Martin Scorsese (1942 - ) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and film historian.
A documentary feature by Melinda Camber Porter on Martin Scorsese was nearly complete when she lost her life to cancer. Below is an excerpt from Melinda's concept development:
I began preliminary interviews with Martin Scorsese in 2002. I will focus on the creation of his storyboards and using his film Lifelines as the paradigm which will relate his recurrent imagery to his formative years. I became convinced, after discussions with Martin, that any film about his creative process should focus on his primary creative impulse—which he says is the creation of the storyboards. I will film him for several days working in solitude on his storyboards. I’m very taken by his statement to me that imagery rather than narrative is what truly interests him, so I hope that I will be able to delve deeply into the way his mind gives birth to his imagery.
Martin and I will gradually decide on and select a childhood incident that surfaces in our discussions as the most pivotal turning point in his creative evolution. Obviously, we will not know what this incident is until we are well into the film. However, the preparation—the casting of the child, the scouting for the location, etc.—will all be documented. As a child, Martin suffered from severe asthma attacks and was obliged to spend time at home. During this period of enforced solitude, he began to draw feverishly and to watch movies, which he then tried to re-create at home in paintings. I sense that this period will provide us with the key episode that Martin will direct from his childhood days.
