Bozman, Hollywood exec, shares career path

By Jackie Ammons     11/19/09 6:00pm

Many head out to Los Angeles to become stars, but few succeed. One of these elite and talented individuals is Rice graduate Ron Bozman (Hanszen College '69) who has served as executive producer of box-office hits including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Failure to Launch, The Stepford Wives and Confessions of a Shopaholic. However, Bozman is best known for his production of 1991's Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Picture.Last week, Bozman visited Rice to share his experiences with students, and the Thresher chatted with this producer about his career at Rice and his experiences in film.

Rice Thresher: Tell me about your time at Rice.

Ron Bozman: I was here in the late 1960's, so it was quite a tumultuous time in the university. For the male members of our class, we were facing the draft, and there was no question; you were going to be drafted. As soon as you lost your student exemption, you got your draft notice. I was fortunate enough that I failed my physical; otherwise, it was straight to Vietnam.

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RT: What were the highlights of your time at Rice?

RB: Probably one of the biggest events during my time at Rice was the Masterson affair. During my senior year, when I was vice president of the Student Association, Rice was in the process of selecting a new university president. A system was set up in which the administration reached out to involve faculty and student participation in the process. Then, to the surprise of faculty and students, the administration announced their choice, William Masterson, former Hanszen Master.

People were really mad that the administration had only given lip service to the collaborative effort, so students rose up in protest. We had a demonstration on campus where all students put on coats and ties and ... we marched around carrying signs protesting the violation of trust. It was totally peaceful, utterly calm. Masterson resigned, and, for me, it was an emotional moment because I had known Masterson personally as master of my college.

RT: How did your time at Rice help shape your career?

RB: It was a total fluke. My senior year, I needed a part-time job, and I went to the public relations office and spoke to the head of the office. The PR director said he had just hired a filmmaker to make documentaries about Rice professors doing projects out in the world, and he needed an assistant. I didn't know anything about films, but it sounded like fun. It was like a full academic load, and, in that year, I learned the basics of filmmaking. When I graduated, I went around to a few people I had met through the course of the year, and with my first interview, I got a part-time job.

RT: What were your first jobs?

RB: I was on a film crew that was filming a musical group called The Fugs that was doing a concert on campus. I also started doing commercials and random work within the industry, including a Robert Altman film called Brewster McCloud. I started working around Texas on the crew as an electrician or assistant camera man and slowly built a career over time.

Simultaneously, I worked as a stringer for Time magazine in Houston; it was another one of those serendipities. However, I really liked film more. It just seemed like more fun, and, given the current state of print journalism, it was a good decision.

RT: What was the most challenging film you've worked on?

RB: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was challenging because we were so young and not experienced enough to know completely what we were doing except [director]Tobe [Hooper].

RT: What film did you most enjoy working on?

RB: The most fun I ever had was on Something Wild. We were in Tallahassee, Fla., and it was one of those films in which you could really be whimsical. You could see something out on the street and bring it into the movie.

I also did a Muppet movie, The Muppets Take Manhattan. Working with that group of geniuses and Jim Henson, who can put a sock on [his] arm and bring it to life, is fantastic.

RT: What was your average day like when you were on the sets?

RB: I was always up at the crack of dawn, and I had to tell everyone what to do. I would have to structure the day and how we were going to film a particular scene. I would prep the actors and coordinate and orchestrate all of the elements we would need to make a scene. It's really managing the creativity and bottling it.

RT: Who is your favorite actor or actress to work with?

RB: The last thing I did was a film version of The Tempest. I'd say Helen Mirren walks on water; she's one of the most decent, talented actors I've worked with.

RT: What is your preferred genre?

RB: What you really want is a great piece of literature. If the stories are not fully formed, it's not going to be great. I love a great comedy. Failure to Launch was a great film - not a perfect film - and a great idea.

RT: What advice would you give to Rice students interested in film?

RB: I think you'd really want to go to graduate school at this point in time because I don't think my career track is replicable. I think if I were getting out of school today, I would think of going to graduate school, such as the University of Southern California. They want people with broad undergraduate experiences and experiences beyond the campus. Their films will be deeper and more fully formed and more informed by real-life experience.

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