Fernando Meirelles (director of City of God, The Constant Gardener, and The Two Popes) joined Dodge College for a screening of his film City of God and a Q&A with students.

“I never really thought about making films. I wanted to be an architect, clearly something went wrong there!”

Meirelles says that when he is directing and creating, for some reason ideas come to him. He doesn’t prepare much beforehand. On the day of shooting, the ideas flow. “What you learn here in film school is to storyboard and to plan. I don’t do any of that. So maybe I am not the best person to be coming here to a film school.”

“Some directors are composers. They plan and plan and storyboard and shortlist. They plan an entire symphony and play it. But I don’t. I guess you could call me a jazz director, making things up on the spot. There is no right way to make a film, just the way that is best for you.”

Photo by Dylan Siebenhaar

Photo by Dylan Siebenhaar