Ridley Scott: Movie-making terrified me

Ridley Scott used to hide in his trailer because he was so overwhelmed by the filmmaking process.

The director is behind huge movies such as Gladiator and Prometheus and is now back with the epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, which tells the story of Moses.

It's a huge blockbuster with masses of special effects, but the 77-year-old is no longer amazed by the impressive sets and A-list actors.

"I've got over this now," he assured Collider. "I used to hide in my trailer and go, 'I can't believe this,' but now I just get out there, I love it."

Moses is played by Christian Bale, while Joel Edgerton takes on the part of Ramses. Set largely in Egypt, it figured that camels would be heavily involved.

"I couldn't believe how much camel poop was swilling around me," Christian deadpanned when asked if there were any pinch-me moments.

"It started off as the beautiful Red Sea and then the camels come in... I just couldn't believe I was in the middle of this."

At two and a half hours, Ridley's latest film is not a short one. His original cut was over four hours long and while he thinks it could have worked, he understands people don't want to sit in the cinema for extended periods of time.

"I nearly showed the studio 'cause it worked; I nearly ran it because it worked," he said of the first cut.

"But the bum-ache factor kicks in. Audiences tolerate it up to a certain point but then they can't take it anymore."

Exodus follows Moses' troubled relationship with God and his best friend, who is like a brother, Ramses.

When asked why they decided to do the project, Christian and Ridley agreed it was an amazing story, with most people only aware of the "Sunday school version".