French directing duo David Moreau and Xavier Palud have followed up their excellent low budget chiller Them with a glossy remake of the popular Hong Kong horror The Eye. The directors talk to David Grove about ghosts, violins and turning down The Last House on the Left.

How would you describe your filmmaking style?

David Moreau: We were hired to direct The Eye on the basis of a thriller we did called Them, which we made in France where we’re both from. That film was very much grounded in reality, and that’s the approach we wanted to take with The Eye. If you believe what’s happening to Jessica’s character in the film, and identify with her character, you’ll be more likely to believe the supernatural elements that follow.

Xavier Palud: As far as our different approaches, as collaborators, I would say David and I are quite different, which I think is good because we compliment each other. David’s very outgoing, and he spends a lot of time on set talking to the cast and crew, while I’m very quiet, very shy. I focus more on the camera and David focuses more on the actors and the dialogue.

How does Jessica Alba’s character in this movie differ from her previous roles?

David Moreau: Jessica took this part because she feels that she’s at a point in her career where she wants to be taken seriously as an actress, and not just be known for her looks. When we talked to Jessica about playing the part of Sydney, the blind violinist, she told us that she thought the role was very beautiful and intelligent…We liked her immediately.

Xavier Palud: Her character in the film is similar to the girl from the Hong Kong version in that they’re both blind but very independent women who are given the chance to see again and then realise they have this strange ability to see the world differently from everyone else. It’s the most challenging role that Jessica’s ever had because her looks aren’t a big part of the story. It’s about her character, and Jessica also had the challenge of playing a blind character, which isn’t easy, not to mention the violin part which was almost impossible.

How long did she spend learning to play violin?

David Moreau: She spent three months just learning how to hold the violin properly, much less learn to play it, because Jessica’s character is the type of violinist who would’ve been playing since she was a baby. Jessica did play the actual notes that are heard in the film, and those scenes took a long time to film.

Xavier Palud: We’d be filming 12 hours a day, sometimes more, and Jessica would take two hours out of every day to study the music and learn how to play it. I think Jessica would tell you that it was the hardest thing she’s ever done in her career, a big challenge, but she did a great job and you’ll believe that she’s a great violinist in the film.

What preparation did Jessica and yourselves do to make Sydney’s blindness convincing?

David Moreau: We want the film, and Jessica’s character, to represent blind people and musicians in a very positive way in the film, and that’s what motivated Jessica as well. Jessica put on shades when she was preparing for the film and she would walk around her house in darkness, using a cane.

Xavier Palud: That really helped her performance because doing that makes you scared and claustrophobic at first. But eventually that wears off, I imagine, and you get comfortable in your own skin, which is what Sydney is like in the film. Being blind hasn’t been a handicap in her life, but at the same time the chance of regaining her sight is too good to refuse.

We shot the film in Los Angeles, and then we shot in New Mexico for the scenes where Jessica’s character is looking for the eye donor, and Jessica met a blind musician who was a real inspiration for her.

How did you get the job?

David Moreau: Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner, who are producers on the film, had the rights to The Eye and had been looking for a director for a few years. They screened our last film, Them, and liked it very much and we met with them and they tapped us to do the film.

Xavier Palud: That brought us to Hollywood, and we also met with Wes Craven who talked to us about doing the Last House on the Left remake.

Why did you turn down The Last House on the Left?

David Moreau: We thought the material was too gory, too violent for our tastes. We wanted to make a film like The Eye where we could test the nerves of the audience instead of focusing on gore, which isn’t something either of us like very much. We think in terms of suspense.

What’s the advantage of being co-directors on a film like this?

David Moreau: The main advantage is having that extra set of eyes, pardon the pun! We’re friends, we have great chemistry together, and we can slap each other in the face when the other is making a bad decision.

Xavier Palud: It goes back to our different personalities, David being more outgoing and me choosing to stay in the background and think about the camera. We’re very close friends, and we do everything together on a film, from pre-production on, and that allows us both to spend more time focusing on the story.

The Hong Kong film was directed by the Pang Brothers, so that was a good precedent, although that’s not why they chose us to do this. It wasn’t contrived that way or anything. One director could’ve done a very good of directing this, but I think David and I working together have made a better film.

What was the biggest challenge in remaking a well-received horror film like The Eye?

David Moreau: The biggest challenge with The Eye was to adapt the story from the Hong Kong film into a remake that’s as good as the original.

Xavier Palud: The Eye was so original. So that’s a great advantage there, because for those who haven’t seen the Hong Kong film, they’ll be in for a truly original and terrifying viewing experience. The challenge is to please the fans of the original, to give them a reason to watch this film as well. I think we’ve done that by changing some of the story elements and creating stronger characters, particularly Jessica’s character.

Would you say your version is as much of a ghost story as the Hong Kong film was?

David Moreau: No, that was one of the changes we wanted to make with this version. The Hong Kong film was a ghost story, which was appropriate given that ghost stories are very prevalent in Asian culture. We wanted to make this film less of a ghost story and instead make it more of a psychological thriller where we focus on what’s going on inside of Jessica’s head. Is she seeing things? Is she crazy? The main question in the film is whether Jessica’s crazy or not. I think this approach makes for a more suspenseful film.

The Eye is out now in US cinemas and is released in UK cinemas on 25 April 2008.