Winterbottom 'a very personal director'

Catherine Keener has described Michael Winterbottom an intimate director who operates with a limited crew.

The actress worked with Winterbottom on last year's Genova, and told The Guardian about how he made his movies.

Keener said: "Michael works in a very personal way, As for the crew, they were virtually invisible, except for a director of photography and a sound guy.

"It shows me you don't need the extra stuff. But it takes a lot of work, sensitivity and preparation - combined with luck."

She added: "Michael would just pull in extras from the people walking around Genova. I don't think we had permits.

"We worked on locations and got whatever we could, mostly with available light."