6 Filmmaking Tips From Antoine Fuqua

The director of ‘Training Day’ and ‘The Equalizer’ shares some words of wisdom.

After getting a start directing music videos for such icons as Stevie Wonder and Prince, Antoine Fuqua made his feature film debut with 1998’s The Replacement Killers. A few years later, Fuqua hit a home run with Training Day, which grossed over $104 million at the box office against a $45 million budget and earned star Denzel Washington his second Academy Award.

Fuqua has stayed very busy ever since, and he’s had an equal amount of highs and lows in his career — his second outing with Washington, The Equalizer, practically had a sequel in production before it even made it to theaters, but his disappointing 2004 blockbuster King Arthur can only be looked at as a learning experience and a challenge he wouldn’t mind trying to take on again.

While Fuqua can waxes poetic about Akira Kurosawa with the best of them, he’s never been one to pander to either critics or awards. More of his films are ranked rotten than fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (though it’s worth noting that Roger Ebert often had nice things to say), but one somehow can’t imagine him losing sleep over that.

He was, for example, both clear and unapologetic about his desire to remake The Magnificent Seven starring Washington not being about making a statement—unless that statement is “I just wanted to see Denzel Washington on a horse. Everyone else fell in place around that idea.”

Fuqua, both as a filmmaker and in interviews, has a distinct directness in his approach, and that makes for some interesting filmmaking advice. We’ve compiled some of these tips below.

Learn Your Craft

In a Q&A for The Equalizer in 2014, the moderator opened up the floor to audience questions, leading to the inevitable “Do you have any advice for an aspiring filmmaker?” To which Fuqua had a seemingly obvious response at the ready:

“Learn your craft. And the only way you’re going to learn your craft is by doing it. You’re in a digital age now. Go get a camera. Go get some lenses. If you can. Go to school if you can, but if not… learn your craft. And that might mean be a PA. Go run and get coffee. Be on the set. Ask questions. Have no fear about being naive about certain things or not knowing. But most importantly is really learn the craft. Understand what it is you’re doing and why you’re doing it.”

You can watch the full Q&A below.

Bonus: Fight For Your Film

Back in 2004 while promoting King Arthur, Fuqua was asked in a BBC interview about the best piece of advice he had ever gotten. Fuqua chose to share some words of wisdom passed along by director Oliver Stone:

I think the best piece of advice I was given was probably by Oliver Stone, which was: “Fight like hell for the film.” That’s it. Fight like hell for the film. “Follow the art,” I think is what he also said. Follow the art.

Fuqua directing ‘King Arthur’ (Touchstone)

What We Learned

Antoine Fuqua’s films are known for their beautifully stylish brutality and grit, and his filmmaking tips are not wholly different. They’re based in a foundation of grit and determination. He’s a commercial filmmaker and not afraid to embrace both of these terms in equal measure. But, as he demonstrates through his work, that still leaves plenty of room for artistry.

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