...seemingly came out of nowhere. Who is Carl Rinsch? This is his first feature, but his credits only show a few short films or videos prior to it. I know 47 Ronin is a B-movie at best, but it's a big production. How did Rinsch get the job? Where did he come from? Who does he know?
Either he gave the studio heads good head, or he was blackmailing them.
shareWell...okay. That's two theories.
I was thinking more along the lines of the director being related to someone who is particularly important or powerful in Hollywood.
Sort of like Breck Eisner. Eisner's FIRST true feature (he'd previously made one full-length film) was 2005's Sahara starring Matthew McConaughey. Now Sahara, because of Holly-wierd's bizarre accounting methods, probably ended up costing Paramount Pictures around 280 million dollars after production, promotion, distribution, and all other costs were totalled. The film opened at number 1 it's first weekend at the theaters, but it ultimately failed to meet expectations. In fact it's considered an enormous bomb, because of it's huge budget and subsequent failure to bring in audiences. A planned sequel was quickly nixed and the film is NEVER going to break even.
Now...why was such an enormous project given to the inexperienced Breck Eisner as his first REAL feature? If you haven't figured it out already, it's because BRECK Eisner is the son of former Disney CEO MICHAEL Eisner. Well imagine that.
I don't think Carl Rinsch, director of 47 Ronin, is related to anybody like a Michael Eisner, so...I dunno. Maybe he found the winning game piece on the bottom of his 44-oz Coke from Carl's Jr., the grand prize being the opportunity to direct Keanu Reeves in another of his mediocre movies.
It does seem fanciful that a debut feature film director was handed the reins of a $175 million film. Interesting to see what his follow-up will be, if it ever comes around.🐭
shareUsually, if an inexperienced or even first-time director is given the reins of a film, it's because that person WROTE the thing and INSISTS on directing it as well. In those cases, if the production company or studio wants the story, they gotta take the author as director as well. But even in these cases the film isn't USUALLY gonna be some big budget monstrosity.
No, usually a director is supposed to work his way up to the big ones. I don't know WHAT the deal was with 47 Ronin. I couldn't get to the end...but I doubt it got considerably better. Some people liked it okay though...it's got a 6 point something rating here on IMDb. That's better than average. I just know I didn't care for it.
I quite liked it, but that doesn't disguise the fact that I think it's pretty weird that a guy who'd only filmed a few TV commercials before is suddenly helming a mega-budget production. Quite a risky move on the part of the studio I would have thought.
For instance James Gunn appears to have come from nowhere to make Guardians of the Galaxy (a similar budgeted film)a success. But his CV is biblical in length, compared to that of Carl Rinsch. I wonder whatever became of the concept of "serving an apprenticeship"?🐭
Quite right. "47 Ronin" wasn't the kind of movie to get a great deal of media push outside of industry publications or the internet before release, so Rinsch's story probably wasn't one that got out to a potential audience, beyond fan boys and industry insiders. If you don't read Variety or the Hollywood Reporter, you probably didn't read about Rinsch, if at all, so who knows how he got the job ultimately.
The movie's NOT a piece of garbage by any stretch, I just didn't happen to like it. It appears the guy is competent enough, but we both agree that the size of the budget alone SHOULD have precluded a relative novice from getting the job.
yeah i was thinking that aswell... who knows..
the film was very average , some nice imagery but for the amount it cost it was always going to look good, the basics like the acting and dialogue were a bit ropey. I dont know with the ammount of money it has lost i doubt he will direct again for a while.
carl is a protege of ridley scott he also ridley's son in law
he was suppose to direct Prometheus before ridley stepped in
And there ya go. Mystery solved.
It's undoubtedly more about "WHO YOU KNOW" in Hollywood than in any other American industry. And I don't have a problem with that...especially when a film turns out to be GOOD!
I didn't care for "47 Ronin", but it wasn't an AWFUL movie. I was just curious about the seemingly unknown director, since the budget was as big as it turned out to be.
Heck, I imagine Ridley Scott could get a big-budget film made with ME as director, and I couldn't even figure out my mom's Flip video camera!
the sad part is i think carl has talent i think his short film the gift was awesome
47 ronin was just too big of a step up for a feature film he should of done a low budget sci fi film imo
The Gift, by Carl Erik Rinsch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRNv-V7jV-g
Thanks for providing the link, I'm gonna check that out, but thanks also for your initial info into who the guy is. I'm curious about the inside baseball of movie-making, but I don't dig or go out of my way to follow the industry. I'll only know what breaks out to the mainstream media. But at the same time, I'm sure as heck not watching Entertainment Tonight!
Given how quickly things have changed and will continue to change in Hollywood, mainly due to advances in technology, I wonder how badly, if at all, Rinsch's reputation has been hurt by the failure of 47 Ronin. Surely any monies earned have already come in, and it's not destined to have any kind of "cult" revival.
And while there are plenty of films which lose money, some of them may be critically acclaimed and considered artistic successes. 47 Ronin is not destined to be considered one of those kinds of films either.
So, what I guess I'd like to know, and it probably remains to be seen, is "Will Carl Erik Rinsch ever be given another big-budget studio feature film to direct?"
Just watched 47 RONIN, having been somewhat acquainted with its production troubles. Thought it was just ok, and might have been better in the hands of a veteran director. But as a first feature-length production, it has plenty in its favour, even if all its positive attributes don't add up to a wholly satisfying experience. There were far worse shows that year. Like others, though, I was curious how an unknown like Rinsch could land such a large scale production. If he's indeed married to Ridley Scott's daughter, well, that explains a lot, but having now also seen his short film, it's clear that THAT likewise must have played a big role (it's easy to picture Scott spotting the promise in it). The man clearly has an sense for high-concept storytelling and visuals. If anything, he simply should've worked on a couple of modestly-budgeted features just to refine that sensibility and work out the bugs further before meeting with execs to discuss 47 RONIN.
shareMaybe the studio had a contract to do another Keanu Reeves film and just picked this one. They knew from experience that anything with Reeves in it would totally suck. So they gave it to Rinsch to fall on.
Take a look and see what Rinsch's next project is...another short.
"Whatever happened to Fay Wray?"
As a first timer I bet he had a LOT of help and advice from senior people in the industry. No one would just give him $175m and leave him to get on with it. Even seasoned directors can expect the studio execs to scrutinise their work at any time in production.
With that in mind, inexperience wouldn't have stopped him getting the job but it would (I suspect) have hindered his creative control.
The Job Interview Poem https://youtu.be/MtkmC4kCSTs