 Fame
& Fortune: Filmmaker James McTeigue
'V for Vendetta' director puts his interest
in real estate
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"Matrix" fans are salivating for the long-awaited
opening of "V for Vendetta," at theaters across the country and
around the world March 17.
The sci-fi thriller is about a masked vigilante who
upsets an authoritarian government. The film is set in a dark, foreboding
and authoritarian future. With complex sets, Natalie Portman starring
and a script by the Wachowski Brothers -- creators of "The Matrix"
trilogy -- it would seem an odd film to trust to a first-time director.
But James McTeigue has a pedigree that makes his rookie
status barely more than a technicality -- especially with this sort
of film. He has been working for much of the last decade on some
of the most technically complex and successful films of all time,
serving as first assistant director for the Wachowski Brothers on
all three "Matrix" films and in the same role for George
Lucas on a little film called "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of
the Clones." Now, with his adaptation of "V for Vendetta,"
McTeigue steps out of the shadow "The Matrix" and takes
(and controls) the spotlight.
Bankrate spoke to McTeigue about how changes in the
film industry are affecting directors old and new, and how a man
who has worked on such futuristic fare retains investment habits
that are very modern-day.
Bankrate: With the film
industry seeing such a shift in recent years, and so much of the
money now coming in from DVDs, does that impact you financially
as a director?
James McTeigue: No, not
really. Of course, you're always thinking about the DVD release,
because it's such a big part of the filmmaking process, but it doesn't
really impact me financially. Not yet, anyway. I think you have
to get into a really comfortable position with the studio before
you start seeing money from the back end of DVDs, whereas I'm thinking
about the DVD from a creative viewpoint. I'm not thinking about
my personal financial viewpoint at the moment.
Bankrate: You started
out as third assistant director, second assistant director -- when
you were working jobs like that, were you making any real money?
James McTeigue: You do
make decent money doing that. You're probably not making decent
money being a third assistant director, but you are probably earning
double or three times what your peers or your friends from school
are earning, due to the freelance nature of the business and the
pay scale they give you. And then, if you're a good first assistant
director, you can make very good money. Most first ADs, if they're
good at what they're doing, are finishing one job and then more
often than not going right on to another. So yeah, you can make
decent money.
Bankrate: With all your
work on films, how do you find time to pay attention to your own
personal finances?
James McTeigue: (laughs) That is a good question. I don't know. When you're really concentrating on a film, you're in that film bubble, which is where there are people looking after you. More often than not if you're a director, you have an assistant who is taking care of things financially for you. So that's one way. And I would have to say my wife is a champion. She used to own her own business, used to represent still photographers and have her own company, so she really knows how to take care of the financial affairs as well.
Bankrate: Do you have an interest in investing?
James McTeigue: I do. I have invested in the past. A passing interest, I'd say, rather than an acute interest.
Bankrate: What is your preferred method -- real estate, stocks?
James McTeigue: I think a combination of both is good. It's not good to tie your money up in any one market, so I guess I have a diverse portfolio.
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