowed to say it out loud. He loved it. And he said that he made him cry. I felt very proud at that moment, because he’s part of the reason I’m a filmmaker and he was doing this as part of his company, as part of his brand. And I wanted to make him proud.
Read more from the Guild & Critics / Documentary Awards edition here.
