Why So Blu? » Interviews

Los Angeles Animation Festival: The Iron Giant

Aaron Neuwirth — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:08:11 +0000

On Friday, March 9, 2012, at the Regent Showcase Theater in Hollywood, California, the Los Angeles Animation Festival presented a screening of the 1999 animated film, The Iron Giant, followed by a Q&A with director Brad Bird, actor Eli Marienthal (all grown up), and members of the crew. The screening was presented with an original 35mm print of the film, in a theater that was packed with fans. Those who know of the history of The Iron Giant remember that, despite high critical praise, the film did poorly in theaters, only to find a much larger audience on home video and DVD. Now the film has a strong cult following, which was certainly apparent due to the enthusiasm seen at this crowded charity screening of the film. Continue on to find a full recording of the Q&A that followed the screening of the film.

LAAF Event Description:

The all-time classic THE IRON GIANT comes to the big screen for one very big, very special celebration. All ticket sales go to charity. Cast & crew reunion – featuring director/writer Brad Bird and a panel hosted by well-known Animation Director Tom Sito including, Brad Booker – animator, Steve Markowski – storyboard, Mark Whiting – production designer, Eddie Rosas – animator, Alan Bodner – art director, and Tad Gielow – computer engineer. With actors Christopher McDonald (voice of Kent Mansley) and Eli Marienthal (voice of Hogarth Hughes).

For those not as familiar, The Iron Giant is a film about a boy in 1957, during the period of the space race between the U.S. and Russia, who discovers a giant robot in the woods. The boy, Hogarth Hughes, befriends the robot, who is apparently capable of learning and feeling emotion. Due to the arrival of a paranoid government agent, Hogarth must do his best to hide the giant robot, in order to stop the army from trying to destroy it.

There are many things that are special about the film, but what makes it stand out, I believe, is the amount of sentiment that comes from the relationship that develops between Hogarth and the giant robot. For literally being from opposite worlds, seeing how this plays out is especially fascinating and affecting as the story goes on. The Iron Giant is also notable for being a traditionally hand-drawn animated film that incorporates a lot of 3D animation as well. Set in the 1950s, it has a wonderful retro vibe, but looks great regardless (and unfortunately, I did not learn whether or not the film would be coming to Blu-ray anytime soon).

Below I have embedded a recording of the full Q&A that took place. It was quite entertaining and insightful to listen to, especially for anyone that wanted to know more about some what took place in regards to the production of the film. I have tried to adjust the sound a bit to make it clear enough, though some of the panel’s microphones were lower than the others. Regardless, please enjoy.

Here is a link, if the embed doesn’t work in your browser: Q&A

I would like to also add how pleasant and humble everyone who participated in the panel was. The cast and crew, particularly Brad Bird, were all willing to autograph pictures and memorabilia, along with pose for photos for the many fans in attendance. Eli Marienthal has certainly grown up as well. 13 years after the film’s initial release, he is now 26-years old and studying to get his Ph.D in Geography at Berkley. Of course, Brad Bird has also managed to find continued success with The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and his recent live-action film debut of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. What seemed most apparent is how happy they all were to talk about The Iron Giant, which is a film that they seem to clearly all love and appreciate. And why shouldn’t they? The Iron Giant is a great film that was able to continue on, even after mixed success theatrically.

The Los Angeles Animation Festival was founded in 2007 by John Andrews and Miles Flanagan. Frustrated by the lack of a cohesive animation festival in Los Angeles, the founders sought to create a festival experience that allowed unknown animators to meet and mingle with industry professionals. LAAF is now the largest International Animation Festival in Los Angeles and offers a unique social and business experience to those attending, celebrating both mainstream and independent animation with special screenings, events, panels, awards and contests. The Festival will take place from March 7-11, 2012, at the Regent Showcase Theater. Learn more about it here: http://blog.laafest.com/

Huff: The New Villian on the Street

Lauren Pacheco — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:37:24 +0000

Before I start to tell you about what I have discovered about Charlie O’Connell let’s rattle off some of what Charlie has done in his career thus far. First film that pops into my head is he’s the “Stoner BashingTime” guy in Dude Where’s My Car, his line in that film gets me every time. Then there is The New Guy where he gets to play along side brother, Jerry O’Connell. Later To Kill a Mockumentary came about where he played Judas. Oh and there was The Gentleman’s League which I really took a liking to but that only lasted two episodes. All these roles are comedy roles. Nothing stuck out to me that was super serious or suspenseful like we are all about to see in Huff. Oh wait how could I forget season 7 of The Bachelor. I’m trying to burn that whole series out of my memory. I have never watched an episode but I’m familiar with it and I just don’t watch dating shows ever. Plus you never want to see a good looking guy like Charlie being ripped to shreds by women on television. The heart is a sensitive matter so I rather not watch the carnage. When I read that he was going to be the lead in Huff I had mixed emotions. One was excitement because I haven’t seen him in anything worthy in a long time. Second emotion was confusion because after reading the script there was no way that a guy that has a laundry list of playing college party roles is ever going to pull this off. From beer pong to slasher films? It just doesn’t seem likely. But as I went on location to find out about Charlie my tune suddenly changed.

Before stepping on set this is what I know without any research about Charlie. He is the brother to Jerry O’Connell. I’ve seen him play small roles that show him as a partier, and… oh yeah, he is extremely good looking. I came on set mid-scene and I heard this deep bellowing voice that seemed to echo off the canyon where they were shooting. As I rear the side of the house I see Charlie yelling his lines in a voice I’ve never heard before. I think I may have stopped mid-step because I was shocked this deep menacing roar was coming from someone that I’ve never seen do before. In one scene he confronts the character of Karl (Clint Howard) and he has this joker grin on his face as he slyly interrogates him into telling him where his daughter is. As the suspense heightens I notice myself cringing and biting my scarf that I’m wearing because I fear for anyone in Huff’s way. My heart tingles with fear. I say to myself, “Oh he’s good.” Director Paul Morrell shouts “Cut” and as he discusses movements with the other actor in the scene, Elly Stefanko, Charlie walks over and with the smile that could make a thousand women melt says, “Hi”. I blush and wave my hand and say Hi back. I must have looked like an idiot because I couldn’t stop staring at him. Here’s this guy that has beautiful broad shoulders and is incredibly tall and handsome and all I can think about in my head is the awful things that he is going to do to his step-daughters. Charlie stuck around for a few moments and I said to him, “I hate your character.” He frowned, naturally and I continued. “I read the script and I can’t believe you, Charlie O’Connell, are playing such a cold hearted person. You’re going to need to do a Prince Charming film after this to win me back.” Charlie smiles and says, “Ok, I’ll work on that.” I spurted out a few more compliments and then it was his time to go back on set.

The thing that interested me about Charlie is that he transformed before all of our eyes into the character of Huff. And believe me when I tell you once you see this film you will then know why I think it’s so crazy that a nice guy like Charlie can be such a dark character. This is a testament to his acting. He really shines in this film and I think this will snowball more serious roles for him. Funny fact is I was kinda shocked that this stud was so shy. I always figure a good looking guy usually has all the moves and knows all the lines but Charlie was a normal bloke. No lines, no BS, just a simple man. The buzz on set is that he is warm and friendly and is taking this character seriously and has mastered the art of being the villain in a horror film.

We never got to talk in depth, but some of the scenes they shot were pretty dark and depressing, so I could never catch him at the perfect time. Before I left for the day though I told Charlie that I would be coming back on their last day of filming and maybe I could talk to him in more detail then. He shot back, “Of course” and after a little talking about how he loves dogs, I took my googly eyes home and started to ponder. Who is Charlie O’Connell? I don’t think anyone knows what a beautiful person this guy is inside and out. One thing is for sure is that I’m going to peel back the layers and deliver to you the details on who I think is a diamond in the rough.

Special thanks to Lauren Winston and Joey Pacheco for their contributions to this story. Check out Lauren’s blog HERE. Joey Pacheco may be reached at JoeyPacheco13@yahoo.com for all photo inquiries and coverage.

Huff: Rising Star Elly Stefanko

Lauren Pacheco — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:36:46 +0000

In this gory-tale film, Huff, the big bad wolf has three step-daughters and the youngest of the three is Shay played by newbie actress Elly Stefanko. On my way up to Santa Clarita I was doing some research on her to see who she was. Little did I know that googling her would lead me to her website where I shockingly found out she is a pop diva. Well, as you will find out ‘Diva’ is not even in Elly’s makeup. Her latest song, “Spoiled” has a great video that spoofs the Jersey Shore kids. As you listen you may think she only sounds good due to the synthesizers and auto-tune on this track but as you click to her other songs, especially her renditions of various Christmas favorites, that is not the case. No auto-tune, no track laid behind her, just a piano and her voice. I am overly impressed.

Before actually meeting Elly I was able to watch her do a scene with Charlie O’Connell where they act in one of their more intense scenes in the film. Charlie who plays Huff is searching for his step-daughter Shay in a pile of hay barrels. But this isn’t a search because she is lost and can’t find her way home. This is a search for blood and Huff will not stop until he finds her. Once Huff spots Shay she has to do all she can to get away from her ruthless step-father. In doing this Elly is going to have to up her acting guns and show fright in her eyes….and she does. She moved me with her tears on camera and I couldn’t help but have my heart hurt for her. Even though this was her first film, her acting chops are up with the rest of the actors out there.

As I approached Elly I thought, there is no way this tiny girl is the singer with the voice. Granted I tower most women, but here was this little 5’3’’ woman with flowy blonde hair and ocean blue eyes that just got finished crying for her life. So instead of even going to any questions about the film I just had to say, “So you’re a singer?” This led to her pouring out that music has always been in her blood. She expressed that she loves being an artist and has a really hard time sitting still so creating music is where she does her best work. In between telling me that she has a website with all her music, www.ellysroom.com she drops the line, “I’m also a composer.” As I facially express my shock I look over at Joey Pacheco who was my photographer for the day and say “Who is this girl?” I was amazed by her layers of talent and humbleness.

During our conversation I noticed she seemed a little torn and how could she not, she just had to escape a treacherous villain. I asked her what did she think about to make herself cry and of course after I asked I regretted it. I won’t say who specifically but she said she thought of a few family members and just the thought of that brought her to tears. Even as she spoke these words you could see the hurt in her eyes. (Way to go Lauren, make a young girl cry why don’t you). She said the crying was the hardest part of filming. But on the bright side she told me that the easiest part was working with Clint Howard. She said he was so nice and gracious to her that it made it effortless. I mentioned to her that Clint had some nice words about her and you could see her creamy cheeks start to turn rosy. Hearing that a heavy hitter like Clint compliment you has got to feel like a million bucks especially since this is Elly’s first film. She went on telling us that she really digs horror films and that her favorite is Rob Zombie’s film, Devils Rejects. I told her that Clint happened to be in Rob Zombie’s latest, The Lords of Salem, and that you never know she may be cast in his next film. This made her eyes instantly light up. So if Rob is reading this right now I would just like to say that if you’re in need of a beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed, scream queen, well then I think we have your girl.

As the day went on Elly had to endure some cold circumstances but I did not hear her complain once. I heard a story on set that the day before she was in a scene very late at night and had a freezing, cold, wet blanket laid upon her and yet she didn’t murmur then either. With that attitude I believe this is going to be the start to a fruitful career for Elly. She hinted to the fact that she would love to compose a piece to add to the music of the film which is being composed by Kenneth Eberhard. So what does she not do is the real question? Well one I might propose is does she escape Huff’s wrath or does this little piggy get blown away? Be sure to watch Huff when it releases next year.

Huff: Interview with Clint Howard

Lauren Pacheco — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:35:15 +0000

When I saw that Clint Howard was on the call sheet for the day I was to visit the set of Huff I got a little bit of extra giddy in my step. With over 200 titles to his credit he is without a doubt engrained in your memory. Son of Rance Howard and brother to Ron Howard he rounds the family out in true talent. A few titles from memory would be when he played Stanley in Evilspeak which at the time frightened me to see Clint turn into what can only be described as a demonized hog with horns that decapitates people with a sword. Later roles in Austin Powers, Water Boy, Little Nicky, and Apollo 13 all float in my head as I rack my brain. Star Trek, Cinderella Man, Halloween, The Dilemma and a flurry of television shows. The list just doesn’t quit.

In Huff, Clint plays the role of Karl who is a hay delivery man who gets in the middle of Huff trying to find his step-daughter Shay. As the takes go on, I’m looking for Clint but all I see is this man with a Movember looking beard and a hat shading his eyes. Hmm, I guess Clint comes to set later. They wrapped that scene and we break for lunch and Gordon directs me to a man who says, “Hi, I’m Clint.” Ooooh so the mountain man WAS Clint. I know that the title “Ol’ Blue Eyes” is kept solely for Frank Sinatra, but Clint’s eyes were piercing my soul. After he wrapped I pulled him aside and was able to ask a few questions but Clint isn’t an actor that needs you to feed him a question. He really is invested and gives great passion when he speaks. What you can’t see in words is that the whole time I was mesmerized by his eyes and I had the silliest grin from ear to ear. When you see the video it’s quite uncomfortable how much I’m grinning but nevertheless I had a great chat with Mr. Howard.

LW: This is kind of an unusual part for you?

CH: I’m usually the victimer. Cort [Howell, the writer for Huff] called and asked me if I would like to do it. Cort is like a relative to me and this was a no brainer. I read the script and I liked it. I loved the fact that their trying to make a little small movie and make it good. I want to participate. It was a no brainer for me.

LW: Have you seen Rance since he’s been on set?

CH: Oh no, you know what? I talked to dad. I got a scouting report. He worked a few days ago and and I called him and said, ‘so dad how’s it going?’, and he said he was really impressed. Little crew. Paul is doing a great job and all the wheels are turning in the right direction. And when dad said that, that was a relief to me. I knew that my day, my work here would be fun and productive. And it was. And one small anecdotal thing, Cort told me that the part of Karl, was something they offered me. But they wrote the part of Karl. The name Karl comes from my old high school baseball coach. When Cort told me that I’m playing Karl, and I said yeah I know that. He goes, Karl Keller. Karl Keller was my high school baseball coach. So a tip of the cap to Coach Keller. My character’s name is Karl.

LW: Have you told him that?

CH: No I haven’t seen Coach Keller in a few months. I know he’s around and doing fine but when Cort said that my eyes just lit up. It just made the whole thing of me saying “I’ll do the part” even that much better.

LW: That’s fantastic. Do you have any other roles coming up for future projects?

CH: Actually I did work for Rob Zombie who is a friend of mine. I worked for Rob and I did a little thing in a movie he’s doing The Lords of Salem. In fact that’s how the facial hair got started. Well, Rob about a month ago, asked me not to shave and it just kept going and here I am with a beard and my wife says its ok so I’m going to grow it for a few more months and see what happens.

Later Clint walked down to the cellar on set where Gordon of RealTVFilms was doing an interview with him. I listened in and pretty much just watched Clint with my eyes in astonishment. This man gives THE best interview. He talked about his acting career and used an analogy that I will never forget. He compared his time on set of a big blockbuster film where he feels like he has to be the rock star pitcher throwing strikes every time but when he does smaller films he can be less pressured and be the relief pitcher and seal the deal. (Anytime you can relate anything to baseball, you are gold in my book. Clint sold me.) He gives great compliments to Elly Stefanko who plays Shay in the film. He says he was told that this was her first film and he was a little uncertain about how she would do but then said that she was professional and did a great job. To hear that coming from a veteran I’m sure Elly will be smiling once this interview goes live. Clint was also candid about meeting director Paul Morrell. After meeting Paul he was assured by Paul’s passion in the film and his clear vision that this would be a project he could support. There is so many more tidbits of wonderful information that Clint gave us but you’ll have to wait for that interview when Gordon puts it out there.

One thing is for sure, Clint may not be the lead character in all the films he does but he is the ingredient that binds the story together. I’m still in awe of how terrific he is. When Huff comes out next year (2012) you’ll want to be sure to look out for Clint. Will Karl get out alive after his run in with Huff? You’ll just have to wait and see.

A Talk With Disney Producer Don Hahn

Sean Ferguson — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 07:11:43 +0000

On September 27, I was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion with legendary Disney producer Dan Hahn, so of course I had to say yes. Mr. Hahn was an integral part of the Disney Renaissance that showcased Disney’s animation in a way that recapture audiences. Mr. Hahn has been involved in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Beauty and the Beast, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and The Lion King to name just a few and his longtime collaboration with Tim Burton continues with the upcoming Frankenweenie. He also produced a wonderful documentary about some of the history of Disney animation called Waking Sleeping Beauty that I really enjoyed and reviewed here. This chat was set up to support the upcoming re-release of The Lion King back in theaters and also it’s 3D appearance on Blu-ray for the first time and I’d like to thank Mr. Hahn for his time and to all of the Disney publicity folks who were kind enough to invite me.

Q – What’s the main difference between a classical animation movie (The Lion King) and something like Frankenweenie?
A – Don Hahn: All animation techniques are about bringing inanimate objects to life to tell a story. The main difference between The Lion King and Frankenweenie is that The Lion King is a hand drawn movie, 24 drawings per second. A stop motion puppet film like Frankenweenie is done with articulated puppets that are moved by an animator 24 times a second. They are both great techniques!

Q – What scene in The Lion King is really blew you away once it was in 3D?
A – Don Hahn: That would have to be Circle of Life. It was like all of Africa came alive on the screen right in front of us!

Q – What’s the most emotional side in working again on the project of The Lion King?
A – Don Hahn: I had a woman come up to me after a screening and she had just lost her husband. The film really helped her deal with the issues of loss and explain those issues to her children. Believe me, you never think that a film will have that type of effect, but it is very humbling and emotional when it does.

Q – You’ve been involved in the 3D conversion of both “The Lion King” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” How did converting 2D animation compare to converting stop-motion animation?
A – Don Hahn: Nightmare was a nightmare to do in 3D. There was no separation on the characters and the stereographers had to literally build a complete 3D version of the puppets and sets, then “project” the original film onto that geometry. The Lion King had its challenges but the original film was stored in separate levels which gave us a great advantage to start the 3D process.

Q – Which is your favorite character in The Lion King 3D? How it is changed from the 2D version?
A – Don Hahn: I love Pumbaa! And he’s even bigger and rounder in 3D!

Q – The Lion King 3D is topping the US box office. Can you give us 3 good reasons for our readers to come back to the theatres?
A – Don Hahn: Story, Story, Story! Nobody goes to the theater just to see a technique. The Lion King is a great story and that’s why it’s come back with such a roar!

Q – The Lion King has a huge, magical philosophy of life. Which side of it do you prefer? And why?
A – Don Hahn: There is an underlying theme to The Lion King about that day when you are no longer a child and you have to step up and accept the responsibility of adulthood. It’s actually an age old coming of age story not unlike so many Disney films that are all about growing up.

Q – Can you tell us something about your next project, Frankenweenie?
A – Don Hahn: It’s an amazing film, directed by Tim Burton, and done completely in stop motion with puppets much like Tim’s Nightmare Before Christmas. Tim is one of the most iconic directors and artists of our time and Frankenweenie will be a treat when it comes out in October of next year!

Q – Why did you pick The Lion King for the 3D version? Which other Disney movie would you like to see in 3D too and why?
A – Don Hahn: Converting a hand drawn film into a 3D experience was a risk so we wanted to start with two films that we knew had audience appeal. The Lion King was at the top of the list. Beauty and the Beast next. The Lion King 3D experiment has exceeded our wildest dreams. 3D isn’t right for every film but wouldn’t it be great to see Peter Pan fly over London in 3D… (no plans for it, just my personal favorite).

Q – If not the entire movie itself, what sequence or portion of the movie are you most proud of?
A – Don Hahn: The Circle of Life is a real personal favorite. When we finished the sequence and Hans Zimmer scored the music, we watched it and were all amazed (even though it was our movie). Suddenly this little film about a lion cub became a much bigger epic.

Q – Development and editing aside, how many times do think you’ve seen the movie?
A – Don Hahn: Probably a thousand times. And I see something different every time.

Q – In your opinion which 3D movie was the best in the animation, until now? And why?
A – Don Hahn: I have two favorites: Toy Story 3 and Avatar. Toy Story 3 was just a brilliant movie all around and the 3D was exquisite. Many people don’t think of Avatar as animation but Jim Cameron did an amazing job building a world and bringing his characters to life in 3D. He’s a real pioneer in every sense of the word.

Q – Congratulations on The Lion King taking the box office for the second week in a row! Since you probably know it best, how do you think it has aged?
A – Don Hahn: The happy thing about animation is that it ages very well. The actors don’t get older, and the story is universal and about some pretty timeless themes. When we did the film we deliberately left ‘man’ out of the story so it is a story that could have happened today or a thousand years ago. That’s the magic of animation.

Q – Like other Disney masterpieces The Lion King enjoys nearly infinite longevity. How do you feel the follow up films contribute to its legacy?
A – Don Hahn: We’ve made over 50 animated films at the studio and in some way they are all connected. There wouldn’t be a Lion King if it hadn’t been for the great success and skill that the team brought to Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. The films that followed The Lion King reflect a dynamic growth in the ambition of the animators to tackle different stories and embrace different techniques. Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, Mulan…proud of them all as much as I’m proud of Tangled (Rapunzel).

Q – How has The Lion King changed your life?
A – Don Hahn: The Lion King is a once in a lifetime experience for a filmmaker. We were able to do something together as a team that moved the audience and eventually contributed to popular culture. Of course I’m proud, but it’s not my film alone, it really cemented in my mind the power of great artistry, and collaboration.

Q – Talk about your trip to Africa to do research for the movie. What was the single greatest thing you saw there?
A – Don Hahn: I was finishing Beauty and the Beast so I didn’t make the trip. But Roger Allers, Chris Sanders, Lisa Keene and the team that went were blown away by the scope and scale of Africa. They came back with a load of images and a feeling for the land and color of the land that made it into the movie in many ways. There is an epic feeling to the landscape in Africa, that made the directors want to use it almost like another character in the film. The trip was a turning point in our thoughts about the look, sounds, and music of the film.

Q – What has The Lion King gained by being put in 3D?
A – Don Hahn: Everything and nothing. The film is well suited for 3D because of the style of direction. Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers, the directors, crafted the film with longer shots and a sense of Africa as an unspoken character in the film. 3D brings this to life even more and lets the audience step into the film in a unique way. When I say that nothing is gained, I’m referring to the story. We worked hard to make the 3D reflect and support the story and not detract from it. There’s a paradox to all this, which is the paradox of animation itself; you work for four years and spend millions of hours on a film with the goal of making the audience forget that they are looking at drawings. That’s the magic of it all.

Q – What made you want to tell this story? And once it became a hit, did you ever imagine it being this well received?
A – Don Hahn: It started out by wanting to do a story about growing up. We called it “Bambi in Africa,” a term that came from our development executive Charlie Fink. We looked at a lot of coming of age stories, especially bible stories like Moses or Joseph where a character is born into royalty and then is exiled and has to return to claim their kingdom. Those are ancient stories…stories of underdogs that we as an audience love to see when we go to the theater. Did I imagine that it would be this successful? Not in my wildest dreams. It’s an incredible and humbling reaction even now, seventeen years later.

Q – Can you imagine The Lion King with another sound track?
A – Don Hahn: No, I really can’t. Elton John, Hans Zimmer and African singer Lebo M. are the perfect match for this story.

Q – What is your favorite memory of making The Lion King?
A – Don Hahn: So many: there was the day we brought live adult lions into the studio to study and draw, and the day we first saw Chris Sanders amazing storyboards for the Mufasa’s Ghost sequence. But probably the most memorable moment was when we went to Hans Zimmer’s studio in Santa Monica and heard his arrangement of Circle of Life for the first time. It changed our perception of what the movie could be.

Q – Did your experiences making The Lion King affect how you approached your later films for Disneynature?
A – Don Hahn: Disneynature films are similar in that you are trying to tell stories with animals, but the comparison stops there. In nature films, the animals tell you the story and you follow them around for three years hoping that something dramatic happens. In animation, you start with a pencil and create it all from scratch. Love them both, just two very different path ways to arriving at a story.

Q – What was your biggest challenge bringing The Lion King to the screen?
A – Don Hahn: Most people don’t know this but the Northridge, CA earthquake struck us just six months before the film came out and the studio had to be shut down. For a few weeks we were driving drawings to animator’s homes around southern California and making the film in garages and on kitchen tables. The crew was amazing. They were dealing with the stress of a major earthquake while finishing the film.

Q – Do you have any plans to produce another Disney animated film?
A – Don Hahn: I have animation in my blood and if the right story comes along, yes I would love to do another film. For the last several years I’ve been working with Tim Burton on a stop motion animated film Frankenweenie. It’s an amazing technique and Tim is a brilliant director and visual artist. Couldn’t hope for more.

Q – Do you ever find yourself humming or singing one of the songs? What’s your favorite song?
A – Don Hahn: I do. All the time. I love Circle of Life but I usually find Hakuna Matata creeping its way into my brain. The only way to get it out is to sing a chorus of “It’s a Small World.”

Q – Number one two weeks in a row for a movie 17 years old. How does that make you feel?
A – Don Hahn: Insanely great, humbled, happy for the artists, musicians and actors that made it all happen and happy to have been there to see it all.

Q – You’ve been at Disney as long as anyone there. How has the studio and animation changed in your time there?
A – Don Hahn: I started at Disney 35 years ago and yes it’s changed a lot. The one thing that I’ve seen the most is that Disney is at its best when we take creative risk and push to move the art form forward. You see it in the 1980′s when Howard Ashman and Alan Menken came in and contributed songs to Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty. You see it again when Pixar did the original Toy Story. It was an experimental film that the studio wasn’t sure it would work but the risk paid off. I’ve been in so many discussions over the time I’ve been here about what makes “Disney.” The one constant is change. Walt himself couldn’t wait to dive into the next thing, be it technology, television, theme parks, urban planning. Disney is about change and innovation. That’s why I’ve stayed here my whole career and still love the place.

Q – How did you originally become a part of The Lion King?
A – Don Hahn: I was just finishing up on Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King was going through some big changes. The original director was leaving the film and the producer Tom Schumacher was moving to an executive position developing future films. I came on board in February of 1992 shortly after the team returned from Africa and just as Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers were made the directors. We sat in my office for two days with an amazing small and mighty team of story artists that included Chris Sanders, Brenda Champman and Beauty directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale and over those two days wrote the complete outline for the film. There had been some amazing writers on the story, but those two days were an amazing time when the film came together in a big way.

Q – How early on did Hans Zimmer and Elton John/Tim Rice become involved in the film and can you tell us about working with them?
A – Don Hahn: Tim came on first. He was finishing lyrics for Aladdin after the death of Howard Ashman. His pick for a song writing partner was Elton. Elton is a musical genius when it comes to melody but we always knew that we’d need a musician to score his songs and pull them into the African musical space. Chris Montan, our music executive suggested Hans and it was one of the most important decisions on the film. Tim was a dramatist and was able to put up with the endless story changes that we went through. Elton delivered melodies that in my opinion are timeless. Hans was the lightning bolt that pulled it together. Hans brought in Lebo M. the amazing African singer who brings the opening song to life. His score won an Oscar that year as did Elton and Tim’s song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”

Q – At what point in the production did it hit you that “The Lion King” was becoming something special?
A – Don Hahn: I think when we heard Hans Zimmer’s arrangement of “Circle of Life” with the final animation, but knew we had something different for sure and possibly something the audience would like too. We took a risk and sent “Circle of Life” out to theaters as a trailer for the film six months before the film came out and it was a huge hit. Back at the studio we were still struggling with the story but at least we knew we had a great opening and if we could elevate the rest of the film to that level, we’d have something.

Q – Were you asked at all to help develop The Lion King musical? Have you seen it on Broadway? If so what did you think?
A – Don Hahn: Aside from giving some notes in the early rehearsals, no. Theater is a different animal and when Tom Schumacher came up with the idea of using Julie Taymor to direct the show, the rest was history. I have seen the musical many times, and it is a magical thing.

Q – Is there anything you wish you could change about how The Lion King came out? Something that was cut out of the movie you wish had been left in?
A – Don Hahn: There is really nothing we would have done differently. Yes there were songs written that were cut out and sequences like a scene of Pumbaa and Timon playing “bug football” that never made it to the screen, but these were all good choices. The film works as is and really doesn’t need anything else.

Q – What does it mean for a producer of a movie win an Oscar, is perhaps a goal?
A – Don Hahn: It’s the World Series and Super Bowl of the movie business so of course getting an Oscar nomination much less winning is a huge honor. Having said that, it’s a rare thing and you have to be satisfied with the creative accomplishment itself. We don’t make films to win awards, we make them to entertain. When an audience responds – that’s the biggest reward!

Q – “Waking Sleeping Beauty” was a very honest and inspiring film. You did a remarkable job getting candid contributions from all the major players of that era. Did you get any resistance early on about telling your story “warts and all”?
A – Don Hahn: Thank you!! I think the “warts and all” approach was the only way to go. It created a level playing field. Once the artists and execs saw that I was really trying to get at the truth, they were all cooperative and in the end supportive. I’m a lucky man.

Q – Did you ever think 3D technology would be used on the film?
A – Don Hahn: No. When we made The Lion King in 1994, 3D was still a pretty clunky technology. Now the technique has caught up with us and gives us an amazing tool kit to transform the film into a new experience.

Q – Which character reminds you most of yourself?
A – Don Hahn: Pumbaa. You figure it out.

Q – The film has been #1 at the box office for two weeks now. How exciting is it to see a re-release beat all of the competition?
A – Don Hahn: Beyond exciting. It’s so humbling to sit in the back of a theater and watch a new generation of kids enjoy the film.

Q – You’ve produced and directed all manner of films: animation, live-action and documentaries. You’re written a number of books. Is there any other artistic endeavor you’d like to try or devote more time to?
A – Don Hahn: People like Walt Disney and Jim Henson were my role models growing up. They were into a million things, all based around entertaining the audience. So who knows, maybe we’ll see DonHahnland coming soon.

Q – First of all, how did you get involved in animation?
A – Don Hahn: I was a music major in college…played cello and percussion, and if it weren’t for a temp summer job at Disney, I’d probably be playing timpani in the back of an orchestra somewhere. When I got to Disney I had the chance to work with some of the greats of animation: Woolie Reitherman, Don Bluth, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston. I got totally seduced by the animation process and what you could do with it.

Q – Had you been a fan of Disney animation previously?
A – Don Hahn: A fan of Disney yes, but I really didn’t get into animation until after I came to the studio at 20 years old.

Q – Besides the projects you have worked on, what is your favorite classic Disney animated film?
A – Don Hahn: Peter Pan! Flying kids in pajamas fight pirates? How great is that!?

Q – Every actor brought something great to their roles and I think The Lion King was cast to perfection. But were there any actors you had in mind for the main characters who you were unable to sign on?
A – Don Hahn: For a short time we considered that great African actor Sean Connery to play Mufasa, but after James Earl Jones came available we abandoned that idea.

Q – How has “The Lion King” come up in your life in really strange or unexpected ways?
A – Don Hahn: I was in Beijing a few years ago doing a lecture at an art school there and everyone was bringing me their Lion King DVDs to sign. About half way thru signing them I realized that The Lion King hadn’t been released on DVD yet in China and they were all bootleg copies.

Q – As someone who has produced some of Disney’s all-time biggest animated hits, what is the secret of your success?
A – Don Hahn: People. I find the best possible people that I can find, then I hire them and do exactly what they tell me to do. It’s like baseball…a team sport where the team is more important than the individual.

Q – Were there any scenes that you specifically wanted to see in 3-D for this movie, and did they turn out the way you hoped they would?
A – Don Hahn: The wildebeest stampede…couldn’t wait to see it in 3D and it didn’t disappoint!!

Q – Can you talk about the next hand-drawn film from Disney, or the general future of hand-drawn animation at the studio?
A – Don Hahn: Too early to talk about anything specific except to say that there are amazing artists at Disney and Pixar who have lots in store for the audience be it with a pencil, a puppet or a pixel.

Q – In recent years, you’ve become a documentarian. Is this something you’d like to further pursue?
A – Don Hahn: I love the immediacy of the documentary medium. It takes four or five years to make an animated film. Good documentaries take time – we’ve been shooting Chimpanzee, the next Disneynature film for three years now. But the ability to shoot and edit a story together quickly is a different experience. I think I was probably inspired by Walt Disney who turned to nature documentaries later in his career.

Q – Is the success of The Lion King 3D a vindication of traditional animation techniques in the digital age? What do you see as the future of hand-drawn animation?
A – Don Hahn: I think it’s a vindication of good storytelling. The audience doesn’t go to the theater to see a technique. They go to be told a story and The Lion King delivers that story. Techniques come into and go out of fashion but the truth is a good story is what is lasting be it told with pencils, puppets or pixels.

Q – Don, any final thoughts on The Lion King 3D in its theatrical and soon after Blu-ray release?
A – Don Hahn: First of all a big hug to the cast and crew of The Lion King. You have no idea how many hands and hearts have touched this film all with respect for the story and the audience. Hats off to them. Seeing the film on the big screen and watching the audience reaction is about the biggest treat a filmmaker could hope for. We’ve all worked equally as hard on the Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D release in the hopes that audiences can enjoy the film at home for years to come.

END

Order your copy today!

/td>

A Talk With the Directors of The Lion King

Sean Ferguson — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:31:04 +0000

As the poster below says, “The King Has Returned” with The Lion King once again dominating the box office during it’s new re-release into the theaters. The fact that it’s beating several new movies that have just opened is a testament to it’s lasting popularity and power. I recently had the chance to participate in a round-table discussion with the two directors of The Lion King, Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers about the movie and it’s continuing appeal as well as their upcoming 3D Blu-ray that will be released on October 4th. Both men were very friendly and were happy to answer a ton of questions about the movie and it was evident that they both still had a lot of love and pride for the movie. Both men generously spent almost two hours answering questions and I thank them and Disney publicity for the opportunity. Read on for more…

What is your opinion about Broadway Musical The Lion King directed by Julie Taymor?

Rob Minkoff: When I first heard that a musical was being contemplated for The Lion King I was concerned it would attempt to be too literal. Beauty & The Beast had already made the leap to the stage and it was very much a replica of the animated movie. I didn’t think that kind of approach would work for The Lion King. When Julie Taymor was brought on board to re-imagine the musical for the stage it was put into the right hands. Her approach to re-conceptualize the show, utilizing her brilliant sense of stagecraft brought out its theatricality and made it a unique experience. When I saw the show for the first time I was delighted and gratified that our movie would live on on stage. And it hasn’t disappointed having been running since 1997.

When you were doing The Lion King, could you ever imagined that it would have become such a classic Disney film?

Rob Minkoff: When we started working on The Lion King we were fourth in a succession of modern Disney animated classics. First it was Little Mermaid, then Beauty & The Beast, and finally Aladdin. They were all tough acts to follow. We only hoped we would be compared favorably and not disappoint the Disney fans that had been growing with each new hit. It wasn’t until we finished Circle of Life and put it into theaters as a trailer that we knew we had something special. But we were never overly confident. So we continued to work hard to deliver a good movie.

Do you think 3D adds something to The Lion King or is only fashionable now?

Roger Allers: Sure. I think it adds a more visceral experience to the film. It’s been fun to see how “3-Dimensionally” we’d been thinking when we orginally made it in 2D.

Rob Minkoff: I must confess that I am a fan of 3D when it’s done properly. Avatar was amazing on screen. There have been a number of films released in 3D which haven’t really delivered on its potential. But I think The Lion King 3D does. It adds a dimension to the world of our characters that makes the experience of the film more immersive. And it doesn’t take anything away from the 2D version either. So The Lion King 3D was a worthwhile endeavor in my opinion.

How involved were you in the actual 3D transfer of “The Lion King?”

Rob Minkoff: Don Hahn, Roger and I came in to meet with Robert Neuman and his team to launch them on the conversion. We watched the picture in 2D and conveyed our thoughts on things we’d like to see (and not see) in our 3D version. And then we met regularly to check the work in progress.

Roger Allers: Rob Minkoff, myself and Don Hahn watched the 2D version to determine which scenes could be pushed in 3D to enhance the storytelling and emotional content. Throughout the process, we then reviewed each scene to offer input to Robert Neuman, the 3D stereographer and his crew. I also oversaw the color correction of the final version.

Which is your favorite 3D-scene?

Rob Minkoff: I think for me, the Circle of Life works amazing well. And is a great way to open the experience of watching the film. It always had a power and impact but now really jumps off the screen.

Roger Allers: I’d have to say in the Circle of Life sequence where Zazu is flying up to join Mufasa on the promontory of Pride Rock. Great sense of flying and space!

When you`re working on a movie, what is most important to you?

Rob Minkoff: Story is the most important thing! But beyond that, the creative process and the excitement of working with top notch artistic collaborators makes working as a director a very satisfying endeavor.

Do you have Lion King items lying around your home?

Roger Allers: To my wife’s dismay, I have a life-sized Simba plush. And in my office I have some framed cels and couple of character maquettes, which are sculptural reference models. I also have the original theatrical poster signed by the cast and crew and that’s my favorite item.

Rob Minkoff: I do, but most of them are currently in storage. I sold my house a while back and am in the process of building a new one. I’m really looking forward to creating the perfect place to house them all.

What about “The Lion King” do you feel makes it a classic?

Rob Minkoff: I think it’s a combination of classic coming of age story with an incredible musical score by by Elton John, one of pop music’s most prolific and successful composers. Plus, the overall design of the production and look of the characters make The Lion King feel like a traditional Disney Classic.

Roger Allers: It’s the balance of humor and drama and the resonance of its themes. The issues of life and death, and loss. The responsibilities of leadership and finding one’s place in life.

What`s your favorite movie?

Rob Minkoff: There are so many films I love it’s hard to pick just one. But The Wizard of Oz is one that will always mean a great deal to me.

Roger Allers: Disney’s Peter Pan fired up my imagination as a child and inspired me to become an animator. Still love that film.

When you`re working on a movie, what is most important to you?

Roger Allers: What’s most important to me is having an environment of mutually respectful, creative energy with my co-creators/artists.

How surprised were you when you saw the US box office figures last weekend?

Rob Minkoff: I couldn’t believe it! I originally heard they were estimating something in the range of 12 million. When it topped thirty I was shocked and amazed but also very pleased. It’s nice that audiences still love the movie!

It`s a great pleasure for me, as a journalist and as a fan, to have the chance to congratulate you two for the excellent job in ‘The Lion King’, one of the greatest Disney`s movies ever. What do you think about this wonderful experience?

Rob Minkoff: It’s been very gratifying not only to have made this film, but that audiences have gotten so much enjoyment from it.

What do you think is the future of animation?

Rob Minkoff: When I got started back in the early 80′s it seemed that animation was on its way out. But today there are more animated features, TV shows, commercials, and animated content of all kinds being produced. So I’m very bullish on animation. I think, eventually, more films will be made with more diverse content to reach audiences of all ages, and that animation finally achieves a level of respect that equals any other kind of film-making.

Roger Allers: I think the field will continue to open up in terms of technique and subject matter. The line between animated and live action has already become so blurred, the entire distinction may disappear.

Rob, do you have any plans to return to animation?

Rob Minkoff: I am actually working on a new animated movie right now. It’s based on the classic characters Mr. Peabody & Sherman who originally appeared on the Rocky & Bullwinkle show. We have Robert Downey Jr. on board playing the genius dog who adopts a red-headed human boy.

If you did ”The Lion King” now instead of 17 years ago, what would you change?

Roger Allers: The schedule. More non-working lunches!

Rob, What`s your favorite character? Why?

Rob Minkoff: I always find myself drawing either Young Simba or Timon. Simba’s innocence and enthusiasm are infectious and Timon, to me, is then funniest.

How closely did you work with the voice cast, and how essential are the right voices to an animated film’s success?

Rob Minkoff: As directors we work very closely with the actors to create their performance. Typically there will only be one actor recording at a time. This can make it challenging for the actors who are working in a vacuum. Sometimes we have some reading lines with them. Other times I will read with the actor which I find is an excellent way of getting the performance you’re after.

Can you please talk about the contributions of Elton Johm, Tim Rice, and Hans Zimmer?

Roger Allers: Elton and Tim’s songs help tell the story with humor and heart while Hans’ brilliant score and arrangements (along with Lebo M’s choral work) gave it its scale, drama, and placed it in Africa. Mark Mancina’s arrangements of “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and “Hakuna Matata” gave the film its moments of playfulness.

Rob Minkoff: It was Tim who suggested Elton for the job. Me, Don and Roger wanted Hans based on his work in The Power of One whose score also featured Lebo M. Their collaboration on the score and musical elements really brought the story to life and gave it its enduring power.

Hans Zimmer was more used to scoring live action movies. How did you get along with him in that regard?

Rob Minkoff: Hans really brought the movie to life via the music. It was his ability to combine authentic African flavor that really made the film come to life musically. Mark Mancina was working for Hans at the time and also contributed greatly to the feeling of the movie. He also was musical director and composer for the stage production. As for his experience as a live-action composer, I think there is very little difference in how a composer works on animation and live-action. Although typically an animated score is more closely married to the images. It was a terrific collaboration.

Many people have noticed similarities to Hamlet in the story of The Lion King. Was that something you were conscious of when making the movie?

Rob Minkoff: Because The Lion King was considered an original story there was always the need to anchor it with something familiar. When we first pitched the revised outline of the movie to Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Peter Schneider and Tom Schumacher, someone in the room announced that Hamlet was similar in its themes and relationships. Everyone responded favorably to the idea that we were doing something Shakespearean and so we continued to look for ways to model our film on that all time classic.

What makes a really good childrens’ movie, and can you name some new movies that live up to that?

Rob Minkoff: The key is to make something that works for both children and adults. I love the films Pixar has made like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.

How does it feel to be an integral part of the Disney Renaissance?

Roger Allers: When I was a kid I always dreamed of going to work for Walt Disney and make animated features. In high school when Walt died I was crushed and thought I had missed my chance. I am thrilled and proud to be a part of the “Second Wave”!

Rob Minkoff: As a young boy I was an ardent Disney fan. Some would say Disney Geek. So for me, getting the chance to work at the studio and help revitalize animation is more than a dream come true.

What is your favorite Disney movie?

Roger Allers: As a child it was always Peter Pan, but Little Mermaid and Beauty & the Beast hold very special places in my heart. (wellll, The Lion King goes without saying!)

The movie has a unique ‘Shakespearean`s look’. Are you a fan of Shakespeare works?

Rob Minkoff: Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist in history. His works have stood the test of time like no other. But it takes time to learn to appreciate Shakespeare and I was fortunate enough to grow up in Palo Alto California, in a time and place where arts education was supported.

Roger Allers: I am indeed a fan, but the Hamlet- parallels were discovered well after we had constructed the story. But I’d be happy if we had even unconsciously channeled the old Bard!

Were you surprised that hand-drawn animation worked in 3D?

Rob Minkoff: I had seen some attempts at traditional animation rendered in 3D and saw great possibilities in it. But I think Robert Neuman and his team went beyond my expectations and delivered a really compelling presentation.

You went from animation to live action/ animation with Stuart Little 2 and live action with Haunted Mansion. What are the differences between directing animation and directing live action? and in directing animators (actors with a pencil) and live actors?

Rob Minkoff: Hugh Laurie once asked me if I wanted to erase his eyebrows and sketch in something else. There is a mistaken notion that directing animators is easier than live actors. It isn’t. Animators are just as difficult. Especially the really good ones.

Can you share with us some memories of working with James Earl Jones?

Roger Allers: Ha ha! The very first time we had James in to record, before doing his first lines he proceeded to clear his throat. The strength and resonance of his “harrrunfs” practically blew us off our chairs in the recording booth! That man IS a lion!

Rob Minkoff: James Earl Jones has one of the most incredible voices in the history of film. Perhaps Orson Welles is his only real rival in that regard. Getting to work with him, especially being such a big fan of Star Wars, was an amazing experience. Watching him warming up his voice before a session was remarkable. He would run through a bunch of vocal exercises and sometimes sounded like a real lion with a rumbling growl.

What do you prefer classic 2D or computer animation?

Rob Minkoff: I think computer animation has vastly improved over the years and has achieved a similar quality to traditionally hand drawn animation. That said, nothing can replace the look and feel of human drawings. So I think there is room in the world for both, each with its own unique strengths and weaknesses.

How has “The Lion King” changed your lives?

Roger Allers: Wow. It has connected me to the world in an intimate way that I could never imagine. And as I have continued to work on all the international iterations of the stage musical it still takes me around the world.

How surprised are you that you’re still doing interviews about The Lion King after all these years?

Rob Minkoff: It’s odd because so much time has passed and yet it feels like only a short while ago that we made the film.

Can you are with us some memories of working with Jeremy Irons?

Roger Allers: Jeremy is a gentleman and a brilliant actor. He always gave us extra interpretations of lines which were fantastic.

What has been improved in the transfer to 3D and for Blu-ray?

Roger Allers: Besides the obvious addition of new depth and dimension, this print has the best clarity and color of anything previously released.

Do family movies always need to have happy endings?

Rob Minkoff: The Lion King is unusual in that the film really focuses on the death of Mufasa and how Simba has to come to terms with that. So in a sense the film has very tragic elements. But ultimately there is reassurance in the final moments when we see that Simba and Nala have their own little lion cub. So yes, happy endings are important even though they may contain tragic elements. One of the most satisfying endings to a film is saying goodbye. It’s true of The Wizard of Oz, ET, Gone With The Wind, and many many more.

What was the idea that brought to life “The Lion King” in 1994?

Roger Allers: We wanted to do an animal picture based in a more natural setting. A story that dealt with the issue of taking on the responsibility of adulthood.

Rob Minkoff: Originally it was thought of as a Bambi in Africa. More true life adventure than mythical epic. But when Roger and I finally got together on it we imbued it with the more spiritual elements that are a hallmark of the film.

How do you feel the animated movie industry has changed since “The Lion King” first came out?

Roger Allers: I see more movies of different styles coming from many more studios now. It’s exciting. Bring ‘em on!

What do you think of ”The Lion King” after 17 years?

Roger Allers: I still love this movie. I’ve been involved with the stage show all these intervening years so for me it’s never gone away! But I’m so pleased with the audience’s positive response to this new release after all these years.

Was there any concern that the movie might be too scary or adult for children?

Rob Minkoff: We found ourselves constantly re-balancing the film to make sure there were enough comic elements to lighten the mood after the tragedy of Mufasa’s death. Timon and Pumbaa really came along at the right time to give the film a lift and make it a more satisfying whole.

What`s the key things in doing a ‘larger than life’ movie like ‘The Lion King’?

Roger Allers: Story-wise, it’s important to stay rooted in the main character’s experience and emotions; not to let the sweep of story plots take you away from experiencing what happens through the character’s point of view.

Being two directors on this movie, how did you split the work between you and Rob Minkoff?

Roger Allers: I took all the best parts and gave Rob the rest – (kidding!) We split up the film by sequences being particularly careful that we each had scenes that really spoke to each of us. We worked side by side on story, music and editing, while such things as animation, backgrounds, etc. we gave each other separate domains according to the sequence.

Rob Minkoff: After working on the story together, we divided up the sequences so that each one had either Roger or me leading the way. For example: Roger did “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” and I did “Circle of Life.”

Can you talk a bit about how you went about recruiting animators to come work on “The Lion King” ? I’ve always heard that — because “Pocahontas” was supposed to be this prestige project — most of the Studio’s A-list animators gravitated to that production. Which then supposedly made it kind of tough to initially recruit animators to come work on “The Lion King.” Which at that time was still having some pretty significant story problems. Is that story true?

Rob Minkoff: Lion King was originally called King of the Jungle and was not well regarded around the studio. So when Jeffery Katzenberg announced that the studio would be split in two to make two films simultaneously, many of the top animators wanted to work on Pocahontas instead of The Lion King. Jefferey had deemed Pocahontas the “home run” and Lion King the ‘risk.” That gave a lot of newer animators a chance to step up to leadership roles.

Roger Allers: True, indeed. But this was a chance to give some really deserving young animators their chance to lead a character. Tony Bancroft (Pumbaa), Mike Surrey (Timon), James Baxter (Rafiki) are all brilliant guys – we lucked out!

Do you feel like the changes are for the better in the animated film industry?

Roger Allers: The increase in diversity is really welcome, but I hope that traditional hand-drawn animation keeps being produced. It’s an art form that’s dear to my heart and one that I don’t think has still been fully explored.

The movie seems to have been influenced by past Disney movies like Bambi and other sources like Hamlet. Was that a deliberate choice to help you find the tone and direction you wanted to take the film?

Roger Allers: Definitely I’d say that Bambi was an inspiration. The similarity to Hamlet was noticed only after we had come up with the story structure and had been working on it for a while.

Can you talk about how you guys struggled to get a handle of Rafiki? Robert Guillaume tells these great stories about he kept being called back in to re-record scenes that he’d already recorded dialogue for because you kept changing your approach / your take on the character. Evidently you folks finally brought him back in and said ” We finally figured out who Rafiki is. He’s insane.” Is there any truth to that story?

Rob Minkoff: I remember the big break through came when I asked Robert to laugh. His laugh was so amazing and really brought out the character of Rafiki as a crazy shaman witch-doctor. We kept asking him to laugh before every line!

What was the most unexpected way that “The Lion King” made its way into your life outside the animation industry?

Rob Minkoff: Hakuna Matata has become a phrase recognized around the world. And every time we get kidded on TV, including the recent Emmy Awards, it’s very gratifying. It’s nice to have a little shelf space in the pop culture universe.

The Lion King became one of the most successful animated movies ever. How come you only directed one new movie since then?

Roger Allers: You know, this can be a tough business. I have developed several movies since then which for one reason or another never made to full fruition. Want to finance a film?

I think that Scar is the best villain of all Disney`s movies. What do you think about Jeremy Irons voice performance?

Roger Allers: I think I’d put Jeremy’s performance up on the top of all time best vocal performances.

Now it seems inevitable The Lion King would become a classic, but how much of a risk did it seems when you were making it?

Roger Allers: The Lion King was the step-child project when we started at the studio. Developing it was a hard but satisfying journey. You can never know in advance how something will turn out, and even if you like it whether it will be a success.

What’s more difficult, directing live action movies (such as Forbidden Kingdom) or animated ones?

Rob Minkoff: The Forbidden Kingdom was an incredible challenge because we made the film entirely in China. And Jackie Chan and Jet Li are the two biggest marital arts stars in the world. The were very competitive but had a great rapport off camera.

What’s the process you went through to determine which story elements would most benefit from the stereoscopic 3D enhancement?

Roger Allers: We screened the movie without sound watching for the scenes of greatest potential and called them out to someone who was furiously taking notes!

Were you ever tempted to do “a George Lucas” and improve parts of The Lion King, before the new release?

Roger Allers: No, I think we knew to leave well enough alone. Did some color correcting though on a few scenes that I was never happy with.

The Morning Report is no longer a part of the Lion King feature. Why?

Roger Allers: It was only included for the IMAX & first DVD release as a fun bonus feature. The song Morning Report was originally written for the stage musical. We wanted this current version to be true to the original release.

The themes treated in Lion King are among the deepest in animation : responsability, father/son relation, power, death… How did you approach the challenges of treating these topics?

Roger Allers: Sensitively but with great gusto!

There’s a plan for Elton John’s biopic. Would you consider directing it, maybe?

Roger Allers: Sure, an animated version of his life story? I’m on it!

Any final thoughts on The Lion King?

Rob Minkoff: After 17 years it’s been an amazing journey on The Lion King. One that I hope continues on, like the Circle of Life. Thanks for joining us in this virtual round table. Looking forward to the next time we all meet virtually or otherwise!

Roger Allers: I’m so happy that audiences are able to experience The Lion King in a theatre on a big screen with other viewers. It’s the communal experience, you know? Let’s gather at Pride Rock, join the circle, and tell our tales.

END

Rob Minkoff’s career as a filmmaker is uniquely eclectic, including the animated masterpiece The Lion King, the blockbuster action picture The Forbidden Kingdom, starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and the recent Sundance Film Festival event Flypaper, starring Patrick Dempsey, Tim Blake Nelson and Ashley Judd.

Rob began his directorial career at Disney with two Roger Rabbit shorts, Tummy Trouble and Rollercoaster Rabbit. After a twelve year career at Disney, Rob left to direct the combination live-action/animation Stuart Little and Stuart Little 2 for Sony’s Columbia Pictures. In addition to supervising the creation of The Lion King and Stuart Little, he’s worked with an incredible array of award-winning talent, including Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Hugh Laurie, Eddie Murphy and Michael J. Fox.

Rob is one of only a few filmmakers to have directed both live action and animated features and innovated the use of the combined mediums with the photo-realistic CGI for Stuart Little and Stuart Little 2. His work has been exemplified by both commercial success and artistic innovation, his films having grossed more than one and a half billion dollars worldwide.

Having traveled to China initially in 1997, Rob has continued to develop a deep interest in Asian history and culture. He is currently developing several China-related projects, including the upcoming action fantasy Chinese Odyssey. He owns a home in Beijing and recently married the 76^th generational descendant of Confucius.

Roger Allers made his feature film directing debut with The Lion King following a prolific two-decade career in the medium that included everything from character design and animation to story supervision. He was instrumental in shaping the structure and dialogue for the six Disney animated features previous to The Lion King, serving as head of story on Oliver & Company and Beauty and the Beast and contributing to The Little Mermaid, The Prince and the Pauper, The Rescuers Down Under and Aladdin in a senior story capacity.

Born in New York and raised mainly in Scottsdale, Arizona, Allers became hooked on animation when he saw Disney’s Peter Pan at the impressionable age of five. After receiving his degree in fine arts at Arizona State University, he spent two years traveling and living in Europe. In 1973, Allers moved to Boston where he began working with Lisberger Studios, animating and designing for children’s educational programs and commercials. Relocating with the studio to Los Angeles, Allers provided story work, character design and animation for the feature Animalympics and story development for the first film to feature computer generated animation, TRON.

In 1980, Allers lived in Toronto, Canada, working as an animator on Nelvana Studio’s futuristic feature, Rock and Rule, followed by two years in Tokyo, Japan at Tokyo Movie Shinsha doing story development and preliminary animation for Little Nemo. After a period of travel through Indonesia and Asia with his wife and children, Allers returned to Los Angeles in 1985, to begin his work for Disney. Allers has lent his story expertise to such films as The Emperor’s New Groove and Lilo and Stitch. As co-writers, he and Irene Mecchi were nominated for a Tony Award for the book for the Broadway stage version of “The Lion King.” For Sony Pictures Animation, Allers directed the feature Open Season and for Disney, an animated short based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl set to the music of Alexander Borodin, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Animated Film.

Currently, Allers is writing an original musical for the stage and recently wrote and directed a performance piece for Heifer International, a charity devoted to alleviating world hunger and poverty.

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A Talk With Disney About the Restoration of Dumbo

Sean Ferguson — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:48:16 +0000

Not long ago, I had the chance to talk to with some very influential people in Disney about the restoration work done for the upcoming Dumbo Blu-ray. Those people included Sara Duran-Singer, the Senior Vice-President of Post-Production, Dave Bossert, the Creative Director of Walt Disney Studios Animation, and Joe Jiuliano, who is the Director of Film and Video Services The discussion yielded a lot of interesting information on how Disney restores and preserves their films as well as some interesting trivia such as the fact that legendary Warner Brothers animator Chuck Jones got his start working for Disney. We also found out that some of Disney’s classic live action films including (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Swiss Family Robinson, and Mary Poppins) have already been restored and will be coming to Blu-ray. Ostensibly, we were supposed to talk about the amazing restoration done on Dumbo, but I managed to sneak in a question about the legendary Song of the South which is still locked up in the vault, and I actually got an answer that might surprise you. Read on to find out more…

Note: I’ve tried to streamline this to make it easier to follow the conversation since you won’t have the benefit of the slides and multimedia that we were able to see. I thought about just giving the highlights but I knew that some people would like to get the full picture so I did the best I could to balance both sides.

(Moderator): My name is Mindy Johnson, and I’m here on behalf of the Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Division. We are joined today by (Sarah Duran-Singer), the Senior Vice President of Post-Production with Walt Disney Studios…

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us.

Mindy Johnson: (Dave Bossert) is the Creative Director of Walt Disney Studios Animation, in charge of Special Projects and is also the Artistic Supervisor of the Restoration and Preservation Team. (Dave), good morning.

(Dave Bossert): Hi, everybody.

(Mindy Johnson): And we’re also joined by (Joe Jiuliano), who’s the Director of Film and Video Services with the Walt Disney Studios, and the Technical Adviser for the Restoration Committee. (Joe), good morning.

(Joe Jiuliano): Hi. Hi, everybody.

(Mindy Johnson): With that, we’d like to get underway. (Sarah), if you could get us started with this whole frontier of preservation and restoration?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Great. Thank you, Mindy. And thank you, everyone, for joining us. We are all really excited about the upcoming Blu-ray release of “Dumbo.” It’s been a favorite of the studio’s for a long time, and we were really happy to have the opportunity to work on this title and bring it back to its prior glory. What I’d like to talk about first is how we were able to do this, how we were able to bring back this title. A huge part of that is the fact that the studio is very engaged with the preservation of all of our library titles, not just animation, but our live action. In fact, we just finished a restoration on “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” The studio knows that our library is one of the most valuable libraries out there, and they’ve been very aggressive in making sure that we preserve them. As most of you know – right now, the motion pictures made within the first half of the 20th century are in danger of completely disappearing due to a number of issues.

There’s a couple things that we’re looking at right here. We’re looking at vinegar syndrome and also nitrate deterioration. Now, what the Walt Disney Company has done is, years ago, we made an agreement with the Library of Congress that we would loan them our nitrate negatives that were shot during the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s at the studio, huge amount of our animation – feature-length animation library and our short animation library. And we gave them to them to preserve and to store, because we did not have the correct storage facilities. I don’t know if you know, but nitrate is highly flammable and is very dangerous to store if it’s not kept in very particular circumstances. Obviously, humidity is a huge factor. Humidity is maintained. Refrigeration is a key issue. And the Library of Congress checks out film and rarely handle our film, but when they pull it out, they inspect it, they make sure it’s preserved, it is handled in a wonderful manner, which meant that when we wanted to go back and start restoring our film, we could pull these nitrate successive exposure black-and-white negatives out and actually use them.

Obviously, sometimes things happen, and the risk – if you want to go to the next slide – some of the things that you’re at risk for is vinegar syndrome. Vinegar syndrome you know you have that issue right away if you open the can. You can see here in this picture, basically this mag track is deteriorating. And you open the can, and if you smell vinegar, you have a problem. It’s probably already too late. It’s already on its way to destruction. Another issue, you look at is, in 2004, we pulled out “Steamboat Willie” as one of our key projects that we wanted to restore. And we found nine feet in original successive exposure negative that basically was destroyed. You can see that the picture has gone away.

We were really lucky that we could find a dupe negative that had those frames that were missing. So we scanned the dupe negative and we scanned the original successive exposure negative and (netted them) – put them together and did a dirt clean-up and a scratch clean-up and fixed certain things in the – actually, what we first discovered is we made it pristine, and we looked at it and went, oh, you know, that’s not good, because that’s not “Steamboat Willie.” “Steamboat Willie,” for all we’ve seen it so many times, there’s a little bit of jitters, there’s a little bit of movement, there is some grain, there is some scratches. And if you made it too clean, it actually looked like something that was made currently and it didn’t look like the “Steamboat Willie” that we all remembered.

So we went back and did a good restoration, but didn’t clean it up pristinely, and we kept some of the movement and jitter. So it felt like the “Steamboat Willie” we all knew and we all remembered from childhood and from seeing it in the theater and on TV. And actually, that restored version of “Steamboat Willie” became the source for animation studios’ new animation logo, which utilizes “Steamboat Willie.” You’ve probably seen it at the head of our films like “Tangled” and “Princess and the Frog.” So it was great to be able to restore this and then see that film being used again and brought to life for a whole new generation to see part of it.

So let’s go to the next image. Now, you’re looking at “Mickey’s Gala Premier,” which is 1933. And what we have here is some nitrate deterioration. In the image, you can see some of that bubbling. That is not good, either. And when we were inspecting our film at Library of Congress, they showed us how dangerous that is. Basically, they pulled out a small bit of film, and they lit it, and it went, “Pff.” And that’s – how you would describe that, but like a little explosion, like flash paper. So not only is your film being destroyed, but it often becomes incredibly volatile, and you have to really store it and protect it.

So we’re very – work very much hand in hand to make sure that that film is – and if anything starts to deteriorate, we try to tackle it right away. Now, what we have done since 2004, we did a Library of Congress scanning project. We periodically would move over large chunks of our animation library on nitrate negative. We scanned it at 4K with our partners at Warner Bros. MPI, created a digital file of that. We actually then created a QuickTime of that so we could check and make sure that for – we had every frame scanned.

And (Joe Jiuliano), my colleague here, will explain a little bit about successive exposure negative, but for every one frame of picture, you had three frames of negative. So we checked that frame by frame. And then we handed it over to my partner, (Joe Jiuliano), and his team, and they (filmed out) a brand-new black-and-white successive exposure negative. So we actually captured the original data and we preserved it for at least another 100 years. We did this with our entire nitrate library. In fact, I think (Joe) is still in the progress of – the last little bit of filming it out. And those…

(Joe Jiuliano): Sixteen-and-a-half million frames.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): That’s a lot of frames. But that’s how important our library is to us. And that original nitrate or the scans that we did became the sources that we used for our restoration of basically all our classic animation titles, “Snow White,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and, of course, as we’re talking about, “Dumbo.” Here’s just another close-up of the sadness that we’re experiencing, but, again, we are in much better shape than I think many studio libraries are, because we did spend the money.

Now, these are frames from “Snow White,” which we actually restored – two year ago. And there’s other issues. It’s not – obviously, we spoke about vinegar syndrome and we spoke about nitrate deterioration. There’s other things. What you’re looking at here, the frame in the middle, there is heavy plastic splices. You can kind of see over the images, the two images in the middle, there’s a plastic splice – plastic tape splice that goes into the image and deteriorates it or damages it. So we have to – after we’ve scanned the film, we have to do some real picture restoration to get rid of that splice that’s distorting the image.

And then the image on the right, you can see on the left side of the film we’ve actually lost the perfs, which make it incredibly difficult to scan, so that we probably did have to go ahead and put splice tape on that to be able to scan that.

So there’s all sorts of problems. We’ve discovered with every title that we’ve done is the problems aren’t consistent. They all have different issues that you have to address, not just with the physical film, but also with the picture. Every film we think we’ve solved the problem, the next movie, we have totally different sets of problems that we have to resolve, and (figuring out the) best way to restoring it. It actually makes these projects really exciting. They’re a bit of a treasure hunt. So basically – so you understand why this restoration of “Dumbo” is different from any of the previous releases, because I know it’s been released on VHS – has it been released on DVD before?

(Mindy Johnson): Yes, but this is the first release for “Dumbo” on Blu-ray.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes, this one is unique and special and to explain why the Blu-ray is going to be such a stunning experience is, previously we didn’t scan from the original negative. You know, the technology wasn’t quite ready. We were concerned about the negative. We hadn’t backed up the negative and preserved it through (Joe Jiuliano)’s team. So we would use basically an (inter-negative) or (inter-positive) that could be several generations away from that original black-and-white successive exposure negative.

By using a piece of film that was several generations away, you are introducing, obviously, more dirt, a lot more grain, softness of image, and, really, you’re getting away from the original color. You’re introducing steps in there, and whether those intermediate negative and (positive were made correctly), it is changing the color. Then, of course, we would do full registration and dirt clean-up and we would then create the VHS or the DVD master. But what we’re doing now, which is really exciting, is we are going back, as I said, to that original successive exposure black-and-white negative, and this is an example of what it looks like. We can come back to this slide when (Joe) delves into what exactly successive exposure is, because he’s been shooting it for – 25 years?

(Joe Jiuliano): Yes.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Twenty-five years. So now what we are doing is we are using that original negative or the original (four case) scans that we did off of that original negative. That is our source. So we’re getting the image as it was captured by Walt Disney’s artists, you know, 40 years ago, 50 years ago…

(Mindy Johnson): Seventy-plus.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Was it 70? Oh, my gosh.

(Mindy Johnson): It’s the 70th anniversary.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Wow. We are then doing full restoration, re-registering it, re-combining those, and out comes an image that is complete, it’s the real color that was shot, that is – you don’t have any of the build-up of the gray. You don’t have much build-up of the dirt. The key thing that you gain – really, I want to stress – is you don’t have as much grains. The image is a lot sharper. And the colors are truer. They are the real colors that were captured. So it really is what the filmmakers intended. Now, I would like to hand this over to my colleagues (Dave Bossert) and (Joe Jiuliano) to talk a little bit about what was unique about the restoration of “Dumbo.”

(Dave Bossert): Hey, guys. This is (Dave Bossert). I’m going to jump in and give you just a quick little overview, from the artistic side of this on what we did with the “Dumbo” restoration. Just in general terms, we spent nearly seven months working on the restoration and preservation of “Dumbo.” And as (Sarah) mentioned, the nitrate negative’s like 70-plus years old. We actually had the nitrate negative transported from the Virginia facility to Los Angeles in what we lovingly referred to as the ice cream truck. It’s actually just a refrigerated truck, but it is actually driven across country to our facility, not flown. The entire film, obviously, is cleaned and inspected. Just for numbers, there’s 275,352 frames of negative for “Dumbo” that was scanned. You can see that up there. And I always get a kick out of it, but it’s 3.2 miles of film. It’s kind of neat.

But anyway, we wind up – once we have those digital images, there is an automated dust-busting process that we refer to. It’s a dust-busting with – it removes a lot of the ancillary dirt and whatnot automatically. And then we’re going in on a regular basis and reviewing parts of various reels of the film at a time. And we are calling out various other aspects, artifacts, and anomalies that need to be taken care of. Those include – aside from the dust and dirt – fingerprints that may have been on the cells, cell shimmers, what we refer to as Newton rings, when you press several layers of acetate cells together, you get these rainbow rings that can get photographed in, cell scratches.

Just so you know, this team that’s been working since 2003 on this restoration and preservation of these feature films, we’ve removed reflections of the cameramen, doors open on a frame in the camera room. You can see a reflection because the platen wasn’t down all the way. There’s all kinds of little oddities in creating animated films that aren’t necessarily meant to be in the film. And what we’re driving by philosophically is, what was the artistic intention? And clearly, you know, as an artist, the intention is to create as perfect a frame of art as you can, but, you know, you’ve got to realize 70 years ago they were using the best technology that they had at hand 70 years ago. So we’re able to go in and clean up some of these little mistakes and artifacts and various things that pop up in the films, and we’ve done that in a very good way.

I did want to point out, from a color standpoint, we’re fortunate because we here at Disney have our Animation Research Library which has something north of 70 million pieces of art archived. And we’re able to go back and pull out color backgrounds from all of these films, as well as get a series of backgrounds that would be representative of the color palette of the movie. And instead of just looking at those backgrounds, we actually have them scanned and photographed out on SE film, because the successive exposure film actually picks up contrast and picks up color saturation, and the Disney background artists always painted their backgrounds a little bit less contrast-y and a little bit muted, knowing that the photographic process would then pick up the contrasts and saturations to give them what it was they wanted. So we take a lot of care in making sure that we are restoring these back to what the artistic intention was, as far as the color goes. With that, I actually want to turn it over to my colleague, (Joe), to talk a little bit about the successive exposure process and what’s entailed and why, essentially, we had 275,352 frames, which is really 91,784 color frames of the movie. So, (Joe), it’s all yours.

(Joe Jiuliano): Prior to the 1950s, the only way that you could really get a color film – both animation and live action – was at Technicolor, which was a three-strip process. Back in the day, Technicolor had three-strip cameras that would have three separate strips of film running parallel in the camera, each one capturing a separation of color, of yellow, cyan, magenta strip that would run as live action was being captured. The film was then taken over to the lab. It was developed and then optically recombined, but you have to remember that it all started with a black-and-white negative and the distinct color information that was captured on each one, the yellow, cyan and magenta.

So back in the day, I think Ub Iworks came up with a method that was specific to animation. Once you have the cells set up on the camera, it’s stationary so that you can capture the separations sequentially on one strip of film. And what we did up until the ’90s – was shoot successively on one strip of film red, green and blue separations. And then, again, the film was brought over to the lab over at Technicolor, developed, and then color was optically arrived at, at the lab. I can’t – again, with my partners here, — I can’t emphasize how important to this restoration project and the other classic films that we’ve restored in recent years, that the decision to go back and scan the original negative really makes this work. And also, blending it with the digital tools available to us – as (David) said, when we shot this film originally in successive exposure, black-and-white, everything was sort of balanced for the color methods that were available at the time, the Technicolor three-strip color. And all the artwork was made for that, as (Dave) mentioned.

Going back and scanning the original negative, that’s really the information you get. You get the information that was somehow altered for that method. But with the digital tools, after you scan it, the 4K scans that we’ve talked about, and when you go back in and you start adding the colors, the digital methods and lookup tables that we all used, the clean-up methods, really made it possible to go back and capture what, again, the artists’ intents were in terms of color. The early Disney films that I saw were always these multi-generation release prints that we find. And up until, I think, this project, I was under the impression that all old classic Disney films were very contrast-y. The color was very, very overly saturated. And I felt that it was always grainy.

When we went back to the original negative and started color correcting and cleaning it up, we were all amazed at how different the film looked and the subtleties of color, pastel colors came up, grain disappeared, contrast wasn’t as dark as we thought it was. And I think for the first time we really saw what the guys really wanted to come up with, in terms of color, on these original movies.

(Dave Bossert): I was just going to follow up on what (Joe) was saying by – we were amazed at some of the detail that were in some of the dark areas of scenes, because the blacks had crushed down, and you never really saw that on film. That was really amazing to us. The other thing I wanted to mention on the three-strip process was that once those three color records were scanned, they’re actually – the line-up on those was done digitally. Now, you’ve got to realize, when they were doing prints at the lab, that was a mechanical process, and that line-up was good, but it was never perfect. With the digital line-up of the three color records, we’re using anywhere from 50 to 100 targets on the frame to actually line all three color records up, so you get this unbelievably crisp image, the way you would have – the way Walt and his artists would have seen the actual artwork in front of them.

And I think it was something that we were blown away by when we first did the “Bambi” restoration, because that was the first one this team had done together, and we were absolutely blown away by how crisp the ink lines were on the animation, and it’s true of all the subsequent restorations, including “Dumbo.” So I just wanted to throw that in, (Joe).

(Sarah Duran-Singer): We’ve talked about the team. And obviously, there’s three of us here today speaking about this project, but since 2003, when we decided to restore “Bambi,” there has been a working team of experts that have been involved in this, obviously, (Dave) and (Joe), myself, but beyond that, we have (Theo Gluck), who is our resident kind of film and Disney historian and film format expert. We also reach out to other colleagues at Disney Animation. (Andres Deja), who you might know as an animator on Scar and…

(Dave Bossert): Yes, I was going to throw in, too, early on in the process of going into these classic films, we had access to (Frank Thomas) and (Ollie Johnson), who both had come in on “Bambi,” as well as (Tyrus Wong), of course, Roy Disney, when he was still alive, as well. And so we’ve been tapping into, you know, a lot of – some of the original artists, if you will, that we could. And obviously, most of them are gone now, but I’ll tell you, when we showed the restoration of “Lady and the Tramp” to (Ollie Johnson), at the end of the screening, he had a big smile on his face, and we asked him what he thought, and he said, “This is the way it was supposed to look.” And he was absolutely blown away by it. And so it was really gratifying being able to show some of the original artists what these films are looking like now and how we’re taking care of them and preserving them for future generations.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): You know, we’ve been incredibly lucky to have this team and access to those talents when we could. And we’re all experts in different areas. And we approached this process with, again – as (Dave) talked about – we want to keep it to – we want to represent what the filmmakers and Walt’s original intention was. What was their goal? We look at the films. And we debate, what should we clean up? What should we fix? It kind of sets the guideline. Like, was that the filmmaker’s intention? Or if it wasn’t, if they had the time, the money, or the technical expertise, would they have fixed it? And we have debated. We’ve had some very lively debates. And I’d like to say, we tried to keep Walt and the original filmmakers right next to us during this process and have them guide our choices. We never want to change their original intention.

But, obviously, having a fingerprint or having a bit of animation pop on and off, we believe, was never the original intention and they would have fixed it if they could. Now that we have the tools and the technology, we go back and fix that. So we always keep the original filmmakers’ intention in the back of our head. And like I said, we have a lot of fun debating that. Now, I’d like all of us to talk a little bit about some of the specific issues that came up on “Dumbo.” This particular title was in production in May – in the early ’40s. As I’m reminded, it’s the 70th anniversary. The studio had just come off the release of “Fantasia” and “Pinocchio,” which were extremely costly films. They were expensive films, and they weren’t as financially successful as I think the studio hoped, so they decided to take a different approach with “Dumbo.” “Dumbo” is one of the shorter films. I think it comes in at around…

(Mindy Johnson): Sixty-four.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): … 64 minutes. They also tried to take a more simplified approach overall to the production look and workflow. The film was very successful. But this production approach did create some problems. Specifically, (Dave), do you want to talk about some of the issues they had with the paint?

(Dave Bossert): Yes, one of the big things about the early Disney features is that – and a lot of people don’t realize this – but the studio itself had its own paint lab, and they mixed their own paints, which meant that they had a binder and they had pigments and they had a formula, and they would mix these paints up. And some of those pigments were better than others from the standpoint of stability. One of the problems that we encountered on “Dumbo” is that there’s large color areas of the elephants. There was a lot of what we referred to as paint crawl. And, really, what was happening with the paint was that certain colors – the pigment and binder – would separate if they weren’t continuously being stirred. And so you wind up putting the paint down on a cell, and when that cell dries, there’s almost an imperceptible streaking, if you will, from the brushing – from the brush and the brush application — of the paint. On an individual cell, you can maybe pick it up a little bit if it’s really bad, but you can actually see it when you see a sequence of cells play by at 24 frames a second.

And so that was one of the big areas that we had to deal with, was the amount of paint crawl, because in some of the scenes, the paint crawl was really bad. And when you’re showing a pristine image, it was magnified, because there was less grain in the image. You know, years ago, when they did a release print that was a couple generations away from the negative, the paint crawl wasn’t as prevalent.

(Joe Jiuliano): The grain killed it a little bit.

(Dave Bossert): The grain really sort of tamed it, if you will. But with the pristine digital image, we really did have a lot of issues with the paint crawl, and so we needed to go in and mitigate that, and we did that with a digital process. But that was really one of the big issues for this film. And when we do these restorations and preservations on these films, every single movie that we’ve worked on has had its own set of issues, its own set of areas that we had to sort of focus on a little bit more, and there were software solutions developed, and ways for us to mitigate some of those problems. Let me toss it back to (Sarah).

(Sarah Duran-Singer): We actually have some examples to show you, some before-and-after that we’ll go through in a second. One other thing that I think we should talk about – but because this was a lower-cost production and they were trying to save money, they would reuse cells. Do you guys want to talk about that?

(Dave Bossert): Well, you know, one of the things back in the late ’30s into the 1940s, they actually had a position at the studio called the cell washer. And what the cell washer did was, after the animation was completed, it was inked and painted onto an acetate cell, it was photographed, the film came back, they looked at the film and said, yep, that’s fine, then those cells went to the cell washer, who would actually wash off the paint and the ink, and they would be reused. Well, that process of washing off the paint and the ink did a couple of things. It introduced scratches to the cell material. It also created some warpage, expansion and shrinkage…

(Joe Jiuliano): And rippled some…

(Dave Bossert): … and rippled the cell itself. And so what we wind up having to deal with now is that you’ve got frames where there’s various light reflections dancing around because of the warpage of the cells…or what we refer to as, cell shimmers, really. And that all was introduced into these films not intentionally – that wasn’t the artistic intent – but it was just a byproduct of the animation process of the day.

(Joe Jiuliano): Well, it was part of the process. And it was acceptable. I mean, it was…

(Dave Bossert): Well, back then it was.

(Joe Jiuliano): Yes. So when you looked at it, it was the way animation just looked at the time. But now, because we’re scanning it and using such precise tools to fix it, it’s not acceptable to us.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): And the image is so clean without the grain that these things jump out and they take you out of the experience of the picture.

(Joe Jiuliano): I think you really do have to just keep saying, artistic intent. What was the artistic intent?

(Dave Bossert): Yep, absolutely.

(Joe Jiuliano): And rippled cells was not the artistic intent.

(Dave Bossert): It was not at all. And, by the way, I don’t know if anybody knows this, but Chuck Jones was a cell washer for a little while here at Disney.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Was he really?

(Dave Bossert): Yes, he was. He got his start here.

(Joe Jiuliano): That’s a fun fact.

(Dave Bossert): A little factoid.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): We do all of our restoration work with our partners over at Lowry Digital or Reliance. It’s now owned by Reliance. And they’ve been our partner since we tackled “Bambi” in 2003. And, again, with the elephants, we had to tackle a lot of – as (Dave) mentioned – the paint crawl, which if you just saw the image, it was incredibly distracting watching that paint bubble and move.

(Mindy Johnson): And, again, in the final Blu-ray, the colors are that much more richer. This is definitely, pre-color-correction.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes, These are just only the restoration. Now, we’ve talked about picture, and we’ve talked about preservation. Another key project that we tackle is we – through preservation and also through restoration is our audio. Just like we did with our successive exposure negatives, we are currently, actually, migrating and cleaning up our entire Disney animation and live-action library audio. So it’s a multi-year, five-year project. We take the best possible version of the tracks, digitize them in the Pro Tools, clean them up, and create a new file that will be used.

Now, in the case of “Dumbo,” this one had a very interesting history. You know, hindsight is 20/20. Obviously, in the ’50s, the studio started cleaning up the library because they had no storage capacity or they felt that, why did they need these things? So the original nitrate soundtracks of these films were transferred over to 35-millimeter mag. And unlike the picture, the successive exposure negative, they destroyed those original nitrate recordings, which to this day we regret. So all we have were those 35-millimeter mag transfers, which were done in the ’50s on technology that was probably OK for then, but is not very good now. So obviously, certain things were built in that we’ve had to reduce noise, a narrowing of the sonic range of those tracks.

So what we’ve been doing – we’ve been working with a colleague, (Terry Porter), who was a Disney mixer for 20-some years and was nominated for best sound Oscars on “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin.” He had developed a process of bringing – transferring those tracks, cleaning them up through Pro Tools, and utilizing other tools, and doing what we call a Disney-Enhanced Home Theater Mix, which is either spread – a mono-spread to 5.1 or to 7.1. He actually perfected this on “The Lion King.” When we did “The Lion King” DVD release, he created the Disney Enhanced Home Theater. And he took what he’s learned on every film, and he’s actually used it on our library titles to create not only a clean master, but a 5.1 or 7.1 mix, which is what our audiences are used to now and expect, but, again, trying to maintain that original quality.

We always end up putting the mono track on our DVDs and Blu-rays, so the purists that want to hear it the way it was will hear a cleaned-up mono track. But other people who love the 5.1 or 7.1 experience on Blu-ray can hear that. So (Terry)’s process, as I mentioned, is to digitize in those 35-millimeters, clean them up, and then remix them. Now, what was unique about “Dumbo” is – as (Dave) mentioned – we do a ton of research on this. And one of the things we do is we try to find original film prints, anything that anybody (has up there) that we can look at, and we’ve partnered with UCLA Film Archives. And (Theo Gluck), who I mentioned is a member of the team who’s the film expert, was able to track down through UCLA an original print of “Dumbo.” And he set up the screening over at UCLA. We all went and looked at it.

(Dave Bossert): It was a Technicolor nitrate print.

(Joe Jiuliano): No, it was (an IB)…

(Dave Bossert): It was? Oh, I thought it was a nitrate for some reason. I thought it was a nitrate, because we had to view it over at UCLA, and nitrate was combustible.

(Joe Jiuliano): It might have been, but the color method was IB.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Want to explain IB, (Joe)?

(Joe Jiuliano): Well, it’s just the three-strip color, but the IB process was more like a lithography process than it was a photochemical process. So the original Technicolor prints are IB prints, which stand for imbibition prints, which… they imbibe the image on it, which is a litho process. And so like early on, the early Technicolor prints were grainless. They were more like the old magazine printing than later on, where the grainy negative (looked to it). So that’s what we saw, was we saw one of the original prints struck from the original negative, three-strip – or three – sorry, successive exposure negative.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): So that IB process, you know, because it’s like a dye process, the colors don’t fade like they would on a traditional photochemical print. That’s why we try to find those. But in this particular case, what we didn’t expect was this print to have a really good optical soundtrack that was really in great condition. So we actually were able to work with UCLA, borrow that print, and basically digitize that soundtrack. And that became another source for (Terry Porter) to use in his mix. So, obviously, we don’t have audio on this, but when you go out and you buy that Blu-ray, you will hear (Terry Porter)’s restored mix in either 5.1 or 7.1 or you can, again, hear that original mono cleaned up with as much of those pops and clicks and wow taken out.

(Mindy Johnson): OK, let’s move on to the Disney View feature, which is a new feature on many of our Platinum Edition restorations for the earlier films. (Dave), if you could talk a bit about this?

(Dave Bossert): Sure. So the Disney View feature came up a number of years ago, and part of its genesis was the fact that the aspect ratio of these films, like “Dumbo,” some of the early “Dumbo” feature films, is what we referred to as 4:3 aspect ratio or 1:33 aspect ratio. Most of the films that you view today are 1:85 aspect ratio or 1:78, but it’s a more rectangular image. And with the penetration of flat-screen televisions into a lot of homes, the consumers have a more rectangular television, so when you view a square picture on a rectangle, you have black bars on either side.

Well, the studio was getting some complaints from consumers that our movies were not taking up all of the real estate of their television screens. So they came up with this concept of doing a Disney View, which was really putting some wallpaper up to cover the black bars. And when Home Entertainment first approached me about this, I made the suggestion that we actually not just throw any old wallpaper up, but we get some artists that have a Disney connection, some Disney heritage to actually paint those sort of proscenium pieces for us that we could put up.

And so on “Dumbo,” we reached out to (James Cullman), but all of us that have worked with him over the years know him as (Jim). And (Jim) is a well-known, world-renowned, actually, artist out there in the world, sells his paintings and prints in galleries all over the place, is very well collected in Japan and other places. (Jim) was a background painter and actually was head of backgrounds here at Disney for a number of years, but he was with the studio for nearly 20 years before he segued out into this fine art career that he has now. And so I reached out to (Jim) and asked him if he’d come in and work with us on doing these paintings to create this proscenium for “Dumbo.” And he was absolutely thrilled to come in and work with us. And what he came up with was a series of paintings that are representative of the sequences in the movie.

So as you’re watching the film, when we change locations, if we go from an interior sequence to an exterior sequence, those panels will change. They’re designed to complement the movie and not detract from the film. And, again, on the Blu-ray, it’s an optional feature, the same as the sound. So if a purist wants to watch the movie with the black bars and in mono, they can. If they want to watch the movie with the Disney View panels in 5.1 or 7.1, they can do that, too. So it’s all choice. And I think (Jim) did a beautiful job on these panels. They’re just gorgeous paintings. And by the way, these are physical paintings that he did for us. They weren’t done digitally, so it’s a throwback to the way the art was originally created, and I think he really captured some really nice panels here. They were all kind of based on the circus tent idea, almost. I think a lot of them – it’s as if you’re viewing the movie from – you know, through an opening in a circus tent, which is kind of fun. And each of these pieces then are also stored at the Animation Research Library for future – for preservation purposes.

(Mindy Johnson): “Dumbo” will be available for the first time on Disney Blu-ray this month, September 20th.

(Sean Ferguson): Hi, this is Sean Ferguson with Why So Blu.com. Now that you can create these new transfers based on the original negative, are you planning to go back to the previous releases, like “Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow White,” and use the original element there?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): We actually have. Any – those Blu-rays were – they were done in the same manner that we did “Dumbo.”

(Sean Ferguson): Oh, I thought I heard you say that you weren’t able to do that until “Bambi.”

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Oh, well, yes, but “Bambi” was the first one was did in 2003, so anything after 2003 was done in this manner.

(Sean Ferguson): OK.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): “Sleeping Beauty” was our first Blu-ray that was done. And then we did “Snow White.” It just came out on Blu-ray a year-and-a-half ago.

(Dave Bossert): And “Fantasia,” which was just released.

(Joe Jiuliano): But all of the classics, basically.

(Dave Bossert): Yes, we’ve basically gone through all the classics. And just to be clear, these have been sort of a ground-up restoration. In other words, we’ve gone right back to the nitrate negative for this whole series of restoration. Anything that was done prior to that on VHS tape or early DVD is irrelevant to us. We started each one of these titles right off the Nitrate negative and did a brand-new restoration.

(Sean Ferguson): Yes, these look incredible, by the way.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Thank you.

(Dave Bossert): Thank you.

(Sean Ferguson): I was also wondering, if there any plans to go back to revisit other movies, like “Song of the South,” something that’s never even been released?

(Joe Jiuliano): Actually, right now, that’s part of the Library of Congress project. And we have scanned that. And I have shot new safety negative, but that’s as far as we’ve gone.

(Dave Bossert): That’s as far as we’ve gone on “Song of the South.”

(Sarah Duran-Singer): But it is preserved. Again, the priority was to make sure our library was safe.

(Sean Ferguson): Well, that’s good. Thank you.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): OK, next question.

(Eric Shirey): This is (Eric Shirey). I work with Yahoo.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Hi, Eric.

(Eric Shirey): Yes, the stuff looks really good. I’ve been looking at it here. I’ve got a question. What – you were saying earlier that some of them – it seemed like they didn’t pay off when you restored them. At what point do you decide that something isn’t going to be worth enough or is going to make enough money to restore it? I mean, how do you make that decision?

(Dave Bossert): Well, I think you have to understand something. Everything that’s in our film library we believe needs to have some level of restoration and preservation done. Some films or some animation may get a certain level of restoration, whereas a film like “Bambi” or “Fantasia” or any of our – you know, “Dumbo,” as we’re talking about, will get what we refer to as a pristine restoration. But they’re all getting some level of restoration, and they’re all getting preservation.

(Joe Jiuliano): That’s right. (Eric), the 16.5 million frames that we had talked about that were on Nitrate before 1955, all of it has been scanned 4K. And I am just finishing up re-shooting safety negative on all of it. And so it’s really the company’s decision when we go further with that but the decision to preserve it all has been made, and we’re doing that.

(Dave Bossert): Yes, and, you know, you have to also realize that some of this is driven by release schedules.

(Eric Shirey): I’ve got another question real quick. (Sarah) said earlier that, when you restored “Steamboat Willie,” you made it look like it wasn’t perfect, like it still kind of had that shake to it.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes.

(Eric Shirey): Why – at what point do you decide to leave it that way, but sometimes with, like “Dumbo” and “Snow White” and the other ones, you make those look absolutely crystal-clear? Like, where do you decide to draw the line there?

(Dave Bossert): Well, you know, it’s an interesting thing. When we did “Steamboat Willie,” it’s a black-and-white cartoon. It’s obviously one of the earliest – you know, if not the earliest – Mickey cartoon. And we actually did a pristine restoration on that, where we took the flicker out, we took the weave of the film out, and we cleaned it up, and it was absolutely perfect looking, and we all sat there and said, “This doesn’t really look right,” from an artistic standpoint. And what we wound up doing was, we did what we would refer to as kind of a wedge test. We backed in a little bit of grain. We backed in a little bit of light flicker. We backed in a little of film weave. And we did that in various degrees. And we actually showed it to Roy Disney. And we explained the process to Roy. And Roy absolutely agreed with us that you cannot make it that perfect, because that wasn’t the way it was created, with the technology of the day, and it just didn’t feel right. So it was our group – if you will – groupthink that you had to leave a little bit of grain, weave, light flicker, for it to feel of the period.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes, we felt like we’d taken all the character out of it and all the life out of it. And then we kind of said make it look the way the original filmmakers intended it, and in this particular case, it just was such a different experience that we did all respond, like – eh, we’ve got to back off a little bit.

(Joe Jiuliano): I think all of the old black-and-whites, the animation was done in such a loose – and I’d hate to say, it’s not really crude, but it’s…

(Dave Bossert): But it is. This was a cruder style.

(Joe Jiuliano): And to see – to see that animation done in a pristine sort of digital way just didn’t seem to match. And I think in these movies, at least the old black-and-whites that were done in that style of animation, there’s a part of history there that’s captured on the negative that doesn’t necessarily apply to the later color films or the Technicolor films.

(Dave Bossert): And it’s the same if you look at a black-and-white silent movie, you know? It’s the same kind of thing. If you try to make it look too perfect, it doesn’t play well.

(Joe Jiuliano): Yes, history is part of the equation on that.

(Eric Shirey): Do you think that you guys will ever, like, release a portion of it, just to kind of give us – give people an idea of what it looked like perfect? I mean, just out of curiosity for people?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): I actually don’t think we saved that pristine one…

(Eric Shirey): Oh, really?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Remember, this goes back to hand-drawn animation. And if you take all that human element out of it…

(Joe Jiuliano): It’s hard to answer, because, you know, at one side, we’re saying, we’re going to make it as good as we can. But everybody in that room felt the same way. It was like, it just didn’t feel right. And so – you know, that’s why we made that.

(Dave Bossert): And I think the other point to this, too, is that when we’re doing these restorations on all of the feature films and we’re doing pristine restorations, we’re not trying – like, for instance, on “Dumbo,” we didn’t take all of the paint crawl out. We took a certain amount of the paint crawl out. But if you watch that Blu-ray, you’re going to see a little bit here and there, but it’s not obtrusive to viewing the title. It doesn’t take you out of the movie. But it also allows for the viewer to understand that this is a hand-created piece of art.

(Joe Jiuliano): And a good example, also, are the shadows, the cell shadows, that we could have gone in and painted out all of the cell shadows. That is the shadows that are cast by the lights on the animation camera by the actual character that’s on the cells that’s cast onto the background right underneath it. And to take that out would really make it something different than what it was. So I think that’s a good point, that it’s pristine to a point, but we don’t really necessarily eliminate all the history of animation from it.

(Male): So what you’re saying is you that applied this methodology to “Dumbo,” as well, where there are some historical… aspects of it that you don’t want to wipe out?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes, it’s a learning curve. And, again, each film is unique, but we did discover, as we tested things, that if you go way too far – and I think you even run into this in live-action films – live-action titles where they remove all the grain, it starts to change the character of the film. We found if we just painted – got rid of every bit of grain, it made the film seem so current, kind of what we experienced with “Steamboat Willie,” that it did lose the character of that piece of art at that period of time. So it’s a fine-line walked. I mean, we kind of felt like, if it’s distracting you from the image, if it’s a big side of an elephant and all you’re noticing is paint crawl, that’s taking you out of the experience of the film. But if it’s off to the side or it’s a smaller character, you know, you may not take all of the paint crawl out of there.

(Male): May I ask when – when in your grain management decision-making, you decided not to degrain the films? Was there one particular film where you had a shift in philosophy?

(Dave Bossert): No, I think that on each individual film, there is the discussion – and usually we look at a couple of samples as to what level of grain is going to be in it. There was no blanket decision where we said, “Every single one.”

(Joe Jiuliano): I don’t think ever got rid of film grain, because when we went back to the original negative, the film grain was much, much less than any of the multi-generation copies. We did go and do a lot of tests on the grain of background papers, if you remember, because we were coming up with images that were so clear that sometimes that was distracting, and we would have to bring the grain back to it’s original level.

(Male): And how would you characterize the color palette of “Dumbo” and how it may be slightly different from the previous films?

(Dave Bossert): You mean in comparison to previous films or…

(Male): Yes. What defines the color – what’s distinctive about the color palette of “Dumbo” that you discovered that’s different from “Snow White,” “Bambi,” “Pinocchio,” “Dumbo” and others.

(Dave Bossert): Well, I think the one thing we can say about “Dumbo” is that there’s larger areas of the screen that are covered with one color. So that was one issue that was different from some of the other films that we’ve dealt with.

(Joe Jiuliano): Circus colors.

(Dave Bossert): And as far as just the color palette goes, the color palette is ‘circus,’ so there’s a lot more in the way of primary colors.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): We all remember the films from our childhood, where we might have seen them in the theater. And I remember we did “Pinocchio.” My childhood memory of “Pinocchio” was, oh, it’s dark, and it’s dark reds, and it’s a lot of heavy browns and woods, a lot of wood. And then we scanned that negative and we saw what was on that negative, there was these beautiful pastel colors. Pinocchio’s eyes were so blue…these pinks…these lavenders that for whatever reason the film prints that were generations away and were obviously not color-timed from the original, our memory of them was totally different. I’m sure it’s kind of like cleaning the Sistine Chapel. You had no idea that there was this beautiful vibrant color there. And we obviously could research to understand what the color palette was and look at reference books and artwork.

(Male): Maybe say, because it’s a circus, it’s going to be more vibrant, more colorful…

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes.

(Male): (Inaudible) darker moments to this…

(Sarah Duran-Singer): You also have to remember, these Blu-rays are being played on high-definition monitors, which are very bright, which these films were really probably never seen that way — they were projected light. So, again, it changes that sense of your experience when you’re looking at it on a very bright high-definition monitor.

(Sean Ferguson): So does it make any difference between something like “Sleeping Beauty,” that was shot on 70-millimeter, versus something like “Dumbo”? Did you notice a big change, because there’s so much more space, when you were trying to restore “Sleeping Beauty”?

(Dave Bossert): No, because you know why? “Sleeping Beauty” was done in the late ’50s. And you’ve got to realize that each one of these films, the Disney animation process of making these films kept getting better and better, and the technology kept improving, and so the later films to us, like “Sleeping Beauty,” had less in the way of issues in some instances than some of the early films.

(Joe Jiuliano): Also the stylized art direction in that made it different.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes, we’d get through one and think, oh, great, now we know how to do these, and then we’d start another movie, and the palette, the line art, the background, the character design was so completely different that we had to learn all over again, not just from a color palette perspective, but also working with our clean-up vendor, Lowry Digital. They had to figure out the fact that the tools that they used on “Bambi” may not work on something like “Snow White,” so it was a constant learning curve.

(Dave Bossert): “Fantasia” is a great example of that, because we had all these different sequences that were done very differently, stylistically from one another, and used different types of special effects and camera effects and all kinds of things.

(Joe Jiuliano): That negative was probably the roughest for us.

(Dave Bossert): That was – yes, “Fantasia” was probably the roughest negative, because it was all pieced together.

(Joe Jiuliano): Yes, because everybody used different parts of it for different things.

(Dave Bossert): Yes.

(Joe Jiuliano): A lot of mileage on it.

(Male): I have another question about the view panels that you guys did. Have you, like – I know a lot of times studios will, like, kind of consumer test things a little bit here and there. Have you done any of that? And have you had any feedback about it? I mean, have people said that it is distracting or it’s not distracting? I think it’s a great idea, but, I mean…

(Dave Bossert): Well, you know what? We’ve not – to my knowledge – and I’ve been intimately involved with the Disney View panels option on these Blu-rays from the inception – to my knowledge, there has not been any kind of negative comments made. I actually talked to a couple of what you would refer to as uber-fans who raised an eyebrow when this was first being proposed to be done. And I had one of them come up to me after the first release, which I think was “Pinocchio”…

(Mindy Johnson): It was.

(Dave Bossert): Yes, it was “Pinocchio.” And (Toby Bluth) had done the art panels for “Pinocchio.” And this person came up to me and said they didn’t think that they were going to watch the movie with the Disney View panels, but wound up watching the entire film with the panels and loved it.

(Male): That’s right?.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Again, we give a choice.

(Dave Bossert): Yes, it’s an option.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes, if the fan doesn’t like it, they don’t have to play it.

(Dave Bossert):Yes, but, you know, to my surprise, there were a number of uber-fans out there that have had positive feedback on it.

(Male): Was there one particular sequence out of the film that you guys found that was particularly challenging for restoration, you know, the one section – I’m thinking “Pink Elephants on Parade” must have been, you know, right up there.

(Dave Bossert): That actually wasn’t as bad of a sequence as you might have thought. I think the one…

(Joe Jiuliano): Elephant pyramid…

(Dave Bossert): Yes, that is exactly what I was thinking.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Anything with the elephants.

(Dave Bossert): The elephant pyramid, where they’re all trying to stack on top of each other, was a huge issue for us with paint crawl. For whatever reason, that particular sequence had an abundance of paint crawl.

(Adam Gregorich): (Adam Gregorich), Home Theater Forum. Just looping back to the color timing a bit, there was some concern when the “Bambi” Blu-ray was released that, you know, that maybe some things had been done to intentionally give it some extra pop and make it look more “Toy Story”-like, if you will. But just confirming based on everything you’re saying here, what you essentially did is went back to the original backgrounds and tried to use that as the basis for color – in other words, the original artistic intent – and anything that looks different than the way people remember is simply a matter of the fact that you went back to the original negative and got the colors so spot on with what was originally intended. And if anything, what people have been watching over the years has been what’s been off, correct?

(Dave Bossert): You’re absolutely right.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Absolutely.

(Dave Bossert): You know, and as we’ve been going through this process, people are seeing these films and they’re saying, I don’t remember it looking like this. Well, this is the way the movie was supposed to look. What people are remembering from their childhood at the local cinema in Oregon is something completely different than what the film really is.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): You know, it has been something that we’ve gotten a lot of push-back from, but we are passionate about it, because like I said, I remember “Pinocchio” being totally different. But, again, everybody’s been viewing old film prints that are several generations away from the original negative. A lot of these, the ones that we see, probably were not necessarily the newer generation, so who knows who was involved in the color timing…how are the projectors set up? …what is the issues with the lenses? And we are so adamant about the amount of research that we do, we take months in research looking at art books, trying to find (IB) prints, talking to whoever is still available to us to speak to, taking backgrounds out, looking at them, shooting them through this successive exposure process, and looking at that on film, so that we are holding as true as possible to what was the original intention on that film. But we all do have this childhood memory. And I think if we color timed to our childhood memory, everything would be dark, super contrast-y, with a lot of dark colors, and not like the vibrant jewel tones that you saw in “Sleeping Beauty” or the beautiful pastels that we saw in “Pinocchio.”

(Joe Jiuliano): Yes, the process was so different then, and we tried so hard to try to figure it out. But one thing that we’ve never tried to do is make it look like it was a CG movie. And that was never the context around it. The context was always to try to go back and discover what the artists’ intent were in the original movie.

(Dave Bossert): And you’ve got to remember, on “Bambi,” we had (Ollie Johnson), (Frank Thomas), and (Tyrus Wong) in to look at the work that we were doing on it. And, you know, these are original artists that worked on the film. So I would much rather satisfy them and make them happy than somebody out there in the world who maybe is remembering seeing the movie 25 years ago at their local cinema.

(Joe Jiuliano): Yes, our conscience is clear on that.

(Dave Bossert): Yes, we can sleep comfortably at night.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): With the screening that (Ollie) and (Frank) attended – and I’ve done tons of screenings. I’ve been at Disney now for 24 years. With probably the most nerve-wracking moment I’ve ever had, when the lights went up, and we all turned around and looked at those two gentlemen and waited for their reaction. I was just petrified. And to see them smile and say, “It’s beautiful. It’s how we intended it,” was just so satisfying for the whole team.

(Dave Bossert): It was validation for the entire team and the collective efforts of the team in what we’re doing with this restoration and preservation program. So any kind of negative chatter on the Internet is from people who are detached from the entire process, who are just reacting from their own personal memories.

(Male): No, I’m finding that I’m falling in love with these movies all over again on Blu-ray…

(Joe Jiuliano): There you go. That’s right.

(Male): … and seeing – and seeing them in a new way. And in some ways, it’s like seeing them for the first time.

(Dave Bossert): Exactly right, because that’s what we’ve been telling a lot of our colleagues here at the studio is that they need to see these Blu-ray editions of these films, because they haven’t seen the movie until you see the Blu-ray.

(Joe Jiuliano): That’s right. “Have you seen ‘Pinocchio’?' Not yet.” Well, that was really good to hear what you just said, because that’s really what we aim for, is for you to feel like you’ve seen it for the first time.

(Eric Shirey): I’ve got a question a little off topic, but still Disney-related. Is there any plans – do any kind of restoring to – and I don’t know if you guys would be a part of it or not – “Darby O’Gill”?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): I can answer that. Who is this I’m speaking with?

(Eric Shirey): Oh, I’m sorry. It’s (Eric Shirey) with Yahoo. I absolutely love that movie. And you can find it nowhere.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Well…

(Joe Jiuliano): We’ll do it for you, (Eric).

(Sarah Duran-Singer): I’ll tell you what – yes, actually we can talk a bit about the studio-wide effort of preservation and restoration. We are in a multi-year effort to basically re-master and restore and preserve the entire Disney studio library. And “Darby O’Gill” is on the list.

(Eric Shirey): Oh, good.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): It is currently being somewhat driven by commerce. If we have an HD Blu-ray coming up or we have an HD TV sale, then those titles go to the top of the list. But when we have time, we try to work proactively. And last year – the end of the fiscal year is coming up, so I’m saying fiscal year 2011 – we actually did “Parent Trap,” the original Hayley Mills “Parent Trap,” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” “Old Yeller,” and “Absent-Minded Professor,” and “Pollyanna.”

(Eric Shirey): Wow.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes, and they look great. And those were 4K scans. They’re not – you know, with full pristine dirt clean-up. And in the case of, like, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” we took out the wires on the – the big giant squid fight.

(Dave Bossert): By the way, I just saw a digital screening of “20,000 Leagues” here at the studio, and it looks unbelievable.

(Eric Shirey): Yes, that’s one of my favorites.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): “Darby O’Gill” is on that list and probably would be tackled either this coming fiscal year or the next fiscal year. Then we’ve just got to put it out on Blu-ray.

(Eric Shirey): OK, so you guys will, like, digitally do things to that, like you’ll take out the wires or maybe clean up the, like, lines around the people, you know, like the miniatures and stuff?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes. Yes.

(Eric Shirey): Cool, OK.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): It’s the same sort of approach. I mean, it was fine when it was released originally, because the projection abilities at that time and the film stocks and the grain kind of hid those things. But now if you look at it on a high-definition bright plasma or LCD monitor, that stuff jumps out at you and it takes you out of the movie, which was not the experience. And in “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” Walt went to huge effort to hide the wires. I mean, obviously, he shot – that was originally a daylight fight. And when he saw the original footage, he went, “Oh, this is not working,” and they went back at huge expense for back then and re-shot it at night to help kind of make it – the squid look real and hide some of the mechanics of the squid.

(Eric Shirey): OK. OK. Excellent. Again, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take us off of, you know, the subject. I just (inaudible).

(Male): Any chance those ones that just got – that you mentioned, “Parent Trap,” “Absent-Minded Professor,” “20,000 Leagues,” “Swiss Family Robinson,” the ones that we saw those deluxe DVD releases of, any chance that all of you there can go with pitchforks to the home video office and get them to actually get those scheduled for Blu-ray releases?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): What we try to do — home entertainment is one of our clients. If we’re doing something proactively, we’re constantly letting them know – giving them a list of what’s been done. So if they have an opening in their slate, we say, hey, here are some great potential titles. And obviously, they look at it and they balance it, they will look at that list, and they will pull from that. But, you know, it also feeds television broadcasts. So if for whatever reason, somebody’s rebroadcasting “Pollyanna,” you would see that restored master.

(Sean Ferguson): And what about a hybrid, like “Mary Poppins”? Is that a more difficult effort, because you’ve got animation and live action? And is that on the way, hopefully?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): “Mary Poppins” is on the slate for next year. Live action is a lot easier, because you don’t have all these other issues that are introduced, like paint crawl, (cell scruff), animation pops. Newton rings, SE dirt. Obviously, we have the animated sequence in the middle of the movie that we’ll have to tackle, but in general, live action, it’s negative dirt and it’s in scratches. And once in a while, there might be something like a frame jump or something like that. But live action is easier. But that is one in the queue. We’re looking towards the 50th anniversary.

(Sean Ferguson): Oh, great. Thanks.

(David Lamacher): Hey, guys. (David Lamacher), iRateFilms.com. How are you doing today?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Hi, (David).

(David Lamacher): Excellent. Earlier this year, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to (Andres Deja) about the “Bambi” restoration, and he spoke to me about the fact of the importance of keeping – like you guys said – the original artist integrity, but also the restoration for new generations of these classic movies to show kids that artists really did do these hand-drawn animations. Do you feel as if “Dumbo” also represents that, as well?

(Joe Jiuliano): Yes.

(Dave Bossert): Do you want us to elaborate?

(David Lamacher): Please do. Please do.

(Dave Bossert): Yes, absolutely – this is something that we discuss on every single one of these restorations and preservations. And as I mentioned earlier, we’re not going in and making these so perfect and pristine that it sort of – as somebody said, it makes it like it’s a CG movie. That’s not the intention here. The intention here is really to take out the artifacts, the anomalies, the things that were photographed in that shouldn’t have been, and to present the film the way it was originally intended to be seen, but not to detract or take away from the fact that it is a handmade piece of art. So in other words, on “Dumbo,” the paint crawl, not taking that out completely, but taking it back so that it’s not distracting from the viewing of the film.

(David Lamacher): Excellent. Excellent. And he also mentioned that the technology that is available today wasn’t available before, and he said, with “Bambi,” it being so old, that restoration was almost not possible because of the nitrate damage and the others things that you guys talked about earlier. Were there that same problems with “Dumbo” that there were with “Bambi”?

(Joe Jiuliano): If I remember right, I think what we’re talking about is that the earlier restorations were done on film elements, that they were – you know, they were actually Photochemical.

(Joe Jiuliano): They were physically cleaning up dirt and stuff, but you really couldn’t go in and take cell flashes out or cell dirt out because all you were doing was preserving that negative and the problems that were inherent in that piece of film itself. So I think what we’re talking about is that once you scan the original negative and you get it in the digital world, you have the ability to do an awful lot of preservation to it and restoration that’s not available to you when you were just looking through a microscope at a frame of film and trying to touch up physically what’s on that film element.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): I will say, even between when we restored “Bambi” in 2003 and it recently came out on Blu-ray, we went back into it again, because the tools and the artists’ ability and our knowledge has grown so much over this seven, eight years that when we looked at “Bambi,” which was our very first restoration through the – using the original successive exposure negative and scanning it, we went, oh, we can do better. And we went back to our partners at Reliance-Lowry Digital, and we tackled a lot of the things that back then we couldn’t even get to. So each year, again, the artists get better, our knowledge gets better, and the tools get better, so it may just continue to be an ongoing process.

(David Lamacher): Excellent. Thank you so much, you three.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): You’re welcome.

(Eric Shirey): Hi. This is (Eric) again with Yahoo. The reason that – or, I’m sorry – the question is, some of those cells that I saw were like almost completely wiped clean, like half of the image was gone. How in the – how do you guys restore something like that? I mean, in layman’s terms, I mean, like, when there’s a whole half of a cell gone, what do you do?

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Well, then what we do – as I mentioned on “Steamboat Willie” – it becomes a bit of a treasure hunt. And we have our partners over at our studio inventory. And we look to see what else we have. And we obviously want to take the best possible element, which is why we always start with that nitrate successive exposure, but in the case of what we talked about, with “Steamboat Willie” and other films, there have been sections – I think there was actually a section on…

(Joe Jiuliano): (Nine feet).

(Sarah Duran-Singer): … yes, (nine feet) of “Steamboat Willie,” there was a section on “Bambi.” I don’t think we had that issue on “Dumbo,” that the film is gone, and if half the frame is gone, there’s nothing you can do.

(Eric Shirey): Well, it looked like “Snow White” was like that, too, a little bit.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Oh, yes. No, there were sections of “Snow White.” So then you have to look at your next best possible element, which is probably several generations away from that original negative. And then we scan that, and then we have to work with our artists to try to make it look the same and as close as possible. And sometimes you’re successful, and sometimes you do your best. But if the image is gone, we have to look for the next possible element.

(Joe Jiuliano): Sometimes you can use the frame before or after to pick up elements and put layers together to create a new frame, if you have to. Just whatever you need to do, we have to do.

(Dave Bossert): Yes, the one thing you guys should know, I mean, like the 1928 original “Steamboat Willie” negative is gone. I mean, it’s dust. It’s decayed and it’s done with. So you then – as (Sarah) was saying, you look at your next best, which is a dupe negative, I think, from 1933…

(Joe Jiuliano): Right, and it would still be a black-and-white element.

(Dave Bossert): Yes, it’s still a black-and-white element, but that dupe negative from 1933 already has – I think it was nine feet had to be cut out of it because it was starting to decay. So that’s the big battle here, that the whole film industry is looking at, is this – you know, these nitrate assets are decaying. There’s a chemical breakdown happening, and the best you can possibly do is prolong it, but it’s going to eventually just turn to dust, as it were.

(Eric Shirey): So do, like, artists re-draw those scenes? Or do you like…

(Dave Bossert): No.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): No. No, because you can’t capture those hand strokes. You can’t. It’s a style, and it’s an artist. So we want to use the original art. So, like I said, if we are missing something – we’ve never lost – except for the case of “Steamboat Willie” – really, these nitrates, because they are black-and-white and because of the way they were stored at the Library of Congress, the forward-thinking of some of the people here at Disney years ago. They were accessible. For the small sections that are missing, we would find another section. But, you couldn’t ask an artist to draw like (Frank Thomas). It just wouldn’t work.

(Dave Bossert): There’s always another film element. There’s always dupe negatives. There’s always…

(Joe Jiuliano): The only thing is that then you’re into matching. Then you try to match the two best options.

(Dave Bossert): Right.

(Joe Jiuliano): So – but the thing that we’ve never used in any of these restorations or any color negatives or (color IBs) and trying to match. It’s always been either a black-and-white positive separation that would be pulled from the original negative or another black-and-white safety of that, because that we can match. But I think once you start getting into some of the color (inter-positives) or (inter-negatives) that were made later on in the ’60s, that you could never really make look right, if you had to cut that in.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): And that’s part of the reason why the studio really spent a lot of money and time scanning those nitrates and re-preserving them again and (re-filming out) a new SE negative, because that negative wasn’t going to last. And now – like I said, now we’ve got another 100-year window on this new successive exposure negative, if not longer.

(Joe Jiuliano): Yes, and you have to understand that the new negative that we’ve shot from that is not touched up. It’s actually a capture of the original camera negative, with all of the stuff in it that we’ve so painstakingly taken out, because we may be assuming that down the road it’ll be restored again and we would want to start from that negative.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes, you wouldn’t want to bake in any sort of clean-up or any grain reduction. You shouldn’t bake that in, because – let’s say in 50 years the restoration and clean-up tools could be so beyond what we use now (inaudible) that’s already been baked in, then they can’t do much with it.

(Joe Jiuliano): Right. So we have an exact copy of the original negative for good — for everything that’s in it.

(Eric Shirey): Sure. So you can go back to the source every time.

(Joe Jiuliano): Correct. Correct.

(Sarah Duran-Singer): Yes.

(Mindy Johnson): All right. Well, thanks so much. (Dave), (Sarah), (Joe), thank you so much for your time and expertise and participation in today’s event.

END

So there you have it. I was very happy to be a part of this discussion and to learn about Disney’s upcoming plans for bringing their animation and live action films to Blu-ray after they’ve been restored and preserved. Although there isn’t a set time for Song of the South to be released, I’m happy that it has been preserved so it will be ready for its eventual release. Thanks to everyone at Disney for the insights into their process and for the opportunity to ask them some questions! The fully restored 70th Anniversary Edition of Dumbo will be released on September 20.

Pre-order your copy today!

Interview with Chillerama’s Anton Troy

Brian White — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:30:59 +0000

So like most things in my life, events happen and transpire unexpectedly and generally for a reason…at least I tend to always cling on to that hope they do. Such was the occasion when not only did I get to attend the premiere screening of Chillerama at Comic-Con with one of my favorite directors, Adam Green (listen to my full interview with him here), but also got to meet and converse with directors Tim Sullivan, Adam Rifkin and Joe Lynch, as well as the fabulous ensemble cast that was on hand to meet and greet fans and press alike. Among such talent was an actor named Anton Troy. Along with my San Diego DJ friend, Lauren Winston, we got the exciting opportunity to attend the film’s after party at an upscale nightclub called Stingaree. We ended up enjoying a beautiful evening with the cast and crew of “I Was a Teenage Werebear,” the second segment in the horror/comedy anthology Chillerama (see the full review here).

So I guess before we go any further we should clear the air and talk a little bit about the Tim Sullivan directed segment known as “I Was a Teenage Werebear” within the gut wrenchingly hysterical, totally offensive (and I mean that in a good way for us fans) horror/comedy anthology Chillerama. The segment is both a musical and a spoof of Rebel Without a Cause, Grease and The Twilight Saga. Tim talks openly about his love for musicals, and most importantly one of my all-time favorites, Moulin Rouge, in my candid audio interview with Adam Rifkin and him here. The segment is set in the 60’s and erotically explores a teenager’s curiosity with a pack of werebears, nevertheless led by the handsome and rugged bad boy of the clan, Mr. Anton Troy. And guess what? Today I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down with the leader of the pack, Anton Troy. So let’s get started (my questions are in bold below)!

Good day Anton. Thanks for stopping by today. How’s it going?

Doin’ peachy, thank you.

So tell me a little more about your character Talon in “I Was a Teenage Werebear,” how you became involved in the Chillerama segment and just what the hell is a werebear?

We could have an entire interview structured around this one question—thanks for starting me off easy Brian… The bad boy, the brute, the misunderstood angsty, well-intentioned loner kid with heart that could probably still kick your ass—that’s Talon. I became affiliated with Chillerama totally by fate I believe. I met Scream Queens 2 winner Gabby West at a small gathering of mutual friends. Gabby was already slated to play Peggy Lou after her work in Saw and her working relationship with Tim on Scream Queens. So several months passed and out of the blue I wake up to this voice mail from our mutual friend saying “Gabby recommended you for an audition TODAY with Tim Sullivan… oh and by the way they want you to sing, dance and read for two parts, can you make it?” I was TERRIFIED as I was like sing? WHAT, today, like 5 hours from now, serious? But how are you gonna say no right! So evidently they were open to recommendations as Tim being the discerning director that he is just could not find the right bad boy for the job and deadline was approaching. Needless to say we hit it off, they auditioned the hell out of me and now here I am. As far as Werebears go, look up the definition of Bear—no not like Yogi and combine that with Rob Halford and a pinch of Lon Chaney and there you go.

Gotcha! Speaking of director Tim Sullivan, I had the pleasure to meet, interview and hang out with the man. He’s a real class act. You’d be hard pressed to meet anyone nicer in Hollywood. So with that being said, how was it working for the man on the set?

Tim is very passionate about his art and he is also someone with a definite voice that resonates throughout his work, definitely not a drone or a wishy washy personality. He’s incredibly considerate of your feelings on set and always took the time to make me feel comfortable about what was going on even under pressure. He knows what he wants in a shot and was very gracious in allowing me the freedom to allow Talon to evolve into something special. It really was an evolution as Tim ended up doing a lot of re-writes on the set for Talon simply because we were coming up with so many fantastic ideas that weren’t envisioned in the original script. Talon started out as sort of a comedic villain and then ended up being more of an anti-hero. I am very grateful to Tim for noticing the potential of the character to have more depth and then making me such a part of that creation.

Well, as I said before, you gotta love Tim Sullivan! Since Comic-Con, have there been any plans finalized as of yet as to exactly where and when the drive-in Chillerama tour will take place? Please say Cleveland, OH!

They have not even told me yet—but the good news is they have announced the official Blu-Ray release to be Nov 29^th, and rumor has it that you can even pre-order copies! I suggest signing up at www.chilleramafilm.com for more details.

That’s awesome news about the Blu-ray release date. I just looked online and sure enough the pre-order link is up on Amazon today! So tell me more about you. What makes Anton Troy tick? How did you get involved in acting and what do you like to do for fun or to unwind? We all have our vices, right?

I come from an entertainment family really—My Grandfather was a rodeo cowboy and Hollywood stuntman who did all the westerns and doubled such greats as James Cagney and my Mother was a professional mime and children’s entertainer so I guess you could say I kind of grew up in a dressing room. My Father was non-existent and acting became an outlet to express my feelings in a constructive way. I get high off of the rush of being in sync with another actor in a scene—that point when the connection becomes magic. I love interacting with people and spending time with friends, but my alone time is very important to me especially during the creative process.

I have to agree with you 110% on that alone time statement. What’s next on your plate in the entertainment world? I saw on your IMDB page that you also have a short called Grapple in post-production and a film I need to check out one day called Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust.

Grapple is a great little comedy I did about High School wrestling and Filth to Ashes is a 70’s style slasher film directed by my talented friend Mr. Paul Morrell. We will see where the wind takes me…

The following is a three-part question. I’m notorious for these. I do apologize. Are there any particular genres you want to try doing in the future? And what about directors and actors? Are there certain ones you would love to work with some day?

It has always been a dream to work with Clint Eastwood, I have always been mesmerized by his level of cool. Darren Aronofsky is a gritty favorite, James Cameron rocks and I think I would be perfect for a Tarantino film. Would be a dream to act with Michael Caine or Gary Oldman and of course I hope I get to do more with my immensely talented pals, Tim Sullivan, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Adam Rifkin. The talent of all these men is a great source for my inspiration. I have done a lot of comedy, but would love to get opportunities to do drama, action and thrillers.

I couldn’t agree with you more on the Chillerama 4-man brain trust. So I have to ask you…what are some of your all-time favorite films and actors out there? It’s always kind of cool to know who or what has influenced people’s career choices in life.

My taste is so vast—I love the quiet strength of Russell Crowe, the presence of Brando, vulnerability of James Dean, darkness of Johnny Depp but I also own more Schwarzenegger films than one should probably have! High Plains Drifter is my favorite Eastwood film, A Beautiful Mind touches my heart and Mickey Rourke’s performance in The Wrestler resonates with me on a soul level. Robocop is an all time favorite and I love misunderstood anti-hero archetypes like Mel Gibson in Payback.

For fans of yours reading this or any aspiring actors out there, do you have any words of wisdom for them about getting into the Hollywood scene and getting your name out there?

First of all make sure you are getting into acting for the right reasons, simply wanting to be famous will not sustain you when your broke and no one cares who you are, it has to be a passion or rather an obsession. Be nice to EVERYONE as you never know who someone is and where you might get that break. Take the time to learn the skills to become excellent at what you do, entertainment is a business and should be treated as such and I recommend all would be film actors read Michael Caine’s book Acting In Film.

Alright…what else should your fans and our readers know about you? What matters most in life to you?

Excellence. It is my hope that I can be a beneficial presence within the film industry and on earth and I just sincerely enjoy entertaining people and artistically exploring the human experience. Everyone can also check me out on my official website www.antontroy.com or on Twitter @anton_troy.

Great answer! I love it! Well thanks again for taking the time to sit down with me today. I appreciate it! I will probably be in the Los Angeles and San Diego area towards the end of the month trying to secure investments for my film Amy so hopefully we can try to hang for a bit while I’m there if time permits. I look forward to seeing you again real soon and wish you much luck in everything you set out to do. Take care!

Yes of course and thank you so much for having me Brian, you rock brother!

Anton Troy ladies and gentlemen (round of applause)…

Interview With The Cast Of ‘Bellflower’

Aaron Neuwirth — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:42:44 +0000

Bellflower is certainly one of the more unique and original films that I had the chance to see this year. As I described in my review (found HERE), the film is about two guys, a girl, and flamethrowers. Medusa, a muscle car equipped with flamethrowers is a major symbol of the film, but it is also a relationship drama of sorts, as writer/director/star Evan Glodell’s character deals with the journey of tormented love, mixed with some surreal imagery that channels the apocalyptic stakes that this film throws at the viewer. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview the entire cast of the film, which is what will follow below.

Embedded and linked below is an interview, which took place during the busy time that was San Diego Comic Con 2011. Myself and a few others received the opportunity to interview all of the main stars involved with the production of Bellflower. The participants included the previously mentioned writer/director/star Evan Glodell, as well as stars Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson, Rebekah Brandes, and Vincent Grashaw. The conversation was a fun discussion that goes over many elements of the film, including its origins, what went into the making of the film, the casting and scripting process, and what Medusa meant to everyone. The interview lasts about 20 minutes and is uncut and uncensored (towards the end there is a bit more language…instigated by me). The audio quality is not as pristine as I would have liked, but it should still be clear enough, so I hope people will enjoy the interview and be sure to check out Bellflower, which will be rolling out in limited release during the rest of this summer.

Link to the audio can be found HERE

BELLFLOWER

Written and Directed by: Evan Glodell

Starring: Evan Glodell, Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson, Rebekah Brandes, Vincent Grashaw

Release Date: August 5, 2011

Running Time: 105 min

Rating: Rated R for disturbing violence, some strong sexuality, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug use.

Website: http://www.bellflower-themovie.com/

Best friends Woodrow and Aiden spend all of their free time building MAD MAX-inspired flamethrowers and muscle cars in preparation for a global apocalypse. But when Woodrow meets a charismatic young woman and falls hard in love, he and Aiden quickly integrate into a new group of friends, setting off on a journey of love and hate, betrayal, infidelity, and extreme violence more devastating and fiery than any of their apocalyptic fantasies.

And check out all of the pictures I got to take of the actual car used for the film: MEDUSA

Interview with ONE FALL’s Marcus Dean Fuller

Brian White — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:35:45 +0000

They say that things always happen for a reason in life, right? Well I got to tell you, I have had some pretty remarkable events occur in my lifetime and everyone of them seemed to have had a purpose/higher calling in serving as a stepping stone to further my career. And all of them were a result of a certain catalyst or coincidental stimulus in life that I was unaware would happen. So yeah, I truly believe things happen for a reason in my life…especially the good ones…and this past Thursday afternoon was no exception to that rule. It was a day that I will always remember in my budding movie career. It’s the day that I had the pleasure and honor to interview, what may have been one of the most influential, candid and down-to-earth people I have ever met in the industry, writer/director/actor Mr. Marcus Dean Fuller.

Like the Adam Green’s of the world, when you talk to Marcus Fuller, you are truly getting an education in filmmaking that no money in the world can buy you, because in one candid conversation you are getting his inside knowledge, his upfront and brute honesty and his real-life, practical experience. That my friends is worth a million in its weight in gold. It’s people like Marcus that give up and coming aspiring filmmakers like myself a reason to hang in there and not give up no matter how many proverbial walls are suddenly placed before you. In fact, when I hung up the phone with Marcus (and if it wasn’t for my day job, we could have talked for hours), I felt like a million bucks (just like my second sentence in this paragraph). No joke. I was so excited and ready to tackle whatever challenges the rest of the day was going to throw at me. I walked back into work with a sh!t-eating grin that not even the sombest of people could strip from me. I ruled the planet that day.

And you know what’s the best? Like myself, Marcus is an Ohio native. I’m going to make a bold statement here. I believe we were separated at birth. Okay. There’s that one year difference in age, but as you will hear in the below interview, there is NOT a thing we disagreed on or that I wouldn’t do differently than Marcus. Aspiring filmmakers listen up…this is a man who you are truly going to want to emulate your career after. Mark my words. Have I ever led you astray yet?

So it’s with great enthusiasm, great pride and more importantly, great joy, that I present the below 50-minute conversation between Marcus Dean Fuller and myself from last Thursday. The interview (minus 10-minute offline chat) is presented to you completely uncut and unedited. What started off as my normal 15-minute scripted interview became so much more. Remember…good things happen to us for a reason and I, for one, can’t wait to check out the red carpet premiere of One Fall this Wednesday and converse, in person, with Marcus. Like an Adam Green/Adam Barnick behind-the-scenes Blu-ray doc, the following audio interview is what the textbooks are leaving out. Listen up…take notes…and enjoy!

Interview with ONE FALL’s Marcus Dean Fuller by Why So Blu?

Distribution Company: Paladin

Release Date: September 2011

Directed by: Marcus Dean Fuller

Written by: Marcus Dean Fuller and Richard Greenberg

Produced By: Dean Silvers and Marlen Hecht

Executive Producer: Richard K. Smucker

Starring: Marcus Dean Fuller, Zoe McLellan, Seamus Mulcahy, and James McCaffrey

Running Time: 85 minutes

Rating: “PG-13” by the MPAA

Website: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1563740/

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/onefall

ONE FALL, a powerful story about a man (Marcus Dean Fuller) who is both blessed and cursed with an unusual power, is set in the rustic Midwestern town of One Fall. The film tells the story of a man who miraculously survived a terrible fall from a spectacular 200 foot-high precipice that is the area’s major attraction. After recovering, he abruptly abandoned friends and family and disappeared without explanation. The secret he couldn’t share with them was that, while recovering, he had suddenly developed the power to heal others. Tired of running away, he returns home after a long absence and decides to use his gift – but not altruistically. If people pay him, he will cure them. Though he appears to be doing the right thing, he is doing it for all the wrong reasons, and risks driving away anyone who ever loved or trusted him. As his moral crisis peaks, he must figure out why he survived his fall, and what he is really meant to do with his life.

Check out One Fall’s Official Trailer below.

Comic-Con 2011: Spartacus: Vengeance – Roundtable Interviews

Brian White — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:14:23 +0000

Spartacus: Vengeance is the name of the show. It’s the second full-length season of the highly successful Starz premium television show, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Need I say anything more? Seriously. This is the moment we have all been waiting for ladies and gentleman. This is the real deal. And today we are here to celebrate everything Spartacus. Hold on tight. Just like the language and gratuitous nudity the cable television show offers, you never quite know what to expect and besides…I like to keep people guessing. So it gives me great pleasure and honor to provide you, our readers, with exclusive roundtable interview coverage and photos recorded/taken with the stars of the hit series, Spartacus.

The interview roundtables were held on Friday, July 22nd at the beautiful Hilton Bayfront hotel. The star participants included Liam McIntyre, Lucy Lawless, Manu Bennett, Dustin Clare, Katrina Law and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight. They were all on hand to discuss everything related to the prequel, the first season and the hotly anticipated second season…no holds barred. I will present them below in the order as they were conducted (please excuse the poor iPhone pictures). For anyone that does not want to listen to the audio interviews in their entirety I was also nice enough to very briefly summarize what was said by each actor. Why? Because I’m such a nice guy!

Liam McIntyre (Spartacus) and Steven DeKnight

Newcomer Liam McIntyre claimed he was already a big fan of the show before trying out. He said he lost so much weight for the role. He talked about his rigorous diet and the boot camp he underwent last September. He said there were two days in particular that were the toughest.

DeKnight talked about Andy Whitfield’s departure from the show and his wishes to want the show to continue. He said he was not trying to cast to recreate the physical appearance of Andy, but instead for talent.

Lucy Lawless (Lucretia)

Lucy recounts how her character lost a lot in Season 1. She said her character will fight for survival in Season 2, but she’s got a master plan and endgame in sight. She also talked about the show’s great writing. She went on to admit that she is a bit nervous without John Hannah this season. She says that Viva Bianca will bring more intrigue to the show. She finished by talking about the sheer amount of money that goes into the show and how her character in Season 2 will initially be desolate, but will quickly get her mojo back.

Manu Bennett (Crixus)

Manu commented on how the scripts for the show are great. He said in the second season there will still be a struggle between his character and Spartacus because of their different nationalities. He said the second season will have lots of retribution. He claims the appeal of the show is that viewers love the show and the characters no matter if they are villains or good guys. He expanded upon his love for working on the show by saying that the actors are allowed to give insight and ideas about their characters to Steven DeKnight. He says nothing stays the same. He also said that camera and special effects have upped the game and that the aerial landscape shot in the Season 2 trailer will blow you away now that they are out in the real world.

Katrina Law (Mira)

Katrina says that Mira’s biggest journey in Season 2 is figuring out who she is, how does she fit into this new world and what does it mean to be free. She says that Mira loves Spartacus because of the tender way he acts and how he treated his wife. She claims there are not a lot of pranks on the set because there is a lot of ground to cover and tight shooting schedules. She commented on the brilliant one liners we all came to know and love from the show. She said they just finished episode 6 before breaking for a short hiatus. She is excited to see Mira’s journey. When asked, she said the actors get the script 1-1.5 weeks beforehand. She also said we will see a lot of female slaves this year. She went on to say that the sets are so varied and she is really proud of the show. She is appreciative of her role. She finished by saying that she watched the prequels as a fan much like the first 10 episodes of Season 1. And oh yeah…I can’t forget this. She called me out at the table and asked me if I interviewed her before. When I said yes, she said she knew my name was familiar. Needless to say, I had a sh1t eating grin on my face. That full interview can be found here.

Dustin Clare (Gannicus)

I don’t know what it is about this guy, but I loved him in the prequels and he really impressed me in person, but I digress. Dustin shied away from the initial question asked of him because he cannot giveaway the plot of Season 2 and how the characters will all meet up. He says his character has a strong sense of purpose and won’t be swayed by anyone. He would not elaborate on any character relationships. He did know ahead of time that he would be in Season 2. Lucky man! He confirmed that 5 years of fictional time has elapsed between the prequel series and Season 2. He said he was not included in the hunt for Andy’s replacement. He also said he did a musical in Australia. He said there will be romantic subplots and women in his life in Season 2. He said gladiator school was hard and again and not easy at all. He expanded by saying that he doesn’t eat a lot and does lots of stunts. He finished that thought by saying the stunt team was nominated for an Emmy for the fight scene in episode 6 of the prequel and that the fight scene took 8 days to film. He answered my final question by saying that Season 2 will both be about revenge and being hunted.

So let me ask. Are you all as excited as I am? Because…I cannot ‘effing wait! Gladiators!

Season 2′s trailer premiered first at the Comic-Con panel on Friday, July 22nd. It has since been shared with members of the press. Make sure to check it out below as well as some of our exclusive balcony pictures I snapped of the cast at the Hilton Bayfront hotel. What a beautiful view! Enjoy!

Comic-Con 2011: Interview with CHILLERAMA’s Adam Rifkin & Tim Sullivan

Brian White — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:58:51 +0000

In addition to my interview with Adam Green this past Friday at the Gas Lamp Cinemas in San Diego, I also got the chance to sit down and candidly speak with Chillerama directors Adam Rifkin and Tim Sullivan. Never having met these two gents before, I was optimistic that our conversation would be both fruitful and exciting. And thankfully, both results and more were yielded. I know I say this constantly about Mr. Green, but these two gents, Rifkin and Sullivan, are some of the nicest people you will ever meet in Hollywood. You know how when you meet someone for the first time you reserve judgment for a few minutes until you get to know them? First impressions, whether it be body language or whatnot, are really important and can make or break the interview experience. Well I kid you not, these two had me from hello. They were some of the kindest and most sincere people I have ever sat down with. They were not only appreciative of my time, but also generous with their own. I left that interview with the gloating feeling that there are now two new important people in my life whose careers I will watch ever so closely. Heck, let’s be honest. The whole gang of Chillerama was a blast to work and hang with last week. Even though I did not formally get a chance to interview Joe Lynch, he was as nice and hospitable as could be during our two brief conversations/interactions over the weekend. So now, when someone asks me what my dream job in life would be, I can simply say working with these four men. I don’t think life could ever get better than that. Seriously!

So with that all being said, I am pleased to share with you my 17-minute conversation with two of my newest favorites, Adam Rifkin and Tim Sullivan. And if those names sound familiar to you, then they should. They just so happened to be involved and responsible for a little cult favorite of mine, Detroit Rock City. By the way, can we get this out on Blu-ray already?! Click below to listen to the audio interview in its entirety. Enjoy!

Comic-Con 2011: Interview with CHILLERAMA’s Adam Rifkin and Tim Sullivan by Darkest Night Productions

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the full review of Chillerama here.

Comic-Con 2011: Interview with CHILLERAMA’s Adam Green

Brian White — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:29:31 +0000

Whenever I get the chance to talk to writer/director Adam Green, I jump at the opportunity to do so. I drop everything I’m doing and I seize the moment. Because for me, talking with Adam Green is more valuable than any education in film that you will ever receive. All one has to do is watch the behind the scenes extras or listen to the commentaries on Hatchet, Hatchet 2 or Frozen to completely understand where I’m coming from. Simply put, you will never find a nicer person in Hollywood who is willing to not only pay attention to you, but also give you priceless advice. And I encourage you that whenever Adam speaks, you listen carefully and take precise notes because this man is a walking book of knowledge to all us aspiring filmmakers. Not only have I personally been touched by Adam’s kindness and generosity in my life over the past year, but also I witnessed it first hand this past Friday night at Comic-Con when after his panel with the legendary Llyod Kaufman, he answered every single question his army of adoring fans had to ask of him. The panel ended promptly at 10 PM and I waited patiently as the man stood outside the panel’s room until well after 10:30 talking with everyone who approached him, at which time I took advantage of every last minute I had with him as we both walked out of the convention center. Who in Hollywood does that? Adam Green…that’s who! And I am both proud and honored to know him!

So it’s with great pleasure that I present the below two-part audio interview (we thought we were out of time on the first one) I conducted with Adam Green this past Friday afternoon at Gas Lamp Cinemas in San Diego just hours before the premiere of his newest collaborative anthology feature, Chillerama. As always Adam, if you are reading this, thank you so much for your kindness, generosity, hospitality and above all…your priceless advice. I’m forever in your debt.

Comic-Con 2011: CHILLERAMA’s Adam Green Interview – Part 1 by Darkest Night Productions

Comic-Con 2011: CHILLERAMA’s Adam Green Interview – Part 2 by Darkest Night Productions

If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the full review of Chillerama here.

Comic-Con 2011: A Talk with Clone Wars Actress/Entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein

Sean Ferguson — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:04:45 +0000

I had the good fortune of interviewing Ashley Eckstein during this year’s Comic-Con about her character Ahsoka Tano, who happens to be Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. During our chat we discussed the show’s future, her character’s not-so-rosy future fate, the franchise’s generational shift, and the business she created called Her Universe which sells cool sci-fi clothes to women. She’s also married to Major League Baseball player and two-time World Series Champion, David Eckstein, and they generously support a variety of organizations and causes including, Mid-America Transplant Services, Donate Life and The Ronald McDonald House. Our talk took place at at her booth on the convention floor which was incredibly noisy but I did the best I could to transcribe our loose informal conversation that flowed around customers, the Hulk himself, and the multitude of people. Ashley was very sweet, friendly, and a pleasure to talk to and who was nice enough to take time away from her booming business to chat with me.

So how are you doing at Comic-Con this year?

Good! It’s been going well. We had our panel last night that had a good turnout…

That’s good…

And a good group of panelists…

Is this the first time you’ve had a booth here?

We were here last year. (Seeing a passerby) Look at that, she looks so pretty.

Yeah I’ve seen a lot of creativity here…hey look there’s Lou Ferrigno!

Oh yeah! I met him earlier…he’s actually represented by my old agent.

Really? Small world…

Yeah it is a small world.

Ok…a lot of fans were surprised that Anakin would have an apprentice on the show considering what happens during Revenge of the Sith. How did you approach that and what kind of role do you think Ahsoka plays? Is she there there to reflect the changes in Anakin?

Oh wow. Umm…you know I knew that she would be a major character in the Clone Wars but I didn’t know how long she would last. Again, I don’t know Ahsoka’s fate and people ask me all the time what is her fate and I truly don’t know. I know theories…I’ve heard theories but you know anything for certain I don’t know. So you know…I think she plays many roles in the Clone Wars…I’ve heard in the past from Dave Filoni that you know…the audience is supposed to experience the Clone Wars through Ahsoka’s eyes…especially the kids…I think the kids can really relate to her and so maybe she’s just a more relatable character that you can put yourself in and see the Clone Wars through her eyes.

I’ve noticed she’s definitely matured over the course of the show and it seems like she’s becoming more and more like Anakin versus say someone like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Yes. Well she’s very much becoming more like Anakin because that’s her master so it’s kind of like a kid who mimics their parent a lot. She’s just going to become naturally more like him because that’s her Jedi Master…I mean Jedi Knight not master…but umm… I think she’s a mix of several different characters. She’s a mix of obviously mostly Anakin but she does have a little bit of Obi-Wan in her, a little bit of Padme in her, a little bit of Mace Windu in her…I mean a little bit of Plo Koon in her…she takes bits and pieces of all of her mentors. She’s a melting pot of them all.

She’s is really unique since she does have so many different connections that most them don’t have since Anakin mostly just has Obi-Wan and briefly Qui-Gon, but for her we’ve learned this season that she’s got Plo Koon and all the others and that she’s kind of a different character than everyone else.

Yeah.

What do you think her arc is actually going to be? I mean ultimately, she’s either going to end up following Anakin to the dark side…which probably won’t happen, or there’s going to be some kind of a confrontation between her and Anakin. Something is going to have to happen. I mean obviously you don’t know what’s going to happen at the very end but do you see a pattern or an arc leading to something?

No…I mean the thing is that I still feel that Ahsoka is far from the dark side. I mean… she’s still innately in her…she just wants to do what’s right at all costs. She knows the Jedi way and she tries her best to live out the Jedi way at all costs. So with that being said, I think she’s far from it…far from the dark side but I don’t know…you know…I’m not the writer of the show…

I know.

The thing is that I don’t even try to be because we have such a fantastic writing staff and also Dave Filoni. Dave Filoni is on top of it all and he knows his stuff. I couldn’t even begin to script a better ending that what I know they’re going to come up with…but I don’t know what it is yet but I know it’s going to be a good ending…

Yeah…

…So I don’t even try to hypothesize because I know it wouldn’t be as good.

But does knowing what’s going to happen in Episode III affect your choices you are making now? Or does it have any effect on you at all?

It doesn’t have any effect on me. I mean the only thing that has an effect on me is as she gets older. I mean I really made a conscious choice to act older, sound older, and be more mature. That’s really the only thing that’s affected my performance because I don’t think what happens in the future matters. I mean…she doesn’t know what’s going to happen in the future, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, and I’m talking about your future, so you know…it doesn’t impact how you act today.

Right. I know she can’t predict the future, but what I meant was that other than Obi-Wan, probably nobody else knows Anakin as well as Ahsoka…

Yeah I know what you are asking…

…so for Obi-Wan, he’s starting to see the seeds of darkness within Anakin and he’s starting to get a little uncomfortable…

Yeah…

…and he’s starting to see how far Anakin will go to achieve his goals…

I think she senses stuff at times and reacts by questioning his actions at the time. She definitely questions his actions but she’s so blinded by love and I mean platonic love…but she loves Anakin so much that she only sees the good and it’s almost like she can’t see the bad in him. I mean she’s so…you know they say that attachment leads the way to the dark side but she’s attached to Anakin. So she does question his actions but she doesn’t look beyond that I don’t think.

I think that’s true. A lot of the characters around him feel the same way as her which is partly why no one saw his fate coming.

Yeah.

Star Wars has had a lot of strong female characters such as Princess Leia, Padme, and now Ahsoka…how do you feel about that? I know we’ve talked about the audience seeing the show through her eyes, but do you think that there’s another reason that that character was made a female? Do you think that decision was made to provide a strong female role model…

That’s a question for Dave Filoni. I know that they specifically decided to make Anakin’s padawan a girl but I don’t know specifically why. I did ask was it a conscious choice to bring in a female fanbase and they said no. They said they made that choice because of the character and that they just wanted Anakin’s padawan to be a female. They didn’t have ulterior motives but that was before I came on to the show so that’s a question for him.

I think it was beneficial since Ahsoka has a very big female fanbase…

Yes…

…and even males too and I think that the show has attracted a new demographic that I don’t think that they were really even expecting since it seems like a whole new generation likes it…

Absolutely. Absolutely. It has brought in a ton of girls to the franchise and just kids in general. It’s brought in a new generation and to the kids of today, Star Wars is the Clone Wars and that’s interesting because parents are now getting ready to show their kids the movies for the first time which for all of us is the opposite since we watched the movies first…

Right…right…that is a whole different thing. Each generation now has is own version of it now.

Yeah…

I don’t know how much longer the Clone Wars is going to go considering that you have a timeline that you are coming up against…do you guys have any idea of what’s going to happen? Do you have another year or two years?

Again…I don’t know…I have no control over that…I don’t even know what’s going to happen the next episode!

So they don’t tell us that far out. We aren’t a part of those decisions.

Ok. So what made you want to start Her Universe?

You know…close to half of all Star Wars fans and sci-fi fans are women and they weren’t giving us anything to buy and selfishly as a fan, I wanted more merchandise to buy so got into Her Universe because nothing was being made for the women and I was tired of wearing men’s size small or boy’s extra large. So we started with Star Wars and now we’ve debuted our sci-fi line – we’ve got Battlestar Galactica, Warehouse 13, Sharktapus…

Yeah I saw that on your site. I thought that was great since my wife loved that movie so she’ll be very happy about that…

Oh we have his and hers…

Do you? That’s one of the questions I was going to ask you…

…At the web shop we have Sharktapus shirts for men…

So you’re expanding then since it was initially just for women….

We’re only doing Sharktapus but the rest of the clothes are for women.

Are there any thoughts to expand that line because I know there wasn’t a whole lot for women but actually there’s not a lot for children either…

…We actually have kids sizes on our website but we didn’t bring them here because this isn’t really known to be a kid’s convention. But we have kid sizes but we really try to appeal to women of all ages.

I briefly looked at your site and I saw that the clothes sizes went from small to an extra large. Are you thinking about adding even more sizes?

We do actually. This shirt [pointing to one on display] goes all the way to 4X and the Yoda shirt goes to 4X…

So it just depends on the shirt…

Yeah it just depends on the shirt because some of the garments…I don’t actually make the garments. I buy the garments and then do the printing on them. So honestly, it just depends on the garment on what sizes it comes in.

Ok thank you for your time and good luck with that…

Thank you so much. I appreciate your interest!

I’m really glad you’ve created that since I can now actually get my wife some cool clothes!

Thank you! Well we just came out with a new charm bracelet and all of these shirts here are best sellers that we’ve brought back and there’s these earrings too…

I’ll have to check out all of this on your site.

Thank you! It’s been a pleasure. Thank you for your time!

And so ended my brief chat with the lovely and gracious Ashley Eckstein. If you didn’t get a chance to see her booth at Comic-Con, then you should check out here site here to see all of the cool items that are for sale. Let me tell you…I wish a lot of them were available to men too since we don’t quite have the selection she thinks we do. With the online Star Wars Shop being closed down (which I found out about after I talked with her), this seems like a perfect opportunity for Ashley to expand her empire by creating a His Universe site or adding a men’s section to the existing one! Until then ladies, if you are looking for some really cool clothes then please check out the site! Look below for one of the best seller’s at Comic-Con which you can still buy at http://heruniverse.com/.

Our Second Enchanted Conversation with Zombex’s Emily Kaye

Brian White — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:00:19 +0000

There are a total of five people in my life that when the opportunity arises that I can talk to them openly and candidly I don’t even bat an eye or think one second about it. I literally drop everything I am doing and feverishly indulge. You see, when it comes to these five people, this inquiring mind has a lot to learn from them so I fine-tune my questions and I listen sternly. Thankfully, actress Emily Kaye is one of these people I am referring to. You want to know the other four, don’t you? Really? Alright. You practically forced it out of me anyway. They are Rob Zombie, Adam Green, Jesse Dayton and Danielle Harris. Are you happy now? So the real reason, once again, that we are gathered here today is to shine that bright proverbial spotlight on an actress people will be seeing a lot of very soon. This is the second time I actually got a chance to speak with her on record, the first time being here. So it was with great joy, honor and enthusiasm that I jumped at the chance to officially talk with her again when the opportunity presented itself. That opportunity I’m referring to is none other than her work and involvement in a little known independent horror film that’s going to take the horror community world by storm one day soon. That feature is known as Zombex. Mark my word. You will be hearing that name a lot pretty soon around here. This is just the beginning. Let’s just say that we have not hit our apex yet around here when it comes to talking about Zombex. Stay tuned! But for the time being, please indulge yourself with your favorite chair, drink of choice and your purple smoking jacket as you kick back to read the second “official” enchanted conversation I had with actress Emily Kaye. Enjoy!

Brian: How are you doing today Emily?

Emily: You’re always so incredibly cordial. I’m super good… Thank you J

Brian: So I see since we last talked over a year ago, things have been quite busy in your life. What’s been going on?

Emily: Yep… I’m very grateful. I’ve been filming movies!

Brian: Well, speaking of movies, there’s a little flick I have been hearing a lot of buzz about. Of course, I’m talking about Jesse Dayton’s Zombex. Can you tell our readers more about your role in this exciting feature and in general, what the film is all about?

Emily: My role in Zombex is that of a sexy and tough ex-military woman who runs her fathers’ private security company, doing special ops jobs contract jobs. She’s very scrupled in her work and only chooses to take jobs that can actually help civilians. Her father was the polar opposite- a war monger and profiteer. Also, my character, Katy Ann is a burlesque dancer. She has a dark side…

Brian: Well I know you and I have had a few offline conversations about the project, but I’m still blown away when I look at all the legendary names attached to Zombex. You have Malcolm McDowell, Corey Feldman, Lew Temple, David Christopher and heck, even the lead singer of Slayer, Tom Ayara. What was it like working with these, for lack of a better term; we’ll call them superstars?

Emily: I know! It was such a rush!!! And you know me well enough Brian to know I am HUGE metal head, so working with Tom Araya was beyond… And of course the rest of the cast was amazing as well. It all came together because our director, Jesse Dayton, has relationships with these people and they love and respect him. There was definitely a mutual admiration happening between everyone on-set.

Brian: Anything crazy happen while working on the set of Zombex? Are there any zany moments that you can recall for us? Working with all these folks I mentioned before, there had to be at least one or two life altering moments. Ha ha.

Emily: The crew was hysterically fun to work with. They pulled shit all the time which brought so much great energy to set. There were so many moments that just blew me away it would be tough to pull anything specific out. I will say this, having zombies run at full speed out of the water at you is pretty mind-boggling.

Brian: Are there any actors that Jesse tried to secure for the film, but couldn’t get or didn’t work out? I remember Scream Queen Danielle Harris telling me how she did not get the role of Mary Beth in Adam Green’s Hatchet and I was surprised to hear that. While going through my own round of casting auditions and callbacks for the feature film I’m doing, I’m now savvy to how things go down or how things don’t always work out as planned. I was just wondering if you guys had any casting heartaches with this production…maybe just that one actor who wouldn’t say yes. But then again, how can anyone say no to you and Jesse? Impossible!

Emily: Jesse had Mike Ness (Social Distortion) written in to the screenplay but he was unavailable due to touring. That was rough. But John Doe (X) ended doing the job and just knocked it completely out of the park! He was SO strong. Also, in trying to cast the “Thea” character, there were a number of great actresses we hoped to cast but due to numerous conflicts it didn’t work out. In the 11^th hour we found our girl, Desiree McKinney, and she did a killer job. Also, we tried to cast a couple of super star rappers, but with their “legal issues”, it didn’t work out. Don’t cast rappers!

Brian: I see from all the behind-the –scenes footage on Facebook and on the official Zombex website (www.zombexmovie.com) that you guys actually filmed with Red cameras. That is so cool. I’m hoping to pull that off for my feature film I’m producing/directing, but we will see how the money situation is in a few months before making that final decision. But I must say, I’m very impressed by everything I have seen! I cannot wait to see the finished product. However, I’m very curious. How did the making of this film differ from any of your previous projects that you have been involved with? Does the self-financing route feel any different on set compared to the big studio films such as Sin City on your resume? I’m assuming you are all busting your asses even harder to make this the best possible product, but you are my eyes and ears here. I live vicariously through you. Only you can answer that one.

Emily: This was the first film I was deeply involved with and I can tell you, working on an independently funded film vs a studio film is ENTIRELY different- It’s apples and oranges. The level of commitment is huge when you fund independently. You become involved emotionally as well. Not just as an actor but in the well-being of everyone on set. And, of course, the success of the film is everybody’s focus. If the film succeeds, it becomes your calling card.

Brian: Alright, I’m going to ask this because I’m a huge Adam Green fan and I immensely enjoyed his Hatchet films that are filmed on location down in the swamps of Louisiana. How was it filming in Louisiana? It’s my understanding that you actually brought over some of Robert Rodriguez’s crew from Texas. Is that true?

Emily: We worked with Hawgfly Special Effects and they’ve worked with Robert Rodriguez on a few films. They are the best in Texas without a doubt. They were unbelievably professional and worked SO hard. They were intrinsic to Zombex. New Orleans brings a magic to any film, but in particular to Zombex due to the story really centering around the city and Hurricane Katrina.

Brian: I’m not sure if you are allowed to talk about this, but what are the plans for distribution of the film? When and where is the movie’s premiere? I want to be there!

Emily: Zombex has offers on the table. We need to get the post-production in the can and we can then talk further about that. Zombex will have world wide distribution. This is as much I can say now.

Brian: So when Zombex is all said and done, what’s next for Emily Kaye? Inquiring minds want to know!

Emily: Haha! I am working with a new agent and am redoing my head shots and reel. I’m ready for the next killer film! At the moment, I am supervising the post production for Zombex. I might direct a short film as well…

Brian: I know about your home life and extracurricular activities, but our readers don’t. When you are not acting or shaking it on stage with Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures, how does Emily Kaye unwind?

Emily: We have 2 Labradors, so I love taking them on trail walks/ runs. We swim too! Also, I go out dancing at least 3 times a month. And it’s like a bloody marathon… 3-4 hours straight! I can’t get enough!

Brian: From your 5:30 AM, I can’t sleep, Facebook training posts; I know you frequent the gym quite often. I mean, look at you, that much is obvious! What’s the secret? How do you keep yourself so incredibly fit with your busy lifestyle?

Emily: I am an obsessive exercise freak. I can’t run enough, swim enough or do enough yoga. As I write this, I’m suffering from a nasty case of plantar fasciitis which hurts like crazy. It’s from over use and too much running. Major bummer…

Brian: I’m sorry to hear that. I have suffered from that in both heels and I can attest to the fact that it’s not fun. The best thing I found to do was just get out there and run the pain away as stupid as that sounds. But honestly Emily, I don’t think I can have this conversation without asking you a question I’m personally dying to know about. Tell me; will there be another Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures album and tour? I got to know!

Emily: Tough to say. The demand is so there but finishing Zombex is most important. That record and that tour with Rob Zombie was utter perfection. It was a great moment in time and honestly, I think it’ll be tough to top that.

Brian: I understand. In fact, the whole reason I met you in the first place and how our paths crossed is because of that man, Rob Zombie. So I have to ask, are there any future plans for you or Jesse to ever collaborate or work with the brilliant (and I mean that on so many levels) Rob Zombie in anyway, whether it’s music, film or whatnot? I’m just super curious!

Emily: Rob is such a prolific dude on so many levels. I can say that there is nothing definitive on the horizon, but with Rob, you know when you know. You know? Hehe.

Brian: Are you a fan of Rob’s new Woolite commercial?

Emily: Yeah! It’s INSANE!

Brian: Well I’m sure I took up enough of your time so I’m going to go out with a proverbial bang, like only I can do, and drop this heavy open-ended douse of a question on you. You ready? What else should your fans and our readers know about you? When you leave your legacy behind on this planet, what would you want the world to know about who the real Emily Kaye is/was? What makes you tick and matters the most to you? Sorry, that’s like three heavy open-ended questions (the Earth’s gravitational pull must have just shifted). I know, you hate me, huh?

Emily: I only have love for you Brian! Wow… I will say that the past 2 years have been amazing and collaborating with a guy like Jesse has been the catalyst. Keeping ego out of business is key for me. Being honest and working from a place of humility is what keeps me grounded. I can’t stand people who crave credit. I like to earn my stripes and prefer to succeed quietly. And in working on the films I have the past 12 months, I have seen ego run amok. And it is so ugly to me. I just can’t imagine being “that” kind of person. So to sum it up, what matters most to me is really try and enjoy every moment and continue to work with people who love what they do, are really good at it and hopefully, have a solid footing on reality.

Brian: Well thanks again for taking the time to sit down with all our readers and me. We all truly appreciate it. I look forward to seeing you at the premiere of Zombex J (hint, hint). What’s cooking the rest of the day for you?

Emily: Thank you for the support Brian. People like you make the world a better place! Kick ass on your project! Today is a work day… Zombex is my world today J

Brian: Awe. Thanks Emily! That means a lot to me. I’ll be talking to you soon!

Check out these exciting links too for more Zombex!

http://zombexmovie.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ZombexMovie

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1916763/combined

Interview with Actor Brendan Wayne – ‘Cowboys & Aliens’

Gregg Senko — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 08:00:50 +0000

Easily one of the most anticipated films due out this summer is none other than Cowboys & Aliens, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Also appearing in this awesome marriage of old west and sci-fi is none other than Brendan Wayne. Wayne, who is quickly tallying the westerns on his resume’, spoke candidly about his work on the film in addition to his other projects, life outside of movies and the history of acting in his family, including grandfather John Wayne. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm on my end wreaked havoc during the first few seconds of the interview, so you’ll notice an abrupt beginning. Nevertheless, Brendan saved the day dishing out his experiences on the upcoming blockbuster and other interesting avenues.

Left: A young Brendan with Grandpa / Right: Brendan today

A Talk With ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Bill George About I Am Number Four

Sean Ferguson — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:31:00 +0000

It’s not every day that you get to hear from an ILM veteran talk about his career and the movies he’s worked on. He’s worked with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Dean Parisot, Alfonso Cuaron, Richard Donner, and more! From his thoughts on Star Wars to working on the new updated Star Tours ride, Blade Runner, Galaxy Quest, Harry Potter, and including his latest work on I Am Number Four, I think you will enjoy hearing it all as much as I did! If you are a fan of movies or simply a fan of Industrial Light & Magic, then you ought to enjoy this!

I AM NUMBER FOUR

ILM Visual Effects Supervisor, BILL GEORGE

Q – What advice would you give to someone who dreams about wanting to get a job in the visual effects industry?
A – Bill George: There is a tremendous power in doing. Years before I got my first job in the industry building models, I built them as a hobby. I’d advise someone to do what they dream of doing and they will learn so much from the experience.

Q – What was the most challenging aspect for the team when it came to the visual effects of “I Am Number Four”?
A – Bill George: The design of Bernie was our biggest challenge. He needed to be both aggressive and appealing at the same time. DJ wanted him to be able to kick the Piken’s ass but still have the audience go “Awwwww”. We revised his design a lot.

Q – You have such a spectacular curriculum, and have been involved in some of the most talked-about movies lately. That does not come easy does it? What would you say has been the key factor to your success?
A – Bill George: ILM has such a long and successful history and it’s really nice to have been a part of that. As a supervisor my job as a creative is pretty visible but there are so many production people on our shows that are more hidden and their contributions are just as important. Being one of the industry leaders, large effect projects are drawn to ILM.

Q – You have a long, illustrious history in visual effects. Which film are you the most proud of?
A – Bill George: Bladerunner, Innerspace and Galaxy Quest.

Q – What’s the most fun part of your job?
A – Bill George: I LOVE leading the creative team on a show. It’s like having the best toys! There is a lot of planning that goes into a project like “I am Number Four” but my favorite part is when you are on the set and things change, or the director comes up with a new idea, and you have to shoot form the hip for a solution. That flash of creative “on the spot” problem solving is when things get really fun for me.

Q – Since you worked on Blade Runner and Harry Potter/Azkaban, did those experiences help you for this film?
A – Bill George: Absolutely! On every show I learn something and I bring all those lessons with me when I show up on set. The experience of seeing how directors and DPs work is something I really value. My job is always to get inside the director’s head to provide from them the shots they need for their movie and my past experience really helps with that.

Q – How did you start out working with visual effects?
A – Bill George: I started out making models for a hobby after Star Wars came out in 1977. Two years later I got a job in LA building models for movies. In 1981, I got a job at ILM in the model shop working on Return of the Jedi. After that show, ILM allowed me to try new things and expand my abilities. I was lucky in that as the company grew, so did I.

Q – What was the most significant factor or challenge in creating the proper imagery from the book?
A – Bill George: That was left up to our director DJ Caruso. It was his movie and my focus was to create the visuals he wanted.

Q – Besides the digital creatures in the film we also can see digital doubles and other really spectacular effects, such as Number 6 fighting against the bad guys in high school, with her appearing and disappearing. What can you tell us about these shots?
A – Bill George: There were over 700 visual effects shots in the film. The majority of those were supervised by Greg McMurray. I supervised the sequences with the CG creatures (Piken/Bernie) and the Mog blast in the end of the film. I do know there was a huge amount of complex stunt work that went into those shots.

Q – How did you work through some challenges of CGI to make sure that the characters were always real?
A – Bill George: When we are working on our CG creature shots, they usually take a few weeks to create. During that time, our entire team views them daily as they progress. Everyone is welcome to offer their view of what is working and what needs improvement. This method really helps us to get a realist result. It’s all about observation and refinement.

Q – In this film we can see several digital creatures, like those two of the bad guys and the chimera, who helps John. What could you explain to us about these digital creatures and the shots where they appear? Which were the main challenges with them?
A – Bill George: When you are adding a CG creature into a shot, the key to its success is the interaction it has in the scene. We spent a lot of time with the cameraman lining up the shots with cut-outs of the creatures to help them compose the shots and blocking in the action so the actors got their movements right. It’s important to always be looking ahead to what the final shot will look like when shooting the actors to make sure their performance will work in the shot. Things like shadows, debris and camera shake are all little factors that add up to a shot being realistic and dynamic.

Q – Is there still room for practical effects, or are there restraints that make CGI a better solution?
A – Bill George: Having come from a practical background I love using miniatures when possible. CG effects do have the benefit of being more changeable and are more “production friendly” If you blow up a practical miniature you only get one chance at it. If you do a CG explosion you can make changes up until the end. We really like to give the directors we work with the maximum amount of control so CG is many times the preferred solution.

Q – What type of impact did the film’s rating have on the visual effects as a whole?
A – Bill George: Very little. Never were we asked to pull back on anything like that because those types of decisions are really made in the edit.

Q – In the film we can see the transformation of the dog in the chimera and later from the chimera in the dog. Were these particularly complicated shots? What can you tell us about them?
A – Bill George: The transformation of Bernie in the car was quite a challenge. We didn’t build a CG version of the dog so we had to get the “dog actor” to act mean for the lead in to the transformation. The problem was that the real dog was so dang cute! The trainer was able to train him to act aggressive (by taking away a juicy bone) but we had to shoot him against a blue screen. We then had to shrink our “big Bernie” CG model down to fit the real dog. That took a lot of digital pounding.

Q – What was the most dangerous scene to film and how brave were the actors?
A – Bill George: I was shocked to see Theresa hanging 60 feet in the air for the scene where the Piken picks her up off of the Football field. She was amazing and fearless! That stunt was really impressive.

Q – How long did it take to get the right effects for the movie, and do you feel like some good ideas had to be lost?
A – Bill George: Our post-production schedule was a short 3 months. We had to slam out rough animation quickly so DJ could get it in the first cut of the film. The editorial process has to be fluid because the film as a whole will evolve over time. We tried to be adaptable as possible with our shots to make the movie as great as it could be and I don’t believe we compromised in any way.

Q – How has CG evolved since you started?
A – Bill George: The concepts have remained almost unchanged. The difference is that things like match-moving that used to be super hard have gotten easier. As machines and software get faster the shots have gotten more complex. Tools are always changing and getting more robust and our work has gotten more demanding.

Q – Which visual effect in I Am Number Four are you the most proud of?
A – Bill George: I really love the shot of Number 6 riding the Piken down the stadium stairs. It was a real design challenge. The first animation I saw I burst out laughing! In the end I thought it looked really great.

Q – Is it hard to find the right balance between CGI and ‘real’ effects? And does the balance change for every film you work on?
A – Bill George: My approach is to always try to get as much as you can practically. At the very least you are going to be getting a good reference take. So much time is spent making a CG asset look real so if you can get something practically you can use that time elsewhere.

Q – Was D.J. Caruso a hands-on director or did he hand you and your team the keys to the sandbox?
A – Bill George: I Am Number Four is DJ’s movie. He gave us freedom to try different things and was very supportive of us creatively, but every shot and animation he directed.

Q – Considering DJ Caruso hadn’t done a CGI-heavy film prior to I Am Number Four; did that put greater pressure on you to deliver the goods when it came to the effect sequences?
A – Bill George: Part of my job was to make sure that DJ felt comfortable with doing creature effects. He is a super smart guy and has loads of post-production experience, so he didn’t have any trouble at all directing the Piken. In fact he really seemed to enjoy it. DJ was very clear about what he wanted in all the shots and that sure made my job a lot easier.

Q – How closely did you work with DJ Caruso?
A – Bill George: On set the ILM team met with him every day. We kept him updated on the construction of Bernie and the Piken and I would discuss with him his plan for any of the plates we were shooting. Early on in post, we would travel down to LA for creative meetings and later at the end when things were super crazy we had video reviews. Early on I told DJ to think of Steve (The animation director) and I as the Piken. Give us direction the way you would an actor and we’ll give you a performance. DJ directed every performance from the Piken and Bernie and he seemed to be having a blast doing it.

Q – Is there a director working today who you’d love to work with, or whose creative vision you really admire?
A – Bill George: John Waters, probably because what he does is so different from our regular genre of filmmaking.

Q – How much time do you have to spend on set when working on a big effects movie such as I am Number Four?
A – Bill George: I was there in Pittsburgh for 6 weeks. In that we shot the “plates” that would be used for all the creature work. Being there on set is so important for me to be able to see how the director shoot his movie and how the DP lights the scenes so when we create our CG effects we can match their looks.

Q – With a sequel planned, did you have a variety of different effects that you wanted to keep in reserve for the next film?
A – Bill George: Nope. We went all out on this one. However, I was very excited about the idea of flashbacks where we get to see the destruction of Lorian. That was in the first script I read but was omitted. That is something I would love to see!

Q – How many weeks did it take to complete all the visual effects for this movie?
A – Bill George: Our post schedule was about 3 months. While the film was being shot though we were building Bernie and the Piken and working on walk cycles and look development. We had to be ready to go as soon as DJ turned over the sequences to us to get the movie done. Personally, I was on the show about 11 months.

Q – What initially got you interested in visual effects? Was it a particular movie (i.e., Star Wars) or were you always interested in art/design?
A – Bill George: As a kid I was into sci-fi TV shows like Lost in Space and Star Trek. When I was in high school Star Wars came out and blew my mind. I knew then what I wanted to do!

Q – Star Wars or Star Trek? You’ve been intimately involved in the creation of both film universes, after all. Which do you prefer?
A – Bill George: Sophie’s choice! I love them both. Seriously, they both have their own unique charms.

Q – Can you tell us what kinds of projects are you involved now?
A – Bill George: I’m just finishing up the re-boot of Star Tours for Disney. The ride opens in Orlando this Friday. I’m really looking forward to seeing the project done. It’s in 3D and has a “branching” storyline. Quite a step up from the beloved original.

Q – You’re working you Star Tours 2? What could you tell us about it? What will we see?
A – Bill George: It opens this Friday! I’m heading to Orlando tomorrow and I’m really jazzed. The new ride is in 3D and has a branching story line that changes randomly for each ride. The whole ride experience has been amped up. The only bad thing will be the lines…

Q – I am looking at the trivia written about you on IMDb.com and it says: “As a teenager, he used to forage through the dumpsters outside the Van Nuys facility of Industrial Light and Magic, looking for souvenirs.” – Is this a true story?
A – Bill George: Yep, I still have some of the artwork, film and model pieces I got out of that dumpster. I also learned by going through their trash that the folks at ILM drank a LOT of beer!

Q – So, if a teenager was to go through ILM’s dumpsters today, can they still make out with cool artwork or model pieces or is everything these days, shredded and destroyed?
A – Bill George: It’s all shredded and destroyed and you’d probably be arrested! It was a different time back in 1978.

Q – What is your favorite sci-fi movie? And the latest one you watched?
A – Bill George: I love 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s unmatched in its technical and artistic achievement. Thor was the last sci-fi movie I saw and thought was awesome. BTW I usually enjoy other people’s films a lot more than the ones I work on because I can just sit back and enjoy them.

Q – Have you turned down work on a movie and regretted it later?
A – Bill George: Never. There have been shows we really tried to get and were disappointed to lose and then later, when the film came out, were relieved we didn’t get. I’m not saying which ones though….

Q – For those not familiar with your job, on a film like “I Am Number Four”, what were your responsibilities on the film?
A – Bill George: I oversaw the creation of the shots involving the Piken, Bernie and the stadium explosion. I was there when the backgrounds were shot in Pittsburgh to make sure that when the CG characters were added all the pieces would fit together. I then led the team of artists here at ILM that worked on the shots and interfaced with DJ to get his input and feedback.

Q – You’ve had many different positions with ILM over the years. What has been your favorite part of creating and executing film effects? Further what department do you think you’ve learned the most from?
A – Bill George: Being an effects supervisor brings with it so many lessons and experiences. Dealing with the clients, team building, coming up with creative solutions, shooting plates and elements. It’s a role that requires a great variety of skills. It’s a challenge.

Q – Who are some of your mentors and do you still refer/consult with them very often?
A – Bill George: There have been may people who have influenced me through my career. By just working with these people I was able to learn so much. Dennis Muren is one of them and he is still here at ILM. On “I Am Number Four” Dennis viewed the shower room sequence for us with fresh eyes and gave me a lot of great feedback for making the shots look better.

Q – One of your specialties used to be physical models (and damned good ones): Are miniatures now obsolete in modern special effects?
A – Bill George: Sadly they are on the decline. Whenever I can I use models I will, because I think you can get a great result. BTW I still build models at home for fun.

Q – Where do you keep your Oscars? What about your Emmys?
A – Bill George: The Oscar sits on a shelf, kind of out of the way. The best thing about the award was it allowed me to move out of the ILM model shop and explore other departments, leading me to becoming an effects supervisor.

Q – How do you decide which movie you are going to work on?
A – Bill George: Our executive staff reads a script and assigns a supervisor to it who they think is best suited for the project. Many times a studio who has worked with a specific supervisor in the past will request him or her.

Q – What was the most challenging scene to create with IMAX in mind?
A – Bill George: Good question. ILM is a tool that adapts to each director we work with. Working with DJ and watching him film non-effects shots gave us a guide as far as what our FX shots should look like. We wanted to make something unique that would show the audience a glimpse of what Lorian was like.

Q – We’re now in an era of “all CGI”. How do you react with that?
A – Bill George: The thing we used to dread hearing was “it looks like a model” Now we dread “It looks CGI”. I really LOVE working with miniatures but working with CG gives you a huge amount of control that is hard to beat. Personally, I like mixing up techniques on a show to keep the audience guessing. In the shower scene in “Number Four” we used both CG water and practical water shot against black.

Q – Despite the technology constantly improving, audiences are starting to grow savvy as to what is real and what is CGI in blockbuster movies. Do you see in-camera stunts making a comeback in the near future?
A – Bill George: Most of the stunts in “Number Four” were done practically. There was a lot of wire work but they also had these AMAZING parcour guys who could do mind blowing stunts on their own. What you mention is so true though. Audiences are very sophisticated and they are looking to figure out our tricks. They certainly keep us on our toes.

Q – I’ve noticed you’ve yet to do a 3D film. Is that something you’re interested in doing? Does the added depth of 3D make stunts and effects harder to pull off convincingly?
A – Bill George: Actually, I have been working on Star Tours for the past 3 years that will be presented in 3D. I was drawn to the project for that reason, wanting to do something in 3D. It’s a very interesting project with a branching storyline that changes from ride to ride. My feeling is that doing a project in 3D means that you have another level of design you must consider. That fact that a project is in 3D will inform your choices as far as composition and focus. It’s a great payoff though for the extra effort.

Q – Do you think the advent of CGI has depreciated your profession or made it more imperative than ever?
A – Bill George: Based on how many big money making films rely on effects work, I would say that effects have become even more important. Modern CGI is a tool that can help any director put his or her vision on film. The tools make almost anything possible.

Q – With many films going 3D lately, does that change your approach to visual effects and that visual effects will need to be planned with 3D in mind?
A – Bill George: 3D is another level of design that needs to be considered when working on shots, so ideally we need to know ahead of time if the film is going to be released in 3D.

Q – You worked on some Harry Potter movies. Now that the saga is quite over, what memories do you have of this experience?
A – Bill George: Creating Dobby was such an amazing experience because he was a major character in the second film. After we were done with the show I felt a real connection to him. One of my favorite memories on Potter 2 happened when we were shooting Daniel on his broom against a blue screen for the Quidditch game. The stage hands were helping him get on the broom with a ladder. For some reason there was a label on the ladder that Daniel pulled off and did a little commercial for the ladder. “Hello, I’m Daniel Radcliffe, when I need to get on my broom I prefer “Kingsley” ladders! Kingsley, when you need a lift.”

Q – How was the process to create the visual effects on HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban? What were your references? How different was it to creating visual effects for I Am Number Four?
A – Bill George: For both of these films we looked more toward the directors than the books for guidance. Of course the books are always hovering out there, but movies are a different medium and have to stand on their own. The sparkle effect in Twilight was something that the studio did want us to match the description in the book. They didn’t want all the fans to be thrown by something different than the “diamond skin”.

Q – What, in your experience, has been the movie that presented the greatest visual effects challenges and/or was you’re proudest to have overcome them?
A – Bill George: One huge design challenge we faced was on Potter 3 and the Dementors. The challenge was to get across emotions and intent from creatures that didn’t have a face! In the long run I think that is what made them creepy. We had to rely on their body language and the action of the tattered fabric that trails off of them.

Q – Bill, you have worked with some of the greatest sci-films in America but I was wondering, as many films are being released on Blu-ray and seeing how visual effects look so much better on HD, such as “Blade Runner” and “Galaxy Quest”, do you watch your films on Blu-ray?
A – Bill George: Many of them I do. Mostly I want to make sure that our effects look OK. For the older films there was a “film finish” that tends to degrade the image quality. Nowadays most all big films have a digital finish so that digital file goes directly to the Blu-ray with no loss of quality.

Q – Was this your first picture with director D.J. Caruso? – and having worked on films with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest), Alfonso Cuaron (Prisoner of Azkaban), Richard Donner and others, are you left to your own devices or does each director have a different need and make different demands?
A – Bill George: We don’t work in a vacuum here at ILM. We always adjust our shot style to match whichever director we are working with. Our goal is to have our work fit seamlessly into third film without standing out.

Q – If you had to pick one scene that you liked the best, that you worked on for I Am Number Four, what would it be?
A – Bill George: I really was happy with the destruction of the Mog commander. You can see in the special bonus features section of the Blu-ray “Becoming Number 6″ how little was shot and what was added. We shot practical explosions and sparks and bombs and there is nothing more fun than blowing stuff up! When we work on our shots we don’t have the final sound effects that are added right at the end and the sound design for that sequence was rockin’!

Q – The camera is always moving and the creatures really interact with walls, furniture etc. – how were the scenes in the school shot to help you add the creatures later?
A – Bill George: All of our tools are set up to make shooting the effects plates as free as possible for the director. It used to be that you had to use special cameras and motion control rigs that stunted progress and felt different. Whenever we can we want to make our shots to use the same techniques as the surrounding production footage. We also add into the shots additional camera movement to match what the creature ends up doing in the shots. A good cameraman has an innate ability to follow action and compose shots that they just do naturally. Of course it’s sometimes hard for them when there isn’t anything in frame!

Q – You have a background in matte paintings and models. Do you miss that tangible type of special effects creation?
A – Bill George: I am still able to use matte paintings and models in my projects; I just don’t do the actual work myself. I feel so lucky to have these amazing artists that are assigned to my shows. Going to dailies near the end of a show it feels like every day is Christmas! You never know what cool shot is going to be there.

Q – Do you ever approach a model/miniature with no clear vision in mind and just start putting parts together until you find a configuration you like?
A – Bill George: Never. We always work out designs ahead of time in the much cheaper “sketch” form. At least this is how any major assets are handled. What does happen sometimes is we will ask for some background vehicles or ships and will tell the model makers “just wing it”. Having no clear vision sounds like trouble. These days more and more directors are super savvy about effects and WANT to be involved.

Q – The creatures initially are fast and only shown in glimpses before we get to the end of the film – was it challenging to reveal them slowly like this?
A – Bill George: This was a decision that DJ made to keep them more mysterious. You don’t want to give everything away too soon. So much of what you see and perceive comes down to lighting. It was fairly simple to keep the Piken Dark so you didn’t see much. The editors had ultimate control over how much the audience would see but keeping the shots short.

Q – “Number Four” featured some of the best photo-realistic creatures I’ve seen in a while. Why do you think your creatures look so real while those in other films don’t?
A – Bill George: I would say that you have EXCELLENT taste! The main determining factor in a shot’s realism is how long the artist gets to refine it. Everyone uses the same basic tools but on many of the lower budget shows don’t have a lot of time to polish their shots. On average we usually do about 25 to 45 takes on any shot. We also have some AMAZING artists who work here!

Q – Do you worry about what the critics may have to say about your movies, or do you strive to please your intended audiences?
A – Bill George: It’s always nice to get positive feedback form critics but really the only people I “worry” about are the director and the producers at the studio. They hire us to create the shots for their movie and my goal is to make them happy.

Q – What’s a specific example of something you do that’s actually much harder than most people realize?
A – Bill George: I believe that most people don’t realize the tremendous time and budget pressure we are under to deliver our work. People will comment “they should have done this or that…” not knowing that we do have limitations. Our goal is always to maximize our artist’s time, to stay on track and get the most out of the effects as possible.

Q – The film is based on the novel of the same name, which was written by Jobie Hughes and James Frey. Did you read the book before you began shooting the movie, and did the novel influence your work in any way?
A – Bill George: I only read certain parts of the book that dealt with our creature work but our blueprint was the script and DJ’s direction. Also, the book came out about halfway through shooting. One day on set I got to hang with James Frey and chatted about the books. That was a really unique experience for me, an effects goon.

Q – There are tons of sci-fi movies out there. What did you try to put into I Am Number Four that would separate it from all other alien films?
A – Bill George: Cute teenagers in love!

Q – Have you heard anything about a possible sequel to I Am Number Four?
A – Bill George: I heard a little squeak, but nothing concrete. We’ve got the Pikens standing by just in case.

Q – Bill, any final thoughts on I AM NUMBER FOUR?
A – Bill George: I am Number Four was a really fun project to work on. DJ has such and infectious enthusiasm that pushed us all to do our very best work. It was a real pleasure to be a part of.

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A Talk With D.J. Caruso, Director of I Am Number Four

Sean Ferguson — Mon, 23 May 2011 21:25:52 +0000

Recently, Director DJ Caruso was kind enough to to spend a couple of hours answering questions about his new movie I Am Number Four. He not only answered questions about that move but also discussed other projects like the long delayed Y: The Last Man and whether or not that will ever happen and if he is still involved with that. Caruso also shares his thoughts about working in the science fiction medium and also talks about his upcoming plans and what he is currently looking forward to.

Q – How much of the book had you read when you signed on to direct the film?

A – DJ Caruso: I had read the manuscript and then a few versions of the book as it progressed.

Q – What was the hardest part of filming I Am Number Four?

A – DJ Caruso: Blending visual effects with the teenage drama. That was a challenge, not to allow the effects to overtake the characters.

Q – You’ve worked in TV and film; do you have a preference over one medium? How are they different for you as a director?

A – DJ Caruso: TV is a great way to learn and experiment. It moves at a much faster pace and the discipline it requires taught me how to approach scenes and how to manage a day’s work. So when I direct a film I feel like the “workout” I did in the TV world has prepared me to kick ass on the film. Obviously, film is my preference, but I love doing great TV.

Q – What drew you to each of the young actors you eventually chose when casting?

A – DJ Caruso: Alex brought a strong physical presence and he also had a very accessible quality. Dianna had a grace and intelligence that the character required. Callan was perfect for Sam because he embodied Sam’s pain and struggle, but maintained a cool quality. Teresa was just plain kick ass in the room.

Q – I Am Number Four is your first directing effort in the science fiction genre. Why did you choose I Am Number Four to adapt?

A – DJ Caruso: I was looking for a somewhat family friendly science fiction film like the great ones in the 80′s that I grew up watching like Back to the Future. I felt that IAM4 had qualities that I could tap into that would satisfy that desire. That is why I was attracted to the material.

Q – What sort of challenges did you run into adapting I Am Number Four into a movie?

A – DJ Caruso: All films present tremendous challenges. IAM4 was loaded with special effects and the number of shots grew. We had less than nine months to finish the film. So it was a full court press to make our release date.

Q – If the studio asks for a sequel, will you be interested in doing it?

A – DJ Caruso: Of course I would be interested. I think Number 6 would be a great character to take the next level.

Q – What was your favorite part of working on I Am Number Four?

A – DJ Caruso: I love shooting film. Being on the set and creating is always my favorite part of the process. It was no different on IAM4.

Q – Beyond fantasy and thriller, is the real issue of the movie the search for love and a normal life?

A – DJ Caruso: Once you accept who you truly are, you become empowered to great things with your life. In his quest for normality and true love he learns that his destiny calls on him to sacrifice the things he truly wants. He must become selfless. For a young man or alien (ha ha) that is a tough thing to accept.

Q – What was the scene that you regretted taking it out of the movie the most and why?

A – DJ Caruso: I hated taking the Karen Allen scene out the most. I love, love, love her. I wish we had developed her character more to allow for a more significant role.

Q – Who has been your favorite performer to work with?

A – DJ Caruso: Wow. I have been blessed to work with some amazing people. Naming one would be impossible.

Q – Which aspect of the film is the influence of Spielberg’s movies?

A – DJ Caruso: Steven’s love of science fiction and endearing characters is of course present. I felt like the darkroom scene where he uses his hand to light her face was very Spielbergian. Homage…

Q – You say it’s difficult to cut scenes, so how do you overcome it and make an objective decision?

A – DJ Caruso: Sometimes cutting a scene is very difficult. Most of the time it becomes obvious as the narrative drive of the film becomes clear that a scene does not belong.

Q – What would you counter to criticism saying I AM NUMBER FOUR is just a mixture of STAR WARS and X-MEN?

A – DJ Caruso: I wouldn’t counter that criticism. If that is how the film was perceived by a particular viewer, so be it. BTW those are two amazing films.

Q – ‘Trying to Connect’ is a great scene! As a director, was it hard for you delete a powerful scene like that?

A – DJ Caruso: Thanks. A few months removed…I should have left that scene in!!! That was hard to leave out.

Q – You have done plenty of action-thrillers. Have you always wanted to do a big sci-fi effects movie?

A – DJ Caruso: Someday I will do a big budget sci-fi film. IAM4 was done for a very modest price with good bang for the buck. I would love to get back into this arena someday.

Q – What is your next project?

A – DJ Caruso: Preacher at Sony based on Garth Ennis’ graphic novel. Also working on a very small indy entitled Goats.

Q – What balance did you try to strike between the film’s story, special effects and action?

A – DJ Caruso: I always lean towards character and theme. Once the theme is defined in my head, it informs me about how the film should look, sound and feel. The effects and action should move the story and theme forward.

Q – Did you feel the need to stay true to the original book? Or were you more interested in telling your own version of the story?

A – DJ Caruso: Of course I wanted to honor the intentions of the book. I made some changes that I felt would be more cinematic. I also make sure that there is specific reason that inspires me to tell the story.

Q – Johnny Depp says he’s worked with directors who you can see are editing in their head on set. Do you edit in your head when you’re directing a scene or how do you envision it when doing coverage?

A – DJ Caruso: The more experience I gain, the more assured I have become in knowing what I need to make the scene come to life. I have also learned to be flexible in allowing organic things to happen within a frame that you might not think you need.

Q – What actor or actress would you love to work with in an upcoming project?

A – DJ Caruso: Actresses: Jodi Foster, Kate Winslet. Actors: Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt. Just to name a few…

Q – I saw on the deleted scenes that Sam’s mom was initially worked into the plot, but got cut out. If other movies about Number Four get made, will Sam’s mom come back into the plot?

A – DJ Caruso: Sam’s mom was a created a few days before production started and we would have loved to have expanded on her character. She might show up in the next book? We fully fleshed out her back story behind the scenes.

Q – What was the one thing you dreaded about directing I Am Number Four? What’s your least favorite part of your job as a director??

A – DJ Caruso: I dreaded the quick turn-around. I love to tinker and play with the film in post. There was just too little time. I am blessed to be a director. There is nothing about it that I dread.

Q – There were more special effects in this film than your others. Did you have to adjust as director?

A – DJ Caruso: Yes. I usually love to have practical elements in all my frames. In IAM4 that was not possible at times. So blending the practical and visual effects was a new challenge. So yes, I made adjustments to accommodate this type of film.

Q – If the book wasn’t even out yet, how did you know where the author was going with the story?

A – DJ Caruso: I was able to read the manuscript and the outline for book number two. This allowed me to understand the path that each character was heading down.

Q – Can you talk about what you’re doing next? Is all hope lost for ‘Y: The Last Man’?

A – DJ Caruso: Preacher based on the Garth Ennis graphic novel is the object of my obsession right now.

Q – While filming, what was the most challenging sequence of the movie? How did you manage to accomplish it?

A – DJ Caruso: The technical challenge of the final battle was the most challenging. We shot the football field sequence in just 4 nights. The wire work, explosions and fighting pushed the envelope of what could be done on our budget with the time allotted.

Q – Do you have a film or TV show that inspired you to enter the industry?

A – DJ Caruso: The TV show that I became addicted to was Steven Bochco’s, Hill Street Blues. The dynamic characters and reality based filming style just blew me away. There are soooo many films that inspired me I wouldn’t know where to begin. I assure you that Scorsese films would lead my list.

Q – Was Michael Bay intimately involved in the production? Or did he remain at a distance?

A – DJ Caruso: Michael Bay was a first class producer. He allowed me the space needed to direct and was always there when I needed help. He was very helpful in Post and helped me conquer some visual effect shots that were driving me crazy.

Q – Why was the film’s production schedule so short?

A – DJ Caruso: Dreamworks and Disney had a specific release date and window that had to be hit. It was the driving force behind the short schedule.

Q – Now that you’ve done a sci-fi film, are there other films in that genre you’re in discussion to direct?

A – DJ Caruso: I think the only genres that I can’t relate to as a filmmaker are comedies and romantic comedies. I can watch and enjoy them. I am developing a small drama, a dark drama/thriller and wacky modern western with amazing characters.

Q – Do you read your own reviews?

A – DJ Caruso: Only from the specific critics that I really admire. Even if they slam me, I like to know why.

Q – What has been the strangest thing to happen on one of your sets?

A – DJ Caruso: I once had the FBI arrest one of my actors on a cable movie I directed right in the middle of the shoot!

Q – Who or what inspires you?

A – DJ Caruso: Inspiration comes from those who exceed my expectations. A desire to discover universality in my characters that help the audience to understand that they are not alone when they experience pain or joy.

Q – You have worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. So, you must have had your fair share of ‘drama queen’ moments. What has been the worst?

A – DJ Caruso: I have a motto that I know I stole from another director (I’m not sure who) “keep the drama on the screen.” There have been a few performers who didn’t prescribe to this notion.

Q – I felt that Kevin Durand was the perfect bad guy in this. Had you seen his work before casting him or did you discover him through auditions?

A – DJ Caruso: Kevin is great. I saw him in Ridley’s Robin Hood and remembered him in Lost. He is a very talented improv actor with great comedic chops. He can do it all.

Q – How do you tackle something as overdone as teenage drama and still keep it fresh? Other than giving them super powers…

A – DJ Caruso: I strive for truth in themes. Teens tend to be narcissistic by nature and I loved that John had to sacrifice what he loved and wanted for the greater good. I also loved that he stepped in and stopped the bullying that was happening with Sam. I love lacing in great music for the young audiences as well. I’m still a teen, musically (ha ha).

Q – Visitors from other planets, in whatever shape or form, good or bad, are a huge part of our popular culture. Why, in your view, do they have such an enduring appeal?

A – DJ Caruso: The mystery of the unknown. What we don’t know allows our imaginations to run wild. It is exciting to speculate on what is out there.

Q – What can you say about your next and upcoming project (Preacher if it’s still on)?

A – DJ Caruso: It is still on. John August wrote a great script and we are fine tuning a draft now.

Q – Regarding the common roots of Smallville and I Am Number Four : You’ve worked on Smallville’s first steps, directing the very first episode and happen to work with script writers’ Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. What lessons from Smallville did you learn and happen to redo or not on I Am Number Four?

A – DJ Caruso: Number Four does mirror Superman’s journey. I always made that connection. Also, a hero being reluctant to use his powers resonates in both Smallville and IAM4. These similarities were helpful because I was revisiting themes that I had explored before.

Q – As one of many directors of Smallville, what are your thoughts on it coming to an end this season?

A – DJ Caruso: Great run. WOW! Clark must be 40 by now. Time to wear the cape!

Q – Why do you think ‘Disturbia’ and some of your other films are so divisive? It was a great little thriller, not to mention a nice spin on a Hitchcock classic.

A – DJ Caruso: I’m not sure why they are divisive. I think the Salton Sea was one that upset many, yet many loved it. There was no gray area on that film.

Q – You seem to be partial to a thriller…Is there any other genres you want to explore?

A – DJ Caruso: Drama and Western are the two genres that I aspire to tackle next.

Q – I am a big fan of Timothy Olyphant. I know he was not your first choice for the role. What was it about him that you felt he could bring to the film? Is he as awesome as he seems? Do you plan on working together with him again?

A – DJ Caruso: Timothy is a first rate man and a first rate actor. I love his odd style. He takes scenes and twists them around, striving to find the truth. I hope we get to work together again very soon.

Q – Conspiracies and paranoia seem to be a recurring theme in your films. Is this something you enjoy exploring?

A – DJ Caruso: These are universal themes that the audience can experience and relate to. They understand the character’s plight. Technology has brought these themes to the forefront. Big Brother is here!

Q – Is it difficult to have creative control while having to incorporate a studio’s vision with yours?

A – DJ Caruso: The more success you have, the more you are trusted to do your thing. I find that the studio’s marketing departments can be the ones who cloud the vision of the filmmakers more so then the creative studio team.

Q – Have you thought about completing the rest of the story arc as a TV series rather than the long production cycle of movie sequels?

A – DJ Caruso: No, but I like that idea!

Q – In this movie which is more important action or drama in human relationships?

A – DJ Caruso: Human relationships trump all in my book.

Q – How important is it to come to terms with your actors? Like they do like you say and not vice versa.

A – DJ Caruso: Unity is vital in order to create. I always try to bind in a way that actors understand that we are partners.

Q – The special effects were amazing. When shooting, is it hard to imagine what the scene will look like finished?

A – DJ Caruso: I always have a specific vision. I would say if I get 75% of what I imagine, I’m happy. Thanks for liking the effects!

Q – What Bonus Feature are you most excited to share?

A – DJ Caruso: Becoming Six is a cool feature that allows one to see how we created the fighting style and action elements for the Number Six character. Teresa worked very hard and it shows.

Q – An online clip showed Teresa Palmer getting into shape for her role. Who much preparation does it take for the stars to prepare for such a physical role?

A – DJ Caruso: She trained for nearly three months. Wire work is very difficult and requires a very strong core. Teresa became deadly with her daggers.

Q – If you could have a “legacy” or power, what would it be and what would the reason be?

A – DJ Caruso: My legacy power would be mind reading. I would love to remove the mystery of what people are really thinking.

Q – Where did you find inspiration for creating these terrifying Mogadorians? Maybe took something from existing animals?

A – DJ Caruso: I wanted the Mog look to be very strong in silhouette. I loved the old black western duster jackets. Their membrane eyes and gill-like breathers were of course alien inspired. Finally, the Tattoos were a tribal ranking system that we developed for each Mog.

Q – For you as a director – where’s the biggest difference between shooting Sci-Fi and Reality like in “Disturbia”?

A – DJ Caruso: The biggest difference was trying to maintain a real life balance in IAM4 with the other worldly elements. In Disturbia it was much easier to keep it real.

Q – If seems as if you prefer working with young actors – what are the key difference between working with older and younger actors?

A – DJ Caruso: I like working with young actors because they haven’t developed old habits. They are open to trying new things or new ways to reach the potential of the scene or character.

Q – Which movies and directors do you think influenced your work the most?

A – DJ Caruso: Coppola, Scorsese, Spielberg, Ashby

Q – “I am Number Four” contains a lot of visual effects – how difficult is it to make them look real and impressive without distracting the viewer from the film?

A – DJ Caruso: It is tough. I spent many nights color timing and tweaking so that the blend would be as seamless as possible.

Q – Like Eagle Eye, I Am Number Four is a runaway movie. Did that part play any role in you doing I Am Number Four? What is so fun in the “runaway” genre?

A – DJ Caruso: Runway themes usually require your hero to find a place where he finds peace. Sometimes they can’t stay in that place, but he longs for the feeling it evokes. We are all on the run, right?

Q – How involved are you with the DVD extras? Is it something you think about during production?

A – DJ Caruso: I worked with my editorial staff and we finished the DVD extras during the regular post period. So yes, I am involved.

Q – Can you give us 3-5 tips on directing an action scene?

A – DJ Caruso: 1. No matter how good the stunt is, if the camera is in the wrong place, you’ll never fully appreciate it. 2. Action with incident is more involving for the viewer. Action needs to advance the story. 3. When action has a visual effects element, make sure that practical destruction happens within the frame. This blends better than all CGI.

Q – There’s a great and realistic love story in the movie, much better than other ‘superhero’ movies. Was it hard to shoot the ‘love’ scenes in between all those action scenes?

A – DJ Caruso: Shooting the love/relationship scenes were a pleasant change of pace. The actors really connected and so the chemistry was easy to capture.

Q – In speaking with Visual FX Supervisor Bill George, it was clear he has tremendous respect for your vision and direction. How do you personally inspire your various production teams to give their all?

A – DJ Caruso: First and foremost is to respect their creative input. A director must inspire those around him or her to do great work. Bill is brilliant. He cares so much about the story. Bernie and the Piken are two fully fleshed out characters and Bill and his team attacked and developed them with passion.

Q – Directing is a 24*7 job. Do you have time to rest or do you also think about the movie in your dreams while shooting it?

A – DJ Caruso: I dream constantly that I am shooting. In fact, one day, I was convinced that I shot a scene already, but it turned out it was only in my dream. It is 24/7.

Q – With a big budget movie production – can you still be spontaneous on the set or is everything strictly planned?

A – DJ Caruso: A perfect director would be one who is as visually prepared as Hitchcock and as “actor free” as Cassavettes. I strive for this balance.

Q – I read that you like to play tennis and the main character in this movie is into sports- any similarities there with you? Would you compare the directing job with sports, at least sometimes? Or only for the actors, because all the physical demands they have during the shooting?

A – DJ Caruso: I feel like playing sports and competing was a great way to prepare to become a filmmaker. I attack each shoot day like a game that I must win. The actors trained for three months in order to fight and do the stunts required. So they too have are like athletes who must perform well on a given day. They train hard and the day they shoot the stunt they are like athletes.

Q – John is described as an “an extraordinary teen, masking his true identity and passing as a typical high school student”. What kind of student were you? Did you ever feel like an alien or were you completely integrated to society?

A – DJ Caruso: We all feel or felt like outsiders at some points in our lives. I was more of an observer then a participant in high school. I was a decent student who played sports, but never hung out with the jocks exclusively.

Order your copy of I Am Number Four today!

Interview with Don Jeanes from Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Gregg Senko — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:00:20 +0000

I have spoken with a handful of celebrities over the past few years, but none have been as cadid or relaxed as that of my discussion with Don Jeanes. If you don’t recognize the name, let me fill you in. The guy’s got a fairly lengthy resume’ that includes stage work, television and now the big screen. This summer, you’ll see Jeanes in the role of historic astronaut and first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. During our half hour conversation, we covered topics ranging from from his early days as a struggling actor to working under Michael Bay, and somehow He-Man even got involved.

Interview with James Pfeiffer – MMA Fighter

Gregg Senko — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:43:30 +0000

In my third go-round with covering mixed martial arts events this past January, I had the opportunity to see Norwalk, Ohio-native James Pfeiffer take the octagon in a match that went the distance with Pfeiffer exiting as the victor. In the grapple-heavy match, both fighters wore each other down, surpassing the limits of exhaustion for the common man. Pfeiffer, however, with an appetite for winning and a physique that makes women swoon over the 22-year old, was the one raising his arms after the 3-round decision. In March, Pfeiffer once again took it to his counterpart in what would be the most teeth-clenching, adrenaline-inducing match I’ve yet to watch.

If you read my recap of that evening, you’ll know that Pfeiffer muscled out of two arm pins, repelling the onslaught of his attacking foe and claiming a standing applause victory. On April 23, 2011, Pfeiffer was on the card again with his 3-0 record, this time going against Alan “The German Buzzsaw” Hoelzle from Buffalo, New York, whose octagon tally stood at 3-2. On the night of Pfeiffer’s standing-O win, Hoelzle also fought with a winning outcome as well. Now that the two brought their combined 6-2 record to the table, some in the audience thought it was anybody’s game. Pfeiffer knew it was his alone. With his 12 years of wrestling experience along with accents of martial arts, he is without a doubt a force to be reckon with.

“The Predator,” as his MMA-namesake goes, is not a lable that’s there for just a cool or even imitimidating effect, but rather the accuracy it holds. In the interview that follows below, I’ll cover the topic of his chameleon-like fighting style in the caged ring. Sometimes mirroring his opponent with a ‘fight fire with fire’ mentality and other times applying a completely opposite technique, Pfeiffer is just like the movie alien Predator, blending in with his environment, or more accurately, his enemy’s method of attack and waiting with the patience of a hunter as he launches his unapologetic arsenal upon the poor fellow on the receiving end. Relaxed and level-headed, one may not expect the fighter mentality that James Pfeiffer casually conceals outside the octagon…

Interview with MMA Fighter Micah Bender

Gregg Senko — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:37:29 +0000

Why So Blu may not be a sports site, but we do love our MMA, or mixed martial arts for those unfamiliar. We’ve covered three events and have interviewed several fighters in a matter of months. A first for us, however, is interviewing a professional fighter one-on-one. Meet Micah Bender. This Pennsylvania native already has 14 fights to his credit with another on the horizon in the near future.

A former high school wrestler, Bender has combined other fighting styles with his already dangerous arsenal earning him some serious notoriety in the welter weight class. The 25-year old college student spends any moment he can scultping his 5’11″ frame into a force to be reckon with, but for Why So Blu, he took off his fighter hat and donned one displaying his charasmatic professionalism. Below is that interview, and to all MMA fans, keep your eye out for this guy. Progression up the ladder in this sport is a slow and deliberate one. Success doesn’t happen over night. All the Anderson Silva’s and Chuck Liddell’s you see today paid their dues to get where they are at. Micah Bender is doing just that as we speak.

Photography courtesy of Rocktagon MMA

A Talk With Eric Barba – Visual Effects Supervisor for Tron: Legacy

Sean Ferguson — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:26:06 +0000

Closing out our Tron: Legacy coverage (at least until my Blu-ray review), I’m happy to include an interview with Academy Award winner Eric Barba who served as the Visual Effects Supervisor for all the 1,565 shots completed at Digital Domain and six other companies across two continents. His earlier credits span films including “The Fifth Element,” “Supernova,” “Zodiac” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – for which he won an Oscar for visual effects. Prior to joining Digital Domain in 1996, Eric worked at Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Imaging on shows including “SeaQuest DSV,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” the Emmy award-winning pilot of “Star Trek: Voyager,” and others.

Q – Now that Tron:Legacy has been viewed by the masses, how was the reception of Jeff Bridges’ rejuvenation?

Eric Barba: The overall reception to Clu was good. We had all types of reactions of course, but most enjoyed the character.

Q – What are you working on right now, and what are its challenges? What experiences from Tron Legacy are valuable to you now?

Eric Barba: I’m working on a few projects with Joe Kosinski actually. I’ve learned so much over my time on “Legacy” that all carries forward. I’m not trying to be vague, but there really is so much I learned from the experience. I like to say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Q – Are you involved in the new Kosinski project of Black Hole?

Eric Barba: I hope to be when that project moves forward.

Q – What was it that inspired you to get your line of work in the first place?

Eric Barba: Like a lot of artists in the visual effects world, I was inspired by everything from Star Wars to the original Tron film. But what got me intrigued with visual effects, was the idea that computers could be used as art and design tools to help make things that we hadn’t seen before.

Q – How did you get involved with Tron: Legacy?

Eric Barba: I had worked with Joe on a few commercial projects before, and we both kind of shared a mentor in David Fincher.

Q – Will you be involved with the animated series Tron: Uprising at all?

Eric Barba: No, unfortunately.

Q – What percent of TRON Legacy was visual effects? Would you say the movie was 90% your work?

Eric Barba: I would say that probably 85 percent of the film had a visual effects component.

Q – Are there any “easter eggs” you or your staff put in Tron Legacy’s effects that we should look for?

Eric Barba: Yes, there are easter eggs. I hope you enjoy them.

Q – Were you a fan of the original Tron?

Eric Barba: I was a huge fan of the original. I remember seeing it in theaters, and being totally blown away.

Q – During the disc scene, was I mistaken or was some of that influenced by the arcade game Disc of Tron?

Eric Barba: I loved playing Disc of Tron as a teenager, but it wasn’t our inspiration.

Q – Can you tell us about the inspiration for the evolution of the Light Cycles?

Eric Barba: I think Joe has spoken about how the original Syd Mead design was an open cycle. But due to the computing power of the day, that was scraped for a simpler design. Joe wanted to bring the original idea back, and make the new light cycle an evolution of the original.

Q – What was your favorite part of working on Tron: Legacy?

Eric Barba: I really enjoyed working with so many talented artists. Everybody on the show was very motivated to make the best of their part. From Joe to every single artist, there was a sense of making something that had to live up to what came before, and we felt we had to give 200 percent. Collaboration would be the key answer.

Q – How was it different working for a first time director such as oe Kosinski contrast with working with a veteran like David Fincher?

Eric Barba: Joe didn’t act or work like a first time director. Every director works differently based on their own experiences, and Joe brought his vision as strongly as any director I’ve worked with.

Q – The facial expressions on Jeff Bridges were more realistic in the grid than in the Real-World-Sequences. Is facial animation and replacement of characters easier in fully animated exteriors?

Eric Barba: All of the facial expressions were driven by Jeff, and made from his facial movements. Facial animation at the photo-real level is incredibly difficult for many reasons.

Q – What would you say to an aspiring filmmaker trying to get their foot in the door?

Eric Barba: Kick the door open. Make a small movie with whatever tools you have available, tell a story, and then do it again. I tell young artists that one of the best director reels I’ve seen was a guy who shot everything in his bedroom on a hi8 camera, and he was the star. Practice your craft, and if you have talent, it will show.

Q – After winning an Oscar are you given more creative leeway when working on a project?

Eric Barba: The Oscar win was an incredible experience to say the least. But what gives me the creative leeway is the same thing that did before the Oscar. And that’s just trying to give whatever director I am working with the best possible solution to their visual problem, whether that be in artistry or technical execution.

Q – Do you have a favorite scene that you worked in the film?

Eric Barba: Yes. I think for me, the Disc Game sequence is the favorite. That sequence went through a lot of changes and complex problem solving and I was very happy with the final result of the team’s efforts.

Q – In relation to your earlier movies – for example Button – is there a fundamental change in the workflow?

Eric Barba: The “Button” workflow was a challenge in that it hadn’t been done before. We took everything we learned from “Button” and then strapped it on the entire Tron universe, and Stereo 3D. So, yes. The workflow got much more complicated.

Q – Are you signed on for any possible future sequels?

Eric Barba: Nothing has been announced yet.

Q – How many visual effects do you think you’ve created in your career?

Eric Barba: Well, if I had a dollar… It’s kinda like dog years or millage or something. I have no idea.

Q – How do you feel about the original film?

Eric Barba: The original film has a very warm spot with my inner child. It will always be that way. And of course getting to meet and work with Steve Lisberger was pretty great.

Q – Did you feel a lot of pressure because of the original film?

Eric Barba: Yes, we felt a huge burden of living up to what all the Tron fans would want this movie to look and feel like. It was constantly on my mind. The first film made an indelible mark on me, and that was a tall order for us to live up to.

Q – What was your favorite sequence in Tron: Legacy, as a fan?

Eric Barba: As a fan, the Safe House Sequence where Sam meets his dad after all the years. I think that sequence is really great and had minimal help from visual effects.

Q – Did the look of the original movie limit you in your creativity? How did you visually tie the original film and the sequel?

Eric Barba: I don’t think the original film limited Joe. I think Joe had a really clear vision of what he wanted to do and he embraced the evolution of the grid.

Q – Did you try to create something to be as mind-blowing as the original movie or it was all about evolution?

Eric Barba: Of course. It was my goal to make the film as visually stunning as possible, but only the audience can tell me if we were successful.

Q – What was the most time consuming scene when it comes to special effects?

Eric Barba: The shots that involved Clu were the most time consuming. If I had to pick a particular scene, it was probably the scene where Sam meets Clu. The lighting in that scene provided challenges and we spent a lot of time making all of it work.

Q – The 3D effects in the final film are seamless, how long did that take?

Eric Barba: Thank you so much for that nice remark. It took two and a half years from when I started till when we delivered.

Q – What are your thoughts on the uncannny valley and how it pertains to this movie?

Eric Barba: I have property in the Uncanny Valley. I don’t like to go there often. It’s a place that is difficult to get past, and I do wish to sell.

Q – Which movie was harder to do as far as de-aging it’s stars? The process seemed to work better with Button so I was wondering if that was due to the way it was captured.

Eric Barba: Tron was far harder. The de-aging in “Button” was not nearly as big a leap, and certainly not in 3D.

Q – What was the most rewarding part of this film for you?

Eric Barba: I honestly enjoyed working with so many talented artists. When you have a highly motivated team that just can’t wait to get to work in the morning, that makes the whole thing fun. Then when they see the final result and are happy to have spent their time working on it, it makes it very rewarding.

Q – If there is a sequel, will you be involved?

Eric Barba: I hope so.

Q – I loved the Tronned-up Disney logo at the beginning – whose idea was that? Also the fireworks scene after Clu captures him – were you subtly referencing Disneyland there also?

Eric Barba: I’m not sure who came up with the idea but we all wanted to do something fun. We weren’t trying to reference Disneyland, but we did hide something fun in the fireworks.

Q – How does 3D affect your approach to your work?

Eric Barba: 3D affects a lot of the up-front planning. Traditional techniques for tracking, roto and compositing were much more difficult. Then on the back end, finishing a shot in 3D means it has to work with the shots around it. And has to work on a fifty foot screen in a two hour movie. lot of thought went into the stereo 3D on every shot.

Q – At last year’s Comic-Con I had the chance to interview part of the cast and crew and one of the things I learned was the importance of the Daft Punk soundtrack before starting a take, to settle the mood. Did you have anything similar at your department?

Eric Barba: We had a tremendous amount of inspiring artwork that we used to motivate the entire team.

Q – Did you also create “invisible effects”in the film, for example to erase or correct things we should not see? Can you cite some specific examples?

Eric Barba: There are plenty of invisible effects in the film. One good example might be that Jeff Bridges did not sport his natural beard for the shoot and there were digital retouches to the fake beard.

Q – How hard was it to do these visually amazing scenes, but still keep the feel of the original film?

Eric Barba: The hard part was both technical and artistic. And it was very hard. If they are done correctly, then you only enjoy them. I’m glad you thought they were amazing.

Q – If you could do something over for TL what would it be?

Eric Barba: As an artist, you are never really finished. You always want to work on something, finesse or change something. But the realities of making a movie mean that at some point you have to let go or it gets ripped from your clutching fingers. So there are plenty of things I would like to take another pass at.

Q – I think one of the successes of the film is its visual consistency. How did you maintain that consistency, from a visual effects point of view, given there were so many shots and a number of vendors?

Eric Barba: I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that. It was a great concern of mine. We worked very hard with our outsource partners to give them every tool we had to help them succeed. That’s not the norm in this business, but I so wanted the whole film to feel as one.

Q – What’s your favorite aspect of the work you do? What in particular are you the most proud of in terms of pushing the envelope of effects?

Eric Barba: I come from the artist side of things, so I really enjoy making great looking work. I have to wear my technical hat to push the envelope but I am surrounded by an amazing team that helps figure all the really hard stuff out. I’m most proud of our planting a flag on the other side of the Uncanny Valley.

Q – Did filming in 3D make you job any harder than it otherwise would have been?

Eric Barba: Filming in 3D made everything harder. The whole 3D process was new to me and my team, and the rules had not been written, nor the tools when we started. We had to make stuff up as we went.

Q – Which movie out of all of your projects is your favorite and why?

Eric Barba: Movie projects are like kids. You love them all, and if you play favorites, someone will be hurt. They all teach you something that you take on to the next. Obviously, taking home a little gold statue makes one stand out, but you still love them all.

Q – Did you feel constrained by the look and world setup by the first movie?

Eric Barba: I never felt constrained, but it did take me a bit to figure out what the world should look like once we had the live action plates. There was a balance in Joe’s vision that had to be worked out from art work to finished shot.

Q – What movie has influenced you the most?

Eric Barba: I have to say Star Wars. It made a mark on my creative inner child.

Q – Have you seen the Tron segment during the World of Color show at Disneyland? It’s pretty cool if you haven’t seen it.

Eric Barba: I have not seen that. They don’t let me out much.

Q – Concerning the tools you used, what are the trends on the software- and work flow-side of films? Are there any tools you think will become a defacto standard in the near futures? And (given the choice) what are your preferred tools?

Eric Barba: We have seen Maya become the standard for 3D animation. And I think during the time Tron Legacy was in production, Nuke has become the standard for compositing.

Q – Can you speak about your work on SeaQuest DSV and Star Trek: The Next Generation?

Eric Barba: Funny you should ask. I got to work on SeaQuest DSV at the very beginning and was involved in helping setup a workflow when it hadn’t been done on a network show before. I got to do one shot on Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was fun.

Q – Any plans to redo the effects for the Blu-ray like the Star Wars Special Editions?

Eric Barba: Not at this time. I hope they still look good.

Q – Where do you see the advantages of 3D for telling stories? Did you play with 3-D effects to enhance some visual effects?

Eric Barba: 3D is another tool for a filmmaker to use to help the audience feel immersed in the story. We definitely played with the 3D to help make the Grid a more immersive place.

Q – What creations in Legacy are uniquely yours?

Eric Barba: One of the cool parts of my job is working collaboratively with everybody. Joe was great with everybody and I would throw out ideas and show him things to see what he thought. Most of the time he did like what we brought to the table.

Q – Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring film makers who want to get into vfx?

Eric Barba: I always tell people who ask me that question, it’s always the basics that help the most. Learn to paint, sculpt and draw. Pick up a camera and learn the fundamentals. Anybody can learn the software, but if you don’t have the fundamentals, you won’t know what to do with it.

Q – What was the hardest thing you had to design for the film?

Eric Barba: The hardest thing (other than Clu) was the look and feel of the Disc Game sequence. It was a huge challenge, and I’m happy with how the team rose to the challenge.

Q – Do you have a dream project that you would like to work on, or have you already done it?

Eric Barba: I have been very lucky and so far have gotten to do two dream projects. Tron: Legacy was one of them.

Q – How important was the early test that was created (and shown to audiences) in realizing the final vfx and approach to the film?

Eric Barba: To me it was a starting point. But I told Joe that I wanted to go much further with everything and of course, he agreed. Tests don’t always have the resources you’d like, so it’s natural to know you can do much better if given the chance.

Q – Were you ever present on the set of ‘Legacy’ or were you working only after all of the shooting was done?

Eric Barba: I started on the film before most of the department heads or even the line producer was brought on. I was on set every day during production and probably, next to Joe, had one of the longest runs on it.

Q – What was, for you, the hardest part of the visual effects in Tron: Legacy? Clu 2 doesn’t count.

Eric Barba: Establishing the look of the Grid. When you look at the art work, you would think it would be easy but once you get the live action and a moving camera, it’s actually a challenge to make everything work visually and still be interesting.

Q – Was this film your most difficult assignment in terms of effects? If not, what was?

Eric Barba: This film was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. It was a huge challenge. From a visual effects standpoint, so much had to be invented and live up to what we all remembered and loved about the original Tron.

Q – Did you work with Luc Besson for The Fifth Element ?

Eric Barba: I worked on The Fifth Element, but not directly with Luc.

Q – Do you prefer working on invisible effects for David Fincher (Zodiac, Button) or on spectacular effects ?

Eric Barba: I enjoy both. I got to flex a more creative side on Tron, but I love both.

Q – What is your favorite special effects shot of all time ?

Eric Barba: This might sound self-serving, but I think the shot in “Button” where an old Brad Pitt flexes in the mirror marks a particular spot on the timeline of film. But that’s just me.

Tron – The Original Film and Tron: Legacy will come out on Blu-ray April 5, 2001 so pre-order yours now!

Tron: Legacy / Tron: The Original Classic (Five-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy)">

A Talk With Steve Preeg – Head of Animation for Tron: Legacy

Sean Ferguson — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:02:52 +0000

Why So Blu’s complete Tron: Legacy coverage continues with an interview with Steve Preeg who served as the Head of Animation for Tron: Legacy. You may not be familiar with his name, but you are familiar with his work, as he previously created digital characters for movies including “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “King Kong.” He recently received an Oscar for achievement in visual effects on “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and prior to joining Digital Domain, his earlier credits include “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” “Flags of Our Fathers” and “I, Robot,” among other films.

Q – What was the hardest part of the animation in Tron: Legacy?

Steve Preeg: For sure the hardest part was Clu, bringing a human being to the screen has long been considered impossible in CGI, as humans are very used to looking at other humans faces. Avoiding what is known as the uncanny valley is what we all face in this industry in regards to this type of work.

Q – What was it like working with a first-time director like Joe Kosinski contrasted with working with a veteran like David Fincher?

Steve Preeg: They are both great filmmakers. With David you expect him to give great direction and explain exactly what he wants, and he does. As a first time director, I was amazed at how similar Joe was to David. Joe is very clear on what he wants, he had everything in his head of what he wanted. This was a really tough movie to direct for even a seasoned film veteran and Joe took it in stride more than I think anyone thought possible, plus he had a baby right in the middle of production. He is an amazing guy, I would love to work with him again

Q – Will there be a sequel and if there is will you be involved in it?

Steve Preeg: I haven’t heard for sure one way or another if there will be a sequel, but it would be a great opportunity to work on it if they do make one.

Q – Was the process similar in Tron: Legacy working on de-aging Jeff Bridges as Clu 2 to the aging effects applied to Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button?

Steve Preeg: There was a lot of similarities as far as the work at Digital Domain itself, the main difference was on the acquisition of the data. With Button we captured Brad Pitt months after principal photography, but Jeff Bridges wanted to be captured on set in the moment which required us to come up with some new hardware as well as software to deal with the difference in the data we were receiving here at Digital Domain

Q – Will you be involved with the animated series “Tron: Uprising” at all?

Steve Preeg: At this time I haven’t heard anything about being involved.

Q – What was the biggest challenge in making Tron: Legacy?

Steve Preeg: For me personally it was just trying to live up to the legacy of the original Tron. That film started the industry in which I work and is kind of considered holy ground by many of my peers, there was a lot of pressure to not screw it up

Q – What in particular are you the most proud of in terms of pushing the envelope of effects?

Steve Preeg: I think we are all proud to have made a film that paid appropriate homage to the original film. It was a daunting task and for the most part our work was well received, which was a great relief for us.

Q – Having worked on the third “Pirates” film, where you a part of the 4th film in the series at all?

Steve Preeg: No, the third film in the series is the only one I was involved with

Q – Aside from the biggies of IMAX and ED, what else was different about working on Tron: Legacy than other projects, At World’s End, for example?

Steve Preeg: One of the big differences for us was that it was shot in 3D. This presented a whole new set of challenges and workflows to work with footage from two cameras. We had to be far more accurate and aware of how everything we did would affect the depth of the scene.

Q – What would you do different now when you look back at the movie?

Steve Preeg: After every film we examine what we did right and wrong and make a list of what could be done better. There is always room for improvement on technique and execution. I think for myself, there are a number of advancements on how we approach human faces that will change our process, had we known then what we know now, we probably would have tried to implement some of that on Clu. I think we will be learning new things about how to create humans for a very long time to come.

Q – Have fans of the original ‘Tron’ been supportive of the visual effects that you included in ‘Tron: Legacy?’

Steve Preeg: From the responses I have gotten, it seems that fans of the original were quite happy with our work.

Q – Considering the intricately detailed effects work you put together, what’s your take on people watching movies on small mobile devices like iPhones? Do you feel like your work gets lots in that kind of portable compression compared to what people could experience in a theater?

Steve Preeg: There is no question that this film was meant to be seen on an IMAX screen. Joe designed a lot of the film specifically to be seen that way. I strongly feel that people watching this on a mobile device are missing a huge part of the thrill that is Tron: Legacy.

Q – What’s your favorite aspect of the work you do?

Steve Preeg: With this industry being both an artistic and technical field, we get to work with a wide variety of people from all over the world. I think for me it is interacting with all of those people, directors, software engineers, animators, etc.

Q – What was your favorite sequence in Tron: Legacy, as a fan and as an animator?

Steve Preeg: I personally really enjoyed the light bike sequence. It has a bit of the original Tron in it but got to be updated for a whole new generation of audience members. It was a real thrill to work on that sequence.

Q – Do you think that digital actors could replace human actors? What about recreating digital personalities for a movie, like Elvis, Humphrey Bogart or Marilyn Monroe?

Steve Preeg: That’s a tough question. In general we rely heavily on the performance of the actor to give us a character. We aren’t really out to replace human actors since they are the ones that breathe life into our digital characters. As for bringing someone back from the dead, you can never really get a dead persons take on a role, all you can try to do is mimic what you think they might have done. It may be believable to an audience, but in the end it is not really that person’s performance, it’s just a copy.

Q – How did you move from mechanical engineering to Hollywood special effects?

Steve Preeg: I was using some of the available visualization software used in film to visualize some engineering work when a friend needed some help on a film and knew that I knew the software. After working on a couple projects, I realized it was a lot more fun working on films than as an engineer, at least for me.

Q – How much pressure did you feel in not only making a sequel to Tron but also in creating the world of Tron now?

Steve Preeg: This is the most pressure I have felt on any film I have worked on. Trying to live up to Tron, the grandfather of the industry I work in, was always in the back of our minds and often in the front of our minds, too.

Q – Can you differentiate between your responsibilities as Head of Animation and, for example, VFX Supervisor, as far as it pertains to Tron Legacy?

Steve Preeg: As head of animation, I was responsible for the movement of everything. From Clu to lightbikes, if it moved that was my responsibility. The VFX is responsible for the look of the film and making sure it matches the director’s vision. So the VFX is dealing with a lot of lighting, modeling, textures, etc. That said, Eric (the VFX) and I collaborate on just about everything. We have a great working relationship and I have no problem hearing his comments on animation just as he listens to my suggestions about lighting, etc.

Q – Were you a fan of the original Tron?

Steve Preeg: Of course. I don’t see how anybody wouldn’t be. It was so far ahead of its time and so groundbreaking. Plus after conversations with Steve Lisberger (the director of the original Tron) there is so much more to it than people think. He has amazing insight on our world and I think Tron had a lot of additional meaning that Steve was trying to make.

Q – You received an Academy Award for achievement in visual effects for your work on ‘Benjamin Button.’ Has this win given you more creative freedom on the films you have worked on since then?

Steve Preeg: The creative freedom on a film is largely dependent on the director you are working with. Joe was great about hearing ideas and he collaborated with us in a way that made it a real treat to work on his film. However, in the end our goal is to make the directors vision come to life.

Q – Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring film makers who want to get into animation?

Steve Preeg: Make sure you love the craft. Don’t try to get into this industry because you think you will get rich or meet famous people. We work really hard in this industry and without a true passion for film and the work you do, you will burn out quickly. I think maybe that’s true for a lot of industries, work on what you love to do.

Q – Did you have to create any new tools and use anything unique to generate the effects?

Steve Preeg: Most films we work on require some new tools to be created, we never get a director that comes and says, “just make what you did before.” They always want to push it to the next level. On Tron we had to write new tools for the 3D part of it, as well as a new facial solver for the type of data we were receiving from set. There were a whole host of additional smaller tools written for the different departments, and we are continuing to develop those tools for our current and upcoming shows.

Q – Can you talk about which films have influenced you?

Steve Preeg: The most inspirational film to me is Baraka. It is sort of a film about everything. Every time I watch that film I can take something else out of it. There is something for every mood and every aspect of life in there, so I watch it about once every 6 months, just to see how amazing our lives and planet really are.

Q – Have you worked on the original Tron conversion for HD? How was that? How was, for you, to work on a classic movie?

Steve Preeg: We were not involved in the conversion, but I can’t wait to see it.

Q – Can you explain the uncanny valley? How did your experience on Benjamin Button help you?

Steve Preeg: The uncanny valley basically suggests that as a character gets closer and closer to real looking, people respond better and better to it, until you get ALMOST real, and then people become disgusted by it. I think signs like skin that’s off color, eyes that stare off to infinity, etc. are some of the things that throw characters into the uncanny valley. There are many theories about why this is true, but the best one I have heard is that over the generations we have learned to avoid dead bodies to avoid disease, and many of the signs of a dead body are exactly what the uncanny valley seems to be about. Our work on Button certainly helped us learn more about what humans accept and don’t accept about another humans face, but there is still a lot to learn.

Q – How did you first get involved in this project?

Steve Preeg: Just as Button was wrapping, Eric (the VFX supervisor) was approached by Joe Kosinski and Disney about doing Tron. Having worked with him for a few years prior, he asked me to be involved, which of course I had to say yes. It’s Tron after all.

Q – Were there any moments where you just geeked out when thinking that you are working on a TRON movie?

Steve Preeg: Some of us were on Tron Legacy for 27 months, and I think we were in that geek out phase the entire time. It was a real honor to be allowed to continue Tron for a new generation.

Q – What is the advantage of your E-motion capture technology compared to the performance capturing system James Cameron used in AVATAR?

Steve Preeg: They are really different tasks. On Avatar, the capture was happening with the body and face at the same time. We needed to make one person’s facial performance on another person’s body movement. They are both very difficult tasks, but require different methods.

Q – Can you explain the additional difficulties that you had to solve, because the film was shot in 3-D? Did you play with 3-D effects to enhance some visual effects?

Steve Preeg: Well first off there are two cameras to track and they have to be far more accurate tracks than traditional VFX tracks, because the two together define the depth of an object. It also makes it harder for the end of the pipeline where traditionally you can always paint or nudge things in the final composite, but with 3D that paint work has to be the same in both eyes and that presents a problem, as well. There are quite a few other issues, like polarized light (such as reflections) showing up different in the two cameras, vertical disparity, using elements from two takes that had different 3D settings, the list goes on and on.

Q – Can you tell us something about “Tron 3” yet?

Steve Preeg: If I knew anything I probably couldn’t tell you anyway, but honestly I don’t know anything more than you about it. I hope they make one though, and I hope they ask me to work on it.

Q – The opening sequence was shown in 2D- was this an artistic or a technical decision? (The real life-scenes seemed perfect in 3D for me….)

Steve Preeg: That was the director’s decision. He wanted the Tron world to feel different, sort of like how the Wizard of Oz was black and white in the real world and in color in Oz. It was a similar effect he was going for.

Q – How does additional filming or reshoots affect your process?

Steve Preeg: It doesn’t really affect it other than it is just plate delivery that is later and we would have less time to work on it. It is pretty typical to get additional filming on projects, so it was no big deal on Tron Legacy

Q – Can you tell us what you’ve got going on next?

Steve Preeg: I would be happy to tell you if I knew. We are looking at a number of projects, but honestly after more than 2 years on Tron, I am okay with it taking a couple months for something else to pop up.

Q – Do you think 3D is here to stay or will it move out of fashion again?

Steve Preeg: That’s a tough call. I think it will depend a lot on the home market and if the box office difference stays as high as it is. I know there are some indications that it is dying down, so maybe it is on its way out, but I don’t think anyone really knows.

Q – Was there any thought to redoing any effects for the Blu-ray release? It must be tempting to go back and redo Clu with what you’ve learned since then.

Steve Preeg: I think in this industry we would always like more time or a shot at redoing things. We never really finish a shot; it just gets taken away at some point. The option for redoing any FX for the Blu-ray would not have been up to us, but it sure would have been fun.

Q – How much experience did you have with 3D prior to this film?

Steve Preeg: Very little, our company had done one 3D conversion, but I didn’t work on it. It was certainly a learning process for me.

Q – When “Tron Legacy” was released, some people talked about the Clu 2 recreation. Is it completely digital?

Steve Preeg: Clu’s head is always 100% digital. His body is sometimes a body double and sometimes all digital.

Q – Digital characters are more and more perfect like Neytiri in “Avatar”. Actors in digital roles in eyes of critics are not real, but we all see their fantastic performances – do you think in future actors will receive awards for their digital roles?

Steve Preeg: I hope so. It is just as valid of an acting job to be a digital character and in some ways even harder as there is not always something to react to. Someday I hope the recognition is there.

Q – Have you watched a movie you’ve worked on and caught a “bug”? little glitch or quirk that was missed, probably something nobody else would even notice, that made you cringe in your seat?

Steve Preeg: I really have a hard time watching movies I have worked on because that’s all I see. There is never a finished shot, I always feel like we could do more, but at some point it has to get out to theaters.

Q – Did the Look of the original movie limit you in your creativity or was there still room for new ideas?

Steve Preeg: I think it helped spur creativity. How do you take that original look and update it for a new generation? That was one of the most challenging and fun parts about working on this film.

Q – Percentage wise how much of the film is live action compared to CG would you say?

Steve Preeg: In the Tron world every shot had some digital work done, even if it was just suit enhancement. Probably about half of the real world footage had work done to it. I am not sure how much of the film was completely CG but I would guess about 20% maybe, all of the lightbike and lightjet sequences were all CG and a large portion of the disc game, as well as the big city-scapes.

Q – This massive 5-disc set may be the biggest 3D Blu-ray release to come out yet. Do you think this could be the title that really spurs growth in the 3D Blu-ray market?

Steve Preeg: I hadn’t really thought of that, but wouldn’t that be awesome? I haven’t seen it in 3D on Blu-ray yet, but Joe says it looks amazing, so I can’t wait.

Q – Where do you see the advantages of 3D for telling stories like TRON: LEGACY?

Steve Preeg: I think in a film where you create a whole new world for people to see is a great place for 3D to be used. You can really use it to give a feeling of actually being in this new place, that’s where I would like to see it used more. I don’t think we need to start seeing romantic comedies in 3D, but that’s just me.

Q – Did you participate in the creation of the Blu-ray’s featurettes? How do you choose these bonuses?

Steve Preeg: I was not part of it, which for me is great because I want to see it with fresh eyes. I am really looking forward to seeing what Disney did with it.

Q – Did first Tron in any way inspire you to work in life/your career in special effects?

Steve Preeg: Not only was it an inspiration but it started the work that is my career, it has been great meeting some of the original crew of the first Tron and to see how hard it was to make the first Tron, they were true pioneers.

Tron – The Original Film and Tron: Legacy will come out on Blu-ray April 5, 2001 so pre-order yours now!

Tron: Legacy / Tron: The Original Classic (Five-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy)

A Talk With Joseph Kosinski – Director of Tron: Legacy

Sean Ferguson — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 03:29:42 +0000

Today I had the chance to talk with the director of Tron: Legacy and was able to ask a bunch of questions that definitely fall into major spoiler territory. If you haven’t seen Tron: Legacy, you might want to watch it before reading this interview! Mr. Kosinski was kind enough to answer questions for three hours and his answers helped clear a lot of plot points that I wasn’t clear on. He also talks about what changes he made to the movie for its Blu-ray release! Read on Programs!

Q – In ranking your own personal movies you’ve directed, where would “Tron: Legacy” stand?

Joseph Kosinski: #1, definitely.

Q – Were there any conceptions you planned but weren’t able to realize in TRON: Legacy?

Joseph Kosinski: Yes, there are always limitations. For instance, Sam was initially supposed to battle four sentries on his way to get his father’s disc. Unfortunately we ran out of time and weren’t able to shoot that sequence.

Q – What were the biggest challenges in directing this movie?

Joseph Kosinski: I think the biggest challenge on TL was the same as on any other film — creating a compelling story and characters you care about.

Q – How much pressure did you feel in not only making a sequel to Tron but also in continuing the story?

Joseph Kosinski: A lot. The first film was ambitious in so many ways — visually, conceptually, and technologically. I wanted this film to be just as ambitious in all of those respects.

Q – There’s a poster of TRON game in Flynn’s house. Why is there no movie poster?

Joseph Kosinski: The Tron movie does not exist within the fiction of our story. ENCOM was a game developer in the 1980s and Kevin Flynn used the experiences he had in the first film as the foundation for the ENCOM Tron game that he created upon his return to the real world.

Q – How much of a burden was the “Legacy”-part in TRON?

Joseph Kosinski: The 28 years of back-story was certainly a challenge from a script writing point of view. However, it was important to me that our film did not require prior knowledge of the first film.

Q – Since the original TRON was not considered a hit, what do you think made the difference this time around?

Joseph Kosinski: The first film was conceptually decades ahead of its time. Now the notion of ‘cyberspace’ and a digital avatar is almost second nature. Also, our story is more than anything a father son (or sons) story, which hopefully appealed to those who normally wouldn’t go see a ‘sci-fi’ film.

Q – Was Jeff flattered to see himself as a young man again?

Joseph Kosinski: I think he found it to be a bit strange as you would imagine. He described it as feeling like the first moment you ever hear your own voice on tape — not exactly what you would expect.

Q – Before starting shooting the movie did you draw a story board?

Joseph Kosinski: My sketching abilities are pretty limited, but I did have a small team storyboard about 90% of the movie.

Q – How did it feel to work on a project for so long and then finally see it in all its glory on the big-screen?

Joseph Kosinski: It was a 3.5 year process so it took me awhile to realize it was actually finished. I am very proud of the film and particularly all of the thousands of people who worked on it.

Q – Was there ever any thought of setting the world of Tron in cyberspace instead of making it a place of its own?

Joseph Kosinski: From the beginning I was not interested in making a movie about the internet. I liked the idea that this world had been sealed off since 1989 and had evolved on its own, like the Galapagos Islands.

Q – How are you planning to expand the TRON Universe?

Joseph Kosinski: Disney is currently developing an animated series that takes place in the Tron universe before the events of Tron Legacy. I am currently brainstorming with my team of writers and producers on what the next chapter of our story would be.

Q – On the big screen Tron Legacy was visually pure magic. Do you think it works on normal TV?

Joseph Kosinski: I find that the quality of movie theaters out there can vary widely, particularly for a 3D movie. For me, seeing the movie on Blu-ray on a nice HD plasma screen is about as good as it gets.

Q – Can you tell us how it was working with Jeff Bridges?

Joseph Kosinski: A wonderful experience, everything you would hope for. I learned a lot from him.

Q – Few directors make their feature debut shooting in the new style 3D, was that a particularly daunting task?

Joseph Kosinski: I knew this film had to be shot in 3D from the very beginning. There certainly are a lot of challenges it presents. The cameras a more cumbersome and prone to more technical issues. They slow down the shooting process a bit. And they make the visual effects process much more difficult, particularly on a film like this. However, in the end I’m glad we went the way we did.

Q – Is it more challenging for a director to manage a sci-fi movie rather than the usual drama/comedy/thriller genres?

Joseph Kosinski: The biggest challenge of a movie like this is that there is no location you can go to to shoot it. Everything has to be created from scratch. I spent a year designing this world with my team before we even began shooting.

Q – Cillian Murphy only briefly appears in TRON Legacy. Would it be fair to assume his appearance here is only a primer for possible involvement in a potential sequel?

Joseph Kosinski: Yes that would be fair to assume.

Q – What advice do you have for aspiring directors?

Joseph Kosinski: Go out and make something that reflects your interests, your taste, your ideas. No one will pay you to make something until you have a few things you can show that you’ve directed. I got my start by making short films on my own.

Q – Can you tell us how much impact the Comic- Con presentation trailer made on the final movie?

Joseph Kosinski: That teaser test was designed to show the studio what the look and feel of the movie was going to be as well as a hint of the narrative. What the Comic-Con presentation showed was that there was still a strong interest in this property and it gave them the confidence to push forward with the production of the film.

Q – How much of Tron Legacy was computer animated?

Joseph Kosinski: The Light Cycle Battle and the Light Jet Battle are almost 100% computer animated. The rest of the movie is a blend of live action and digital backdrops.

Q – On the subject of things you weren’t able to put into the movie, are there plans to release a director’s cut?

Joseph Kosinski: Almost everything I shot is included in the movie, there is very little on the cutting room floor.

Q – What memories do you personally have of Tron 1?

Joseph Kosinski: I remember watching it on VHS sometime on the mid-80s and that it looked and sounded like nothing I had ever seen before.

Q – With a wardrobe budget of $13 million, you had some issues with the LED lights on the suits. Why the reliance on practical suits over digital?

Joseph Kosinski: Actually the suits used an illuminated fabric. It was important to me that the characters would illuminate their environment and each other. That would be something that would be incredibly difficult to simulate in post-production.

Q – ‘Tron’ surprised us with groundbreaking special effects. ‘Tron: Legacy’ did the same and even added impressive 3D technology. What do you think will shock us in ‘Tron 3’, assuming it happens (we’re all rooting for it of course!)?

Joseph Kosinski: I think the final scene of TL leaves open some very interesting possibilities. If Quorra can cross over into our world, what other elements from the Grid could do the same?

Q – How specifically did you make Jeff Bridges look so younger?

Joseph Kosinski: We used Jeff’s performance of Clu and remapped it onto a digital version of himself at 35 years old. I used the movie “Against All Odds” as a reference for Clu’s appearance.

Q – Can you please talk about the transformation of Tron into Rinzler and back again? If he could return to being Tron then why did it take him so long to do it? Did he survive?

Joseph Kosinski: Only once Rinzler saw the face of Kevin Flynn again did he recall his true identity. As he sinks into the depths of the Sea of Simulation, you can see that his lights turn from orange to white — back to the colors of Tron. He still remains there, alive but dormant.

Q – There are lots of fans of the 1982 Tron movie. Did you fear their opinion?

Joseph Kosinski: Since we decided to embrace the mythology set out by the first film, I felt that fans of the original would generally be supportive of this film. Of course there are always exceptions but opinions are not to be feared.

Q – People know Olivia Wilde from House M.D. TV series. Why did you choose her to play Quorra’s part?

Joseph Kosinski: I felt that she embodied many of the qualities that I wanted Quorra to have — she’s smart, strong-willed and has a very striking look. She is actually the first actress I met for the part and I think she gave a fantastic performance.

Q – While you come from a visual background and have said the film was 90% storyboarded, what did cinematographer Claudio Miranda bring to the table?

Joseph Kosinski: Claudio and I had done over a dozen TV commercials together before I asked him to join me on TL. From the beginning I told him I wanted this to be an “uplit” world, light had to come from the floor whenever possible. That was a huge challenge for him in that he had to coordinate with the production designer in order to incorporate lighting into the architecture. We also pioneered a ceiling mounted motion control rig for the End Of Line club which was another “first” for our movie. The thing I love about Claudio is that he is not only an incredible artist, but a brilliant technician.

Q – From a special effects standpoint, what was the most challenging scene to create?

Joseph Kosinski: Probably the Light Cycle scene due to the complexity of the choreography. It was like 4 dimensional chess.

Q – What was key to making the story relate-able for young people today now that video games are so far removed from arcade games of the 80s?

Joseph Kosinski: At its core the movie is about a son trying to reconnect with his father which is something I think almost anyone can relate to, regardless of how old you are.

Q – How much input did Jeff Bridges add to the script or story?

Joseph Kosinski: Jeff was involved from the very beginning. The Buddhist qualities that Flynn has taken on since being trapped in the Grid was something that Jeff brought to the table. There are a quite a few lines in the film that Jeff came up with or adlibbed in the scene.

Q – Could you define what the “Tron Legacy” means to you in one sentence?

Joseph Kosinski: The film is about finding human connection in an increasingly digital world.

Q – What was your initial reaction when you were approached to direct Tron Legacy?

Joseph Kosinski: I was very flattered; I felt the project had so much potential. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me to convince the studio that the movie was worth making and that I was the guy to do it, but I certainly was excited to have the opportunity.

Q – How did you make the professional transition from architecture to filmmaking?

Joseph Kosinski: Rather than getting a job as an architect after school, I started a small digital design studio with a friend of mine called KDLAB. I started making short films and eventually got a few small commercials to direct. I then moved to LA to work on larger projects and after a year or two met with Sean Bailey and started talking about doing a sequel to Tron.

Q – Many of the best video gamers are women. Did you consider the possibility of Flynn having a daughter instead of a son?

Joseph Kosinski: We did briefly, but in the end we felt that Quorra (the last of the remaining ISOs) would be a more interesting female character.

Q – If someone hasn’t seen the original Tron, would you recommend they watch it or Tron Legacy first?

Joseph Kosinski: Although not required, I would recommend they watch the original Tron first as it will help them understand the back-story of Legacy.

Q – The marketing for this movie has been very intense all throughout production. How much influence did you have over the way Disney presented TRON Legacy to the masses outside of the actual viewing experience?

Joseph Kosinski: I was very involved, in fact Disney allowed me to cut the first two trailers.

Q – How open was original Tron creator Steve Lisberger to updating and adapting the TRON universe for the 21st Century?

Joseph Kosinski: He was very open and an essential part of the creative team. He thought of himself as the “spiritual advisor” to the project and helped us all keep an eye on the big picture.

Q – Were you always adamant that the movie would focus entirely on The Grid? Could future TRON adventures focus more on the Grid’s relationship with reality?

Joseph Kosinski: Yes, the focus of TL had to be on the relationship between Sam, Flynn, and Clu in the world of the Grid. I think as the last scene of TL hints, the future lies in blurring that line between the Grid and our world.

Q – What aspect of the upcoming TL Blu-rays are you the happiest with?

Joseph Kosinski: After TL opened theatrically, I was able to go back to Skywalker Sound and fix approximately 100 different aspects of the sound mix that bothered me. So, the domestic Blu-ray contains that completely remixed and remastered 7.1 audio track.

Q – The IMAX presentation was flawless and amazing. Can you explain working in this format?

Joseph Kosinski: Because they are so precisely calibrated and maintained, I found the IMAX presentation to be the best reflection of the movie I wanted to make. I spent a lot of time working with the folks at IMAX to make sure we delivered that experience. I was happy to see that we were able to include the IMAX version on the Blu-ray.

Q – How’s the Blu-ray presentation? Are there open matte scenes from the IMAX like The Dark Knight Blu-ray presentation?

Joseph Kosinski: Yes, all of the IMAX scenes are presented in full frame.

Q – Some viewers criticized CLU’s face – they say it was unreal, a little bit fake – do you think there is some truth in this criticism?

Joseph Kosinski: Clu was certainly the most technically and conceptually ambitious aspect we chose to tackle on this film. There is nothing more difficult than creating a realistic human face, especially if it is someone we know like Jeff Bridges. I do hear the criticism, but I think I speak for the whole team when I say that we would rather be criticized for trying something new rather than for not trying at all.

Q – Why couldn’t Flynn just reprogram Clu to accept a less than perfect existence? I’m not sure how Clu grew more powerful than the Creator. Can you explain?

Joseph Kosinski: Clu represents a copy of Kevin Flynn at an age when he was at his most ambitious and one could say most egotistical. Over the last 20 years, Kevin Flynn has wisened with age and learned the hard way that his priorities were out of balance. Unfortunately, Clu does not mature in the same way; he is essentially frozen in time. Flynn’s battle with Clu is in a way a battle with the man he used to be and Sam is caught in the middle.

Q – What do you want people to remember from your film 20 years from now?

Joseph Kosinski: Hopefully it will be seen as an ambitious film for its time and inspire some young kid out there to dream, as the first one did for me.

Q – Do you think the world of Tron will be a very similar to the future of Humanity?

Joseph Kosinski: I hope not.

Q – Tron Legacy has an interesting digital relationship with real technology in our lives. Science-fiction can sometimes be an outline for our technological growth. Was there anything in Legacy that you modeled from real-life?

Joseph Kosinski: The idea of ‘genetic algorithms’ and ‘quantum teleportation’ are real concepts currently being researched right now. We met with scientists from CalTech and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) to make sure that the science in our film was accurate.

Q – Did you rework or re-edit any of the actual shots in the film? Maybe clean them up like the Star Wars Special Editions?

Joseph Kosinski: No, I just tweaked the soundtrack for the Blu-ray.

Q – How do you think 3D helps draw viewers further into the world of the movie?

Joseph Kosinski: I think when used correctly it can create a more immersive experience. It should never be a distraction.

Q – Who came up with the idea to name the barkeep “Zuse”?

Joseph Kosinski: I asked the writers to pull together a list of computer pioneers. Konrad Zuse created one of the first functional computers.

Q – I’m a big fan of your supporting cast from James Frain to Michael Sheen. They’re such marvelous actors, were they a joy to direct?

Joseph Kosinski: Yes, they were both fantastic to work with. Both brought unexpected aspects to their characters which as a director is exactly what you hope for.

Q – After making TL, do you feel that society should be concerned about technology or should it be embraced?

Joseph Kosinski: Both. I think that technology can be an incredible tool. We wouldn’t be able to create a movie like this without it. However it needs to be watched so that it doesn’t interfere with our personal relationships.

Q – If Kevin Flynn’s body was transported into Tron and he seemingly sacrificed himself at the end of TL, does that mean he is no longer alive, or has he transformed into something else?

Joseph Kosinski: Reintegration is a mysterious thing. Flynn’s code is still in there, fragmented….

Q – Do you think that you were chosen to direct Tron Legacy because of your background in design and architecture?

Joseph Kosinski: Not solely, but to make a movie like this you have to be interested in creating a whole world and for me that was an exciting challenge.

Q – How much virtual time *did* Flynn spend on the Grid? I believe the writers mentioned something about 28,000 cycles…?

Joseph Kosinski: The ratio of Grid Time to Real World time is about 50:1. So 21 years would be over a thousand years on the Grid.

Q – What is your favorite shot in Tron Legacy?

Joseph Kosinski: I always liked the shot of Sam and Quorra in the dark hallway, illuminating each other only with the light coming from their suits. It’s a shot you can only have in Tron.

Q – If it’s up to you, would you want to helm Tron 3?

Joseph Kosinski: If we can come up with the right story, then absolutely.

Q – Could you talk a little bit about Daft Punk’s participation? Their score was awesome, who had the idea to involve them with TL?

Joseph Kosinski: I have been a fan of theirs for a long time so I set up a meeting with them back in 2007, before I had even shot the test piece. I told them I wanted to create a classic film score that blended electronic and classical music in a way that hadn’t been done before. They were amazing collaborators and I am very proud of the work they did.

Q – Are you working on the Tron animated series at all?

Joseph Kosinski: No, but a number of writers and producers from TL are involved with it.

Q – Which character in the film is most like you in your real life?

Joseph Kosinski: Well when I started working on this film I would have said Sam, but now I feel more like Flynn.

Q – The first Tron became a reference for geeks. Weren’t you afraid that your film would be categorized as a geeks’ movie and only that?

Joseph Kosinski: Absolutely. We tried to get the word out that this was a film that non-geeks could enjoy. Thankfully word of mouth helped with that.

Q – Would you like to live in a world like TRON?

Joseph Kosinski: I did for three years. It’s nice to be back in the real world now.

Q – You’re also developing the Black Hole remake. What can you tell us about that?

Joseph Kosinski: We are currently working on a script with Travis Beachem. I am very excited about the potential of this project.

Q – How exactly was it possible for Quorra to materialize into the real world? What impact will she make on the real world?

Joseph Kosinski: Quorra was reconstructed from the Carbon and Water stored in the Shiva laser from Flynn’s teleportation. If you look closely, you’ll see the various canisters arranged around its base.

Q – Daft Punk created an amazing score, but were you concerned that the score would become such a character in itself that it would distract the audience away from the story?

Joseph Kosinski: No, but I was very pleased to see that the soundtrack is one of the best selling in years.

Q – In your opinion, which was the most difficult effect to make/ pull off for this movie and why?

Joseph Kosinski: I wanted to make it so that the audience had no idea what was real and what was virtual. I’ve always been interested in blurring the lines between the two.

Q – Which was the hardest shot? How many times did you have to shoot it?

Joseph Kosinski: The shot of Sam rising in the Recognizer, it required many, many meetings to figure out how to do it.

Q – After you read the Tron: Legacy reviews – did you find the criticism in reviews is useful for you as young director?

Joseph Kosinski: Absolutely.

Q – With 3D booming and only getting better, how do you think Tron Legacy translate to home 3D with the 3D Blu-ray?

Joseph Kosinski: I was impressed with the Blu-ray 3D. It holds up well even on a smaller screen.

Tron and Tron: Legacy come out on Blu-ray April 4, 2011 so pre-order yours today!

Tron: Legacy / Tron: The Original Classic (Five-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy in Identity Disc Collectible Packaging)

I had the privilege of talking to Glen Keane when Beauty and the Beast was released on Blu-ray and last week I got another chance to talk to him about Tangled. Mr. Keane is not only a legendary Disney animator, but he was also the original director of Tangled before becoming the Executive Producer and Supervising Animator for the film. As always, he was a very gracious interviewee and I especially appreciated that he took the time to share his thoughts on one aspect of the ending of the movie which I had found ambiguous. Just be aware that some of his answers could be viewed as spoilers!

Q – How did you reach the amazing “organic quality“ in terms of the character animation.? Did you have any special tools /techniques to improve that effect, or is it in the end just the hard work of the artists?
A – Glen Keane / : For me it was very important to find what I call “bridge people.” These are people who understand computer and hand drawn animation. They are translators in a sense. John Kahrs and Clay Kaytis where my partners as supervising animators. I call us “the triumvirate.” And they found ways to pull me in so I could do what comes naturally to me, draw. We installed a cintiq tablet in our dailies screening room and I would watch the animators’ recent animation. I could draw over the top of every frame if necessary and the animators would see it large on the screen and those drawings would then appear on each animator’s computer back in their offices. That way it was a constant natural mentorship throughout the making of this film bringing the appeal of hand drawn into CG.

Q – Hair animation is still one of the most challenging parts in today’s cg animation work. How much effort and research did you need to end up with such perfect effects?
A – Glen Keane / : We started writing software to animate the hair in 2005. Kelly Ward, who has a PhD in animating computer hair, joined our team and was every bit as creative as I am with a pencil as she was with numbers, equations, concepts and the vision to interpret those elements into a beautiful, flowing, organic hair on the screen.

Q – Can you talk about how the casting of Zachary and Mandy influenced your drawings, if they did at all?
A – Glen Keane / : When you are about to animate a character, the voice has a huge impact on the look of that character. For example, if you are speaking to someone on the phone who you have never met, that voice immediately conjures up images of what that person looks like. Maybe when you meet them they don’t look like that but that voice carries the visual DNA in it. I had been listening to a lot of different actresses and Mandy Moore has that irrepressible quality in her voice. And that was the specific word we were using to describe Rapunzel, irrepressible. Zac has a very carefree irreverence in his personality and voice which affected the way the character moved and also the design. For Rapunzel that irrepressible quality came out in the large eyes that are so expressive and for Zac, this wry smile, the expression that we put into the character really came from listening to Zac’s voice.

Q – You’ve said in interviews that you modeled Ariel after you wife, Tarzan after your son and The Beast after yourself. Who was Rapunzel modeled after? Is she in anything like Ariel/Pocahontas?
A – Glen Keane / : Using my family for inspiration is really a part of my own creative DNA. It’s what my Dad did when he created The Family Circus, the syndicated cartoon which he based on his own family. Dad said that I was Billy in The Family Circus. Dad always told me to draw what you know and there is nobody that I know better than my wife and children. With Rapunzel, she has this irrepressible spirit and right away in thinking through this story I thought, how does she survive in this tower for 18 years? This creative energy in her would have to come out I surmised in the form of artistic expression. I figured Rapunzel would have painted on every square inch of her walls.   As I was developing this idea, I realized this was my daughter Claire. When she was 7 years old she was telling my wife that she wanted to paint her bedroom walls and ceiling. She had all sorts of ideas of images to paint. My wife said, “I’m not going to let a 7 year old loose with a paint brush painting the walls of the house” Jump to 13 years later, Claire was attending Academy Julian in Paris, an art school, and when it came time to hire someone to create Rapunzel’s artistic style, Claire was the perfect choice. So she started working with me on Rapunzel. When you see Rapunzel paint on the walls you see Claire paint and actually fulfill her dream.

Q – What was it like to work with Ollie and Eric? Did they give you any advice that you still use today?
A – Glen Keane / : It’s funny, when I started at Disney 37 years ago I was a 20 year old artist who knew nothing about animation. I had the privilege of working with Walt Disney’s “Nine Old Men.” Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and Eric Larsen were my mentors. The things they told me were deeply implanted in my mind and throughout the whole process of this movie I repeated those. I felt like I was passing on the baton. I remember Ollie saying, “Don’t draw what the character is doing, draw what the character is thinking.” It was very important in Tangled that the animators would crawl into the skin of the characters and live in them. You can feel it when an animator believes in what he is animating. Eric Larsen used to say all the time, “The key to Disney animation is sincerity.” That translates for an actor to mean take something real in your own experience and put it up on screen.   So besides the drawing and design elements, this was more of the intuitive or spiritual element I was trying to bring to the animators, the idea of living in the characters we animate.

Q – Bringing Rapunzel to life had to be a big challenge, because she moves in one way but her hair, as another character, has its own life. Could you explain to us the process to animate her? Did you animate Rapunzel first and then her hair? Which steps did you follow?
A – Glen Keane / : The first step in animating Rapunzel was to design the character with all the bells and whistles necessary to animate incredibly subtle emotion. That meant working closely with modelers and riggers, the people that create the entire nervous system under the skin of a CG character. Then the directors issue the scene to the animator. Byron and Nathan would act the scene out so the animator could watch their expression and body attitude. Sometimes I would do drawings at that moment as I would interpret Byron as Rapunzel doing that same action. The animator then would do a rough first pass of the animation and I would do drawing corrections over the top in our dailies sessions. The directors would then make comments about what they wanted to take out or add or push. Once we had the basic movement down we would animate the hair. Sometimes the animator would control the 14 tubes of hair, each with 10,000 hairs in each tube, or we would have the simulation team animate the hair based on the movement the animator had created with the body. The simulation follows the laws of physics with some extra Pixie dust ingredients that our team of hair animators created.

Q – Which one from your many, many past projects was most defining for your career, and why?
A – Glen Keane / : I would have to say The Little Mermaid because I discovered I love characters who have this burning desire inside that they believe the impossible is possible. Since then I have followed that path, now with Tangled. This character of Rapunzel has brought me to a new crossroads. How far can hand drawn affect, or be integrated into, computer animation? I now try to see animation not as CG or hand drawn but simply as filmmaking.

Q – Your background is huge. How hard is it for you to step into that digital world now and in which parts can you count on you massive experiences from the past?
A – Glen Keane / : At first I was very tentative about how I could influence CG with my pencil. I have to say that I don’t know how to animate on the computer but I have never been afraid of the computer. John Lasseter and I did the very first computer animation test back in the 80′s, so I have always seen computer animation wherever it crosses the path of hand drawn, forcing me to draw better and to think more sculpturally. Drawing on the cintiq over top of computer images was very natural and fluid. I could even animate very quickly live in front of the room full of animators and demonstrate how I felt the action could play. Drawing is an incredibly affective tool to communicate ideas. It really is true that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Q – Would you call “Tangled” a feminist movie? Your female characters, regardless of who they are, good or bad, are strong and persevering.
A – Glen Keane / : I don’t think of Tangled as a feminist or non-feminist movie. I think of Rapunzel as an example of the highest qualities of human nature, male or female. I see her as an illustration of every human being who is born with a divine spark, a potential to become something unique. And the walls that surround her, and hold her back, are symbolic of walls in anyone’s life, those things that hold us back from being who we really long to be. Yes, that is feminist and masculinist and humanist.

Q – What has been your favorite film to work on for Disney?
A – Glen Keane / : It’s a little like who is your favorite child? Every film holds some very special moments in my life. Ariel was a character that launched a renaissance and that will always be perhaps the most special. Tangled in a very similar way is a launching pad for what I hope will be a new renaissance and someday in retrospect I hope to say the same thing about Tangled as I said about The Little Mermaid. I do believe the greatest moments in Disney history have been launched by fairy-tales.

Q – What´s your opinion about the Disney Animation evolution?
A – Glen Keane / : Disney animation needs to continue to evolve, embracing both its hand drawn heritage and the newest inventions of CG. It’s funny but hand drawn animation at Disney has a look that was created out of technical limitations, i.e. painting on cells. CG can liberate us from this restrictive form. It’s a future I am anxious to be a part of.

Q – Your Dad drew “The Family Circus,” a single-panel comic strip that I enjoyed growing up. I didn’t know it at the time, but you were apparently the model for Billy. What effect did seeing yourself as a comic strip character have on you or the way you approach animation?
A – Glen Keane / : When I draw, I become the character that I draw. Perhaps I owe that to seeing myself portrayed in my dad’s comics as a child.

Q – How has your father influenced your work in animation?
A – Glen Keane / : My dad is an entertainer. Every dinner with him was an opportunity to tell jokes and entertain the family. I always wanted that opportunity to be on stage and to entertain. At the same time. my dad encouraged me to approach art from a classical standpoint. When I was 10 he gave me a book called Dynamic Anatomy, and I started to study drawing the figure from the inside out: muscles, skeleton, design. These two aspects of entertainer and artist that my dad encouraged have found the perfect blend in animation.

Q – When did you decide to give Rapunzel brown hair in the end? Was that part of the story from day one, or something that came up later in the making of the movie?
A – Glen Keane / : The brown hair developed in the process of telling the story. We needed to show that the hair died or lost its power. Color is the clearest way of doing that. It was difficult at first to imagine Rapunzel as a brunette, but ultimately it reinforced the theme that outward appearances don’t define who we really are.

Q – How do you start drawing a character? It is just a matter of inspiration or maybe it implies a long period of study?
A – Glen Keane / : The development of a character for me is a very personal journey. I have an odd belief that the character already exists before I start to draw them. Similar to what Michelangelo describes in setting a figure free from the marble that surrounds it. This liberation may happen quickly or slowly but there is definitely a moment when the character rises out of the paper and I recognize them. It’s a wonderful day when that happens.

Q – Which is your favorite Disney character hairstyle of all time?
A – Glen Keane / : The hairstyle is very important because it is like someone’s signature. Rapunzel and Ariel vie for that special honor of having the favorite hairstyle for me. They both have the distinctive swoop that I emphasize for the doll makers and the merchandise books to follow. Both hairstyles have rhythm and volume. There is a sensuality to hair that I am fascinated with, it’s movement, it’s feel and this softening effect it can have on the audience’s attraction to that character.

Q – What inspires you in you work? How much time do you need to draw a character?
A – Glen Keane / : I find great joy in experiencing the emotions and physical actions of the characters I animate. The challenge of Tangled was to enjoy that experience through the hands of other animators. I find that I feel like a proud papa in seeing each animator take moments of their own life and put that on the screen, whether it is Mother Gothel, Flynn , Maximus or Rapunzel.

Q – Tangled was first titled Rapunzel Unbraided. It was changed because the story focuses on Rapunzel en Flynn equally. It remained unchanged in parts of Europe however. Do you think Rapunzel isn’t just about Rapunzel? And the hair…
A – Glen Keane / : Back in the early stages of Rapunzel, there was a desire to portray the fairytale in a very modern twist, thus the title Rapunzel Unbraided. Ultimately, I wanted to embrace the classic fairytale and set that title aside, as well as that story.

Q – If the loss of her hair symbolized the loss of her power to heal, then how did her tears heal Flynn? Is it an inherent power within her that works even without singing or her hair?
A – Glen Keane / : The healing tear was an important element in the original fairytale. It always symbolized for me that the true nature of Rapunzel’s gift came from her heart, not her hair. This dramatic ending allows us to revisit a similar moment from Dumbo. When he loses his magic feather and can still fly, he can fly because that’s who he was, a flying elephant. Rapunzel finds that the healing power never left her and is actually released by love. Does she keep healing every time she sheds a tear? I believe that was the last of that power.

Q – How much video reference was done for “Tangled”? I was really impressed at how believably the characters moved in a lot of scenes.
A – Glen Keane / : The animators had the habit of filming themselves. Sometimes in dailies we would critique the live action that they showed of themselves acting out the scenes. You could select key frames and build a very simplified version of their acting suitable for animation and then build on those poses, exaggerating. We would do that by drawing and pushing the curves of the CG figure, enhancing expressions. But the final effect still held its roots in that original performance that the animator filmed in his or her office. Some of the most amazing animators on the film were a team of female animators who really poured themselves into the character of Rapunzel.

Q – This might be a tough question for you to answer, given not just Disney’s push but all the studios’ collective push for 3D, but if there were no outside pressures or preferences, would your preference have been to make a 2D or 3D film? Can you explain?
A – Glen Keane / : On John Lasseter’s first day at Disney Animation as president, he came down to my office and gave me the choice to animate Rapunzel in 2D or CG. I told John if he had asked me three years ago I would have said 2D for sure but for the last three years I had been building a team around me with the idea that there was a better synthesis of the best of 2D and the best of CG possible. We had a new vision of what animation could be and I really wanted to pursue that goal. So I told John, let’s do it in CG.

Q – A chicken and egg question. How developed were the main characters of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider before you went looking for the right voice talents? Or did the talents come first, with the characters scarcely developed?
A – Glen Keane / : We had the characters very clearly defined before we found the voices. So Mandy and Zac were the perfect match for what we envisioned.

4:30 PM SESSION

Q – Was it strange — after being a pencil & notebook guy for all those years — to suddenly be drawing on a tablet?
A – Glen Keane: The cintiq tablet at first was very slippery with the stylus pen on glass and it took a couple of weeks to get used to that but I quickly found that there were benefits to it. I could animate very quickly moving from one frame to the next and have my drawings projected up onto the screen in our dailies screening room. All the animators would watch my drawings form and I could talk and actually give animation lessons to the young animators on our crew. I saw this as an opportunity to pass on the baton that had been given to me by Walt’s “Nine Old Men.”

Q – Is there a sequence you’re most proud of, and why?
A – Glen Keane: The sequence where Flynn is dying in Rapunzel’s arms. It was the most difficult and the most rewarding because the acting was so extremely subtle. The expressions of someone crying are inherently ugly. All the muscles in the face fight each other. No one wants a camera in their face at that moment. But we challenged the animators to go for the ugly face and as Rapunzel fights and holds back tears, the emotions are so real and so true. And it’s so effective because when that tear comes from Rapunzel’s eye and heals Flynn, you believe there is enormous pain in Rapunzel’s heart. If you don’t believe that tear comes from a heart of love the movie doesn’t work. It was successful and emotionally gripping. I was never more proud of our animators then at that moment.

Q – Why was it decided to make Tangled a musical? It seems every Disney animated theatrical release is a musical; why is this?
A – Glen Keane: Music brings an enormous amount of freedom in storytelling. You can advance a story in fun ways and also in extremely emotional, dramatic ways. Howard Ashman used to say, when you have tried to say something through acting, through dialogue, in every way you possibly can and there is nothing left to do to communicate those feelings, your character has to sing. And there is something about music in fairy-tales that go together like peanut butter and jelly. It just seems to taste better.

Q – You go to work closely with your daughter Claire on this animated feature. To the point that your granddaughter Matisse was the model for baby Rapunzel. What was it like to work on such a family-based project?
A – Glen Keane: I guess the idea of using your family in your work comes from my dad. He created a comic called The Family Circus based on his own family, I was the character Billy in Dad’s comic. So when it came time for me to animate I have always used my own family as models. Ariel was my wife, Tarzan was my son, I was Beast and my daughter Claire was very much the inspiration for Rapunzel. I remember when Claire was 7 years old she wanted to paint her bedroom walls and ceiling.   My wife said no, but when Claire was 21 as an art student, I realized she was the perfect choice to create the look and style of Rapunzel’s paintings. So when you see Rapunzel paint you are seeing my daughter Claire’s paintings. During the making of the film she gave birth to our first grandchild, a little girl named Matisse. I used Matisse as an inspiration for designing little baby Rapunzel. It all goes back to taking what you know and using that as a source for inspiration. I believe the audience connects to the sincerity that inspired those characters.

Q – Given that you worked on the Disney Princess movie that helped kick start Disney’s Second Golden Age of Animation (i.e. “The Little Mermaid”), how does it feel to have been so involved in the creation of “Tangled,” the Disney Princess movie that proved that WDAS can make truly great films in the CG format?
A – Glen Keane: It seems that a fairytale launches every important era of Disney animation.   Snow White launched the golden age, Little Mermaid a renaissance, and now it’s my hope that Tangled can launch this third golden age of Disney animation. I think the key is finding the synthesis between a new technology, CG and the roots of our heritage, hand drawn.

Q – What is some memorable advice you received from Ollie Johnston?
A – Glen Keane: My mentor was Ollie Johnston. When I was 20 years old he taught me things like the key to Disney animation is sincerity or don’t draw what the character is doing, draw what the character is thinking. These ideas I repeated again and again to our crew during the making of Tangled. For me it was really an occasion to pass on the baton to this new generation.

Q – What advice would you give to people who want to break into the entertainment industry?
A – Glen Keane: I would say be yourself. The temptation is to give the audience what you think they want instead of opening up and being vulnerable and sharing who you are with them. It seems that every time someone takes that step of vulnerability they discover an audience ready to embrace them.

Q – What was it like working with Nathan & Byron on this feature?
A – Glen Keane: Nathan and Byron are great actors. They would issue the scenes to the animators by relating moments in their own lives to what they were asking the animators to do. They would act and express very deep emotions, sometimes even with tears. The animators would watch and take notes, I would do drawings on the cintiq tablet, all in an effort to capture Nathan and Byron’s performance. They were an engine for driving the subtlety, humor and drama in this film.

Q – I’m told that you took a run at developing an animated version in the mid-1990s, before you started work on “Tarzan.” What was it about this Grimm’s fairy tale that grabbed and then held your attention?
A – Glen Keane: While I was working on Tarzan I was simultaneously developing Rapunzel. This story captured my desire to animate characters that have this burning desire inside of them to do what seems impossible. I was attracted to the story because of what I imagined to be Rapunzel’s irrepressible nature. And so I developed it with that idea and I believed with all my heart that Disney had to make this fairytale. It went through many changes of management and often times great doubts and efforts to change the story into something other then what I believed. Ultimately it was a joy to work with John Lasseter and Nathan and Byron who caught the original vision and allowed me to focus my efforts into bringing hand drawn into CG.

Q – What do you believe is the most important part of creating a character?
A – Glen Keane: I have an odd belief that the character exists before they are designed, similar to Michelangelo seeing a figure encased in marble. His task was to set it free. So for me the joy of creating a character that I believe is real is at the heart of creating a memorable character. I use people I know as inspiration. It’s a very intimate personal process and I will do hundreds, sometimes thousands, of drawings in finding that design. There is a great “aha” moment when I finally recognize the character on my paper as someone I know. And that happened with Rapunzel. I look at her and I can say with confidence that’s her.

Q – Rapunzel is such a “real” teenage girl, especially when it comes to that sequence in the film where her emotions whipsaw back and forth (i.e. where she’s thrilled to be out of the tower one moment and then deeply depressed that she’s betrayed her mother’s trust the next). Given that Disney Princesses tend to be so optimistic and upbeat, was it hard to convince the Studio that a Disney Princess whose emotions were kind of all over the place would play better with today’s audiences?
A – Glen Keane: There was a time when Disney princesses were neatly packaged and always pristine and pretty. Ariel was the first to break from that box. I remember my mentors Frank (Thomas) and Ollie (Johnson) said after the opening of The Little Mermaid that they would never have animated Ariel that way. I said, ‘why?’ “Because you drew her face with ugly expressions at times when we were very careful to only draw our princesses with prettiest of expressions.”   And at that time I realized that this was a new generation of acting.   Anytime we had a choice to choose pretty or real we would always chose real. The authentic emotion is our goal.

Q – How did you get your start in the entertainment industry? Was animation always you passion?
A – Glen Keane: I sent my portfolio when I was 18 to CalArts to the school of painting. I wanted to be a fine artist. My portfolio was sent by accident to the school of film graphics, an artsy way of saying animation. I was very disappointed but ultimately discovered animation as the ultimate art form. I liked to think that if Da Vinci or Rodin was alive today they would chose animation as their metier.

Q – Which do you prefer, the 2D traditionally hand drawn animation or 3D computer generated animation?
A – Glen Keane: I love to live in the skin of the characters I animate. I find the pencil the most intimate connection to my heart in terms of communicating what is inside. There are artists today who don’t draw with the traditional pencil. Instead they express themselves with a much more expensive pencil, a computer. One of our top animators on Tangled used to be a plumber and discovered that animation was his true calling. So I have to say I have enormous respect for the pencil and the computer. Personally I prefer to draw with the pencil, but I chose to stand in the middle of the computer world and use everything in my power to make the computer more artist-friendly. Tangled is a result of those efforts.

Q – Which character has been your favorite to animate?
A – Glen Keane: Every character has touched on some real part of my life. I suppose Ariel really was that character that opened up my heart, that connection in me to animate characters who believe that the impossible is possible. I am a guy who sees life as a glass half full and I relate to a character’s optimism.

Q – Do you plan to do more computer animation, or do you see yourself returning to traditional hand-drawn?
A – Glen Keane: I see myself continuing on the path of bringing more of hand drawn influence into CG. However, this project has been a long, long journey. I can’t wait to get back into animating in 2D. So I suppose I will be running down both paths at the same time.

Q – “Tangled” is a film that often surprises (EX: The fairy tale version of “Rapunzel” is mostly about this girl locked away in a tower. Whereas “Tangled” spends much of its time outside of that tower, as Rapunzel goes out into the world to discover herself; The clichéd movie bad guys — the thugs at the Snuggly Duckling — actually turn out to be the good guys, helping Flynn & Rapunzel escape from the guards and then again helping Flynn escape from prison). Was this a deliberate choice while you guys were working on “Tangled” ? That you’d take the audience’s expectations and then flip them?
A – Glen Keane: Have you ever been on a dark ride at Disneyland? The goal is to make the audience think they are heading one direction and then surprising them with a 90 degree turn in a new direction. Suddenly a black wall opens and what once seemed to be a lovely forest turns into a scary witch and you are delighted and scared at the same time. Tangled is like a dark ride in that sense. We are constantly surprising the audience with a twist by playing with their expectations on stereotypes. Really underneath it all is the theme of following your dreams. Even the toughest thugs have dreams.

Q – Can you talk about the difficulties in drawing Rapunzel’s hair and how you overcome these?
A – Glen Keane: Rapunzel’s hair was 70 ft. long. 140,000 individual hairs animating and controlling thousands of hairs was at times like herding a thousand cats. The hair would often explode into a chaotic mess of strong willed pixels bouncing against one another and heading off in their own direction. The real miracle in this movie was Kelly Ward a software engineer who had a PhD in computer generated hair. She wrote software for 6 years on how to control this gigantic beast. We really thought of the hair as another character. I did many drawings to describe the aesthetic look of the hair, the rhythm, twist, volume, etc. that needed to be incorporated into the animating of the hair. Drawing once again became the best tool for communicating ideas. A picture is worth a thousand words. But I discovered that creativity is not limited to pencils. Kelly proved that the domain of numbers and equations can be just as creative.

Q – How are Ariel and Rapunzel alike and different?
A – Glen Keane: Ariel and Rapunzel both are being kept from living their dreams by a barrier. For Rapunzel it’s a tower wall and for Ariel it’s the ocean surface. They both share this irrepressible spirit . The joy in these characters is to watch them overcome impossible odds in attaining their dream.

Q – How has your impression of computer animation changed over the years?
A – Glen Keane: In the early 80′s John Lasseter and I animated the first blend of hand drawn and CG in the Wild Things test. John eventually left Disney and started that obscure little company, Pixar. I continued down the path of hand drawn but anytime the computer crossed my path I embraced it. Tarzan surfing down the branches, thanks to deep Canvas, created a wonderful synthesis between 2D and CG. In Treasure Planet, Long John Silver was a combo of hand drawn and CG in the same character thanks to his cyborg body parts. So it was not a big stretch to move towards computer animation for Tangled. The upward path of computer animation continues to approach the beauty and intuitive feel of hand drawn. Eventually there will be a seamless marriage between the two.

Q – Who are your inspirations as far as family, friends, or even other artists go?
A – Glen Keane: Frederic Back is my favorite animator – a French-Canadian artist, in his 80′s now, who created The Man Who Planted Trees. It is a tour de force of personal expression. I dream of doing something so beautiful someday.

Q – How do you keep the creative ideas flowing? How do you fight back against creative blocks?
A – Glen Keane: I find that when I hit a creative block I see it differently now than I did when I was younger. I used to think of a creative block as proof that my creative journey had come to an end. That I just never really had it. Then I discovered it was not the end but a wall to climb, that really I had come to an end of a plateau and there were new ideas to discover and eventually another creative block to confront. So the way out of a block is to open yourself up to something new. The way I do that is escape from Disney, go to a library and randomly search through books of artists or writers and find some new wind of inspiration. Sometimes I head down the street not far from Disney to the Norton Simon Museum and I always am reminded that this is my time to be an artist and to make the most of the opportunity like these artists before me did i.e. Degas, Renoir, Rodin.

Q – What was the hardest sequence to deal with in this movie and why?
A – Glen Keane: The difficulty of animating crowds is monumental. When Rapunzel enters the kingdom and sees a world filled with people it put the fear of God into all of us at the studio. How in the world could we animate this crowd and maintain the integrity of everything we wanted in Rapunzel herself? The heroes of that sequence were John Kahrs and Clay Kaytis, my fellow animation supervisors. Typically animation supervisors give the task of animating crowds to the newest animators as quote, “dirty work”. Instead John and Clay took it upon themselves to organize, oversee and animate those crowds. Those guys are awesome.

Q – What was your favorite part of working on the masterpiece that is “Tangled”?
A – Glen Keane: The very best moments for me were working with the animators in helping them dig down deep and find something real inside their own hearts to put into their characters they were animating. It was so rewarding to see people genuinely respond with laughter and tears and to know I had a small part in encouraging this new generation of animators to enjoy what i have enjoyed over my own career. Amen!

Q – What castle inspired you when drawing this one in TANGLED?
A – Glen Keane: Mont St. Michel in Normandy, France inspired our castle in Tangled. It sits out in the bay surrounded by water and feels so very fairytale like. When I visited it I knew this has to be the kingdom that Rapunzel will someday be Queen of.

Q – Any final thoughts on TANGLED?
A – Glen Keane: Disney animation has been a home for me for 37 years and I have learned an enormous amount from the artists who I have worked with and the creative challenges in the characters I have animated. I have told the animators many times on this film that they are artists and had they been born five hundred years before, we would be talking about building a cathedral or painting on wet plaster and creating frescoes. But we are born at this time and our cathedral is animated filmmaking. This is their time on the planet to be artists and to be make it count. Open up what is inside of them and put all of their heart into moving this art form forward. That is the future for this art form of animation and Disney studios.

TANGLED will be released on Disney 3D, Blu-ray & DVD on March 29, 2001. Pre-order your copy now!

Tangled (Four-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy)">

A Talk With the Directors of Tangled

Sean Ferguson — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 08:18:44 +0000

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure to talk with the directors of Tangled, Nathan Greno and Byron Howard and was graciously given a chance to ask them some questions thanks to the fine folks that handle publicity for Disney. It was great to be able to talk to both of them about the movie and also about the upcoming Blu-ray which I had already fortunately reviewed before our talk. You can read my review of the Blu-ray set here. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did, since both of them were a lot of fun to talk to.

A TALK WITH NATHAN GRENO & BYRON HOWARD, Directors of TANGLED

Q – Did you meet each other while working on Mulan?

A – Byron Howard: Nathan and I knew of each other while we were working at the Florida studios. Nathan went through his training internship a year or so after me, but we really became friends during the production of Bolt. Nathan was our head of story on that project and I was one of the directors. At the end of Bolt, Lasseter handpicked Nathan to direct the Bolt short (for the DVD) and that led to him becoming a director and teaming up with me on TANGLED.

Q – What was the involvement of John Lasseter in this film?
A – Nathan Greno: John is fantastic to work with. He approves everything we do, and he helps with brainstorming. John is an amazing mentor. I have really learned a lot from him. I can’t say enough great stuff about the guy!

Q – In the trailer you used several sequences that didn’t end up in the movie. Why leave them in if they weren’t part of the finished product?
A – Byron Howard: Very observant! That’s very true: in the initial teaser trailer we created an “alternate reality” version of how Flynn and Rapunzel first meet. This was because many of those scenes were experimental scenes to test the hair and animation technology that we were developing. We liked the tone of the pieces and thought they would be a great first look for the public.

Q – What was the hardest sequence to deal with in this movie and why?
A – Nathan Greno: I’ll be honest — EVERYTHING was a challenge in this film. Rule of thumb: If it comes easy, it could probably be better! We pushed ourselves hard to make every sequence as great as it could be.

Q – You have Bolt, which is an action movie, and TANGLED, which is a fairy tale. What would you like for your next movie?
A – Byron Howard: Nathan and I started work on our next project about six months before we finished TANGLED. It’s got action movie elements, definitely, but most importantly it’s got a strong emotional core… that’s really the first thing we go after when creating these stories. The actual subject of the film is top secret but believe me when I tell you that if you liked what you saw in TANGLED, you will love our next film.

Q – What was your reaction when TANGLED got a PG rating instead of the G rating most Disney princess films get?
A – Nathan Greno: We feel like the film sits on the shelf next to Beauty and the Beast. We aren’t sure why it got the PG rating — but we went with it. We didn’t feel like there was anything to “fix”.

Q – I haven’t always appreciated the comic relief of some Disney characters, but I highly enjoyed Maximus the Horse. From what/whom did you draw inspiration to put together his dynamic personality?
A – Nathan Greno: We just wanted to do something different with Max. We put together a board with photos of all the different animated horses that had been done… we wanted to do something fresh and new. We wanted Max to feel unique. Glad you like the way he turned out.

Q – What does the line ‘chameleon babies’ mean in the very end of the titles?
A – Byron Howard: I love that people stick around until the end of the credits and see the “Chameleon Babies” credit. Pascal, our chameleon hero in TANGLED, is actually based on a real, live chameleon named Pascal. The real lizard is owned and cared for by Kellie Lewis, an animation artist here at the studio. It just so happened that when we were putting together our traditional “Production Babies” credits, Pascal became a father! His chameleon life-partner laid six eggs which hatched into tiny baby chameleons. My favorite is “Nathan Jr.”.

Q – Is there a sequence you’re most proud of, and why?
A – Byron Howard: The way Nathan and I work is that initially, we will have favorite sequences and characters in the film. At that point, we say “Great, these are working; now how can we bring everything else around it up to the same level?” That way, by the end of production, the entire film is rock solid, which makes it very hard to pick a favorite. That said, the lantern sequence is a real milestone for sheer breathtaking beauty here at Disney. I’m also very, very proud of the incredibly subtle emotional acting in the final sequences of the film.

Q – Let’s talk about some of your casting choices. What was it about Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore that made you think they could be Flynn and Rapunzel?
A – Nathan Greno: Casting was a long process. We went to hundreds of auditions for both Flynn and Rapunzel. When Mandy came in, we knew we had our Rapunzel. Mandy IS Rapunzel. Same with Zac. We wanted our characters to feel real… we wanted them to be relatable. I feel like Zac and Mandy provided that. They were easy and fantastic to work with.

Q – Given how hard you and Glen Keane worked on TANGLED, were you disappointed when it didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film?
A – Nathan Greno: The ENTIRE crew worked hard on the film. People worked seven day weeks and skipped holidays — everyone wanted to make TANGLED great. We are all so proud of the work we’ve done. Would we have liked an Oscar nod? Sure. But I have to say, the true reward is working on a film people love. The audience loves this film. I didn’t get into animation to win awards, I wanted to entertain people. We’re all very proud of the work we’ve done.

Q – Since John Lasseter took over as Disney Animation’s creative director; all your films have been “princess” films. Why is this?
A – Byron Howard: Actually, there have been a few that weren’t, like Meet the Robinsons and Bolt. That said, there was a period where we had three fairy tales lined up in a row, Princess and the Frog, TANGLED, and Snow Queen. That kind of release slate felt too crowded with those types of stories and the decision was made to postpone Snow Queen to break it up a bit. It’s important that the audience know that Disney Animation is diverse. Disney should be able to release an animated action movie one year, a sci-fi film the next, and a musical fairy tale the year after that. Ultimately, the quality of the films is what matters.

Q – Given that so many studios are making CGI animated films these days, what is Disney doing to stand out in an increasingly crowded market?
A – Nathan Greno: Our goal is to tell great stories. Our goal is to create believable worlds and fantastic characters. We want our audience to laugh and cry. We want them to be entertained. We can’t worry about all the other films out there — we just focus on making our films work. We believe if you make a great film, the audience will show up to see it. That’s our focus.

Q – When was it decided to make TANGLED more about Flynn Ryder and less about Rapunzel? Did it have anything to do with the perception that the Princess and the Frog was considered “too girly”?
A – Byron Howard: As we were working on the film, we discovered that this story was about both characters. The film doesn’t work without Rapunzel, certainly, but it also doesn’t work without Flynn Rider. We worked very hard to balance our hero and heroine; sometimes Flynn would steal the show so much that we’d have to go back and re-board some of Rapunzel’s scenes to make her character more dynamic. What we love is that the final film feels balanced and appeals to both the male and female sides of our audience.

Q – What are your personal Disney-favorites?
A – Byron Howard: The film that got me into animation in the first place was The Little Mermaid. I was in college studying live action film when I saw that film, and I just said “Wow.”. This is something I have to be a part of. Ariel herself was a revelation to me because she was the first Disney heroine who felt real and alive to me, there was a soul behind those eyes. A great part of that appeal that I saw in her came from Glen Keane, who we partnered with on TANGLED.

Q – Can you talk about which films have influenced you?
A – Nathan Greno: Well for me it’s Dumbo. It’s one of my favorite films of all time. It works EVERY time you watch it. It makes you laugh and cry EVERY time you watch it. I saw Dumbo when I was a kid and I knew I had to work for Disney. I was in first grade. I didn’t understand how animation was made – but I knew I wanted to work for Disney.

Q – Why did you decide to shoot the movie using CG? Would it have been different if you had chosen traditional animation?
A – Byron Howard: Nathan and I love BIG movies. CG animation gives you this enormous box of tools to play with to enhance and expand the world and characters that you’re creating to tell the story. We love traditional hand-drawn animation as well, but to realize the scope of the film Nathan and I had in our heads, CG was really the clear choice.

Q – I saw your film twice in cinema and absolutely loved it! But how could you explain your decision to leave Maximus and Pascal silent? It is pretty unusual for animal-sidekicks in Disney animation films not to talk!
A – Byron Howard: Great question. Nathan and I are huge fans of silent film comedians like Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton. We said to each other “What if Charlie Chaplin was in this movie?” That thinking was a massive part of the decision to keep Maximus and Pascal silent, but expressive. It really worked out, no matter where we went all over the world; people could not get enough of that horse.

Q – What, in your opinion, makes Rapunzel different than all the other Disney heroines?
A – Nathan Greno: Rapunzel is a princess that doesn’t know she’s a princess. That makes her different. She’s not a girl who sits around waiting to be rescued. She’s a tough, smart person — we wanted this film to be full of ‘girl power’. Even though this film takes place in the past, we wanted the characters to feel modern and relatable. We wanted Rapunzel to be a role model for people of our generation.

Q – Can you tell us about the upcoming Blu-ray? What’s your favorite aspect of the Blu-ray?
A – Byron Howard: Blu-Ray allows you to see TANGLED as Nathan and I saw it during its creation. The colors are perfect, the resolution is unbelievable, and the sound is as rich and full as when we mixed it on our recording stage. I love digital media because it preserves the beauty of these films so accurately. Not to mention extensive extras that take you behind the scenes of TANGLED.

Q – Almost every Disney story has a second message. What do you think is the underlying message in this film?
A – Nathan Greno: There are a number of messages in this film. “Live your Dream” is one of the messages we hope will really hit home with people. I grew up in a factory town in Wisconsin. I remember some people from my hometown thought my dream of working for Disney was nuts. I believed in my dream. I worked hard to make it happen. Our studio is filled with people who have stories like mine. Rapunzel believes in her dream. She won’t let anything stand in her way to achieve it. We hope TANGLED inspires our audience to live out their dreams too!

Q – What makes a perfect fairy tale for you guys?
A – Byron Howard: Ingredients like emotion, action, adventure, and comedy. Nathan and I want all of these things in every story we tell, whether it’s a classic tale or a modern action movie.

Q – Did you expect that TANGLED would be that successful?
A – Byron Howard: It’s the best feeling in the world when audiences really love your work. We make these films to entertain, and to move people emotionally, so when your film becomes a hit, you know that you’ve done your job right. TANGLED’s massive success was very welcome news, and we know that Disney Animation’s future will be full of strong films like this.

Q – How long did it take to make this project?
A – Nathan Greno: Usually you have 4 to 5 years to create and finish an animated film at Disney. We did it in about 2 years. The film had been in development and it had a release date — and we were brought on to direct, the studio asked us to hit the release date. Now if we couldn’t do it, they would have moved the date… but Byron and I thought it was possible. We work with an amazingly talented crew. A VERY devoted crew. The schedule was hard on us. We worked though most of our weekends and skipped holidays. It was a crazy time. We had a story we wanted to tell and we wanted the film to be great. We made a film in 2 years that looks like it took 5 years to make. That’s pretty incredible. I thank the crew for that. We made a film we are all very proud of.

Q – One of John Hughes’ characters said the famous words ‘that when you grow up, your heart dies.’ I consider TANGLED a proof that it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. How did you manage to create such a magical tale, combining both Disney’s and Pixar’s best features?
A – Byron Howard: I love this question because I love John Hughes. His writing was a great blend of pure entertainment with deep, truthful emotion. As we become adults, I think it’s very easy to become numb and distracted by the thousands of details that we have to process each day to live our lives and make ends meet. Films like TANGLED are so wonderful because they sweep away all of that for a few hours and remind you of what’s really important: love, compassion, trust and hope. That’s why Nathan and I focus so much on the emotional core of our movies; if we entertain you but don’t move you emotionally, we haven’t fully done our job.

Q – What were the biggest challenges in the development of this film?
A – Nathan Greno: The hair was the biggest challenge. Without a doubt. Long realistic hair had never been done in a CG animated film before. Never. CG hair is usually in a ponytail, or cuts off at the shoulder because anything longer than that is a tech nightmare. Lucky for us, we work with some incredibly smart people! Byron and I were in the story room coming up with this wild stuff, “The hair is going to be used a bullwhip! She’s going to tie people up with it! It’s going to glow! It’s going to get wet!” –all this stuff that hasn’t been done before. Our crew got a little pale when they heard our pitch… but they figured it out. They believed in our story. They wanted to bring that story to the big screen. I can’t thank our crew enough. They made the impossible work.

Q – What is with the name change from Rapunzel to TANGLED?
A – Byron Howard: During the first year of creating the film, it became clear to Nathan and I that the film was about both characters. It felt weird to us to keep the name of the film as RAPUNZEL. For example, you wouldn’t rename “Toy Story” as “Buzz Lightyear“, because Woody is as much a part of that story as Buzz. Knowing that, we started looking for alternate titles. TANGLED really appealed to us as a title because it felt smart, and sophisticated but still made it clear that the film was going to be a fun ride.

Q – This movie is sure to be a Disney classic…now, Walt always said ‘for every laugh there should be a tear’ do you believe this movie TANGLED captured that essence?
A – Byron Howard: We love that quote from Walt Disney. It’s a guide for every film this studio makes. We definitely want those tears, every time. We’re in the story room trying to make ourselves laugh, and cry, to feel something genuine and real. It’s the highest priority for us, and we LOVE when people come up to us and say “I cried three times.” That’s a great reward.

Q – Which movie are you the most proud of?
A – Byron Howard: TANGLED!

Q – If you could develop an already existing fairytale, which would it be, and why?
A – Nathan Greno: I think Rapunzel was it! Byron and I love these classic stories — and Disney brings them to life better than anyone else. Being asked to direct TANGLED was a real honor. When people hear Snow White, they think of the Disney version. When people hear Beauty and the Beast, they think of the Disney version. We hope that Disney’s Rapunzel will now be the version of the character that stands the test of time.

Q – What are your personal Disney-favorites?
A – Nathan Greno: Dumbo. It’s one of the best movies ever. Animated or live action! I love that film.

Q – Every animation movie, today, has a 3D version. Is this something that changes the way of imagining and directing a cartoon?
A – Byron Howard: You have to be very careful with 3D. It’s very easy to distract from the story by throwing too many eye-popping effects at the audience. The trick is to balance the amazing depth that 3D gives you with the emotion and clarity of the story. Every 3D effect you produce should help the story, not hurt it.

Q – Can you talk about the decision to make this a CGI movie versus doing it in traditional animation?
A – Nathan Greno: I don’t think the hair would have worked in 2D animation. It just would have been a big yellow shape… the texture of the CG hair really helps to sell the character of Rapunzel. We also had a number of BIG action sequences we wanted to do in this film. The CG “camera” is great for that. It’s a lot like a live action camera — but even more flexible. You can move your camera around sets and get any shot you want. 2D and CD animation are both storytelling tools. We very much believe CG was the best choice to bring our story to life.

Q – TANGLED came after the excellent film Bolt and it is the second time that you worked as director. In a direct compare with Bolt, in what kind of way was the work on TANGLED different?
A – Byron Howard: The scope and complexity of TANGLED is huge. Bolt was a simpler story to tell in many ways. The unfortunate thing about both films is that they were both made on extremely short, two year schedules (we normally get four years). I’m immensely proud of both movies but I am staggered by how much our studio has grown and matured between these two movies. You’ll see us tackling bigger and bigger films in the future, I promise.

Q – I know you have been working in Disney Studios for many years but I guess you felt a lot of responsibility and pressure in accepting to direct the 50th Walt Disney movie, didn’t you?
A – Nathan Greno: Yeah it was a TON of pressure. We wanted to make a great film and that is a giant challenge. On top of that, we are working with John Lasseter. Lasseter only accepts the best. On top of that, we found out that this was going to be the 50th animated film from the Walt Disney Animation Studios! Ok! Enough! Are you trying to kill us?? It was a ton of pressure and a ton of work… and we couldn’t be happier with the results!

Q – How much was Glen Keane involved in TANGLED’s production after you took over as directors?
A – Byron Howard: Glen Keane has been the heart and soul of Disney Animation for the last three decades. Nathan and I were always hoping that we would get to work on a project with him one day. After Nathan and I stepped in as directors Glen worked with our animation staff to create the most extraordinary human animation ever made. The great thing is that we have these young, energetic animators fresh out of school and Glen knows how to guide and channel that energy into amazing performances, pushing them to top themselves scene after scene. It’s a great mix of youthful energy and experience.

Q – From Snow White to Rapunzel – why do you think, the Grimms are still popular?
A – Byron Howard: These classic tales are full of deep, human themes that everyone can relate to. Every great story has that quality at its core.

Q – How did it come about that ”Rapunzel” was the basis for this film?
A – Nathan Greno: The idea of turning Rapunzel into an animated film has been around the Disney Studios since the 1930′s! We saw a list Walt had made and Rapunzel was listed along with The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. It’s a great feeling to know Walt Disney wanted to do this film!

Q – What advice would you give to anyone who wants to pursue a career in the industry?
A – Byron Howard: Do what you love, and do it with passion. Passion and dedication will carry you far in any occupation, and especially in the creative arts. When John Lasseter chooses you as a director, it’s because he’s seen that you have a fire in your belly, so to speak, a burning need to tell these stories and tell them well. Also, write to your heroes. I wrote to Chuck Jones years ago, and he wrote me back! Amazing.

Q – How much of Grimm’s tale did you use – not meaning the story itself, but more in terms of thinking about the characters?
A – Byron Howard: What we loved about the original tale of Rapunzel was that it had the potential to be a great coming of age story. TANGLED is really about these two characters figuring out where they belong in the world. Again; deep, relatable, human themes are the key to any great story.

Q – Since TANGLED is Disney’s 50th Animated Feature; did that put any pressure on the both of you?
A – Byron Howard: Yes! But we love pressure.

Q – When selecting the type of music for this movie, were you inspired by other Disney films? Because there are some songs that sound very much a like in style to some of the ones in Enchanted or The Little Mermaid.
A – Nathan Greno: We wanted the film to relate to the classic films of the Disney legacy, but we wanted to also do something fresh, new and different. Alan Menken was a perfect choice for the music. He has written some of the best Disney music of all time and he was on board for doing something fresh and different. We love that our songs have the same great feeling of The Little Mermaid or Aladdin… but are very different than anything you have heard before. It’s exactly the mix we were going for!

Q – Vladimir is spoken (voice acted) by Richard Kiel. So let`s be honest, which of you two is the James Bond Fan that the legendary Jaws gets a Voice Part in your movie?
A – Byron Howard: I confess. It’s me. We needed someone with a naturally low voice to do Vladimir, and so we asked our casting director to see if Richard Kiel would do it. I’m a HUGE Bond fan and working with Richard was a dream come true. I giggled through the whole recording session.

Q – What’s the secret of Pascal’s success?
A – Byron Howard: He’s adorable. Just like Nathan and myself.

Q – When Toy Story was released, did you think that this new animation technology will be such a blast?
A – Nathan Greno: I was very excited to see the original Toy Story. I’m a big fan of that film. I think I was still in college at the time. Little did I know, one day I would be directing a CG animated film! I’m glad animation has continued to grow and change over the years. It makes the industry more exciting to work in — and the films more exciting to watch.

Q – What’s the one thing that the other person does that drives you crazy, and what’s the one thing they do that you really admire or wish you could improve on yourself?
A – Byron Howard: Nathan keeps telling me how handsome I am, which drives me crazy. Although I really admire what a good judge of handsomeness he is.

Q – Any final thoughts on TANGLED?

A – Byron Howard: We’re delighted that TANGLED has made such a big splash in the world. Wait till you see what we have in store next! Thanks everyone.

TANGLED will be released on Disney 3D, Blu-ray & DVD on March 29, 2011. Pre-order your copy today!

Tangled (Four-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy)

Interview with Hatchet II’s Danielle Harris

Brian White — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:00:29 +0000

Today I got the chance to chat with horror’s first “Scream Queen,” Miss Danielle Harris. To say I wasn’t looking forward to this day would be like saying I don’t like getting presents. I love getting presents! Miss Harris is most notably famous for her roles in the Halloween series, as young Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers and some twenty years later as Annie Brackett in Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II. Her career has also spawned reoccurring television roles in series such as Roseanne (1992-1993), The Wild Thornberrys (1998-2004), That’s Life (2000-2002) and more. But really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If I told you all the projects, films and television shows Danielle has been involved in during her young career, your head would explode. So to say that Danielle Harris is just another horror movie actress would just simply be a lie. There’s so much more to this young talent than meets the eye.

Most recently, Danielle Harris reprised the role of Marybeth, vacated by actress Tamara Feldman, in Adam Green’s Hatchet II. And I couldn’t be happier about it! For those of you living under a rock as of late or grounded by your parents from the world for the past eight months…last year’s Hatchet II went on to become the first unrated independent horror film to be exhibited by a major theater chain in more than 25 years. And guess what? Danielle is the leading lady of it all! Lucky for you…Hatchet II just got released on DVD and Blu-ray this past Tuesday! Check out my full Blu-ray review of the title here. But seriously…what are you waiting for? Bring home Hatchet II and all of Danielle’s films today! You owe it to yourselves! However, before I get ahead of myself…I think I promised you all an interview with the American sweetheart, did I not? Well…come on! A promise is a promise.

It may have been snowing and blistering outside my office window, but there was nothing except warmth and sunshine inside my room while I was speaking to Miss Harris on the phone today. She truly is as sweet as she looks. She puts the sun in California. Anyway…I digress…thanks for taking the time to chat today, Danielle. It was a pleasure. I wish you nothing but the best in all you do! Folks…keep your eyes on this girl. She’s the real deal in Hollywood!

And now…without further ado…I give to you my uncensored audio interview with the beautiful Danielle Harris. Eat your hearts out guys!

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Bring home Hatchet II today!

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And DON’T MISS Danielle in these!

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Interview with Hatchet II’s Adam Green

Brian White — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:56:28 +0000

One of the most exciting things about attending Comic-Con each year is you never know who you are going to run into and meet there. With that being said, the highlight of Comic-Con 2010 for me was meeting Writer/Director/Producer Adam Green (see here). It was very much unplanned. And like most things in life, I believe fateful encounters happen for a reason. This was one of them. Not only did I meet one of the nicest people in Hollywood, but I was introduced to a man that I have nothing but the utmost respect for in life. A man who is sincere in his words and undeniably true to his fans. He is the “Dee Snider” in my life (Adam will get that). So anyway, when I recently was asked to take a few moments to interview Mr. Green, naturally I jumped at the chance. Instead of being my usual scripted self, I stuck with a more conversational tone in the below interview you are about to listen to. I debated briefly about typing all this up, but I questioned whether that would be the right thing to do. I mean, when Moses came down from the mountain to tell his followers about the Ten Commandments, did he type all his thoughts out? Of course he didn’t. And the same principle applies here. I want people who are unfamiliar with Adam and his work to hear the guy’s sincerity. I want them to hear first hand how nice and conversational this guy really is. He’s a rare commodity in the world of Hollywood, and I am elated to know him.

So before we begin with the interview…it should be duly noted that this coming Tuesday, February 1^st is a very special day for all of us horror fans. It’s that day that Victor Crowley in Adam Green’s Hatchet II unleashes hell on Blu-ray and DVD in all its “Unrated” glory as it was intended to be shown. As mentioned in the below audio interview, if you were among 95% of the population who did not get a chance to see this film theatrically (a mute point considering the debacle that happened with it…but it’s over and we have all since moved on) and you did not want your first time seeing it to be some crappy form of streaming VOD, then this is a big day for you. As it is for me. I remember in my youth how I excited I got and how I treated every new Kiss album release much like a holiday…a momentous occasion of joy and exuberance. So has the Blu-ray releases of Adam Green features become for me. February 1^st is truly a day when all of us old school American horror fans can stand up and unite under one common ground…Adam’s original vision breathtakingly captured in all its unrated 1080p glory. In the words of Drowning Pool…”Let the bodies hit the floor!”

Alright, you did not come here read my long bloated words. You came here to hear the man of the hour speak. So without further ado…I present to you my unedited conversation with Adam Green yesterday. Listen closely as he tackles important social and economic issues affecting our country such as the Blu-ray release of Hatchet II, his upcoming project Killer Pizza, what makes the guy tick and most importantly…his love for all things Star Wars. Gotta love the guy. Thanks Adam!

(Adam Green photo courtesy of Ama Reeves)

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Order Hatchet II today and Adam’s other gems!

A Talk with Director Jon Turteltaub

Sean Ferguson — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:11:02 +0000

I had the good fortune to be allowed to participate in a round-table discussion with the Director of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (and the National Treasure series) to promote the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD releases of the movie. A lot of times, it’s hard to get a lot of questions answered either due to the quantity of interviewers or because of time but Mr. Turteltaub was extremely generous by allowing us over two hours to talk with him so I was able to get in a lot of questions.

I also really appreciated his honesty and candor which is also rare, and he offered many candid responses that I think you will be interested in reading below. Thanks very much to the Walt Disney publicity team for setting this up and again to Mr. Turteltaub for spending so much time with us.

Q - With the success of the “National Treasure” films, how was it like to work with Nicholas Cage in a different type of film, especially with a film that is very visual effect driven?

A – Jon Turteltaub: Nic and I had a great conversation before starting this film. Basically, we talked about how he let me take the reins in a lot of ways on National Treasure. That was such a buttoned-up character with a lot of intellectual and historical mumbo-jumbo to say. Balthazar, however, is a renegade… an outsider… a rock-and-roll-style hero. So this time, I let Nic take me on the ride… and I loved it.

Q – Is there any special content made for the Blu-ray version? And are you a big fan of watching films on Blu-ray?
A – Jon Turteltaub: The Blu-Ray version is full of special content not available in other formats. (We got to find SOME way to justify the extra charges!) As for me, I would always watch on Blu-Ray if I couldn’t see a film in a theater. But to be completely honest and inartistic… I love putting on headphones and watching a movie on my laptop. I feel so carried away and alone when I do that.

Q – Did you originally have Nic Cage in mind for the role of Balthazar Blake?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Actually, Nic Cage had himself in mind for that role because Nic developed this movie and hired me later on. Nic was on-board long before I was.

Q – Did the original The Sorcerer’s Apprentice poem written in 1797 have much to do this with film? What main influences were there?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I was surprised to find out, shocked in fact, that most people I spoke to under the age of 40 had no idea what “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was. Certainly not by title. When I then described the Mickey Mouse cartoon with the brooms and the water they usually made that “oh yeahhhh” face. But I myself didn’t know that the source of the musical suite by Paul Dukas was the Goethe poem. When I found that out, I read the original poem and made sure that our film was true to the essential themes and ideas of Goethe’s piece…. student and teacher learning that everything comes in due time and not before.

Q – If you had Balthazar’s powers, what spells would you cast?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I live in LA. I’d get rid of the traffic… but just the cars in front of me.

Q – Lately, you’ve been making a lot of movies for Disney. Can you talk a little bit about that relationship and if there are plans to collaborate more in the future?
A – Jon Turteltaub: If by “lately” you mean, “every movie I have made since 1992″, then yes, it’s a lot. Disney is the only studio I’ve made films for. Frankly, it’s been a great partnership for me. I get the Disney brand and feel very comfortable working in that model. And I feel good about the fact that movies like “National Treasure” have helped to expand the brand outside of standard family fare. If they’ll have me again, I’m ready to keep making movies with Disney until no one wants me anymore.

Q – What was the biggest challenge in creating a movie based on a well loved short cartoon? Was there ever any thought about making a live action animated movie with Mickey in it like they did with Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
A – Jon Turteltaub: The biggest challenge lies in the phrase “well-loved”. We knew that in the mops and brooms sequence we were taking on a re-creation of a piece of film history. We worried constantly that it needed to be completely different, completely the same, very funny, very serious, out of context, in context… we were tearing ourselves every which way to make sure we created a sequence that wouldn’t have every film critic in the world ripping us to shreds. Eventually, we just decided to focus on the story at hand, Jay Baruchel’s character, and doing some very special work with the visual FX. As for Mickey and live-action… I doubt that was on anyone’s mind but it’s probably a good idea!

Q – You have went from comedy to more action-driven films but do you ever see yourself tackling a different style of film, say… “romantic comedy” or something a bit Noir-ish?
A – Jon Turteltaub: “While You Were Sleeping” was a romantic comedy that I’m really proud of and I’d like to be proud of another romantic comedy one day. The reason for tackling action-driven films is simply that they were the best choices for me at the time. I don’t really care much about which genre a film falls into… I just want good characters, a good story, and something directorial to sink my teeth into. Face it, I can ruin any genre!

Q – What was it like working with the younger cast members – Jay Baruchel and Teresa Palmer?
A – Jon Turteltaub: My ego is such that I forget that I’m so much older than Jay and Teresa. Of course, when Teresa said I was “fatherly” I went home and sobbed in my pillow. As actors, there isn’t really a sense of “new” and “old” so long as everyone is a pro… and these guys were top notch. I think actors are either good or bad… regardless of how long they’ve been at it.

Q – Is everything you wanted to see on the Blu-ray for extra features on there?
A – Jon Turteltaub: TOO MUCH is on there. Get rid of those deleted scenes! I deleted them for a reason!

Q – Which type of movies do you prefer making – adventure movies like the National Treasure series or more fantastical ones like this movie?
A – Jon Turteltaub: National Treasure and Sorcerer’s Apprentice are very similar styles of movie in my mind. They are big films, hinging on big set-pieces, taking on a lot of spectacle. My favorite movies to make are the ones where I make a lot of good friends and I get paid gobs and gobs of cash. (Did I just write that?)

Q – Could there be a director’s cut of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice down the line?
A – Jon Turteltaub: You know, I always find the notion of a “director’s cut” to be ridiculously pompous and revisionist. First of all, 99% of movies ARE the director’s cut to begin with. The only movie that should get a special “director’s cut” is a movie that stinks. Otherwise, why is the director re-cutting it?

Q – Prior to making “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, did you feel that you need to watch the old animated film?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I watched the Sorcerer’s Apprentice sequence over and over… but I only watched the entire Fantasia again once. The featured sequence, however, was vital to how we approached making our film. We studied camera and lighting most of all. Even though it was animated, it had amazing “lighting” that Bojan Bazelli and I tried to emulate.

Q – Because “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” did so well in the box office, do you have crazy ideas running in your mind for a sequel?
A – Jon Turteltaub: This must be a question from Australia or some parallel universe where the movie out-grossed Avatar. For this movie to have a sequel I think this interview is going to have to generate about a hundred million DVD sales.

Q – How much freedom do you give your cast, especially Nic, Jay and Alfred?
A – Jon Turteltaub: The cast gets complete freedom to do absolutely anything they want…. in rehearsal. That’s where decisions are made. But when cameras role, we all have a pretty good idea of what’s going to be said and where everyone is going to stand. (That said, Jay Baruchel will always come up with something completely brilliant and completely unacceptable in a PG movie.)

Q – What would you consider to be the best job in the world?
A – Jon Turteltaub: You know… the minute you call anything a “job” it ceases to be the best anything.

Q – What is the “suckiest” question you’ve ever been asked?

A – Jon Turteltaub: “Do you want me to fix you up with my friend’s mom?”

Q – As someone who has stated a preference for location shooting, how does making special effects movies that require a lot of green screen shooting change your approach? Does that lessen your enjoyment of the process?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I love green screen shooting, actually. It’s always nicely air-conditioned and usually someone other than me is going to be blamed if it looks bad. Location shooting is great because it gives the director ideas. There’s so much to draw on. When you’re on a set, however, you have to invent 100% of it. That’s hard!!

Q – There’s a good mix of different elements in the film from magic to science, to comedy to awesome fight scenes and car chases. Do you have a particular favorite element of the film?

A – Jon Turteltaub: I like the use of the word “awesome” to describe the fight scenes. This is now my favorite question. My favorite element is the comedy because it surprises me. When I see an actor or writer invent something new and funny it always amazes me. And when the audience laughs it’s a direct, immediate sense of reward that I feel.

Q – Teresa Palmer really seems to be one of those actresses that will be simply huge in a few years. Can you talk a bit about your experiences in working with this talented young actress?

A – Jon Turteltaub: Teresa is kind of a perfect person. She is so insanely gorgeous, but she’s also insanely sweet. Not fake actress sweet, but real Australian sweet. She has the courage to do whatever the role needs, but the humility to work hard and ask questions when she’s unsure. She also has that indefinable quality that makes audiences like her when she’s on screen. I hope she becomes as huge as you say. I may need to borrow money one day.

Q – In terms of animation, movies have evolved so much since the days of Fantasia. Where do you hope animation will be in another 70 years time?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I really hope there IS animation in another 70 years. It’s so hard to predict the changing technology and it’s harder to predict social and cultural trends. Fact is, there may be no live-action movies in 70 years. The line between animation and live-action continues to dim. Most visual fx could be described really as a cartoon. Isn’t Avatar really just a form of animation? And lord knows that animated films like Up and Toy Story have shown that you can discover extraordinary emotional and thematic depth in animated features. So who knows?

Q – How many people were in the green suits for the film?

A – Jon Turteltaub: Only in that big sequence with the mops and brooms were there a lot of green suits used. And in that scene it was probably about 15 people. And let me say this… as an experienced filmmaker and as a member of a very professional film crew… anyone wearing a green suit always looks like an idiot.

Q – With the title and the Disney name, did you feel like you had to do justice to the “Fantasia” segment?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I was TERRIFIED of this. I was handed the keys to perhaps the single most important animated story in Disney history. I was so worried that I would blow it. But I just trusted that we were doing things with the right intentions and we worked our butts off to make a great scene. (Half of you reading are thinking… you should have worried more.)

Q – Do any of the extra features recorded on set ever slow down the film making process?

A – Jon Turteltaub: Now this is a GREAT question! And the answer is… YES! YES! YES! Everyone HATES doing these things. Sometimes we call an actor to the set and we have to wait because he’s in the middle of his interview. Or we are about to shoot and there’s a camera crew lingering in the shadows thinking nobody sees them. Those poor bonus-material people sneak around in fear of being a nuisance all day long and they are constantly being told to “go away” by everyone they see. (And then when the DVD comes out, I and every actor and crew member thinks “Hey, how come I’m not in it more?”)

Q – Is it a strange coincidence that Jay Baruchel has a slight resemblance to Mickey Mouse? How did he get the role of Dave?
A – Jon Turteltaub: No it’s not a coincidence at all. They’re actually related.

Q – There’s a scene where Bathazar hands Dave a pair of old shoes. Do you have a pair of trusty shoes you enjoy wearing?

A – Jon Turteltaub: This is the most common question I get. Not a day goes by that I’m not asked this. And yes, I do. But they’ve changed over the years. The fatter I get the more I look for trusty shoes with no laces.

Q – What type of extra features do you enjoy and look for on Blu-rays?
A – Jon Turteltaub: For me, the best “extra” you get on Blu-ray is the picture quality. that’s really the best part of it.

Q – Would you be happy making every movie with Nicolas Cage and Jerry Bruckheimer?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I would be happy working with them forever… but not on every movie. Nor would they want to do every movie with me. It would get artistically stilted and dull. Part of the joy of movie-making is the collaborative nature of the art. That means that we are constantly getting good ideas from all the different people around us. If you always work with the same people you stop finding different ideas.

Q – You guys did such a nice job of making modern day Manhattan seem like a place where magic could actually happen. How did you pick and choose where & when you were going to shoot?

A – Jon Turteltaub: The boring answer is that practical considerations play a huge role. The script dictates most of it…. the action that is needed to take place, etc. And permission has to be given by untold numbers of people to shoot in any given location. So, we end up at the best place possible, not the best place period. That said, we were looking for places that had something uniquely beautiful but also definitively New York. We wanted iconic New York imagery, but to see a new side of it. For example, subways feel very New York…. subways with wolves on them is special.

Q – Did Shadowrun influence The Sorcerers Apprentice at all?
A – Jon Turteltaub: What’s Shadowrun? (Did I just insult somebody? I don’t know what that is.)

Q – Everyone loves the “National Treasure” films, so did you feel pressure because of this prior to making “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”?
A – Jon Turteltaub: As someone once said to me, “If you think there’s a lot of pressure to follow up on a hit, try following up on a flop.” The success of the National Treasure films gave me confidence and breathing room. It also helped build my trust and camaraderie with Nic and Jerry. (And not everyone loved “National Treasure”, believe me.)

Q – What do you think animation brings to live-action films?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Animation takes away instant creativity but replaces it with methodical and calculated creativity. It also allows you to “fix it later” in some ways. But most of all, animation releases boundaries. You are not limited by physics, shooting schedules, or safety. You can do whatever you want!

Q – Did you have to consult any experts on Arthurian legends, to get the Merlin back-story accurate?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Yes. And guess what? They all disagree. There are so many different interpretations of this story…. particularly when we tried to get a clear answer to the question “How did Merlin die?” Unfortunately, the most common answer involved an incident we couldn’t show in a Disney movie.

Q – Were you hoping to again shake current expectations of a family film on this?

A – Jon Turteltaub: You know, at this point, I think we’re no longer shaking expectations but trying to meet the new and improved expectations. Audiences now expect quite a lot from family films. There is a weird, undefined line between a family film and a kid’s film. It’s hard to say what that is but we all know it when we see it. The goal is to avoid making a kids film. This was actually a much bigger challenge 30 years ago. Spielberg and Lucas were the ones who broke this mold… and faced a huge amount of criticism for it. Jaws and Star Wars were written off as Kiddie Films by a lot of people and it took ages for either of those guys to get the respect they deserved as filmmakers.

Q – Alfred Molina has had such a successful and varied career. Can you please talk about what led you to cast him in this movie?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Jerry told me to! And I’m glad he did… not just because he is brilliant in the movie but because he’s become such a close friend. Jerry had just used Fred on “Prince of Persia” so he was aware of how versatile, funny and powerful Fred could be. Sure enough, Horvath became all of those things as a result of Fred’s performance.

Q – What do you think of 3D TV and what can it give to the experience of watching films like this?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I’m curious to see if 3D TV is worth it. For crying out loud, I can’t ever find the remote, how the hell am I going to find those damn glasses?

Q – Can you tell us about filming in Manhattan? What were some of the difficulties you faced?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Shooting in New York is fantastic… always… because New York always makes you EARN your success no matter what you do. It’s a rough place…. which makes it a great place. And what makes it so hard is obvious… constantly changing weather, endless amounts of noise, nowhere to park 24 big rig trucks, and eleven million people who don’t give a crap about your stupid movie.

Q – Do you believe in magic?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Nope.

Q – How many mops did go through to make this movie?
A – Jon Turteltaub: One. Maybe two. (You think we spent money on visual fx and CGI so that we could use real mops?)

Q – Aside from the wonderful special effects, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” has amazing production design, were you literally floored when you saw what was built on set for this film?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Did the production designer submit this question? If not, she should have. Naomi Shohan is such a brilliant and extraordinary woman. The sets she created (with her wonderful crew) are mind boggling and get lost in the vfx shuffle. I think audiences assume everything is fake these days… but these massive sets were very real. And you are right… there were days I would walk onto the set and think, “Holy Crap” would you look at this?

Q – What’s more important to you – critical or commercial success?
A – Jon Turteltaub: This is one of those existential questions that probably plagues all of us in our own way. Not just movie makers… but every one of us. Do I take a job just for the money even if it won’t make me happy? Do I marry this person because they are stable and good even though I don’t feel passion? The movie question isn’t really just about critics…. it’s about making movies that have meaning. The honest answer is that, with movies, the pain of a flop lasts a lot longer than the pain of bad reviews. However, there’s also an overall desire to make films that matter…. that are game-changers in some ways.

Q – If you only had one power to save the world, what would it be?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Eliminate testosterone.

Q – Your films have so much destruction and visual effects, but I’m curious… which of the following type of film would you like to take on in the future: a) Superhero b) Disaster c) Alien Invasion film?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Oddly, I’ve never thought of my films as having “so much destruction”. I’m the guy who made “Cool Runnings” and “Phenomenon”!! I also made three action/adventure films where the heroes never touch a gun. Maybe I need MORE destruction. Yeah! That’s what’s holding me back.

Q – What were some of your favorite family films as a kid?
A – Jon Turteltaub: As a kid, every film is a family film. It’s not like I sat around with my pals in fourth grade watching “The Godfather” and “Cabaret”. When I was a kid, we liked EVERYTHING. I remember thinking that Disney’s “The World’s Greatest Athlete” and “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” were the best movies ever.

Q – What does Disney bring to the plate that no other studio does (or does as well)?
A – Jon Turteltaub: You know… what Disney understands that most other studios don’t isn’t about kids. It’s about parents. They know what parents will feel safe taking their kids to see and what parents will enjoy. Disney, because of its success, the brand recognition makes it vulnerable. Rarely will parents see a movie that offends them and say, “How dare the Sony corporation make a movie like that!” But if it’s a Disney movie you can bet there will be letters, protests and law suits. So they have gotten very good at understanding parents.

Q – What is your definition of a film’s success?
A – Jon Turteltaub: For me, success is defined in a lot of ways. Certainly, financial success is important and underrated by many filmmakers. It matters to get the studio its money back and to generate income for them so that they will continue making movies and hiring us. A film is also a success if there’s a general feeling out in the universe that it was good. No one critic matters… but we all know when the vibe out there is good or bad. Awards can also mean success. For me personally, I feel I’ve had a success when the film makes a lot of money and more people tell me they loved it than tell me they didn’t.

Q – Can you tell us who or what your inspirations are? Is there a particular movie or director that really influences you?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I’m a product of the Spielberg age of filmmaking… which must make Steven crazy because I don’t make films that look or feel as awesome as his. But Steven embraced normal, average human beings and made them glorious…. and he embraced movies and made them glorious. That really inspired me. The filmmakers that I probably try most to emulate are Stanley Donnen, Sidney Pollack, and Rob Reiner.

Q – Were there any issues between yourself and the actors over how physical their roles were?
A – Jon Turteltaub: There are two entities that really want the actors to be safe… the actors and the insurance companies. So we have so many people around to make sure that everyone is safe at all times…. stunt men, fire men, security guards, special effects people, stand-ins, etc. But making movies is a dangerous business no matter what you do. You can’t know for a 100% certainty that the wolves aren’t going to eat Jay’s face off. So when I shout action I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’m not about to film a sequence that’s going to appear more on “WORLD’S MOST DISGUSTING DISASTERS” than in my own film.

Q – Any chance of a 3 Ninjas reboot?
A – Jon Turteltaub: That would be fun… but I don’t know. Sadly, I just now read that Dino De Laurentis died. Dino was involved in that film.

Q – Did growing up in Beverly Hills play a big role in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry?
A – Jon Turteltaub: Sure, no doubt. My father was a big television writer/producer, so I was around a lot of people in the entertainment industry. Other kids I went to school with had parents in the business as well. The result of that isn’t that everyone has some nepotistic inroad…. but that we grew up feeling that the entertainment industry was accessible. It wasn’t some crazy dream that was somewhere out there in Hollywood… it was in our back yard and we were invited.

Q – How did you break into Hollywood? Do you have any tips for anyone that wants to become a director?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I went to film school and that made no difference in terms of getting a break. What was my break was that I had a third cousin who knew a guy who was making really cheapo movies and it turned out that producer was someone I knew from Little League. I went in to meet him to get a job as a production assistant on the movie but during the interview I asked if I could direct it instead. He said yes. (Ridiculous.) As for advice… there really is no one best way to make it. Every single person breaks in a different way. The key is to make people believe you have something to offer them that they don’t have without you. It can be a script. It can be your face. It can be your sense-of-humor. It can be anything so long as you let them believe you have something they need.

Q – Which Sorcerer’s Apprentice character is the most like you? Hopefully it’s Horvath…
A – Jon Turteltaub: I actually like Alfred Molina the most. Character wise, I’m probably closest to the ten year old Dave Stuttler whose dreams are shattered and doesn’t get the girl. (But later grows up to land the hot blonde chick. YAY!)

Q – Jon, anything from the set that you did keep for yourself as a memento of the film?
A – Jon Turteltaub: I have Monica Bellucci in my basement.

Q – What is your favorite Spielberg film?
A – Jon Turteltaub: No question for me it’s “Jaws”. However, I think “Close Encounters” is his best.

Q – Jon, any final thoughts on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice?
A – Jon Turteltaub: You know, I’m really proud of the movie. It’s always hell making any film because we torture ourselves emotionally while making them. But when you go through a tough journey with good and creative people, you can’t help but feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. (I sound like a Boy Scout Troop leader). With this film, I’ve watched it with audiences so many times and I see how they respond to what we did. It’s a great feeling. And it makes all the time away from family and time spent with other smelly, tired people all worthwhile. So, tell the world. Rent it. Buy it. Download it!! (Just don’t pirate it.) Thanks!

-end-

Pre-order your copy of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice today!

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Blu-ray Interview

Aaron Neuwirth — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:00:21 +0000

On Monday, November 1, 2010, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was screened at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and followed by a Q&A with the film’s director, Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), its star Michael Cera (Superbad, Arrested Development), and the creator of the original comic book series, Bryan Lee O’Malley. This entertaining Q&A was moderated by director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy), which can be found in video form Here.

Before this screening, a more private event took place nearby at the Roosevelt Hotel, where a select group of press members were invited to preview the special features on the Blu-ray for the film, which is set to be released on November 9, 2010. A full review for the Blu-ray, courtesy of Sean Ferguson, can be found Here.

In attendance at this preview event were Edgar Wright, Michael Cera, Bryan Lee O’Malley, and star Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Live Free or Die Hard, Death Proof), who took time to answer questions related to these special features and about the film in general. I was among the press members at this event, and the following is a mix of the questions asked by its moderator and those of us watching the footage.

*

Regarding the test shoot footage.

Edgar Wright: This was shot in the summer of 2008 and it was the first thing we ever shot. And it was basically a way of showing the studio what the film was going to look like. So we made this two minutes of test stuff with a lot of the crew… and everybody worked on it, pretty much for nothing, just to get it up to a point where we felt we could show it to the studio. And it stars two of the stuntmen, who ended up both having parts in the film.

*

Regarding the reaction to the test shoot footage.

Edgar Wright: Well it showed how much work was going to go into it, especially with the post-production, because we spent with [the test footage] like three months just to finish it on a very low budget scale. But yeah, working with Bill Pope [director of photography] and Brad Allen [fight coordinator], those guys are kind of world class, so it’s great because you have ambitious ideas visually, so you know that these guys can be able to accomplish them. [Stuntman] Chris Mark who played Matthew Patel [in the test footage] basically doubled everybody at some point during the movie. He doubled both Michael and Mary. [Laughs]

Michael Cera: I once walked into the men’s restroom, and he was dressed as Mary at the urinal and I was like “…?” [Laughs]

Edgar Wright: It was the most erotic thing that happened in that restroom.

*

On casting and early audition tapes shown on the Blu-ray.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: I’m not sure if we had actual audition tapes.

Edgar Wright: You appear with like Ellen [Wong] and Kieran [Culkan]. We did sort of some auditions, but we didn’t need to be stubborn with some, like knowing if Kieran Culkan could do it, but I wanted to see him and Michael together and that was really fun. We pretty much acted out all of their scenes.

Bryan Lee O’Malley: It took about ten minutes. [Laughs]

Edgar Wright: And there were some people that came in and read once and that was it, so I had to make sure the actors were cool with the thing on the Blu-ray. I think it’s great because all of the dates are on there, and you see how far back some of that casting was done, because the film was in pre-production in some form for…well it was in development for five years, but I think even Michael and Mary were cast back in 07 or 08. And some of the other casting…well to show you how far back it goes, Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick’s casting both pre-date Twilight and Parks and Recreation and Funny People. So it’s funny because the film took like a year to make and a year to edit, so most of the casting tapes go back to early 2009 at least.

*

On the physical training required for getting shape and working on all the fighting in the film.

Michael Cera: I know my family was divided on the fighting. [Laughs] We trained for over a month…two months, and after we started shooting none of us continued to train, so you could watch us slowly fall apart.

*

Reactions after watching some of the training footage.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: I was just kind of a mess. I would just constantly get injured all the time. I developed tendinitis from practicing all the time with that hammer and doing most so much choreography, mostly my shoulder would just pop out all the time. Then I had this completely freak spinal injury that I got from stunt work, but I had to do the stunt work and didn’t know what was wrong with me until we finished shooting, so it was definitely a lot of physical stuff I was working through on the shoot, but it was really kind of cool because I feel way stronger now than before the film, so it’s kind of a unique experience.

*

Bryan and Edgar on watching the training process and seeing the characters come to life.

Bryan Lee O’Malley: [Laughs] I can never put words to it, but it was all pretty fantastic, the whole crew was fantastic.

Edgar Wright: I miss those training sessions, makes me nostalgic. It’s not often that you get to work with Superman and Captain America. [Laughs] And also, you can see in that tape that I was training with the guys as well and there was always like these world class professionals doing the most perfect roundhouse kick in the background and all of the acrobats and stuff in it, so that was amazing doing that training. And it was a great bonding experience, because a lot of the actors in the training sessions didn’t have any scenes with each other, so a lot of the Exes would all kind of hang out together and then wouldn’t see each other until the premiere. So it was nice to have the entire cast together for such a long period before shooting, which doesn’t usually happen. Like most films the cast meets like the night before the first day of shooting.

*

On the choices for the music featured and played by the bands in the film, including the idea of not actually showing the bands play their music.

Edgar Wright: Yeah, that was something we had in the first draft of the script, because Bryan and me thought it would be funny and the book only has sort of whispers of the songs, so there was an idea of not showing the songs and the running joke would be something that you didn’t see on screen, but would hear it was awesome. Because in a lot of music biopics or films with fictional bands in them, you hear people saying, “That was greatest song ever!” and it usually isn’t [Laughs], so was a way of getting around that. But then once we started to get the tracks, I think the Beck song, “Garbage Truck,” originally they were just gonna play the intro and then Matthew Patel was going to crash through the roof, and then when we heard it, I think Nigel Godrick [score composer] was the first one to have said, “Well you have this amazing song and you’re going to miss it? That’s ridiculous.” So, I think it sort of started to expand in that respect. And I like it, because it starts to feel weirdly like a musical and you have a little musical break. And it’s something with so much action in it; it’s nice when it just stops for a song you know? It reminds me of like old 60s and 70s films in that respect.[Laughs]

*

On the evolution of the band, “Sex Bob-Omb,” and how the actors continued to jam.

Michael Cera: It was great to play all of those songs over and over. It was just six songs, I think, so we just went over those, endlessly, and by the time it came to shoot, it really felt like they were our songs. You know, because no on one else had heard of them and we had a lot of ownership over them and knew how to play them and really liked them too. It was nice. I think we kind of found our group dynamic too, just by learning how to hang out with each other. We would sit around and eat, and then play the songs; yeah it was great.

*

On the opening title sequence and further song usage.

Edgar Wright: The actual thing of playing the song (“We Are Sex Bob-Omb”) longer came quite late. The credits that were developed came about two months before the film came out. So that was a late addition, just the idea of sort of expanding it. Originally all the credits were at the end, but then it felt like…well a couple of the people at the screenings felt that having the credits at the beginning would give it more of a feeling of prologue, getting us into the story, and suddenly it felt much better once it went there. So that was the addition, but [the basic concept] was done in like 2008 or maybe earlier. This is how it was originally thought of.

On the animatics features on the Blu-ray.

Edgar Wright: What’s funny is that when you get to the Lucas Lee animatics, you see how many drafts it goes through, because you have like…well Bryan wrote and drew, he had the script; and you have like full storyboards for everything and then you have like Double Negative and my brother getting involved and making some of those stills into like 3D pieces, then you have what Brad Allen and his team do, and they tend to shoot the rehearsal videos that end up looking like these weird “sweded” versions of the film. [Laughs] They end up looking like an amateur cover version of the movie…Once you put it all together, you end up having like twenty versions, and I wanted to put in on the Blu-Ray, because I feel it shows how many authors have been on in order to get to the end. There’s so much action in the film, and we had a long schedule, but it was still like every single day was panicked. And if you’re not kind of prepped like this, there’s just no sort of way to get through the day. You just have to have it all mapped out.

*

Edgar’s story after watching the animatics feature.

Edgar Wright: During one of the shots, between one of the two cuts, one of the extras went to the bathroom [Laughs]. So it’s in the first bit, but not the second bit, and it wasn’t until much later, with me thinking, “Hang on, what’s wrong with this shot?” And this guy literally just disappears, between the two things, so we had to digitally put this guy back in. So that guy who went for a pee break had no idea of the hours and hours of rendering that he had caused. I always found that funny. [Laughs] If I knew his name, I’d call him out.

*

On the environment and stylizing Toronto.

Edgar Wright: Bryan takes a photo of Toronto and then draws it, and he’ll simplify it, so you look at Bryan’s artwork and what’s not there is like all the satellites and crap and extra wires and things that are not as ostensibly pleasing. So we took real shots of Toronto and then just rubbed stuff out to make it look as nice and simple as like – would you be able to draw from memory essentially? Or just the things that look more aesthetically pleasing. Even the trees, the trees are all sort of stripped down to kind of look more like Bryan’s artwork.

*

On the outtakes, particularly Michael Cera attempting to make a behind the back basket (33 takes).

Edgar Wright: Oh yeah, it’s you throwing the package.

Michael Cera: Is this embarrassing for me? [Laughs]

Edgar Wright: No, well you did it, eventually. [Laughs] I wouldn’t be able to do it at all.

Michael Cera: They should have had me do a commentary on this going like, “Oh my god…” [Laughs]

Moderator: Yeah, but it’s one of those things that proves – you did it, it wasn’t a trick, it wasn’t a gag, you did it, and it is kind of amazing to see how well you work, and how patient you were to get that shot, and it’s so casual and off-handed in the film.

*

On the television edited version.

Edgar Wright: You contractually have to do a TV safe edit. And the thing is if you don’t provide them, they’ll be the silliest ones. And if you watch something like Die Hard 2, you can tell that like Bruce Willis did not show up for his TV edit recordings [Laughs]. We have a thing about ADR (additional recording), I actually really like doing them, and some people watch them and saying, “Oh, that’s retarded, why do they have to like change “ass,”” And I’m thinking, well I think it’s funny. And what we do is we try to think of the weirdest ones to put in, and then we only do one take of them. [Laughs] So they start to get really weird – every iteration of the word “ass” is replaced by the word “owl” [Laughs]. What else? “Shit” is turned to “Smurf” or “Snarf.”

Michael Cera: “Hell” is turned to “Hootch”

Edgar Wright: I just like it. I saw Hot Fuzz on Comedy Central for the first time the other day and I just thought, “Wow, if you’ve only ever seen that film on Comedy Central, you honestly have like another twenty minutes to look forward to” [Laughs]. I was amazed at how butchered it was. So with these things, if you have to provide like a safety version, it at least helps to have fun with it.

*

On the use of the Phantom Camera, which shoots images at 1000 frames per second, making for crystal clear images in super slow motion.

Edgar Wright: It was the only digital camera that we used in the entire film. The rest of it was shot on 35 mm film or Vista Vision. They used to be able to do this stuff, but it was like with equipment as big as a room. Now you have a better sized camera and it has a hard drive that plays back this work immediately, so it’d be a strange thing whenever we would do these shots, everyone would gather around the monitor, because everyone would be able to see it. What’s cool about this is that most of the fancy stuff is for the actors doing their own stunts, so I wanted to put this on the Blu-ray, because it felt like it really shows how much the performers actually did and how dangerous some of it is. It was an amazing tool and fascinating doing this stuff.

*

On having someone take new control of Bryan’s material.

Bryan Lee O’Malley: Well it already belonged to the fans I guess, but I would have never given the material away to anyone, it had to be this guy. I was like, “Oh, this guy did Shaun of the Dead, awesome.” And I was a starving artist [Laughs], so maybe it could have been anyone, but fortunately, it was Edgar.

*

On the music created by Beck for the film, and the additional material he produced.

Edgar Wright: I guess anything that we didn’t use in the film is Beck’s to keep. He gave me like a CD, after he recorded it, which was like 22 tracks long, including 10 different versions of “Ramona.” The “Ramona” acoustic one that Michael sings in the film and then the Beck version that it ends on; there were like 10 different versions of that, and the one we used in the film, I think it’s just him like improvising. I think it’s basically the first take. So there were a lot of different variations of things and different things changed around. There is only like one track, the “Ramona” one, which Beck applied strings to and did any more work on. The whole point of it was like, this is supposed to be the band’s first demo, and it’s supposed to be sort of great and crappy at the same time. So it didn’t feel right to really do too much work to it. I don’t know if the other stuff will ever surface, but it was fascinating to see his process.

On seeing different Scott Pilgrim themed Halloween costumes.

Edgar Wright: The best one I saw was two guys who went as Scott and Nega Scott together. One of them was completely in “gray face,” and that was pretty amazing. [Laughs]

Michael Cera: I ran into eight guys dressed as The Expendables and they got the shit kicked out of them. [Laughs]

*

On the actors seeing themselves on film.

Mary Elizabeth Winsted: I’m pretty good after the fact. When you see it for the first time, I usually cringe at everything and I get embarrassed and nervous at the premiere and stuff like that, but pretty much subsequently after that I’m just really happy to watch it and feel really excited about it. Like I’m so excited to get the Blu-ray to watch all of the behind the scenes stuff because it feels like it’s our own home movies that we get to watch all over again and kind of revisit. So there’s nothing about watching any of this stuff that would make me uncomfortable.

Michael Cera: I feel the same way. When I watch this movie specifically, I remember everything about the shoot, about the day that we started scenes. It’s really like reliving the whole shoot and it was such an amazing time, so it’s really nice watching the movie.

*

The actors on how all the physical training affected them.

Michael Cera: I loved doing it. It was so much fun getting on set. The first thing in the morning was putting a harness on and having to be alert or else an opportunity to duck and get hit in the head could occur. It’s exciting. The way we did it, we would do scenes for a while, and then we would do fights that would last like a week. It was fun, but I don’t know if I would do it again. Obviously I wanted to do it for this movie, because I love the material and Edgar, and I don’t know if I could do a movie, just because there were fight scenes, unless it was guaranteed to be hugely successful. [Laughs]

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: I think everybody had a lot of fun. It was just something about the energy of when we were all training together and the way that we sort of put it together, it just was a really fun way to get in shape and be able to learn how to do all this stuff. I think by the end of it, we were all ready not to like…ever move. We all wanted to just lay on the couch for like four months. But I think now I kind of miss it and hopefully I’ll get a reason to get in shape like that again, and have someone pay me to learn all that stuff. That’s what’s sort of mind boggling about the whole thing, is that you get paid to do that stuff, so it’s pretty exciting.

*

On concerns about how concerned they were towards gaining a wide audience.

Edgar Wright: I don’t think that came up too much during the production of it really. That didn’t really come up until we started doing our first press, and people would say, “Oh, do you think this film will appeal to the under-30 crowd.” And I’m thinking, “Well, 1. I’m 36, and 2. If everybody under 30 did go and see it, we’d be billionaires. [Laughs] I think the thing I gotta give credit to Universal for is that they let us make the film that we wanted to make. It’s not really compromised in that sense. It’s only really that we tried to absolutely get every single penny of budget on screen, and that was the biggest challenge. I think if something has a specific voice and is speaking directly to some people, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, because I think people feel there’s a connection to the material and there’s plenty of films that have been successful that nobody likes, but everybody goes and sees, but you would be hard-pressed to find somebody in the world who says that it’s their favorite film. It’s nice to find that sort of person who’s like, “Oh my god, I can’t believe they made this film just for me,” and we just have to find those “me’s.” [Laughs]

On putting the alternate ending on the Blu-ray.

Edgar Wright: I think it was sort of common knowledge that it existed, so I think that if we hadn’t done that, we would have been asked in every interview why it’s not there. [Laughs] It was also part of the process. We talk about it on the commentary, and what the thought process was, and that the ending was there before the release of Volume 6 [of the comic book series], and how we then brought it back to be more like Bryan’s ending. I think it’s an interesting thing to show the process. For those kinds of people who are definitely on “Team Knives,” it’s kind of like a fun thing to see. That said, I think we all prefer and acknowledge the theatrical ending as the official ending. And it took us a while to get there, because we ended up living with the film for a year before we got to writing and shooting the new ending. And then what’s crazy in the film, is that we did one scene, and it’s been like a year, and Michael, Mary, and Ellen [Wong] all look no different, and if anything they look better in the new ending, because they had all slept. [Laughs] So there was no question of not including that, it was just something interesting to see and you can also see how the original piece of music worked. But I prefer the ending that went out in theaters.

*

Again, the jam-packed Blu-ray (review) will be released on Nov. 9th!

See all the Special Features HERE!

Guillermo del Toro vs. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Aaron Neuwirth — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 13:37:48 +0000

On Monday, November 1, 2010, director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) moderated a question and answer session with director Edgar Wright, actor Michael Cera, and comic author and illustrator Bryan Lee O’Malley about Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, which is to be released on Blu-Ray and DVD November 9, 2010.

This event took place at a sold out screening of the film at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, California. Many fans of the film, along with additional cast and crew members were in attendance. Del Toro had no involvement with the film, but is good friends with Wright and a big fan of the film in general. As the session lasted for nearly an hour and a half and del Toro has an awesome but tough to transcribe Mexican accent, it is fortunate that a number of filmed clips can be found below.

A review for the packed Blu-Ray by fellow Why So Blu? writer Sean Ferguson can be found Here.

My own review for the film, which I have proclaimed my love for many times, can be found Here.

More Scott Pilgrim coverage will be added to the site later this week, including an interview with Edgar Wright, Michael Cera, Bryan Lee O’Malley, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead which took place before the screening, and some pictures from the event as well.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – The Beginning
Edgar Wright talks about first reading Scott Pilgrim and casting Michael Cera.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Edgar Wright on Richard Lester
Guillermo del Toro asks Edgar Wright how director Richard Lester has influenced his work.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Flash Gordon & Batman
Edgar Wright and Guillermo del Toro talk about Flash Gordon, Batman and other films that influenced Scott Pilgrim.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Celebrating the Comic Book Form
Edgar Wright and Guillermo del Toro talk about how Scott Pilgrim and other films celebrate the comic book form.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Guillermo del Toro on Video Games
Guillermo del Toro talks about video games and film.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Michael Cera on Casting Process
Michael Cera talks about how he was cast for Scott Pilgrim.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Michael Cera’s Reaction
Guillermo del Toro asks Michael Cera about his reaction to seeing the film for the first time on screen.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Thomas Jane and Clifton Collins Jr.
Edgar Wright talks about Thomas Jane and Clifton Collins Jr. in the film.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Multiple Films
Edgar Wright discusses if they ever considered doing more than one film.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Bass Battle

Edgar Wright and Bryan Lee O’Malley talk about the bass battle scene.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Blu-ray & DVD – Favorite Battle Scene
Edgar Wright, Bryan Lee O’Malley and Michael Cera talk about their favorite battle scenes in the film.

Pre-order your copy today!

Tamara Drewe: The Gemma Arterton Interview

Aaron Neuwirth — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 06:42:58 +0000

Tamara Drewe is a new film from director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Dangerous Liasons, High Fidelity), based on the popular English comic strip and graphic novel by Posy Simmonds, starring English actress Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia, Clash of the Titans). As is the graphic novel, the film is a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy’s nineteenth century novel Far from the Madding Crowd. It is a comedy about a young journalist, once the ugly duckling of her small village town, returning as a much desired beauty, hoping to fix up and sell her old house. She attracts many of the men residing at the neighboring farm, stirring up envy, lust, and gossip amongst the small population.

I had the pleasure of attending a roundtable discussion in Los Angeles, amongst other fellow journalists, members of the cast, and director Stephen Frears. The interviews were conducted in three parts, as Frears, Arterton, and the male leads, Dominic Cooper and Luke Evans, took turns to enter the room. The questions presented are a combination of everyone who had a chance to ask one, as many of us obviously had similar sort of questions, with only a limited time to speak with each guest.

The final part of this discussion took place with star Gemma Arterton, who portrays Tamara Drewe, respectively.

Gemma Arterton as Tamara Drewe

*

I asked Luke Evans about how the producers thought that he was wonderfully rural, so I was wondering: were you comfortable in the country side, or was that a whole new thing for you?

“I think I belong there. Like Tamara, I think I’m actually supposed to be there, but actually I was brought up in Estuary, London, on the Thames Estuary, but in an industrial town, but all my family are fisherman and farmers. That was the generation before so I think we are supposed to be there, but I did like it, but after about two weeks I freaked out and needed to have pollution and buses to drive by every minute. [Laughs]”

*

Tamara has a sort of obsession about her looks. Do you have any sort of look you’d wish to have had?

“Well, I’ve always wanted to have a big nose… [Laughs]”

*

Did you keep the hooter?

“Yes, yes, actually I did. It’s one of my most treasured possessions. I keep it in a frame in my downstairs loo, which has a picture of me given to me by my hair and make-up artists, sort of scowling wearing it, and it says, “Gemma, darling, you’ve never looked better.” [Laughs]”

*

The film is full of allusions to both the source material and, to go farther back, the basis – Far From the Madding Crowd, by Thomas Hardy. I was wondering – did you sort of look at that? Did it inform your performance at all?

“Yeah, because when we were filming it, I actually think that Bathsheba in Far From the Madding Crowd is Tamara Drewe, but 200 years before. She absolutely is. So for me, it was really helpful to read that and, well I’ve played two Thomas Hardy heroines now and they are incredible characters because they are unbelievably advanced, and Thomas Hardy had such an insight on the complicated insight on being a woman, and the complexities, and…these characters are conundrums, you never really completely get them. Especially Bathsheba; she’s promiscuous, she’s petulant, she’s spoiled, yet everybody loves her and she gets her own way. Why do we like her? We don’t know, but there’s something about her, she’s kind of like Cathy from Wuthering Heights. So that was very helpful, but Stephen [Frears] was very much thinking about the film, and it’s Tamara Drewe, and it’s modern, but for me, it was just another thing to draw from I suppose, and it had such good source material that I thought, why not just use that as well.”

*

You always seem to play characters on the verge of tears, and characters where, as with this particular character – Tamara Drewe, you seem to be ready to burst into tears, and then you do and it seems to come so easily. Where do you go to get there?

“I don’t know. When I was at drama school, everyone use to cry all the time, because that would show that they were a good actor, right? And, um, I never got to do it, so I thought, “I’m never gonna act, because I can’t cry.” But then I got to do a test, and I had to cry, and I couldn’t stop crying. So I don’t know. I think I just think like the character when I’m doing it. When I was playing Tamara I would write every day, before going to set. I was writing everyday in a little journal as Tamara, just to get in her thought pattern, and then you start thinking like the character, and when something seems like it makes you cry, it makes you cry…I don’t know, I don’t know how it happens.”

*

You say you start thinking like Tamara as a writer. Are you a writer, have you ever written anything?

“No, I’ve never written anything. I don’t have the confidence to and I’ve always admired writers and their ability to write something and say, “Here’s this,” this is what I think or this is what I’ve tried to convey. But then I found myself…I always do it with characters to develop a sort of backstory, and with Tamara it just became this sort of autobiography, which she ends up writing about into a biography, and it was really funny. I remember writing it and showing it to Moira Buffini, who wrote the screenplay, and she was like, “This is really good. You’re really good.” And I said, “Well, maybe that’s because I’m writing as a character and not about my own life because it’s dull as dishwater, but with Tamara it’s sort of sassy and sparky” [laughs]. So maybe that’s what I should do, if I wanted to write, just be different characters everyday and dress up [laughs].”

*

What was Stephen [Frears] like on set? What was his style as a director, since he says he doesn’t have one?

“Well, yes. I don’t think he does, because he works differently with every single actor. He’s just very sensitive to everything. I suppose with me he was very intuitive. He’s very good with intuition. I suppose the main thing that struck me is that he spends most of his energy and time casting it correctly and really not just getting “the right person” to play that character, but getting “the right three people” to play the roles, so that the relationships work and he’s all taken care of. And that’s genius casting. You know, we get on set and we never rehearse ever, and we just get on set and work because all of the actors were right for it, and then he’d direct it if it needed to go a certain way, or you were overdoing it, or needed to go a certain way, but it was very sort of simple. It was straight-forward. And if it was working he wouldn’t say anything, and if it wasn’t he would. And it was just like that, but he spends all that time on casting the right components, so he can spend all his energy on creating the universe of the piece…he trusts everyone he works with to do their job.”

*

You two are obviously very fond of each other, is there any chance we’ll be seeing more future Frears/Arterton collaborations?

Um, I loved working with Stephen; I just hope he’s not pissed off and bored with me [laughs]. In a heartbeat I would work with him again. He likes variation. He has worked with other actors over and over again, but it is kind of exciting for him to work with new people. I’m the same way as well, but if he’d ask me to work with him again, I would, easily. So yeah, we’ll see. Didn’t he work with Michelle Pfeiffer again, after like 25 years?”

*

How do you think Tamara felt about the different male characters?

“Well, she doesn’t really like any of them, she just wants their affection…she needs constant affection and attention…My biggest revelation when playing Tamara was how she sort of gets into these dramatic situations because she writes about them and she sort of is her own muse in a way and she sort of uses everyone around her to sort of do that…One of the reasons I wanted to play Tamara is because I see that character often and in many different ways in people I work with…I think it’s real, it’s accurate.”

*

Like Tamara, have you ever been in a situation where you’re at like a school reunion or something, and you say, “Yeah, look at me now.”?

“No, actually, I’ve been really supported, and coming from a town, which was a working class town, as I said, they all love it. And when I go back there, they’re really sweet. The only person I ever do that to, is my sister, who said I’d never work as an actress [laughs]…she’s younger, and now she’s working to become an actress, ironically.”

*

Any word on Prince of Persia 2?

“Not that I’m aware of.”

*

Thank you, and congratulations.

Check out Tamara Drewe, opening in limited release this fall in theaters.

See the review here.

http://www.sonyclassics.com/tamaradrewe/

*

A Talk with Beauty and the Beast’s Glen Keane

Sean Ferguson — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 21:19:24 +0000

I was fortunate enough to participate in two separate round-table interviews with the legendary Disney animator Glen Keane who has played a central role in bringing many Disney movies to life including The Little Mermaid and especially Beauty and the Beast, where he was the lead animator for the character of the Beast. Mr. Keane is as modest and friendly as he is talented and he generously spent more time than was originally allotted to answer our questions.   Not all of my questions were answered because the focus was solely on Beauty and the Beast, but I did manage to get a few in.

I would like to thank Mr. Keane for spending so much time with us sharing his stories, and also to Disney and the capable Mindy Johnson who moderated both sessions. I did edit these transcripts to make it flow more conversationally but all of Glen’s answers are there. There are some parts of the interview that discussed video material and used some pictures as well, so I’ve included as may of the pictures as I could but for the rest you will need to use your imagination. Without further ado, here is the edited transcript for both sessions and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

BUILDING BEAUTY’S BEAST

A Webex Event with legendary animator

Glen Keane

*

The Walt Disney Company-Recordings

Mindy Johnson: Moderator

October 5, 2010

And here we are with Glen Keane, who is just freshly back from Paris, and you spent several weeks there, Glen, preparing for an upcoming show. Is that correct?

Glen Keane: Yes. Yes. I’m actually having a – my first art show, where I’ll be showing a little bit of a retrospective of my animation drawings, my rough drawings, some from Beauty and the Beast, as well as the rest of my career. And then, that’s a third of the show. The other two-thirds are actually drawings from my sketchbook, speaker drawings, things that I’m going to actually be selling.

But the idea is to give an insight into what goes on in the life of an artist who is an animator and where do you get your inspiration. And actually, those are a lot of the things that we’ll be talking about today specifically about the character of the Beast.

But this show is at the (Arloudic) Gallery on the Ile Sainte Marie in Paris on November…ninth, yes, so I’m excited about it. If you’re there, you’re welcome to come to the (Vernusage) and it will be there for, I don’t know, a good month.

Glen, if you’re familiar with any of this, please jump in, but it is one of the most ancient stories, going back certainly to Cupid and Psyche and Oedipus, has elements and aspects of Beauty and the Beast. And what makes this unique, I think – and Glen, you probably would agree that every culture can relate to this because every culture has some version of this fairy tale. Correct?

Glen Keane:    Yes. Well, it’s a story that really touches the heart of everybody who sees it. Though when we were doing research on this, it’s difficult to find the key that’s going to unlock the fairy tale for a Disney animated movie. It’s one thing to have a fairy tale that you can read to a child before they go to bed, but it’s another to have a story that’s going to carry for an hour and a half and will have all of the emotional, dramatic impact.

And in this story, the struggle we had was it really takes place at a dinner table, and every night Beast says – asks Belle if she will marry him, and that’s just not quite thick enough for an animated movie.

Well, with that, Walt Disney did do some early explorations on the story, correct?

Glen Keane: Yes, and that was – I think what I just said was one of the reasons why he put it down, that there were other fairy tales that were much more accessible and that you could build the story out of it in an easier way. Some of the stories that were – are the later fairy tales are the harder nuts to crack of these big, iconic, classic fairy tales that the world knows.

Joe Grant, who was head of story on Snow White, he was still alive at the studio at the time as – and he had done some work on our new Beauty and the Beast, but he had also done some work on the old version, the original one that he and Walt were trying to crack. And he just said, “Oh, it was just frustrating. We just couldn’t do it.” We – you know, we just – and we did. We put a lot of things on the shelf and figured that, well, someday the time is going to come, and we’ll pick it up again.

And he just happened to be living long enough where he was there to pick it up again.

And so, that began in 1987, correct?

Glen Keane:   Yes.

And with that, we put together – a pretty extraordinary team of animators was put together for this film.

Glen Keane: Yes. Over on the left of that image is Andreas Deja, who did Gaston, and then Dave Pruiksma, sitting beneath him, did Mrs. Potts, and over on the right is Will Finn that animated Cogsworth. And above him is Nick Ranieri that animated Lumiere. They were both just like Cogsworth and Lumiere throughout the whole movie, at each other’s throats.

And then, there’s me and a big beast, or a buffalo head, that I – I found this buffalo head at a taxidermy shop not too far from where our studio was in Glendale, and so I bought it and brought it into my office and just had it on the wall as a reminder of just how big this character is, a huge animal like that.

When you take a look at some of the old…… images…yes. There is a tendency to just take the head of a wild animal and stick it on a man’s body, like – well, up on the one with Walter Crane, you can see it’s basically a man’s body, but at the very bottom he’s still got his hooves of a wild boar, but the head is just like a regular wild boar. The same one with, let’s see, Edmund Dulac and Warwick Goble.

The wild boar is a pretty interesting version of the character. Arthur Rackham’s version is an interesting one because he kind of looks sort of alien, in a way. And so, I was looking at all of these characters and trying to find something that was going to serve for inspiration for me.

And the problem that I kept coming up with was that – well, there’s two things. One is the – you take it very seriously when you’re going to design a character for a Disney animated movie. You know that that character is going to become the definitive version of that character for all time.

So you don’t just jump in and just draw something that pops out of your head. There has to be a sense of rightness, of like, yes, almost like you discovered what was already existing before you even started to draw it. I’ve always had this feeling that, on any character that I’ve animated, that the character existed before I started to draw it, and it was – it’s a little bit like Michelangelo sculpting in stone and freeing the figure that’s within.

You have that same sense of drawing on a piece of paper that’s blank and empty, but there is a character in there. And it has to touch and connect with you and the audience. And to me, it was important that this character not feel like he was an alien, like he was invented for Star Wars or something. This one of Arthur Rackham feels a little bit like that to me. He’s a weird creature.

And the thing is that he has to be appealing. See, that appeal was the thing that I kept hearing all the time from the masters at Disney that taught me, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Eric Larson would say, “Your animation has to have sincerity and appeal.”

OK, so how do you create an appealing character for the Beast?

Glen Keane: Yes. No, I – maybe on this clip you’ll actually explain it, so should we just jump in?

(Begin video)

And so, we all went out there. It was the first time I’d ever been outside of America as well, and it was like, “Wow,” I – my eyes were opened. (Inaudible) brought my wife and I and our two kids, and we got a little place in Primrose Hill, and I walked through – down past the London Zoo. There was – I’d see the wolves and animals there, which I would draw, and ended up using a lot of that influence on the Beast.

(End video).

Let’s go back a bit and talk about the castle. I know as you were through – traveling through in Europe, you guys had taken a few trips and did some exploration on the designs of the castle. Is that correct?

Glen Keane: Yes. Yes. Well, the – for me, if you’re going to work on a Disney movie, it’s not just about doing drawings of interesting characters or – it really takes place. There’s a truth to the environment. And I’d never been to Europe before. I felt like I personally really needed to go visit the place where this fairy tale was written, so we – as well as each of the artists that were there.

So we went over to the Loire Valley in France where the River Loire runs along. And as you probably all know, the different chateaus are built within a day’s ride for the king to go from one chateau to the next to the next. And so, we would drive and hit several of those in a day because we didn’t have to go by horse – we had cars – and we would visit these places.

And there was one chateau that just stood out as stunning. It was the one of Chambord, built by Francois Pombriant. And he designed this castle that just had this imposing power and strength to it.

Now, I remember the first time seeing that, and there’s actually a video clip. I’m not sure that we have it here, Mindy?

Moderator: Yes. Can we run – play this – (from segment) two.

Glen Keane: Two talks about pretty much the first time that we went and saw this castle, and there’s some footage of…

(Begin video).

Glen Keane: And I saw it with Richard Purdum, a great respect for the original story, the classic story. And he really wanted to stay very true to that and with noble intention.

Richard Purdum: It was going to be much darker and in sort of an 18th century France. And a small but very talented group had worked on it for about six months.

(End video).

So after the trip to the Loire Valley and going through the castle, it was time to go back and begin, as we saw in the clip, to kind of restart the film again.

Glen Keane: Yes. Yes. We – that first visit to that castle, which on the DVD when Beauty and the Beast comes out, you’ll be able to see that, actually driving up and seeing the castle there and the impact that it had on us.

And the truth of that place adds credibility to your drawing in a funny kind of a way. I guess, you know, just to explain to you a little bit about how I think, and when I was a kid, I didn’t do drawings to do a drawing of something. I did a drawing so I could enter into an imaginary world. My paper was like a magic mirror that I could do a drawing, and you just step right through it and suddenly you’re living in the time of the dinosaurs, or you’re living somewhere to – you’re – and you’re experiencing it.

And that with that castle, that was really important as a place where I could step into it. And then, it was equally important that the credibility of this character be based on true – you know, to me, true animals. There were various different designs.

Like here, these are some of Chris Andrews’ designs, and they’re very whimsical. This is some of Andreas’s designs, which I thought were pretty cool and interesting, but some – nothing was really jumping out and speaking to me. We had a – quite a variety, actually.

There was one – at the zoo, there was a mandrill named Boris that I would pass by and I would do drawings. This is one of the drawings I did there in London at the time, thinking of the Beast as a mandrill-like character. Remember this English lady standing next to me as I was drawing him. The mandrill turned towards me and showed its rear end, and she said, “He’s got a rainbow bum, he has!” So the Beast actually has a rainbow bum, but you don’t ever get to see it that way.

There’s different kinds of feet and, you know, claws, exploration of a wide variety of characters that we explored. As we’re clipping through these, you can see the inspiration for, like, a mandrill character. But ultimately, the Beast came down to a variety of real animals for me.

(Begin video).

(End video).

OK. So let’s take a look at what some of those design issues were, and let’s – I know you had quite a number of inspirations for this, Glen.

Glen Keane: Right.

Just talk a bit about some of these inspirations provided for the…

Glen Keane: Well, this little diagram there that you just had up, it kind of describes a variety of the animals, you know, that went into his face. But actually, if you’d gone into my office before that, you would have seen some of the following images up on the walls. I would – because I didn’t know.

I didn’t – all – I was just going with a sense of a feeling, a gut feeling. You start looking in magazines or – for animals, and there’s this power of the gorilla. So I had the gorilla up there, or the lions, you know, and I would draw them. And I had these wild boars. I actually – I had the head of a wild boar, as well, on my office. There was that buffalo head, the big sadness, the heaviness of the buffalo head.

And then, there was these wolf legs. And as I started you, know, walk past – back and forth past the zoo, I guess the wolf was the first clue to me that all the drawings that I had been seeing of the past illustrators’ works of the Beast always had him standing on kind of human legs. It might change just his toes or whatever, but I started thinking of The Beast as a wolf leg because it would really make – it would always remind you of his animalness on the bottom part as well as the top part.

So that was the first thing, and then also go give him a tail that would switch back and forth. And, you know, it’s like – if you have a dog, you know that there’s – you can tell if your dog’s happy. You’re sad. You just look at the tail.

And now, that gave another whole aspect for the Beast. His body – I really like the power and the massiveness of that bear – and started drawing him on all fours, because that got me away from this just guy in a beast head , the Halloween mask or something. I really wanted him to be animal.

And so, the more I could explore and start to draw that character – and actually, there was one day I had an animator on our team, Bruce Johnson, who was going to be one of the animators of the Beast, came in. And Bruce said, “So what’s the Beast going to look like?” This is after, like, six months of drawing and searching, and I – all of these photos on my wall.

And I said, “I’m not sure, Bruce. I don’t know.” I – and I started to draw. I said, “I like the massiveness of this buffalo head,” and I sketched out the weight and – of this buffalo head, I said, “But the brow of the gorilla,” and I drew the brow there, and – “But then the muzzle of this wild boar,” and then the mane of a lion but the body of a bear, and then the legs of this wolf.

And it – as I did it, it just all came together. And like I was telling you before, there’s this moment where you recognize the character. And I looked at it, and I said, “That’s him. That’s what he looks like, like that, Bruce. That’s what – that’s the Beast.”

And it was just one of these wonderful little gifts from Heaven that happened at that moment, you know? I can’t – I wish I could take more credit for it. It was just really – it happened.

Glen, if you could talk a little bit about creating imagery for these particular scenes, and we’re going to look a little more in detail at the transformation scene shortly. But if you could just talk about these moments and perhaps what some of the challenges were in the film?

Glen Keane: Are we going to take a look at these clips?   OK… we can take a look at…well, one of the really fun aspects of the Beast was this – the wild animal side next to this girl. And basically, though, we had to break that down into what does that mean in human nature. What is a wild animal like in us in human nature? Well, it’s selfish. It’s very immature.

You know, our little granddaughter, I’m watching her deal with problems by her petulance and, you know, by saying no, and that’s – basically was the Beast’s problem. That’s why all of this came, because he hadn’t learned to love.

And so, it was fun watching Belle just wrestle a beast in his nature, just wrestling that down. And so, these images of – from the film show this wild animal side and her standing there next to him.

But the biggest challenge we had was, you know, in my mind, how is the audience ever going to believe that Belle could fall in love, to earn this moment where they dance together? Because at one point in the film, after Belle heals his hand, and we went pretty quickly to this moment here. And that was after the Beast saves here, and we felt like that should be enough.

But something was missing. You didn’t really feel like you earned this dance. And at that point, Howard Ashman, who had really created the tent poles for our story, realized that we were missing an extremely important tent pole, and he wrote a song called something – “There’s Something There,” this moment where Beast gives Belle the library.

And it was so subtle and gentle of a thing that it had escaped us, that true love isn’t just like Beast going and battling the wolves seemed like, “OK, well that’s the dramatic indication of his love for her.” But it was him noticing how this girl loved to read and that he presents her with the library. And it was the little things that just – like a flower growing, that’s what that song was about.

And as soon as that was written, we knew the movie was going to work. Until that point, it just – and that happened pretty – very late, that last year, actually, in production. So we didn’t know that it was going to work until that point.

And then it earned the right to have this wonderful sequence with the Beast dancing with Belle. These are actually drawings from James Baxter of the Beast with Belle. James and I actually got out there, and we danced together. We had a dance coach helping us learn the steps, and when it came down to it, he did the animation on this. I drew over top of it.

But that was a – that’s how that came about.

That’s a great magic moment.

And another really extraordinary moment, not only in this film but to animation in general overall, is the transformation sequence, I think one of the most visually stunning segments in recent animation. And let’s – we do have some examples, but let’s talk a little bit, Glen, about your inspiration for this in particular – how you executed this particular scene.

Glen Keane: Well, there’s this – you see these sculptures by Rodin. The reason that they’re there is – kind of goes back to that last – the last scene that I had to do on the film, kind of the one that I’d been waiting for through the whole movie, to animate this transformation.

Well, finally got down to the end, and there was no time left. I had one week left to animate this whole wonderful sequence that I felt like I was born to do, but now there was no time. And Don Hahn came into my office, and I expressed to him my frustration.

I said, “Don, I can’t do this in one week.” And he could see, like, the panic in my eyes, and he said, “Glen, look, just take whatever time you need. I will push back the deadline whatever – in whatever way we can to give you the time to do this.”

So I took a sigh of relief and left work and drove down to the Norton Simon Museum, which is where this sculpture is, the Burghers of Calais, by Rodin. And as I walked around, I started doing drawings of these figures, and particularly it was the back, the way that he sculpted the form of the back. There was such power in that.

And, you know, you don’t know how you’re going to unlock a sequence, but to me, it was the back of the Beast that was going – we were going – I wanted to see his – him transform, but to do it in space like I was walking around the sculpture there, doing these drawings of Rodin’s.

And as I did that, I realized this is what I want to see happen. I want to rotate the Beast in the air. I want to see, like, the back changing, and it will move up and slowly see his arms and his hands and his feet, and finally his head. And that’s what inspired this sequence here.

Moderator: Now, we actually have a couple of segments from – of the transformation, so we can take a look at the – Glen, if you want to walk through the images, these are paced fairly slow so we can stop and pause.

Glen Keane: OK. OK. Yes. So here you see this is the – his – the Beast’s back, very much inspired by that – the Rodin sculptures. And I love the way that Rodin would – the fabric just would disappear.

And as I was able to turn him around, to me, animation, I think of it as sculptural drawing. I shade all of my drawings. Animators say to me, “Why are you shading your drawings? No one’s going to see the shading.” It’s like, you could get that done so much quicker if you didn’t do the shading, but I’m – I would never do the drawing like this (so) I didn’t do the shading. It’s all about light and form and space.

So as the Beast turns, we see his head up in the shadow, come out of the shadow. Now I’ve staged it and set it up so that there’s something delicate can happen, and it was the wind. To me, the wind is like the spirit of God that does this transformation in our lives. I’d always related to the Beast very much like in my own life spiritually, a transformation, that my faith in God and feeling like there was a lot of things in my own life that I could look and say that I’ve matured from.

And so, this is this moment where this spirit, this wind starts to blow on the Beast’s face. I don’t know if we’ve – how far we go with that.

Moderator:   And we do – can run with your rough animation in full – in real-time.

Glen Keane:   Great. So this is the very sculpted face of the Prince, then, as he goes into his final pose. And here he’s lifting himself up and away, and we will watch that.

Moderator:   And then we can take a look at it as in the final film.

Glen Keane: Great. Now, that all goes by, like, amazingly fast, ridiculously fast, and you look at it and you go, “So what’s the big deal about all this?” Well, it’s all – everything that happened before that, it’s all the setup that you spent an hour and a half building for this moment where you could really satisfy the audience’s thirst to see this transformation.

And it was – you were setting it up for actually when Belle looks into his eyes. That’s where you wanted to take the time. I mean, you could take, I don’t know, a half-hour on any one of these sequences and just watch that transformation, but we really wanted to play the time for Belle to be looking into his eyes.

Moderator: So just to sort of explain your overall process again, we have a couple segments of one particular scene. It’s the scene where the Beast is calling Belle to dinner. But we’re going to start and take it through each level. So if you could talk about the process of animation just a little bit, we’ll begin with the storyboard segment.

Glen Keane: OK. So in this sequence here, Beast is furious. He’s going to get Belle to come out of the room. She’s locked herself in there, not going to come out for dinner. His approach is the untransformed petulant child.

(Begin video).

(End video).

Glen Keane: OK. So, of course, you’re recognizing those are not the voices of the actors except possibly Cogsworth’s voice there. But the – anybody in the building will jump in there and do the voice. In that case, it was Kirk Wise doing the Beast. And the rough – the storyboards there are Burney Mattinson’s boards.

And that becomes the template for what you’re going to do the animation from. So Burney is really good for thinking very simply and clearly. He was Eric Larson’s assistant when he started, and he learned simple, clear approaches for communicating ideas.

And I really used a lot of Burney’s architecture for this sequence in the way I animated it. So this – then it goes to the rough animation. This is my rough animation of these scenes, the part that I love.

(Begin video).

(End video).

Glen Keane: Yes, that little Jackie Gleason point at the end was just really – it was so nice, and Burney had put it in there, but it was to me also the way that the arc of the point, that it has to come under and up, because I’d done that point a couple ways, and it wasn’t funny. And then, as soon as it turned at just the right way and you really stage the little finger – that index finger pointing, it was like then it was funny. It’s something that – it’s weird how something can turn on that one little thing.

Then it goes into cleanup, where somebody – we have a team of artists. In this case it was Bill Berg, an incredible cleanup artist who’s worked with me through most of my career, who also is a talented jazz musician. Flim and BB’s, he won a Grammy for that. But he also is a cleanup artist, and he cleaned this sequence up of the Beast where he tries to capture all of the emotion and frustration and feeling that I try to put into my drawings.

(Begin video).

(End video).

Glen Keane:   And then, finally, we have our color version. Do we have that collected?

Moderator:    Yes.

Glen Keane:   Yes.

Moderator:   We do.

Glen Keane:   You know, which is what everybody sees. And the whole point, I think, is behind all of this is to give you a sense of the work that goes into animating something that is all behind the scenes. It’s described in a term that I learned from the Renaissance by a man that is try – was trying to describe the work of Raphael. And he said, “It’s Sprezzatura.” And sprezzatura means art that hides its art.

That’s what animation is. It’s an art form that’s hiding all of this that we’re showing you right now, because really, in the final color, you’re just following along, believing the character is real.

(Begin video).

(End video).

Glen Keane:   And that’s it.

Moderator:   Yes, there you have the final piece.

Now Glen, you’ve had an opportunity to see the Blu-Ray on this. How do you feel about the new technology involved? And is it enhancing the film?

Glen Keane: Oh, yes. Yes. I mean, it’s – the frustration with doing an animated feature is that we have in our minds the perfect – it’s never as good as we see it in our heads. So as long as we can keep improving the images of – for the audience to see, like, at least the artwork that we – we did try to get it to the best we could at that point in technology and animation, which is what we did.

Glen, is there a little bit of you in the Beast somehow?

Glen Keane: Oh, yes. Yes, there’s a lot of me in the Beast. I had an unbelievable temper as a kid. I remember just smashing things in my bedroom. And my mom would come by, in her sweet Australian accent – she’s from Australia – but I – she’d come by and she’d say, “Is that my little Glennie?” And I was just like – God, that’s just a furious little beast. I – you know, I would have been under the curse of the Beast if there had been some sorceress or something. I could have easily been him. I really related to that character.

Moderator:   So a little bit of destiny here in…

Glen Keane:   Yes, yes…

Moderator:    … in designing a character.

Glen Keane:   … in any character you do. You want to find something of yourself… to put into it.

Facially, what were some of your live-action references for the Beast’s expressions?

Glen Keane: Very much my face. I have a mirror at my desk, and I am constantly looking at my own face and expressions throughout the whole film. I didn’t not study Robby Benson’s face, mostly because Jeffrey Katzenberg really made a point that I would not need Robby until after the movie was done for fear that I was going to be drawing the beast looking like Robby Benson.

Because, I mean, I told Jeffrey, I said, “No, that’s not going to happen.” He said, “Oh, I know you. I know you. You’ll – it’s going to start looking like Robby, and Robby’s a heartthrob, and we can’t have the Beast be like that.” I said, “OK, all right, all right.”

So I looked at my own face. I would go home at night, though, and my jaw would be hurting. And I’d go, “What the heck is wrong? Maybe I’ve got this – some jaw disease or something.” And then I go back to work, and I realized, oh, I was always talking – as I’m animating, my jaw is sticking out because I’ve got these fangs there, and I make the face when I’m animating. Whatever it is I’m drawing, I’m making that face.

Moderator: I think Marc Davis said it right when he said, “Animators are actors with pencils.”

Glen Keane: Yes.

Moderator: And so, there you are…

Glen Keane: Yes.

Moderator: … embodying it.

How important was it to you for the Beast to have human eyes?

Glen Keane: Well, yes. As I went through that whole shopping list of animals, the one I didn’t mention was the eyes. The – there is a prince trapped inside that beast, and it was important that his eyes be blue. Also, Robby Benson had blue eyes, too.

And it’s one of those things that I think really connected to people. I got so many letters after this movie came out of people who have struggled with a feeling that they are a beast, but that there’s something good inside of them, but they can’t shake the dark side that’s in their life, particularly children that were abused.

I was getting so many letters from kids that just felt they were ugly because of what had happened from some trusted person. And they really related to seeing the Beast with somebody trapped inside that wanted to get out, and that’s why they loved the transformation, because they could see what they really wanted to have in their own life.

And to that point, the Beast really is one of the deepest Disney characters ever. How did you make it so frightening in the beginning, and then make the Beast become more and more human to such a touching ending?

Glen Keane: Well, at the beginning, I really needed to learn the lesson, I think, you know, that beauty is only skin deep, because I did not believe that Belle was actually – that the audience would believe that Belle would fall in love with this beast.

As I drew him, I knew that I had to communicate the wild animal nature to him. That was the easy part. I had animated a bear in the Fox and the Hound, and the ferocious wildness of a – of this grizzly bear. I just – I really drew on that for me in animating the Beast at the very beginning.

It was the middle zone where he starts to turn – that was, as I had said, the – seeing the childlike. It went from wild animal to selfish human nature. And then, at the end, the hardest scene for me to animate in the whole movie, though, was the moment where Beast lets Belle go back to – go back home. He’s standing there looking at the rose under the glass, and he knows that he will die, but he doesn’t tell Belle that. He lets her go back to see her father.

And Cogsworth comes in and says, “You let her go. Why’d you do that?” And he says, “I love her.” And it was trying to animate that line, nothing I did felt like it could communicate that arc, that change, that truth that went on in him.

So the times like that, you just – you just trust that the music, the story that’s led up to it is going to carry it through, because nothing that you can draw feels adequate.

Can you talk a little bit about the Disney Renaissance at the time, and where do you think, at the time of production beginning then, if you had the technology today, would you make any changes?

Glen Keane: Oh, yes. Yes. Technology always causes you to approach your work differently. It’s – you know, if you were going to sculpt in stone or in clay, you’re going to do something – you’re going to do it different. With the dimension that CG offers, to be able to move in and out of a castle, oh, man, I wish we’d had that technology to go down the hallways and follow Belle, to be more from her point of view. I mean, I think that there’s a lot of great things that we could have done.

Fortunately, the audience fills so much of that in in their own mind, though, you know, radio. You listen to a radio play, and probably the best movies you’ve ever seen are the ones that you’ve actually never seen, the ones that you just read in a book, because in your head, it’s there. So I guess I don’t feel sad that we didn’t have that technology then, but I’m happy that we’ve got it now.

How closely did you work with the other character animators and designers in the film?

Glen Keane: Well, we work as a team. We’re all very close next to each other, and we would get together as animators constantly and show each other our work. We wanted the film to have a cohesiveness, so there’s a broad spectrum from something very realistic, like the Beast, but he’s still caricatured enough, and Andreas’s approach on Gaston, they defined more of the very sculpted, realistic side. Then you’ve got LeFou, way, way, really broad, a bouncy, cartoony, stretchy, squashy guy.

The music, I think, is the glue that holds our character designs together in a funny way. It’s like a – it’s like you’re making a great dinner, and you’ve got all of these different elements together, that you’ve got this great salmon there with some rice, then there’s some vegetables and all that. But then you drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the top, and it just unifies the whole meal. And that’s kind of what Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s music did to me.

How was it working – did you work with Roy Disney Jr. Do you have any favorite stories of Roy?

Glen Keane: Well, Roy has always been like the godfather of animation for us from early, early on, and so he was very involved with us, coming in often to the studio, seeing how things were going with us. He gave me – like, he’d buy some pencils, I remember one time, that he was thinking of me. He was at some store, and they had these gorgeous pencils, and he wanted me to have them so that I could be drawing with them.

It was – he wasn’t going to be animating, but he wanted to participate with that. He was constantly encouraging, sending little, I don’t know, clips of things that he would read, pieces of music that would inspire him. He was a very sensitive soul. And we felt very protected knowing that we have somebody like that whose name is on the head of the building, you know, that cared like that.

What are your thoughts on the Beast in the Broadway play. How did you feel about that, making that transition of seeing your two-dimensional character become a three-dimensional character?

Glen Keane: Before we did the play, I sat down with the designers, and we talked about all the research and development that went into that character. I was really trying to stress some of the essentials, like the scale and the size of the Beast, how important that was, the animal nature, the way that he would move around. And their limitations on stage are entirely – it’s a – you’re limited. You can’t just do anything that you could draw.

But there were some things that I was just amazed at how clever their solutions were, like the transformation, that the Beast actually – it’s his clothes – his Beast costume is just sucked off by a vacuum, and there’s this transformation that happens with the cloud in front of your eyes, and you don’t see it. It was a magic trick for them. They actually had to physically do what we could just fake with our drawings. I was impressed.

Was there anything from the original story that you wish would have made it to the final film?

Glen Keane: You know, I guess I wonder about that – the repetitive nature of a fairy tale, the question that’s asked, “Will you marry me.” In that story, it was – it’s the glue that holds that story together, it – almost like poetry, the rhythm of that question all the way through.

We couldn’t keep – we couldn’t do that because it – watching actually a movie, if a character is saying that, it’s like putting a guilt trip on somebody, and it just didn’t work. I wish that there was that kind of repetition, a meter that you could find, in a way. You know, I would have loved to have found a way to have that in this story. That, you know, probably would have messed it up in some way, but I don’t know. It’s a good – interesting question.

Are there any directors, animators today that you’d love to work with?

Glen Keane: Yes. Well, there’s a guy named Michael Dudok De Wit. He’s a Belgian animator. He did a short film called Mother and Daughter that is so sensitive, so beautiful. I really admire his work. I would love to do something with him some day.

Dean Wellins I think is one of the most talented directors that there are. For a while he was working with me directing Tangled. He has an amazing sense of story structure and architecture and story that I would love to work with him again.

How has the shift to digital elements in animation helped to make your job easier, or has it made your job easier?

Glen Keane: No. No. Technology never makes life easier. It just makes it different. It makes some things easier, but then it always adds some new thing onto the table that you’ve never imagined, and now you’ve got that to deal with.

It’s like – OK. So in betweening it was – is a pain in the neck in hand-drawn animation, and wow, hey, we don’t have to do in-betweens. The computer does all of those extra little in-between steps.

But now you’ve got lighting, and how does that lighting work around the edges of a character? And then there’s the fabric, and there’s the costume designs, and everything is real, and there’s – everything has a texture. Everything has to be painted and planned, and a background is not just a – something that is painted once. You actually have to build that table, and it’s got to feel like real wood.

And there’s unbelievable weight of integrity is added with this computer that, you know, you – when you went to the car lot, the – and you bought the CG thing and you thought it was going to make it easier, well, that’s not why you bought it. You bought it because it makes the world more credible and believable. That’s the beauty of it, and that’s why we want to do films in CG.

Though there’s something in hand-drawn that CG has to bend its knee to. There’s an immediate connection with the – I don’t know, the soul of the artist, the – something happens in my brain. I know that when I draw with a pencil, it – the ideas come. And it doesn’t happen with words. It happens by actually the graphite touching the paper, and that’s a really important thing for me to continue that. That – it’s a unique art form.

Imagine if you considered that, OK, we’ve got synthesizer music. Hey, now we don’t have to have violin players anymore. We can just have them work on the synthesizer. And whole orchestra, we don’t need them anymore. I don’t know, wouldn’t we have lost such an incredible thing? There’s – it’s so important that hand-drawn animation continue. And just like CG should grow on its own, hand-drawn has to evolve, as well.

Are there any subtle elements in your Beast design that you feel people missed?

Glen Keane:   Besides his rainbow bum?

Subtle elements. And is there an element that you’re particularly proud of?

Glen Keane: Well, I guess – that’s such an interesting question. Did somebody miss something in the design? I don’t know. I guess I feel that the design works as a whole, you know? If you go back to the orchestra idea, there’s violinists that are playing that no one ever really heard them, but they contributed to the – to the whole.

And there’s so many elements that contribute to the whole, and it works together. I don’t have a sense that I wished people would recognize something more in the design. I feel like the – they actually read more into it sometimes than is actually there.

And did you work with – and if so, how closely – with Howard Ashman and Alan Menken?

Glen Keane: They would come to the studio. We would hear their music.

My relation with Howard and Alan was probably a lot closer on Little Mermaid, and that’s where the important work happened for me in terms of trust. You’re a very tight little team, and here comes somebody who doesn’t know animation stepping in, and you – it took a while for us to really trust and listen to what Howard was saying.

So when he suggested this song, “There’s Something There,” you embraced it at that point, and we had to go with it knowing we had such little time, and you had to really trust him. And I think that that was important for me as an animator that I felt like I already – I knew that that guy was going to come up with something really helpful for us. I just had that trust.

And while in production, was there any pressure to follow the success of The Little Mermaid?

Glen Keane: Yes. We felt like The Little Mermaid might be just an anomaly. And like I said, that when we were working on Beauty and the Beast, we didn’t know that it was actually going to be a success at all.

Matter of fact, there were points in the film where we were looking at it, and we – it just wasn’t working. The version in London we threw out and we started again. And there are screenings on every one of these films where you’re looking at it and you’re just thinking, “This stinks. This is really bad. Oh, man. I just hope that we are given another chance after this flop.”

And there was points on – not that you really believe it’s going to flop, but you know that, somewhere down the line, something is missing, and somebody’s got to come up with the solution on it, and we just didn’t know what it was yet. It – it’s not written. You don’t feel this sense of, you know, like you’re working on some classic thing. You really are groping through the dark.

John Lasseter describes it as if you are walking through a maze blind, and the only way to go through it is to have your hands on the wall and walk through every wrong turn until you get out. That’s kind of the way these animated movies seem to be made.

What was it like working with CAPS, and what are some of the big mistakes either animators make when combining cell with CGI?

Glen Keane:   I’m not exactly sure, I mean, combining cell with CGI?

Well, traditional hand-drawn animation and then going into CG.

Glen Keane: OK. Well, any time the computer enters into hand-drawn, it always demands that you draw with more integrity and believability because the computer respects dimension and space in such a severe way that you – it’s going to create an environment that much more dimensional, and you have to think more sculpturally.

I love that. I love the fact that the computer causes me to think in terms of sculptural drawing. Like for Tarzan, it was very much that way. In Great Mouse Detective, that was really the first – the very first one was actually Black Cauldron, where we had the cauldron animated through CG.

Then it was Great Mouse Detective with the gears and the clockwork, and Oliver & Company we did – oh, Oliver & Company we had a car moving through there, and then we had, in – let’s see, what was that – after Little Mermaid, I guess, with the ship at the end. And then, we did Rescuers Down Under before we did Beauty and the Beast.

And you look back on that, and you – I’m just so glad that we had that whole CAPS system developed and prepared ourselves to go and do Beauty and the Beast, so to be able to do that ballroom sequence. Bit by bit by bit, it kind of snuck in, infiltrated. It was very natural growth that way.

As the Beast character changes throughout the film, various color changes occur certainly during the gloomy scenes. They get much darker, going to more of a – brighter tones during the brighter sequences. How closely did you work with determining those changes?

Glen Keane: Brian McEntee was the art director on the film. And as where he would do a color script of the whole story, and those ideas were really worked out at the same time that the script is being written. So we were really thinking in terms of color and emotion right from the very beginning. We knew what was going to be in deep shadow, where we were going to have the lighting on a shot. We would have layouts that really showed just where you were going to be animating so you could stage it properly.

The color is every bit as powerful as a script element as the script itself.

What does a normal day look like for you as an animator?

Glen Keane: Oh. Well, you see…

I’m sure it varies.

Glen Keane: Well, for me, is what’s normal as an animator hasn’t been normal for me for eight years now since I’ve actually animated that, since I’ve been shepherding our story of Rapunzel/Tangled through to the end here.

When I did have a normal day, it was very much a day of try to get in as early as I could and animate, because I had usually a crew of artists that I would go oversee their work. And so I would get in very early and do my animation. And then, around – after lunchtime, I would start to check in with the other artists and go over their animation so that hopefully, by the end of the day, I could leave to get home to be with my family.

My family has always been an incredibly important part of my life, and the only reason that I think that I’ve got a career that has lasted this long, and a lot of the characters that I’ve done have been inspired by different members of my family, that – I guess they’ve always been sort of the (through line) for me, that I try not to let work become my god, you know? That’s a – that’s a constant challenge.

Anything that you’re working on now – what’s ahead of you? Directing? Writing? More storyboard?

Glen Keane: Well, I feel like I need to draw. I need to get my hands dirty. On this film, I did a lot of drawing on the (Centique) over top of the animator’s work, and that was really satisfying, fun to contribute that way because I didn’t animate in CG. But I could help others to apply the principles of Disney animation to their work.

On a (Centique), we would take a look at – we – well, we have a screening room on Tangled where you can see the animators work, and then I had a (Centique). I could draw over top of it, project it up on the screen, do corrections. They would have those drawings in their office for them when they get back to apply those changes to.

So through that whole time, though, I’m thinking, I can’t wait. I can’t wait to sit down at my desk with the pencil sharpener and sharpen a pencil, and then I don’t draw with a sharp pencil. I immediately kind of rub it flat on a little sandpaper block, and then I start to draw, and it’s like butter on paper. It’s just like it feels so satisfying.

And you start to draw something, and it connects with your heart. And I – that’s why I cannot wait to get back into doing that. Whether I’m animating on my own project that I will develop or animate on somebody else’s, I’m still waiting to determine that.

What do you think about being considered one of the new Nine Old Men of Animation?

Glen Keane: Well, the new is going by its wayside pretty quickly since I feel like I’m – I am the oldest guy on our animation team on Tangled at 56 years old – that’s what I am – and so new doesn’t really fit. I’m second generation, like a fine wine. Just keeps getting better, I’m hoping, you know?

There’s – I just keep passing it on. Everything that I’ve heard I spent a lot of time just passing that on to this group, and there is a new generation, though, that’s coming out from our generation, you know? I’d say we’re moving into now the third generation.

Moderator: Absolutely, with lots of exciting things ahead.

Well, Glen, it’s been a joy. Thank you so much for taking the time this morning out to share some of your insights into this extraordinary character. Want to thank you for your time, hope it’s been enjoyable for you.

Glen Keane: Oh, this is just – it’s been really, really wonderful to be able to talk about this film. You know, what’s interesting to me is you’ve been asking the questions, and incredible questions from these different countries and artists or journalists from around the world, that it’s not just – I don’t feel like this is reminiscing to me.

It’s more like a way to remind myself of what I love, what I love to do, and – you know, so I really thank you for doing that, Mindy and everybody else that’s contributed to this hour – however long we’ve gotten together now.

Moderator: About an hour and a half.

Glen Keane: Thank you.

END

PART II -

Glen, if you could take us back a little bit. There’s quite a bit of interesting history about this story in general. We’ve got a few of the facts there on the screen about this story. But it’s my understanding that Walt Disney, himself had explored this story. Is that correct?

Glen Keane: Yes. There has been a lot of research that we did on time to get to the roots of this story. And apparently Walt had done the same thing. On the film, at that time as we were working on it, Joe Grant, who was the head of story on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Fantasia was working with us on Beauty and the Beast. He was 90 or close to that anyways, late 80s.

So I asked Joe about it. I said did you already work on Beauty and the Beast? He said oh yes. We tried to crack that nut but it was just too difficult. I mean the whole story just takes place in one dining room, where the Beast asks Belle every night if she’d marry him. And there’s just not a lot of story in that. And we tried to figure it out. Finally we just put it on the shelf.

And there’s a lot of ideas that have been put on the shelf. But we waited until there’s a time where we can really focus and crack that nut. In this story, I feel like really needed – well I guess it really needed Howard Ashman in a big way. I mean there is something about Howard Ashman’s approach to breaking something down musically and describing story in these tent pole songs that really started to give us a structure to tell that story.

Moderator:   And that began roughly about 1987, correct?

Glen Keane:   Yes.

Moderator:   OK. Let’s take a look. We’ve got a rather vintage image of some of the lead animators from the film. If you want to point out who everybody is.

Glen Keane: Yes. This is kind of a weird looking image here. It was actually taken – the picture was taken in a totally dark room. These are the lead animators. And the way the guy did this was opened the shutter of the camera, and then with a flashlight went around the wall with a red light. And you see all of that. And then shined the white light on us. And whatever was lit came onto the film and was exposed.

So we all had to hold that pose entirely still. It was why we all look like we’re from Mt. Rushmore or something. But on the left – the far left standing next to me is Andreas Deja, who animated you know Gaston. And then sitting down in front of him is Dave Pruiksma, who did Mrs. Potts. And then standing on the other side of the big buffalo there is Nick Ranieri who did Lumiere. And then sitting in front of him is Will Finn that did Cogsworth.

But both Nick and Will were like at each other’s throats through the whole movie, just like Cogsworth and Lumiere. Matter fact at one point at the end of the film where Cogsworth and Lumiere have finally have a moment where they start pushing each other and shoving one another, Nick and Will filmed each other doing the same thing. It was very cathartic for them.

But that’s me next to the big buffalo that I had purchased so I could have it on my wall at work. It was a – there is a taxidermy place not far down the street from our studio there in Glendale. And I wanted it there just as a reminder about the immense size and power of this beast. A buffalo. If you have ever been next to one, I mean they are standing you know up to seven feet tall next to you. They’re huge.

And I wanted to remember the power of the Beast constantly. Now that buffalo head hangs in our house. For a long time it was in our garage until my wife finally let me hang it in our living room.

Moderator:   So a constant reminder for you then.

Glen Keane: Yes.

Moderator: Let’s go back and take a little bit of a visual history at this story in general. Some of the earlier Beasts – well the Beasts in this story were explored certainly in the early forms of literature. So we’ve got some examples of early illustrations. And Glen, if you could just talk a bit through each of these pieces. If there was any inspiration in these, or not, for you?

Glen Keane: Well whenever you are going to design a character for a Disney movie, I mean I take it really seriously, because I know that it’s going to become the definitive version of that character. When people you know 100 years from now think about the Beast, what’s he look like? They’re going to be thinking about Disney’s Beast.

So I wanted to see if – was there like a definitive version of the Beast that had been done? And as I went through a lot of these images, you see Walter Crane, there is – doing some drawings with him with kind of a wild boar head. But if you notice, the body is very much like a – just a regular man. They all look like Halloween characters. You know like a costume. You just put the head on there. He’s got his little animal hoof boots. But he is not really an animal.

And if you – you know Warwike Goble there also was doing the head of the Beast kind of a thing. But even the legs were very human. Arthur Rackham was pushing it a little further. He was trying to really go into an ugliness of the Beast. But when I saw that I thought OK. Well I know that our version – he’s got to be appealing. Even though he’s got to be ugly, there’s got to be an appealing I believe. Something that you are drawn to.

He can’t look like an alien. He’s got to look like a creature that is actually from this earth somewhere. So as I had done that research, I realized all right. I am not going to find the clue from past illustrators’ work. They were more like these are tries that – I don’t want to go down that path.

Moderator: OK. So with that kind of background, we’ve got a few segments from the bonus features on the new diamond edition DVD coming out tomorrow in the U.S. Those of you in other countries, if you wanted to check with your markets on the regions – on the release dates within your regions.

But let’s take a look at one of the segments from there. I think this is sort of a setup which will get us into the flavor of what the research was like in preparation for designing this – working from the Beast’s castle.

Glen Keane: We were originally doing this story – we went out to London, a group of us with Don Hahn the producer. And to start to explore this story, how we were going to animate it. And it was just some footage shot back then.

[Video]

Moderator: OK. So that experience in London kind of changed up a little bit. You guys had gotten to a point on the film. But then change came about. Is that correct?

Glen Keane: Yes. We realized that this story needed a – it needed a whole fresh approach. And Richard Purdum was taking a much more of a very classic sticking by the book approach on the story, not wanting to go into too far into the zone of a Disney musical.

Well at that point, Jeffrey Katzenberg said all right. Now we’re going to throw out everything and start over again. And at that point we had found ourselves in Europe with nothing to do except do a research trip. So we decided well, let’s go take advantage of this time and go to Loire Valley. Now the Loire Valley, of course it’s in France, and the Loire River runs through that area. And built along the river are chateaus that the kings had built over the years, and each one is a ride – one day’s ride from the chateau.

And it was there that we found Chateau of Chambord. And it was something about that. It was an ominous, impressive place with all of these spires and just standing there before us. I mean I’ll never forget the morning driving up there through the mist and fog and seeing it there. I thought this is the Beast’s castle. This is where he lives.

And to me, as an animator, it’s really important to animate a character in a real environment. I mean when I was – when I was a kid, and I would draw – I wouldn’t draw just to do a drawing of a face or something. I would do a drawing so I could enter into that paper. You know for me it was like a magic mirror that you could step into. And suddenly I was – I was living in the time of the dinosaurs, or like a time machine, or with the knights or something.

And I just remember that feeling. And animation is like that. And so I really needed for me, as an animator to understand the environment of the Beast. And for all of us as animators, that’s what that trip did.

Moderator: Now there’s been some discussion of the castle as almost a metaphor for the Beast, in that it’s a large ominous place, but yet clearly as we enter into the interior of the castle, there is quite a lush interior, but yet it’s empty and hollow in a sense, very much like the Beast. Was that any inspiration gone for you from that?

Glen Keane:   Well the whole Beast castle becomes a visual symbol of what had happened on the outside of the Beast. It’s ugly. It’s dark. It’s tortured. It’s twisted. It’s devoid of life. And when Belle meets the Beast, she is meeting a guy that has been cursed. The outside is – has got that dark exterior. And at the end of the movie when Beast transforms, and the castle’s curse is lifted, you see the transformation. And very much of – there’s a feeling of that at Chambord that we had seen in the Loire Valley with all this beautiful white stone from (inaudible) that we were able to let it transform back into that.

Moderator: OK. Let’s take a look and move on to another segment from the bonus features, which helps to get us – the tone set for exploring the early exploration for the piece.

[Video]

Moderator:   So, with that early beginning, you had to sort of take a second look at how this Beast was going to take – be shaped. So let’s jump into some of these early concept pieces that had been underway at an early time in production.

Glen Keane: Yes. So some of these drawings at the very beginning are – some of this is Chris Sanders’ Beast drawings. And they do have kind of an alien kind of a creature to me. They’re fun and whimsical. But to me it didn’t speak the Beast. And these were Andreas Deja’s drawings, which were very dark and twisted and sort of scary.

But the – there’s still something about the human body thing that bothered me. Now we had all kinds of different ways of throwing animal faces on, the (upper left) one is kind of cat-like. And there is sort of goats. And then there was a mandrel that was in the London zoo that each day as I walked past the London zoo I would do these drawings of this mandrill character.

I remember there was a woman there as I was doing some drawings that said you know if you turned around the mandrill showed me that its rear end was all multi colored. And she said, oh he’s got a rainbow bum he has. Which I just loved her accent saying that.

So Beast actually has a rainbow bum but nobody knows that but Belle. There was these different kinds of themes and you know what – what is there – is his feet going to look like there? And where we have got …

Moderator:   It is on the screen.

Glen Keane:   Oh it’s on the screen?

Moderator:   Yes, we’re getting a little discrepancy.

Glen Keane:   OK.

Moderator:   But it’s – the image is showing through there.

Glen Keane: OK great. I’ll look at (Chuck’s) screen. We have a wide variety of different creatures. But you know to me appeal was really, really important. You know how were we going to find the Beast – you know that for me was the real Beast. You know like I said, you feel like it’s really important to communicate that this is appealing character. And to me there’s a sense that the character existed before you even started to draw it.

Moderator: Oh let’s see.   Let’s run segment three. This is a short clip which talks about the importance of recognizing the role of the Beast, and sort of reflecting on that. But before we get into the inspiration, let’s take a look at this.

[Video]

Moderator:   So with the Beast established then as our key protagonist, that had to have had a pretty impactful influence on how he came about – how you came about getting the final design.

Glen Keane:   Well there was – you knew that he had to be frightening. And as I would do these different drawings of the Beast, I kept thinking, how in the world is Belle going to fall in love with this guy? I mean no one’s going believe this, really.

And so of all these drawings, nothing seemed to be clicking for me. And if you would come into my office you would see all sorts of photos on the walls of like a gorilla, of sketches. Or I would just try to – what is it about that gorilla that I love? I mean ultimate I love the brow of that gorilla. So I would draw some of the brow of that gorilla on the Beast.

And then there was this – the lion. The lion’s mane. I loved that. The softness of it and so the lion’s mane came into be part of the Beast as well as the fangs. But there was the wild boar, the ugliness of that. But his muzzle – so I put that onto the Beast with the tusks coming up. It was the sadness of the buffalo. The weight, the – looks like the buffalo carries around the weight of the world on his head. And I loved that.

And then the beard of the buffalo. That went into the crock-pot. And then there was the wolf though. Every day I would walk to work past the London zoo. And these wolves would walk back and forth, back and forth. And I realized they’re so animal like. And one of the things that I really am searching for is how can I communicate that the whole beast is like this beast animal? And that it’s not just his head or his hands, or his feet.

And so it was the structure of the leg that I started to use a wolf leg, and the wolf tail for the Beast. And the way the Beast could swish his tail around gave it a lot more emotion possibilities. Then the body of a huge big grizzly bear for the Beast. I mean there is nothing more massive and powerful. I knew that from the fox and the hound and animating the grizzly bear in that.

So that came into play. So all the drawings that I started to do with the Beast though, I put them on all fours, just as a reminder, this guy is an animal. And one day in my office, Bruce Johnson, one of the animators working with me said, so Glen, what’s the Beast going to look like? This is after like six months of drawing. I said, I don’t know, Bruce. I grabbed the sheet of paper and started drawing. And I was like – and I went through the same thing I just told all of you about all of these different elements except I was drawing it as I was telling him this.

And suddenly I looked at him, and it was like, that’s him. That’s the Beast. That’s what he looks like. And it was like I said, it’s as if the character existed beforehand, and suddenly he appears on the paper and you recognized him. And that was the experience of that moment.

Moderator: Well pretty powerful stuff. When the combination of it comes together. Let’s take a look at a few little images, a few scenes from the film, images that show just a little glimpse of the Beast.

Glen Keane:   There is this petulance that the Beast has got in these – and the image – just that one there. Yes. His you know where Belle is binding up his wounds after the Beast has saved her from the wolves. And you start to see the crack in the armor there. And the Beast starts softening. And you know how do you show the reason that he was turned into a beast was not because he was a murderer or something. It was because he was selfish.

I mean and that’s a lot more fun to play when you get to play more to the childlike stomping kind of a beast. I just spent the weekend with my eighteen-month-old granddaughter. And I see in her a lot of the characteristics of the Beast. Her learning to say no and pushing other little kids. I mean she is really sweet. But there is still this dark side you know that you have to confront.

And that was the fun part of this character. Animating the wild animal, but then into a more identifiable thing that the childlike selfishness. And we thought that once Beast had saved Belle’s life, that that was enough to earn this dance. This moment with her falling in love. And so we had the – the story went that way. And when we got to this sequence where Beast and Belle dance, which was just in the storyboard at the time, we had a screening.

And there was a feeling like this movie is not working. I don’t believe. We haven’t earned this moment for Belle and Beast to fall in love. It feels like we’re forcing it. Feels like the artist’s hand is sort of making people believe this, trying desperately, but it’s not working. What is it?

And at that point Howard Ashman came in with this song that I think really turned the corner for us. The “Something There” song. And I had always felt that Robby Benson should have a moment in this movie where he could actually sing. The guy’s got a great voice. A baritone base voice. It’s very soft and gentle. And so this song, “There’s Something There” was written. And what was wonderful is it was a very small little thing that the movie turned on. You know Beast giving Belle the library. It was – that was the thing that he had noticed what was special to this girl, and he gave her this gift.

And it was really cool just to see how the story, you suddenly believed it after that. And before that song was written, you didn’t.

You spoke earlier about you know the fact that you were not permitted to even see Robby Benson doing any of his lines.

Glen Keane:   No, that was verboten. He – you know Robby Benson, for any of you who may be really young journalists out there; you may not know that Robby Benson – when this movie came out, was a big teenage heartthrob. Or at least that was his history at that point. He wasn’t quite the heart – he wasn’t a teenager at all. But that was his reputation.

And Jeffrey Katzenberg was so afraid that I was going to draw the Beast like Robby Benson. And so he said, I don’t want you to meet Robby Benson until after this movie’s done. Because I had usually gone into recording sessions, worked with the actors. But in this case I wasn’t allowed to specifically because of this thing with Jeffrey.

So it wasn’t until after the movie that I actually got a chance to meet Robby. And I guess that’s something that does happen that you draw the people that you know into the character. I think I could have – I think I could have worked around that.

Was there anything about the voice? His voicing of the character that sparked you in any way or helped you to …?

Glen Keane:   Yes. Well the – at the beginning. I remember when we were trying to find the right voice for this character, we had – the directors had boiled it down to three different voices. And I got this tape from them, a cassette tape that night. And I drove home. And I remember I was washing dishes. We had had dinner. And so I just put the tape on. And as I am washing dishes I am hearing one version of the Beast. Nah, that’s not it. Then the next one. No, that’s it. And then the third one was like whoa. That’s the Beast.

I mean I could suddenly see the voice just fit with the drawings and it was clear, that was the Beast. And I went in and I said who is this guy? And they said well that’s Robby Benson.

Moderator:   Amazing how that takes shape. Well we’re going to run some segments of taking a look at one of the scenes from the film. This is where the Beast is calling Belle out to dinner. And we’re going to take it and look at it from four different perspectives. I will start initially. And four perspectives in the process of animation. So starting with the storyboard segment. And let’s take a quick look at this and then Glen, if you want to walk through it a bit.

Glen Keane: Yes. Well the storyboard is the phase of where you just have to get the images up on the board to see what you’ve got, to plan it out. So let’s take a look at this.

[Video]

Glen Keane:   OK. So obviously those are not the – all the – there’s a couple of the final voices in there. But most of those are like I think Kirk Wise is doing the voice of the Beast. He was our director. And various different people filling in.

But enough for us to get a feeling of how that little scene is going to play out. A template that seemed to work. And it was fun. And Burny Mattinson, who was one of the guys who worked with one of Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men, was his assistant. Burny was Eric Larson’s assistant in those Nine Old Men. And he had learned to really communicate everything in the most simply means with very clear, strong poses. And that’s what I really tried to follow some of Burny’s suggestions and leave on the animation.

And the rough animation, I have to tell you is to me – that’s where – that’s where it all happens for me. I go into my office. I turn off the lights. And except for one light above my desk. And it’s like a stage. It all just becomes real. And I enter into the paper. And I’m living it. And there is an emotion. There is a feeling that comes through in the pencil lines, and I – to be honest, it never gets better. It never gets better than this for me. This is the rough animation of that sequence.

[Video]

Glen Keane:   And what’s interesting is how something – an idea can turn on a tiny little solid thing. Like the Beast pointing, doing the Jackie Gleason. My first – we had done different ways of the point. And if you turn the hand you know so you see the back – the front side of it as he’s pointing, it’s not funny. It has to be turned the very way that it’s turned there, and it’s got to come up in that gesture the way it does.

And you don’t know that until you’ve done it a couple times and you go OK. Well why is this not working? And then you finally find it. So the next step is the cleanup. And that’s where you break down all these rough lines that you seen into one clean line. And it’s quite a challenge.

I had an artist that worked with me for my whole career, (Bill Berg), he is – actually he was a musician, a drummer that won a Grammy for Flimm & the BBs, the jazz group. But he was also a phenomenal artist. And so he oversaw the cleanup of this scene.

[Video]

Glen Keane:   (Inaudible) at one point, I had a lot more stripes designed into the character. And we realized we’re not going to be able to finish this movie, Glen if you have all of these stripes in (inaudible) face, here. And (Bill) had already gone through and drawn all the stripes in there. And he had to go through and erase and simplify. Take out all the stripes that he had drawn in there. I think that is the simplified stripe version. But (Bill) (Herculean) effort there.

Moderator:   Yes. And now, to see it all put together, we have the final color segment. So. Put it into context.

Glen Keane: Yes.

[Video]

Glen Keane:   So what you’ve just seen is kind of an unveiling of all that goes underneath it. There’s a term I learned that describes this. And it’s called (spretzitera). A term coined in the 1500s by someone describing the work of Raphael, how – and it means art that hides its art. And that’s what animation is. It’s this amazing art form. But soon as it’s in color, you’re not looking at drawings anymore. You’re looking a living breathing character.

And the animator disappears. You as an artist, it’s an art form that where you really hide. You’re not out front at all.

In the beginning when we first meet the Beast, quite a stark and frightening character. What sorts of things did you do to purposefully enhance that transition into a softer, gentler beast by the end of the film?

Glen Keane:   Well there’s little things that you would do with the Beast in terms of how he would have a gentleness in his expression. I know that for me, the center of emotion in a character is in the brows and the eyes. And that’s the place where the audience is looking. All the other cool stuff, the animal things, and all the horns and everything are set dressing for the eyes.

The eyes are that window to the soul. And the one thing I didn’t mention on all those aspects of the designing of the Beast were the eyes are the (prints) of someone who’s trapped inside this beast. And that’s the thing at the end of the movie where Belle, after the guy has transformed, she has to look into his eyes and realize, it is you. I mean it really is the eyes that you know that reveal him.

It’s interesting, in animating this character, I got so much mail from people, more than on any other character of people who really related to the Beast. The dark side of him that they felt in their own life that there was – there was a person inside of them that they wanted to get out. That they thought of themselves as ugly. And it was – I got a lot of letters from people who had been abused, just as a weight that they’ve carried in their life. And they really related to the Beast in watching this transformation at the end.

For them it was a symbol of everything that they wanted to see happen in their own life. The struggle that they were going through. It was really remarkable for me in that.

Is there anything about the Beast you would go back and change, if you could?

Glen Keane:   I wish he could have stayed the Beast. In fact, I did have us record a line at the end of the movie where Beast and Belle, the prince – who knows what his name is. I mean you know his name was Beast – were dancing. And I knew that the audience was going to be disappointed that here was – what happened to our Beast?

So I had them record Belle saying, do you think you could grow a beard? See? You’re laughing. It was a good idea. It’s not in the movie. We should have put it in there. Yes.

Moderator:   Well speaking of transformations. Let’s take a look at probably one of the most astounding scenes in animation of all times. And certainly in contemporary animation. And that is the transformation of the Beast.

And Glen, I know there is quite a process to this. But you went through – or it was a pretty pivotal time for you at the time during production. Could you talk a bit about that?

Glen Keane:   Well, there was this sequence that I had been waiting to animate for years, I think, as we were working on this movie. And that was you know where Beast is going to transform. But it came down to finally I had one week left in production. And I hadn’t even gotten to it yet. And Don Hahn came in to my office, the producer.

And I said Don; I don’t have time to do this. I feel like this is what I was born to do, and how am I going to do this in a week? And he said all right. All right. All right. Glen, look. Whatever it is that you need to get done, this sequence, just make it great. Take the time that you need. I’ll fight off the wolves here. We’ll figure it out. Just do what you need to do.

So I – that day I just up and I left. And I went down to the Norton Simon Museum. This is a photo of the Burghers of Calais, a sculpture that’s in front of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. And you don’t know what you’re looking for at that time. I was just looking for something. And I walked in there. And those sculptures were so bold and powerful and emotional.

And as I walked around, I had my sketchbook, and I was doing these sketches, looking – particularly I noticed the back. The back of (Rodin’s) men there, as their bent over. And how expressive they were. And as I started thinking about it, this was a way I could show the transformation scene the Beast’s back being powerful massive thing. And as it turns around, you slowly reveal around to his face.

You don’t show his face first. But you get little glimpses. Keeping his head up in the shadows. And so that’s where I went. And let’s take a look at the actual – the rough animation of that transformation.

Here you can see I am doing some of the – in some of these drawings, there is a shaded thing that I am doing in all of my animation that when people look at my rough animation, they say, why are you shading your drawings? It’s like – I mean no one is going to see that. It’s like yes, but it’s more real to me. It’s like sculptural drawing.

You know and as we click through, you can see. I am starting with the Beast’s back with these big powerful forms. And it is like sculptural drawing. Let’s click through there. And as the Beast is turning, you would think that the back is not expressive. But it’s actually incredibly expressive aspect of this character.

And his head is coming around slowly. But I am keeping it in shadow. And then as the head comes towards us, this transformation, this – this is a spiritual moment. And I tried to set that up with this wind that starts to move across his face, and brings the – what’s hidden inside out as the prince is formed, and we get a glimpse there. And then the light will start flying out from his fingertips and toes.

Moderator: Let’s watch that in Real Time now.

Glen Keane:   There’s actually some drawings that are missing in there where you see the wind moving across his face. But we’ll see it in the color. You know for me, when you’re animating something, you’re trying to express something that you’ve experienced in your own life. This isn’t just drawing a character. Going through something that’s unrelated that you know you can be just doing these drawings. You have to live it. You have to feel it.

And I know that for me when I am animating a character, I am going through all of those same emotions that they’re – like animating the Beast. To me, I would go home and my jaw would hurt from drawing this face that – you know his expressions and his emotions, and what he was talking about. I was living it. And in this moment here, this to me was very much something that I think I just experienced in my own life, my own spiritual life.

A transformation to me. I mean I am a Christian. I really experienced this. I wrote on – up in the upper corners of the paper as I was animating this, a bible verse from I Corinthians. It says if any man is in Christ, he’s a new creation. The old things have passed away, and all things have become new.

That’s what this was for me. Every artist has to draw on their own experience, their own beliefs, and put that into their work. And it’s there. You sense it. It’s true.

Were you assigned the Beast, or did you request this character specifically?

Glen Keane: I was asked to do the – do the Beast. Yes. It was one of those things, it was like wow. The best stuff in life is a gift. You know. Things that you work hard to get sometimes are not the best for you. And the best things are something you you’re like wow. There it is. This was an opportunity that really – I was so happy that I was there at the right time.

Did you see Jean Cocteau‘s version of Beauty and the Beast, and did that have an influence on you?

Glen Keane: Yes. That’s a great question. There was – that’s obviously the classic iconic film that defines you know the genre of Beauty and the Beast. And we did look at that. And when we visited the chateaus in Loire Valley, I saw the actual arms holding the candles in the chateaus there that he used you know as the arms kind of turn. And there were these wonderful moments in there that – I don’t know. It just felt – there was the presence of castle, the chateau is what really hit me about Cocteau’s version that this was happening in a very magical place.

How about the Beast, himself? Did that have – play you think anywhere in there?

Glen Keane:   To me, that did not. If it was much more of a – something that I discovered in our own version of this movie.

You kind of touched on this a little bit. But I know most artists are never quite finished with their work. Is there anything about the Beast, his appearance, and animal that you would have wished you would have put in there? Is there anything just bothers you about it, or that you want to go back and change?

Glen Keane:   You know I felt like everything came together on this character. And in such an amazing way that I would not – I would not change anything on him. Even the stripes that we took out. Now when I look at it I go, yes, yes, yes. There was too many stripes. I was trying to bringing in some of the wild tiger kind of pattern to the Beast.

And now when I look at it, I think yes, maybe that would have been just a little too distracting to him. I am very satisfied with the way he looks, you know. I think I would ruin it if I tried to change it.

What was it like comparing – working on Tarzan to working on the Beast here? Because here – in Tarzan you have a man who thinks he’s a beast, or vice versa, a beast who really is a man underneath.

Glen Keane:   Yes you know, it’s interesting. I really thought a lot about those two characters. Because Tarzan was the opposite. I mean he – he was a man of nobility and desperately trying to become a beast, to fit in you know with his surroundings. And the Beast was somebody who there was no nobility in him, and that’s why he was turned into a beast. And he had to become a man.

Their paths were crossing each other the opposite way. But I think I related to both of them. I mean there is a course in our life I feel like that we go that way. We try to mature and grow. The thing that I guess I really connected with both characters was a visceral feeling of animalness in both of them that I just was fascinated with Tarzan, living in the jungle. Surviving, moving like an animal. And the Beast the same way.

Their hair was really important. A character’s hair is sort of defined the struggle that that character has in the film. It’s not just like oh, what are we going to do with the hair? You know you just throw something on there. The hair is like a symbol of that character’s story struggle with – for Ariel, her hair floating there was a constant reminder that this girl is underwater and that she has got to struggle to live on another zone of – to survive on land.

With Pocahontas, it was this ethereal spirit like movement of her hair that moved in the wind. The colors of the wind. And it was very much this girl trying to communicate that to someone who was from a very black and white kind of a world. With Tarzan, it was the dreadlocks. Is he – is he going to embrace himself as an animal, or as Lord Greystoke?

And with the Beast, it was a constant reminder of the fur on him surrounding this prince. I don’t know, these are thoughts that I just ran through my head as I was working on both of those characters. And I …

Most of the time in the Tarzan film he is hunched. He is shuffling like an ape. Beast in the beginning is more or less the same way, walking on all fours. Did you cop some model sheets from Beast who applied to Tarzan? Or just came that way?

Glen Keane: No. I just – it really came that way from – I mean when I – when I felt like Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller to walking around like just a regular guy, and I tried drawing Tarzan like that. It was embarrassing. I mean when he is like this sort of a mostly naked guy with a loin cloth. And as soon as I made him like an animal, it was like OK. Yes. That’s it.

And the same with the Beast. People would come in and do – some of the animators would draw the Beast. And they would draw him standing straight up. It was like no, he just – it looks – I don’t believe him anymore. This is a man whose weight is down with this animal body. He wants to stand up. But his body – the design of it pushes him down constantly. And that was really an important thing in the Beast, is to feel like there was a struggle for him to just to stand erect. But naturally he would want to go down on all fours.

I was just curious. I know that dance scene was incredibly revolutionary for the time. How difficult was that to do? What challenges did it present to you?

Glen Keane: Well the – animating with the computer, anytime the computer enters into a hand drawing, I find that it forces you to draw better. It forces you to think more dimensionally. So I have always embraced anytime the computer work comes in. I mean for me, John Lassiter and I started this thing way back right around (Tran) doing this little animated test called the (inaudible) things, where we animated the background in (CT) but I could do the character in hand drawings.

And it just naturally helps you think dimensionally when the background is turning in space. You just naturally just enter into it and think that way. So what seems difficult about it is the dimensionality of animating and drawing a character that is turning in space.

And that’s really not the hardest part of it. What the hardest part of the dance sequence was – was actually learning to dance. We – James Baxter and I, James, who was doing Belle, and I was doing Beast, we filmed – I mean we brought a dance instructor in. And so he and I would dance together. And where I would learn the Beast steps. And you know he would do Belle.

And we worked on that. And we kind of blocked it out ultimately. James went through and blocked out all the animation himself first. And then I went in and went over top of it and was drawing the Beast. But it – in the end, I would have to say it was really just the subtleties, the gentleness of keeping the Beast – of learning the dance steps that were the most difficult in that sequence.

Beauty and the Beast kind of reestablished Disney animation across the board, across all audience ages, the Oscar nomination of course. So I am wondering, with all the experience you had on films leading up to that that may have been a little more kid-focused, was there a different feeling in what was going on in the studio at the time? Or maybe just in particular for this film?

Glen Keane:   Well with The Little Mermaid, we were all shocked that the public loved it as much as we did. You know there was quite a while there it felt like Disney just was you know the Golden Age was over and we missed it.

And yet there was no less artistry. There’s no less passion in the work that we were doing. And so Little Mermaid opened that door up for us. And we realized wow, this really can happen for us too. And you’d think though that as we were working on Beauty and the Beast, we would have felt that hey, this is really – this is going – this is another one. But we didn’t feel that way.

We felt like oh man. This is – how are we going to – how are we going to fix this? This thing is not working out. This is – everything that we did, we had some great songs by Howard Ashman and (Megan). But it still wasn’t really singing. There’s something that was missing with this. And as I had mentioned to you before, that song that Howard Ashman wrote, There’s Something There. But that happened pretty late in the story.

And so there was a – there wasn’t this feeling of you know manifest destiny that we were claiming for ourselves. It was more of like desperately trying to just get the thing so that it would look good so people didn’t throw tomatoes at us. And then to see how it all came together at the end there like that. That’s what was amazing, is to realize how all of these elements together just coalesce towards the end of the picture, and there it was.

But we didn’t have a feeling that it was all happening until the end.

And then you ended up with your own little Golden Age.

Glen Keane: Yes. Yes. It was – you know that’s – now we want another one.

How did it feel to go through the whole thing where you might have gotten a possible Oscar for best picture? I mean talk about an – even Uncle Walt didn’t quite pull that one off.

Glen Keane: Yes.

And at the same time, do you ever think the Academy will ever give a full animated feature film that honor?

Glen Keane:   Well, we were amazed that that happened at that time. And I think it took the academy by surprise, and there was a lot of uproar about it. And you know I would – I’d be really interested in seeing what the final vote count on that was. How close we were to Silence of the Lambs.

Admittedly tough competition.

Glen Keane: Yes. I mean Silence of the Lambs was a phenomenal film. So was Beauty and the Beast. And is it going to happen again? I believe it will. I have to believe that this art form animation is the greatest art form there is. And what we have done is just the early curve of where it can go. Because of where computer animation is, and where hand drawn animation is. I think that there is something really new and wonderful to invent and create that no one has seen yet. And I really have to believe that one of these days, yes. An animated feature is going to win best picture of the year. Came close then, and it will happen again.

I saw Toy Story III. And it blew me away. I don’t know if you know your colleagues over there up there – up there in Northern California did a hell of a job.

Glen Keane: Yes. Well this is – this is a film that could win that. You know and the fact that you’re saying that, there is a lot of other people feeling the same thing. You know one of the things that happened with Beauty and the Beast that really bothered me, and that whole academy thing was the way they were talking about well, what about real actors? We need to have real actors winning these awards.

And I was thinking, well what am I? I mean I feel like I really poured my heart and soul into this character. And Robby Benson’s voice, I mean I feel like both of us put so much into that. And the fact that we’re drawing it doesn’t cheapen it. It actually adds more value to it to me. You know so I think it’s coming.

But when you’ve heard Robby’s voice, and obviously you didn’t know who he was. Did that affect – because a lot of times I’ve – you know you kind of mentioned it also. Animators will look at the actor that does voicing stuff, and it will affect their performance. And I think one case in particular is your colleague, (Mark Han), talking about – or not (Mark Han), it was Mike Surrey. Mike Surrey, saying how much Cummings’ performance affected Ray the Firefly.

Glen Keane: Yes.

Was that kind of a similar situation for you with the Beast and you know hearing the voice make you change any of the drawings?

Glen Keane:   Yes. You know listening to the voice made me really work on the brows, the expressions. Because you become so familiar with the voice, there is a sensitivity and attentiveness that would come out in Robby’s performance that I would really push the expressions and the drawings. It was more like taking the design that I had and letting it work to the sound of the voice, mouth shapes.

Robby has a kind of a soft way of speaking. So the mouth shapes of the Beast weren’t just kind of wild and violent as much as they were carefully shaped. And those are kinds of things that just happened because of the sound.

As supervising animator for the Beast, how closely did you work with the other animators working with you?

Glen Keane:   Are you talking about the other supervising animators, or the other actual animators working?

The other actual animators on the Beast.

Glen Keane: I worked very closely with them. I would – there were some animators that would actually in Florida. And you know how closely can you work in there? Well I would get their drawings sent to me. And I would draw over top of it and FedEx it back. I would use – do faxes. They’d send me their thumbnails, little sketches, what they were thinking of the scene. And I would draw over top of that with lots of notes.

We’d talk on the phone. Aaron Blaise, he ended up – well he was a new animator on the film. And I trained him. But I trained him from California, and he was working in Florida. But we felt that we could do this as long as we had an ability to draw over top of each other’s work. You can’t just talk it. You actually have to draw for somebody.

So I had an enormous amount of drawings sending back and forth. Drawing over top of animators at the studio as well. It’s much easier if I can have somebody standing, and – over my shoulder and watching me draw over their work. And I did that a lot.

Well and since you mentioned it, how closely did you work with the other supervising animators?

Glen Keane:   We were all very close. Just from often in the offices next to each other. Constantly in story meetings together. Taking a look at each other’s work. Jeffrey Katzenberg was a very solidifying influence on our team, as well. He would have early story meetings, 7:00 in the morning. We’d all get there and he have his – a big Diet Coke and we would talk together as supervising animators with Jeffrey and the directors.

And we – I think we became very close together. We knew each other really well.

Hello, I am (Michelle) from Mexico. I under – which work did major differences between traditional animation and (inaudible) computerized animation? And which may be the future of this kind of animation as 3D increases?

Glen Keane: Well it’s interesting. Computer – because I just finished Tangled, well overseeing animation with a lot of the animators. But the way I worked on that film was by drawing on a (sintik) over top of people’s computer animation. And what I kept reminding everybody was – is that this is – computer animation is still just a graphic flat art form. Even though we say it’s 3D, it’s on a flat screen, and it’s just as much of a graphic shape as drawing is.

And for them to think in terms of graphic simple shapes. And so I would do a lot of drawings, and apply the same principles of hand drawn to computer animation. And I think that the more we can bring the feeling – the – I guess the influence, the inventiveness of hand drawn into computer animation, where you are not tied to just what the computer is giving you.

Because the computer seems to always shade everything so perfectly. And try to convince you that there, this is what you want, right? Look how good it looks. It’s like dimensional everything. And you start thinking wait a second. No. That’s not quite what I wanted. I pushed that silhouette a little stronger, and I stretched that arm out more. And I jut that jaw out further.

And you know that’s the things that we have to remember that we are the masters of the graphic statement. And letting the computer bend it’s knee to the animator, instead of the animator to the computer. And at the beginning, I think we really struggled with the computer was sort of like dictating what we were going to get. And now in Tangled, I feel like you will see the computer really changing and bending to what it is that we want it to look like.

It’s very unusual animation in computer animation. You’ll see a big influence of the same kind of principles you see in Beauty and the Beast, you’ll see handled in Tangled.

Who are you working on in Tangled?

Moderator:   Well we want to kind of keep things centered to Beauty and the Beast on this – in our timeframe. So we’ve got time for one more question. Well, I’ll wrap it up then with the final question, Glen.

In all of your time and your experiences here at Disney, what’s been your most favorite project, and/or character?

Glen Keane: Well every project I am working on, it keeps presenting a new challenge to me. And there are different phases in my life. I mean I guess The Little Mermaid to me was like wow. That was – this is the start of a whole new thing.

Beast was such a personal – like a spiritual expression for me. That’s what I got out of that one. And it maybe touches me some ways the deepest. Tarzan was absolutely a thrill because of the joy of animating this character and space and the thrill of drawing that that gave to me. This film I am just working now, Tangled, to answer your question there. I mean I have overseen the animation of the character Rapunzel, and the other characters as well. But designing her particularly.

Kind of bring all that – the beauty of hand drawing into CG. It’s been an incredible – I don’t know, challenge and great satisfaction out of it. You know I guess they’re kind of like kids. Which kid’s your favorite?

Moderator:   Yes.

Glen Keane:   I love them all.

Moderator:   We do too. We love it all. Thank you so much for your time, Glen. We sure appreciate this.

END

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If you would like to learn more about the making of Beauty and the Beast, pick up a copy of the movie on Blu-ray!

Tamara Drewe: The Stephen Frears Interview

Aaron Neuwirth — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:55:52 +0000

Tamara Drewe is a new film from director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Dangerous Liasons, High Fidelity), based on the popular English comic strip and graphic novel by Posy Simmonds, starring English actress Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia, Clash of the Titans). As is the graphic novel, the film is a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy’s nineteenth century novel Far from the Madding Crowd. It is a comedy about a young journalist, once the ugly duckling of her small village town, returning as a much desired beauty, hoping to fix up and sell her old house. She attracts many of the men residing at the neighboring farm, stirring up envy, lust, and gossip amongst the small population.

I had the pleasure of attending a roundtable discussion in Los Angeles, amongst other fellow journalists, members of the cast, and director Stephen Frears. The interviews were conducted in three parts, as Frears, Arterton, and the male leads, Dominic Cooper and Luke Evans, took turns to enter the room. The questions presented are a combination of everyone who had a chance to ask one, as many of us obviously had similar sort of questions, with only a limited time to speak with each guest.

The first part of this discussion took place with director Stephen Frears:

Director Stephen Frears

*

Were you a great fan of the graphic novel?

“I’ve only read one graphic novel in my life, but it was serialized in an English newspaper and I used to read that.”

*

So when it came to you did you think that it’s probably different than anything that’s ever been brought to you before?

“Yes, but they always are. That’s what’s nice about them. I mean, I thought it was great.”

*

You mention in the film, that there’s a point where the couple have been there for twenty years, but there are still newcomers to the village. Were you welcome to the village?

“We were the film crew, but they were very nice to us. But I also have a house in Dorset [where the film was shot].

*

That helps.

“No, no, no; On the contrary, so I know a lot about it. No, I make no attempt to integrate with my neighbors in the village where I am [laughs], which I think they really like. The people who try to integrate, they don’t like.”

*

How did you get the teen girls so spot on? They are quite good. And working with teens…and cows…?

“No, I think the girls were quite wonderful. We were just lucky. You try to choose and take care, but in the end, it’s just a fluke. They suddenly turn out to be infinitely better than you imagined. And the cows were…I made a western, so I’m a master of directing cows [laughs]. I must certainly be the only man in the world who has directed a cattle drive and a stampede. Is that right? Did Clint [Eastwood] ever do one? [Laughs]”

*

He’s never done a stampede in Dorset, that’s for sure. [Laughs]

Can you talk about picking Gemma Arterton and Dominic Cooper for their roles?

“Dominic, I’d seen for another film, and said he wasn’t right, which I think he’ll tell you about, rather bitterly [laughs]. And, um, my casting director said, “do you want Dominic Cooper?” And I said, “Oh, okay, because I’m a good boy.” As for Gemma, she more or less said, “do you want Gemma,” and, anyway, I’ve been told how good she was and I met her and thought she was wonderful, that she was gorgeous, and that she was witty, and nice. Everyone said how good of an actress she was and she looked like the girl in the book.”

*

Based on what you’re saying, I know from the High Fidelity DVD that you believe that casting is 80% of the process, but it sounds like your casting decisions were made much more instinctually, less argument. Was that process of picking the actors different on this film?

“Than High Fidelity? No, I remember saying, “Who should play this part?” And the boys said Jack Black. And Jack Black came to see me, and after 10 minutes I said, “Well you’ll be fine” [laughs]. And that freaked him out.”

*

So was that the same on Tamara Drewe?

“Well, what I mean is – someone comes in and makes sense of everything. I mean, I didn’t know that Jack could act the way he acted. Nobody told me that [laughs]. I had to learn that [laughs]. But you meet him and you think, “Yes, this bloke seems great.””

*

I’ve noticed you have sort of two kinds of films; one is like Tamara Drewe, where you have a lot of complicated and interlocking stories – Dangerous Liasons. And some of them are like The Hit, which is four people in a car. Do you think there’s a difference on how you handle all these different stories?

“Well I think we’re gonna try to do a remake of The Hit. I like handling all these stories. What I really like is sort of a complete universe. People are bound to have complex relationships in which all these people’s lives intersect in unexpected ways.”

*

How much do the actors bring and how much do you work with them? I don’t know your style, so how is it for you working with the actors?

“I don’t really have a style. I would describe it as work. I choose them carefully, and then really leave it up to them. I mean, they generally seem to me to be intelligent, sensible, and do what I more or less expect. If something’s odd I have a conversation with them. But I prefer it to come from them, than to come from me.”

*

There’s the old adage about not working with children and animals. I often hear from directors: it is not the children and the animals, but their handlers that were the problem.

“Well these girls were over 16, so they didn’t have handlers…children wranglers [laughs].”

*

Well I’d imagine it was a pain on set due to all the animals, with people saying, “No, you can’t do this and you can’t do that.” Was that the case?

“Well no, there was a farmer, who you have to deal with as a human being [laughs]. The woman who handled the dog, for example, was an extremely sensible woman. It was quite straight forward. The truth is, if the people are irritating, you hope to god you won’t be working with them again…I really don’t remember one conversation about it. We probably set up the scene by placing the dog with the cows and set up two cameras and shot it.”

*

You’re making this sound like it was all such a breeze. What was difficult?

“Well, the stamped was very difficult, but it was very, very well thought out. It was very well designed.”

*

Did you have a difficult day on any of the scenes? Like weather, did you have weather problems?

“Well the weather would occasionally turn ugly, and that was a pain in the ass, but the truth is we were so blessed. I mean, 10 days before we started shooting, you couldn’t see 30 yards in front of you, the weather was appalling, but the day we started shooting, it was clear. There was this Indian summer and it was fantastic.”

*

You’ve worked with Alan McDonald [Production Designer] on a number of films…

“Because he’s good [laughs].”

*

What sort of conversations did you have with him about what to use from the source material in terms of constructing a visual ascetic for the film?

“The truth is, you work with these very, very clever people. I first thought about this when I worked on [Dangerous Liaisons], when I worked with dazzling designers, and what you’re trying to find is a way to hold a conversation with them. And what I can’t do is really compete with them, I really trust the designers I work with, they know far more about it than I do. If something’s wrong I’ll say it’s wrong, but I more or less trust people.”

*

How did having that storyboard that’s already there sort of change the way you filmed this?

“Well, because it was a graphic novel, you sort of wanted the film to honor the spirit of that. And it was just there, so you know…sometimes we would go out to try and recreate a particular frame, because it was so beautiful. And Posy [Simmonds] had told the story very wittily.”

*

So you had read her column in The Guardian?

“I’ve read the column. I’ve known her for about 30 years. She’s such a brilliant woman, I’d say she tells the story very, very wittily, and she makes many of the same sorts of choices I do. We’re the same age, the same generation, but she’s brilliant. You’re lucky to start off with material that clever.”

*

In the film, one of the writer’s has a writer’s block, do you ever have a sort of “director’s block?”

“Well, you sort of just get bored [laughs], so I’d go and teach, to sort of deal with other people’s problems, because my head becomes so…repetitive. So you sort of want to rest. There’s a sense in which you make a film…and then you make another film and it can get repetitive, so you sometimes just want to go to work.”

*

Is that why you jump around from genre to genre?

“I think its boredom, yes. The idea of repeating myself, the idea of doing the same thing.”

*

Is there any actor that kind of continued to put in their own thing, or was just wonderful in what they brought?

“British actors are sort of wonderful at all this sort of stuff. Like Roger [Allum] and Tamsin [Grieg] could just do this all day, they’re just wonderful at putting out all this sort of stuff.”

*

So what’s a genre that you’d like to try and do next?

“I don’t know. I don’t think like that. What I really like is the surprise. Someone to send you something and you open it and go, “Oh, I never thought of that before.””

*

So you’re not making The Hobbit then?

“Well, there’s already about 17 people making The Hobbit. [Laughs]”

*

You talk about your directorial style that you don’t have. You’ve had 6 actresses receive nominations for Oscars. What do you think brings out these performances?

“Well if I was being provocative, I’d say it’s the fact that I don’t have a style and in other words – I just make the film, I don’t worry about my oeuvre. I just get on with it. You deal with what’s in front of you.”

*

What is your hope that audiences will take away from this?

“I hope that they’ll have had a good time. When I grew up you’d go to see films made in Hollywood that I would suppose they’d call “commercial films,” they were also, I’d say, rather intelligent. They were made by people like [Howard] Hawkes or [Alfred] Hitchcock, you know, just really intelligent people. But then somehow, cinema got separated and these terrible things called “art films” appeared [laughs], so I expect to go to the cinema and be entertained, but I also expect films to be sort of perceptive and interesting. So I don’t separate it. I mean, you hear about Tony Curtis [who died] today, well you wouldn’t go to a Billy Wilder film and think, “is this “commercial” or is this “art,”” it was just good and generally entertaining. But I’m rather old fashioned, and I can see that I’m rather foolish [laughs]. But you just went to see something that was enjoyable and generally was intelligent…I hope.”

*

Thank you very much.

Check out Tamara Drewe, opening in limited release this fall in theaters.

See the review here.

http://www.sonyclassics.com/tamaradrewe/

*

Tamara Drewe: The Dominic Cooper & Luke Evans Interviews

Aaron Neuwirth — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:11:12 +0000

Tamara Drewe is a new film from director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Dangerous Liasons, High Fidelity), based on the popular English comic strip and graphic novel by Posy Simmonds, starring English actress Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia, Clash of the Titans). As is the graphic novel, the film is a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy’s nineteenth century novel Far from the Madding Crowd. It is a comedy about a young journalist, once the ugly duckling of her small village town, returning as a much desired beauty, hoping to fix up and sell her old house. She attracts many of the men residing at the neighboring farm, stirring up envy, lust, and gossip amongst the small population.

I had the pleasure of attending a roundtable discussion in Los Angeles, amongst other fellow journalists, members of the cast, and director Stephen Frears. The interviews were conducted in three parts, as Frears, Arterton, and the male leads, Dominic Cooper and Luke Evans, took turns to enter the room. The questions presented are a combination of everyone who had a chance to ask one, as many of us obviously had similar sort of questions, with only a limited time to speak with each guest.

The second part of this discussion took place with Dominic Cooper (An Education, Mama Mia!, The Duchess) and Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood, Blitz (upcoming), who portray the male leads: Ben Sergeant and Andy Cobb, respectively.

Dominic Cooper as Ben Sergeant

Luke Evans as Andy Cobb

*

[To Luke] The producers have stated that you were described as wonderfully rural. Do you feel wonderfully rural? Do you come from the country?

Luke Evans: “Yeah, I know what they mean. I am rural, I come from the South Wales Valleys, and that’s as rural as you can get. Just a little village, and we’re surrounded by hills, and sheep, and my family are big gardeners and big walkers. He [director Stephen Frears] obviously saw me an went, “Oh, well he checks all the right boxes.” Basically, I got Andy. I understood his physicality and I understood the way he was and who he was. And the house, getting it back, that was quite sweet. He never lost his dream of getting it back. I think it’s the only memories he has of his family, and that’s a really good thing. He’s a really good guy, he’s a family man, and he wants his own family one day. So yeah, to have his house was a really big deal I think.”

*

[To Dominic] As a rock star, the film shows girls chasing after you, so have you ever had a problem with girls chasing you, or…?

Dominic Cooper: “I’ve always had a problem with girls chasing me [laughs].”

Luke: “They camp outside his house all the time.”

*

So much of the film feels so farcical, like a Shakespearian comedy or like an Oscar Wilde play, which, for actors, can be really difficult to pull off, so I was wondering – was this something you sort of thought about, what thought or research went into this, if any?

Dominic: “Well, with comedy I think you’re in danger of, well – #1. It’s important that everyone is on the same page with it, because there are not too many extremes with it and the characters are so well drawn out and verge on caricatures a lot of the time. You have to be careful that they are steeped in realism; you need to believe that these are truthful, real people. For me, I just found it and what I needed Stephen to guide me with was the sort of confidence to sort of take it as far as I’d like comedically more than anything, which made it more exhilarating to perform. And the further you can go and the more daring you can be, and stupid in a sort of way, and the more prepared you are to fail…because ultimately you are trying to be funny and if you’re not funny, you look like an absolute idiot. You need to feel absolutely comfortable in that environment, and he definitely made you feel that way, and if he needed to, he would pull you back. It was very important also to sort of understand how Posey [Simmonds] saw these characters, saw who they were, and then sort of put your own stamp on it. I wanted to make it sort of very different from the graphic novel and make him sort of a brighter personality really, although he’s really sort of dislikable. On paper he’s sort of arrogant and egotystical, but I wanted audiences to sort of like him and basically feel sorry for him.”

*

Due to its country setting, while it can make some Brits sort of homesick, you guys are more sort of used to being in places like London and here in LA. Does a film like this make you feel like going out and buying a home in Dorset [where the film was shot]?

Luke: “I really did sort of think that. I think we finished in like November time, and I went and hired a house down there for Christmas. I took my family down there for Christmas, and it’s beautiful down there. The air is fresh and it’s I dunno, it’s just a beautiful part of England, the UK. If I could afford a house like that, I would, but the houses there are expensive.”

*

You guys play rivals in the movie, but did you hang out off set?

Luke: “Well, we didn’t really have that much time together. We really only had a few scenes together…”

Dominic: [to Luke] “I really only got to hate you on the press tour. [laughs]…no, I don’t think we really got to hang out much at all.”

Luke: “I think we did go out and play a game of pool one night. We did go out a couple nights for dinner with Stephen [Frears] at a restaurant on the coastline. But often you’d only come in for a couple hours and then you’d go back to London, because Dorset is only like three hours from London…”

Dominic: “In some hideous sports car, worse than the one I drove in the film [laughs].”

Luke: “I’d use to be jealous of him, because he’d come down in these sports cars, do his thing, and then, just like Ben Sergeant, bugger off back to London and leave us all in this sort of village with nothing to do. [Laughs]”

*

Do either of you hold keepsakes from movies?

Dominic: “Shh. We can’t talk about that.”

Luke: “I kept all my socks, because they were really nice socks. They were woolen socks, I couldn’t wear them with my suits, but they were really nice socks, so I kept them. [Laughs] I’m a simple person, I’m Andy Cobb…what can I say.”

*

[To Dominic] There are a lot of actors; especially British actors who get on set that want to live their part the whole time.

Luke: “Thank god he didn’t do that [laughs].”

Dominic: “They’re lying.”

Well, did you ever worry that it would become harder for you to get in the rhythm of the location of scenes?

Luke: “He was in an RS Audi for goodness sakes! It was bright red! [Laughs], he was always in character.”

Dominic: “I don’t think, with something like this…well the writing is there, I knew who this character was, it was so brilliantly drawn out, and it’s not something that I needed to sit in a dark room and sweat over, wondering how to possibly play a drummer. As opposed to something like earlier this year, where I played in something where I was Sadam Hussein’s son, and I didn’t really particularly want to stay in character there either, but still with something like that I needed to be much more focused. Not that I wasn’t focused on this, but there are certain roles where you need to submerge yourself in. For something like this, it’s kind of a light-hearted comedy, so it something much less intense.”

*

Similar question Luke, you’ve obviously got bigger types of films upcoming and going on at the moment: The Immortals, The Three Musketeers, and Clash of the Titans you’ve already done, where is your mind at when you start a movie like that opposed to a movie like Tamara Drewe?

Luke: “Well you should just approach each one with a fresh pair of eyes, and treat each project like a different one. There’s different people, different energy, different dynamic, different story, different characters. So I think its part of an actor’s prerogative to be able to adapt and switch from one story to the next, that’s what we do. And I like that, it’s the variety and the size of the film and all that, which is part of the reason that I do what I do, it keeps me active and keeps me mentally healthy, because I’m always learning something or I’m always doing something different.”

*

Stephen [Frear]’s pretty self-effacing and humble about his own contributions as a director. How would you characterize his interaction with the actors?

Dominic: “Personally, I love how he’s very specific with his casting, and he’d only have done this film if he felt he got the casting right. So I think that’s half the job done for him, because he trusts what you’re going to do and what you’re going to bring to it…you’re ultimately in the hands of someone that’s got that many years of experience, so it’s interesting watching him develop and edit as he goes along. There was very little that he shot which wasn’t in the final edit. We did very little takes, as he thinks actors do their best in the first three. So you gotta know what you wanna shoot and you gotta shoot it quickly…I think that’s half the talent of someone who’s gotta know what they want and got to shoot it and get on with it.”

Thank you.

Check out Tamara Drewe, opening in limited release this fall in theaters.

See the full movie review here.

http://www.sonyclassics.com/tamaradrewe/

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Brian Chats w/ Spartacus’ Katrina Law

Brian White — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

I remember it like it was only yesterday. While watching the Starz Originals heart-pounding series Spartacus: Blood and Sand about five episodes in or so, viewers were forced to deal with the devastating loss of Spartacus’ wife, the lovely Sura (Erin Cummings), pulling at our heartstrings. “Oh no,” we all thought to ourselves. This can’t be happening! Our heavenly eye candy was gone from the show just like that, albeit still visible courtesy of flashbacks here and there, but what was left now to motivate the broken warrior? Just when it seemed like the Gods were against us and all hope was lost, they seemed it fit to deliver us a new goddess to worship a handful of episodes later, named Mira, played by the beautiful Katrina Law. But even more intriguing was the tempting and seductive way the show’s producers chose to introduce us to her character. And when Spartacus initially refused the offering of Mira in his prison cell, I just wanted to scream at my television screen and say, “Are you ‘effing crazy?”

So anyway, like I always do when I find someone or something that interests me in life, I do my research and try to find out all I can. After garnering much attention from the fine people at Starz and fans of the show last week in regards to my early Blu-ray review of Spartacus: Blood and Sand – The Complete First Season (see here), I thought it was only fitting to secure a time to sit down and chat with the Spartacus actress who stole the hearts of many viewers, Miss Katrina Law.

Brian: Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us Katrina. How are you doing today?

Katrina: Pretty good Brian! Thanks for taking the time to seek me out and interview me.

Brian: Not a problem! From what I have read about you, I see you have a pretty interesting genetic makeup of German, Italian and Taiwanese. I’m from a German and Italian descent, but I had a pretty normal American lifestyle growing up with no cultural celebration or awareness. It wasn’t until I married my wife, who is Filipino, that I understood just how different cultures were, first hand so to speak. So growing up as a child, was the combination of cultures any different for you than that of a typical American child?

Katrina: It wasn’t until I was older that I finally started to realize just how different my childhood was from many of my friends. For me it was normal to celebrate New Years on two different days. It was totally acceptable and fine that there were two Gods who at the end of the day were basically saying the same thing. I also didn’t realize how “progressive” it was for my dad to marry inter racially when he did and I wasn’t aware of how unique it was for an American child to speak two languages.

But times have changed and I think that my “unique” childhood is now becoming the norm as the world gets smaller and smaller, people travel more and color lines get blurred.

Brian: That they do. I also see that you graduated college with a theater degree. Did you always know that you wanted to be an actress or was there something that happened in life that opened your eyes to the inner talent you possess?

Katrina: I don’t think when I was younger that I was even aware that there was a job called acting. I’m pretty sure, if memory serves me correctly, that I thought those people on TV were real and that just happened to live in my TV. Let me just take a moment to note right here that I was very young when these thoughts were happening. When I was ten I said that I was going to be a cardiologist. That was before I realized blood freaked me out. Then I fell in love with sharks and wanted to film them. I got over that thought quickly and decided I should be a cop because I lived in New Jersey and all my friends were either cops or criminals. You saw The Sopranos and Copland. I even went as far as to join the Police Explores. Don’t ask what happened, but in the end I decided that wasn’t for me either. I ain’t a snitch. Long story short, no, I did not always know I wanted to be an actress. For me it was landing the role of “Cassie” in The Chorus Line in a Summer Stock Theatre production that set the wheels in motion for me. I fell in love with the entire process and that was that.

Brian: I know you spent time in NYC sharpening your acting skills and eventually landing a guest role on The Third Watch, but correct me if I am wrong, it was actually your involvement in the webisode series of Resistance that got you noticed by the people at Starz, and ultimately landed you the reoccurring role as Mira on Spartacus: Blood and Sand, was it not?

Katrina: It was! The Resistance has been an ongoing project for the past two years. After the initial funding from Northern Five Productions, Ghost House saw it, picked it up and passed it onto Starz. It all went from there.

Brian: What is it like being on the set of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, working with the cast and crew and knowing you are part of the most monumental television series of the year? It has to feel pretty special and surreal, does it not?

Katrina: When signing on for Spartacus, I had a gut feeling that the show was going to be huge. It had all the right ingredients and there was nothing else on TV like it. The fear with any show is that there are so many levels for it to go through before it finally airs and if any one of them isn’t right, the entire show could fall apart. Fortunately for us, that didn’t happen with Spartacus. It wasn’t until shortly after it aired that we realized the juggernaut Spartacus was destined to become.

It does feel pretty special, and lucky. As an actor, you pray for a show like this: something that changes the face of television. It’s still strange to be recognized on the street for playing the part of Mira. I’m always a little taken aback and flattered, but then I realize that the recognition also means they have seen me naked…still trying to work on how to react to that.

Brian: Yeah, I don’t have any advice on that one for you (insert smiley face). Was there ever any hesitation on your part to question whether or not to accept the role as Mira on Spartacus, or did you not even give any thought to it and just say yes?

Katrina: The full frontal nudity gave me a lot of pause. It’s not that I have an issue with the human body. I do have an issue when it’s just the woman that is being exposed on television while the man is standing there fully dressed in his three piece suit. When I brought the issue up with the producers they immediately sent me over the trailer for Spartacus to help me better understand the look and style that they were going for with the show. As soon as the trailer started to play I knew I wanted to be on the show. It was visually stunning. The producers also told me that there would be equally the same amount of full frontal nudity from the men. Knowing that it wasn’t going to be exploitative with regards to the nudity finally convinced me.

After that, I had a discussion with my fiancé and my parents to make sure we were all okay and on board and that’s all she wrote.

Brian: Well this question was not on my list to ask you until the story broke this past weekend about Andy Whitfield’s cancer coming back. I am very saddened by this news as I am sure all fans of the show are, but how do you think this is going to affect the production of the second season? I know they shot around his most recent recovery and that’s one of the main reasons for the six-part prequel series this January, but today’s announcement has me seriously worried about the status of the show. Of course, my main concern is the health of Andy and I wish him nothing but the best in life and a full and speedy recovery. I know he has been through a lot. My heart goes out to him. He was an inspirational to us all at Comic-Con this past July (see story here). What are your thoughts on the matter, if you are allowed to share?

Katrina: Right now everyone’s main concern is Andy, his health, and his family. It is a terrible situation and no one should have to go through it, let alone twice. But Andy has a very strong spirit and a beautifully built-in support system in his wife and two children. I have full faith that he will overcome this obstacle for good and will once again grace us with his presence on screen. But in the mean time, keep sending good thoughts and prayers his way because every little bit helps.

Brian: I will. Well, I’m assuming since your Mira character was not introduced to us until mid season, that you will not be involved in the 6-part prequel series, although I hope I’m wrong about that. Can you share anything about the plight or story arc that you know about your character for the upcoming second season next year? Your character served a pretty pivotal role in the escape of the gladiators and slaves. To me the second season feels like it’s going to be a high-octane race, much like the second season of Fox’s Prison Break was. I see many similarities between the two shows, but I am of course rooting for Spartacus to last much longer and avoid the mistakes and pitfalls that Prison Break encountered.

Katrina: I think the writers of Spartacus are brilliant and fearless. I’m sure they have enough gas in them to last them for the next couple of seasons and then some. My character Mira hadn’t yet been purchased by Batiatus during the time of the prequels, but from what I am hearing, the prequels look amazing and I have no doubts that the momentum will carry into Season 2. As for Mira? Guess you’ll just have to watch and see!

Brian: So speaking of Spartacus, I can’t help but notice the incredible shape you are in. From reading about your childhood, I know you were pretty much involved in just about every kind of physical activity from weightlifting to karate and even have the title of Miss New Jersey Teen USA under your belt. That’s pretty impressive! What do you do to stay in the stupendous shape you are in? What advice would you recommend to our females readers who want to look as vivacious and healthy as you do?

Katrina: Ha ha! You flatter! This question is good motivation because I am currently in the process of dieting for Season 2 and hating it! And let’s be clear, I don’t mind the working out, going to the gym, sweating part of it…I hate the dieting part of it. I would honestly say for all of those women who don’t have to get naked on an international television show to be judged by all, to just be happy the way they are! But for those who are thinking about making some changes, it’s all about the diet. Yes, working out is a big part of it too and speeds the process up but if you go and spend hours upon hours at the gym, or dancing, or at yoga and then go home and a pizza right before you go to bed you are not going to see the results. Trust me, I’ve tried.

Brian: Alright, so tell me more about this web series that you were involved with called Resistance. It’s going to premiere on Syfy October 4^th, is it not?

Katrina: The Resistance! My baby! It originally started off as a web series that was directed by Adrian Picardi and funded by Northern Five Productions. Eventually it was brought to STARZ and we were given the funding to reshoot. It’s been a labor of love throughout the entire process where everyone from director to actor to grips were pitching in and helping out in any way that they could. But the good news is that The Resistance will premier on SyFy this October 4^th so make sure to set your DVRs and watch it. It’s great!

Brian: Well I am definitely going to have to set my DVR for that. Let me ask you this; if Resistance is picked up as a regular occurring television series, will you be involved in that? If so, will that conflict with the filming of Spartacus or will you still be able to do that too? I would hate to lose Mira in my life so soon. I know. I’m sorry. I’m just being selfish.

Katrina: Ha ha! I wouldn’t worry about losing Mira just yet, but thanks for the concern! I really don’t know what the cards hold for The Resistance, or even Spartacus at this point. In a perfect world I would love for Spartacus to continue in some way and for The Resistance to continue in some capacity or another, whether it be as a television series or as a full length feature movie. I think they are both projects that have the potential to go far. And if it came down to having to choose between Spartacus and The Resistance, well, isn’t that a great dilemma to be faced with!

Brian: Are there any other upcoming television shows or feature films that I can soon look forward seeing Miss Katrina Law in?

Katrina: Well, to be redundant, Spartacus Season 2 and The Resistance

Brian: One thing I did not know about you is the fact that you are also the lead singer and bass player in a band called Soundboard Fiction and you recently launched an album this past summer. Tell me more about that. I’m a former musician myself (see here) so I became very curious when I just learned this about you. I’m going to have to check your music out. Any scheduled shows yet?

Katrina: Bass and lead vocals. Yep, I’m the female Geddy Lee! Seriously, though, I am so proud to be a part of Soundboard Fiction. For the band members and I it is 100% fun. We write songs out the love for the process and for the thrill of knowing that we just made a song. To be able to say that I have a CD out and that it can be purchased on iTunes just blows my mind and quite frankly, makes me giddy. I have so much respect for Patrick and Jack and for their talents. As for performing live, we are more of a studio band. We all have day jobs so to speak and it doesn’t really fit into our schedule right now to play out anywhere. Though we have been kicking around the idea of having a one-time show, but we shall see.

Brian: Well let me know when that happens and I will definitely be there. So when Miss Katrina Law is not working and playing music, what does she like to do for fun? After all, we all have our vices, right?

Katrina: You can usually find me staring longingly at the red velvet cakes in the pastry section of the supermarket. When I am not mesmerized by the cream cheese frosting deliciousness, I like to SCUBA dive, snowboard, mountain climb, read, and play with the feral alley cats in our backyard.

Brian: Well thank you so much for this opportunity to sit down and talk with you Katrina. I’m looking forward to seeing you again on my television screen this October 4^th and in next year’s second season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Until we hear from you again, is there anything else you want to let your fans know about you like your involvement in Read Across America or something else?

Katrina: I just recently got involved with Read Across America. It is such a great idea and kids love to be read to. I did practice my book before I got to the class though because heaven forbid I misread or didn’t know how to pronounce a word a fourth grader should know. It was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend to anyone thinking of getting involved to do so. I’ll just add there link here: http://www.nea.org/readacross/.

Brian: Okay, great! And I always do this at the conclusion of my interviews so I’m sorry to put you on the spot like this, but are there any words of wisdom you would give to an aspiring young actress getting into the business that want to be just like you? Any hints of motivation or inspiration you can drop to them?

Katrina: Unless you are one of the chosen few who get discovered when they are 5 or book a show on their very first audition, pursuing an acting career can be a difficult, emotionally taxing, and frustrating process. But it can also be the most rewarding thing you have ever done…mixed in with the difficulties, the emotional taxation, and frustration. So the best advice I can give is to make sure that an acting career is really what you want, that you want it for the right reasons, to enjoy the process, to never give up and never stop learning.

Brian: Well thanks again. I truly do appreciate your time. It was great speaking with you. I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors and hope to stay in touch. Have a great day!

Katrina: Thank you so much for taking the time Brian! I hope you enjoy The Resistance and Spartacus Season 2 and I look forward to reading more of your reviews!

Make sure to keep current with the latest Katrina Law news on the World Wide Web by visiting the below links EVERY single day and remember to check out The Resistance on the SyFy channel this coming Monday, October 4th!

The Official Website of Katrina Law

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Official Katrina Law Facebook Celebrity Page

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Twitter

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Soundboard Fiction

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Check out Katrina in Spartacus Season 1!

Download Soundboard Fiction’s debut album!

Comic-Con 2010: Jason Howard Interview

Gregg Senko — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:56:57 +0000

It’s come that time to wrap up the last of my 2010 Comic-Con articles. It proved to be yet another grand weekend of stars, starlets, ink, film and fun in San Diego this year. On Wednesday’s preview night, I took a moment to focus more on the ink than anything else, spending some time at the Image Comics booth. ‘Booth’, however, is an understatement, as the Image area covers some significant square footage and is dotted with a variety of company talent. One of the most popular writers at not only Image, but in the comic book industry in general, is Robert Kirkman, who is part of the creative genius behind works like The Walking Dead and Invincible. Not to be outdone by those two titles, one of my personal favorites and another Kirkman creation is The Astounding Wolf-Man.

When the Image big shot set out to create the heroic werewolf, he was in need of an artist who set himself apart from the rest of the pack. Kirkman needed the sketch talents of someone who could breathe life into the idea that was growing in his head. He found a guilty party in the very capable Jason Howard. Howard took some time from the chaos of Comic-Con to speak with Why So Blu about the impending conclusion of The Astounding Wolf-Man, his thoughts on the departure, and what future projects lie on the horizon.

WSB: When was the concept of Wolf-Man first presented to you?
JH: I don’t remember the year, probably ’06, ’07. Robert (Kirkman) and I had worked on another kind of one-issue thing for Image and he wanted to do a new superhero book and I was up for it. So he threw out the idea of werewolf superhero and then we kind of talked about it and I worked on some designs and developed it together that way. The initial concept was his and we ran with it from there.

WSB: When you work with him or any writer on a book, how does that work? Do you present the artwork first or does he come at you say “Hey this frame, we need to have an angry individual here. It’s gonna look like this, etc.”?
JH: Working with Robert, he writes full scripts so the story of the book is driven by him as far as the events that happen. I get the script from him that says page 1, this happens, page 2 kind of details it and I do my best to draw that and add things that I think will make it cool or just dynamic and clear as possible. Then, if there are things in it that I have, like ideas that would change the actual content of the story, then I call him or email him and we talk about it. It’s not too often. He knows a thing or two about writing (laughs), so it works out pretty well.

WSB: Unfortunately, Wolf-Man is coming to a close soon. Was that planned from the beginning or was this a premature ending?
JH: Well, Robert always told me that it wasn’t going to go on forever. We didn’t have a number set. As we were coming up to 25, he was kind of wrapping up with the story a lot of key plot points that were going on since the beginning of the series. He thought it might make sense to tie it up there. Twenty-five is a nice round number. He and I have another project that we want to do that we’ve been kind of talking about and doing sketches for for a while, so that’ll give us an opportunity to jump onto something else.

WSB: Do you get attached to the characters, to a project?
JH: Yeah, I’ll be working on the last issue of Wolf-Man after Comic-Con. Even on issue 24, I finished that and I was like “Oh no! That’s next to the last issue. I kind of like drawing this guy or that,” but I’m really excited about this next project too so it’s all good. If I get that lonely or homesick from Wolf-Man, I can always draw him in my sketchbook.

WSB: When is the last issue of The Astounding Wolf-Man due out?
JH: I’m not sure when it’s on the schedule for. It’s not finished yet, so it’ll be in the next month or two.

WSB: You mentioned ‘the next project’, but you’re tight-lipped about that. When can we expect that to hit the street?
JH: I don’t know the answer to that either, hopefully sooner than later, but there are some schedule things Robert and I have to figure out as far as when it will come out, how much we want to have done before it launches and all that kind of stuff.

WSB: So that is another project with Robert Kirkman?
JH: Yes, that was part of the reason when it was time to end Wolf-Man. That kind of made it not as sad as it could have been because we’re both excited about this other thing.

WSB: Is Wolf-Man dead after this story line or can we expect to see him in the future?
JH: Uh, no comment.

WSB: Ha ha! Alright, I’ll let the readers draw their own conclusion. We appreciate your work and what’s coming on down the line!
JH: Sure! Thank you.

Whatever the mysterious project is of Howard and Kirkman, we don’t have to wait as far as Howard’s works are concerned. He recently teamed up with fellow Image artist Ryan Ottley (Invincible, Haunt) to create the wildly outlandish Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark. Both talents split their duties with Howard writing and drawing Sea Bear while Ottley does the same with Grizzly Shark. The stories are loosely tied together with an evolutionary mix-up being the root cause of nature’s mismatch. An enhanced soldier has a vendetta with the Sea Bear while a backwoods family tries coexisting (sometimes) in a forest of Grizzly Sharks. These black & white tales are quick reads that contain an odd mix of limb-severing violence and humor, perfect for disturbed readers such as myself. Sink your teeth into a copy today and be sure to check out The Astounding Wolf-Man as well!

MUSH Brings Solid Sound to the Table

Gregg Senko — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:03:49 +0000

It was only a couple weeks ago when WhySoBlu covered the June 26th mixed martial arts event that featured special guest and MMA star, Anderson Silva. The fighting spectacular featured four bands that day with the headliner being a hard rock band simply known as MUSH. The band played relentlessly, donned in black under the blistering summer sun. Belting out tunes like Frostbite and Remembrance, the five-member band unleashed a torrent of original works along with covers from bands like Korn. Consisting of band member “Red” Robert James (vocals), Matt Mencke (bass guitar), Drew Mencke (guitar), Jeff Griffore (guitar), and “Cowboy” Josh Messer (drums), MUSH delivers a gritty, almost industrial-style sound with penetrating guitar riffs and expressive lyrics that ultimately act like a fully juiced battery. They carry an intense sound and have an obvious stage presence that is often lacking in bands performing on smaller, local stages.

Most in attendance on that June 26th event wandered around while Mush was about to take the stage. As the band progressed from one song to the next, they began to amass a group of listeners that were previously more focused on looking at custom bikes and meeting with the MMA athletes. Onlookers were no doubt attracted to the band’s sound as well as their energy while lead singer Red periodically trotted and two-stepped across the stage, projecting the band’s metal-like symphonic aura. It was then that it became apparent these guys were no strangers to the world of performing.

After their recent gig, Why So Blu contacted Red and asked him about the band’s origin, his own musical background, and where the band would like to go from here. Energized on stage, the singer took off his performance hat and traded up for one revealing his cool demeanor and artistic determination. Along with bass guitarist Matt Mencke, the duo was able to answer a few of our questions while providing a little education on MUSH.

WSB: When did Mush form?

Red: The Mencke brothers, Matt and Drew grew up in music together and do what they do best; make noise! The two gathered a vocalist and second guitarist in 2002 and began structured song writing and jamming. The band finally formed in late 2004 when we finally stumbled across a drummer. Various line-ups (each time keeping MUSH alive) and additions brought us Cowboy in 2005, and myself and Jake in 2009. They had a few guitar players and vocalists in and out, but it wasn’t until 2009 that the band came across Jake, a prodigy child, as the talent of a legend on guitar. With Drew’s excellent songwriting ability and Jake’s natural talent, MUSH is able to complete the sound that is the band. The muscians click with Matt’s catchy, rythmic bass lines and Cowboy proves to be the backbone with his unique drum patterns and sense of style. It is truly a gift to sing and express through the music this band can produce, as it is genuine, original, and catchy!

WSB: How did the band get its name?

Matt Mencke: We had just finished writing our first song at my aptartment at the time, this was in 2002. I went over to the fridge to grab a beer and someone asked if we had a name yet. I replied no. In response to that, that person then asked, “Well what do you sound like?” to which I replied, “It sounds like a bunch of MUSH.” Everybody in the room glanced around at each other smiling in realization that the name had been chosen. Right then and there, MUSH was born.

WSB: Are you a founding member? If not, when did you come aboard?

Red: As much as I would LOVE the credit, I am not a founder of the band. I did a 3 month (yes 3 months) audition for the band spring of last year as they were trying to find a replacement vocalist. What I learned is they are very serious about the future of the group, and take pride in the work. The goal was to find the key member and get the product 100%. Noboody enjoys starting all over again. This was a chance to get it right if i may be so be so bold to say.

WSB: What recordings does MUSH have to its credit?

Red: Two demos and two E.P.’s. MUSH had one recorded in 2004, one in 2006, one in 2007, and a current E.P. available now.

WSB: Who are/were your musical inspirations and why?

Red: Michael Jackson is a huge inspiration, someone who felt the music and put on the most entertaining shows to date. Not only could he write and sing, but he could perform in flawless fashion. Dancing and getting into the music set another level to the entertainment. Eminem inspired creative writing, showed me no boundries and gave me a chance to believe i could write my own soundtrack to life. I put alot of ‘hip-hop’ swing to my step from the love of lyrical word play. I could go on about inspirations, but those two helped develop my character not only as a singer, but as an entertainer.

WSB: Are there any plans for an album in the near future?

Red: We’re currently in the pre-production phase of a full length studio album with the aspirations of recording at the end of this year/early next year for a middle of 2011 release.

WSB: How much of a performance is covered material and how much is MUSH’s original material?

Red: We are most definitely an ‘all original’ band. Sometimes 85% to 90% of what we play out is original, while about 10% to 15% percent are covers. Doing covers gives us a chance to show how diverse we are in our abilities and gives the listeners a chance to hear favorites with our own twist. I have a pretty good vocal range and doing covers from bands like Disturbed, Korn, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, or even Sir-Mix-Alot is not only an honor, but a chance to show how capable we are at hitting any fanbase and giving them something they can enjoy.

WSB: I’m assuming you write the songs or have a part in doing so. Would that be correct?

Red: We all make a group effort in making songs come together. As far as the lyrics, that’s all me. Drew brings a lot to the table from his end, and everyone brainstorms to make each song complete. We are very TEAM-oriented.

WSB: Where do the ideas for your songs come from?

Red: Some of the songs are real life experiences, some are just the creative mind wrapped in the emotion of the music. My best attribute is to connect with every pattern and rhythm and produce lyrics that you would find “meant to be.” We have all had our problems in life and the best thing about writing to music is that outlet, that release. We also have our good times, when the energy of excitement can be felt, and what better then go full blast on the speakers? Songs come from everywhere really. When the band strikes up a tune, the emotion sets in, or when I’m alone, I can re-create an experience.

WSB: How long have you been singing?

Red: I have been singing as early as 5 years old, performing at 9 dancing, and started writing lyrics at 11. When I was 15, I began rapping and freestyling as a hobby before I joined an alternative band, and at 20 I signed to an indie label doing hip-hop. Around 2005 I joined another band and began playing the same shows with the band MUSH. I always admired those guys for the unique sound and stage show, so I’ve always had a history with the band on the local scene. It’s funny how things work out.

WSB: What do you think separates MUSH from other bands in your area?

Red: Without a doubt it would be experience. I don’t want to take anything away from any other bands out there, mind you. Second, I would say the live show. No stage tricks, no vocal boosts, just all-out talent and skill. We pride ourselves on our entertainment value. We do not carry ourselves as rockstars, but we sure do have the charisma. People come to see a show, lose themselves in the event, and we know how to breed the energy! Every show is non-stop action, and the best part is people walk away with a CD and get a second treat…all original music to fall in love with. Never boring, always wanting more, that’s our product of music.

WSB: During a MUSH performance, it’s obvious you get into the music and move around the stage, expressing that rhythm and energy you feel. How important do you think it is for the audience for you to command a stage presence?

Red: Stage presence is everything. When I feel the vibe standing in front of the band, I’m never nervous, I’m in my own world. I get locked into the moment with every hi-hat hit, every bass melody, and I get lost in the music. I feel exactly how I felt when I wrote lyrics. In order for people to understand where you’re coming from and connect with you in that very same moment, you have to express. Music is our life, and on the stage we make it very clear how serious we are. It is very important for me because this is who we are, and we can’t get results unless people see that.

WSB: What is the ultimate goal for you guys?

Red: We want to be known for what we do and reach a wide audience. I’d like to reach out and connect to people, inspire, motivate, heal, comfort, and entertain. Music has always been known to do such things. To me, the reward is finding the common bond in all of us and enjoying the gift together. I’m sure I can speak for everyone when I say we want to be successful in the music industry.

WSB: Thanks, guys! We look forward to hearing more from the band in the future!

Photography courtesy of Scott T. Morrison / Discovery Photo

For more information on MUSH, check out their official site as well as their spots on Reverb Nation, Twitter, and MySpace:

http://www.mushband.com

http://www.reverbnation.com/mushband

http://www.myspace.com/mushband

http://www.twitter.com/mushband

Interview with Adam Bogle – MMA Fighter

Gregg Senko — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:30:41 +0000

This week at Why So Blu features the third of our three MMA fighter interviews and we’d like to extend a big thank you to the athletes as well as CageStars for their time and hospitality.  In this interview, we focus our time on the energized Adam Bogle. As Bogle gets ready to deliver a beating on his next opponent, he also took a moment to educate me and the Why So Blu readers on mixed martial arts and his experience in the cage.  As with his fellow UFC-hopeful brethren, Bogle is focused on that June 26th matchup in Sheffield, Ohio that will feature UFC champion, Anderson Silva. Without further ado, let’s hear from Adam and the intense and gritty path he has followed.

WSB: Adam, I’ve talked to a few of the fighters so far. Everybody seems to have their own signature style; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, some other fighters are in to kickboxing, what is your weapon of choice?

Adam: I’m pretty well-rounded. I come from a Jiu-Jitsu background, karate/kenpo. I’ve been in karate since I was about 10 years old. I have more of a karate background.

WSB: When did UFC or MMA enter your life, even as a spectator, how old were you?

Adam: I was about 15 or 16, but I’ve been in martial arts since I was 10.

WSB: Was it kind of like a godsend the first time you saw something like this? What was your experience like? Was it something where you said, that’s what I want to do?

Adam: My experience was more like, “Wow that could keep me out of trouble!”

WSB: With all the different styles out there, is there a certain style out there that concerns you if you’re going to go up against a fighter that utilizes that style?

Adam: A boxer with very long arms.

WSB: Is it the reach?

Adam: Yeah, that’s what gets me.

WSB: Would the same apply to someone that’s taller and has a long range with their kick?

Adam: No.

WSB: Why is that?

Adam: I come from a karate background. I can tell when they telegraph. I can see when that foot’s coming from a mile away. I can read their body language. When I see that, I’m pretty good. I wait ‘til they kick, then counter.

WSB: How often do you train?

Adam: Everyday, except for weekends.

WSB: Now with your fight coming up, you don’t know what weight your opponent is going to be at, correct?

Adam: I would say around 135 or 145, but I think it’s 135.

WSB: Is it difficult for you to adjust to that weight?

Adam: Sometimes. When I don’t fight for a while, I weigh about ten pounds heavier, but it’s easy for me to lose weight.

WSB: How soon before the fight do you know what your opponent is going to be at so you know to match that?

Adam: I already know who he is and I got a pretty good aspect of him.

WSB: Okay, so you got a jump-start on matching the weight with him.

Adam: Yeah.

WSB: Who were your inspirations, your idols?

Adam: Lyoto Machida, but he kinda got knocked out. He’s still an inspiration. I still look up to Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell; they hang in there.

WSB: How do you prepare for a fight?

Adam: Believe it or not, meditating. I sit down and breathe and just relax and rethink everything. Just think, think, think and hopefully by the time the fight comes, I’ll be ready to go.

WSB: Do you use an aspect of that exercise in the ring?

Adam: Meditating? I try to but sometimes it doesn’t work. You got a couple thousand people watching you and a lot of people want you to win, so it’s a lot of peer pressure. You think about it ‘til you get up to the ring, but as soon as that door closes, it’s a different world.

WSB: Obviously there is a great amount of focus on your opponent when you’re in the ring. Do you still hear the audience around you?

Adam: No.

WSB: You shut that out?

Adam: Everything disappears.

WSB: Any fears in the ring?

Adam: The fear was getting knocked out, but I got knocked out in my last fight.

WSB: Is that a bit of a plus in one aspect?

Adam: I think it’s a plus because I thought it would hurt and be real scary, but it’s not. I’d rather be knocked out than passed out. [laughs]

WSB: When you’re training, do you go through any tapout exercises for any kind of resistance, for how long to hold on, if anyone puts you in any kind of submissive move?

Adam: I train on reverse moves, getting out of, escapes, so if I get caught in one, I’ll know what to do to get out.

WSB: Your opponent you’re facing next month (June 26th), what do you know about him, other than his weight?

Adam: I saw a video on YouTube and he’s like ground-n-pound so far. He’s not too bad of a fighter.

WSB: What does that mean? What is ground-n-pound?

Adam: Get him on the ground, pull him out, tie him out, hammerfist, punches. Anything except like tapout, anything except submissions.

WSB: Is that more of like a wrestler kind of style? Get you down on the ground?

Adam: Yeah, and ground-n-pound.

WSB: Alright, thanks Adam!

Photography courtesy of Scott T. Morrison / Discovery Photo

Interview with MMA Fighter Mike Maderitz

Gregg Senko — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 08:15:25 +0000

This week at Why So Blu highlights the second of our three MMA fighter interviews. We are happy to introduce Ohio native Mike Maderitz. Maderitz competes in the lightweight class and, like Brandon Vasquez (see last week’s story), is drawing his focus toward the fast approaching date of June 26th when he will match skills with opponent Stephen Harness. With Harness’s 3-1 record, Maderitz is taking his foe seriously. But there is more to prep and training than slugging it out with the dead weight of a TKO heavy bag. The 150-pound Maderitz told Why So Blu what comprises his training and fighting background as well as the fighting styles of other MMA athletes on the horizon.

Photography courtesy of Scott T. Morrison / Discovery Photo

Gregg Senko interviews MMA Fighter Mike Maderitz…

Inteview with MMA Fighter Brandon Vasquez

Gregg Senko — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 07:44:10 +0000

Until recently, my interaction with mixed martial arts fighters was pretty much nonexistent. After the good folks at CageStars and Chu To Bu West Gym showed me around, I was an educated man. As photographer Scott Morrison and I first walked into the gym, a Jiu Jitsu class was well under way on one end of the room, while the other featured the MMA athletes hard at work, attacking the punching bag with lightning-quick jabs and high-flying knees. The first fighter I had the opportunity to sit down with was the 185-pound Brandon Vasquez from Lorain, Ohio.

Vasquez was demonstrating the epitome of focus as his attention was devoted to two things; the instruction from Hall of Fame boxer Joe Gentile and striking the Everlast bag in front of him. To be honest, I felt a little guilty disturbing Vasquez’s workout, not quite sure how he would take to being pulled away from his training to be interviewed. After all, this guy was in the zone and I’d hate for him to mistake me for a swinging leather bag of padding. The end result was just the opposite as a very professional and appreciative athlete whose ever-growing knowledge of his trade became evident in our discussion.  Listen to the full interview below as Brandon Vasquez gets ready to face off against his next opponent on June 26th!

Photography courtesy of Scott T. Morrison / Discovery Photo

Gregg Senko interviews MMA Fighter Brandon Vasquez…

An Interview with Boxer Yuandale Evans

Gregg Senko — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:34:19 +0000

As MMA (mixed martial arts) matches seem to dot the fighting landscape at every turn, there is no denying the boxing will forever remain the classic fighting favorite among fans. There is a certain grace, class, and strategy to boxing that separates the sport from its MMA brethren, making it much more than a caged street brawl. Talent continues to pour from every corner of the U.S. as young boxers lace up the gloves for their love of the fight and their hopes of a successful career in the ring.

One such athlete is 21-year old Yuandale Evans (pronounced Yon-dale). Hailing from Cleveland’s east side, the young fighter found himself scrapping in school, which ultimately led to his current status as a professional boxer…and part-time college student. That’s right. The very determined and highly motivated Evans not only balances his weight in the ring, but also his books in the classroom, and somehow, found a state of equilibrium in the middle. Now all that hard work is one thing, but sometimes you need a little talent to augment the effort. Does Evans possess the boxing skills necessary to make him successful?

On April 24, 2010, the VFW co-sponsored the 5th Annual Jimmy Bivens Classic in North Olmsted, Ohio; a fight card featuring 6 matchups in all, with Yuandale “Moneyshot” Evans versus Rey “The Prosecutor” Hernandez being the main event. You might have heard of Yuandale Evans previously as he’s been featured on ESPN twice, winning both matches. With his 6-0 record (prior to 4/24/10), one has to think that there is something to this guy. I’m short and I’ve got an inch on him, but as the old saying goes, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight. It’s the size of the fight in the dog.” And with that in mind, let’s just say I have no desire to be on the receiving end of his fist. So before Evans stepped in the ring that night, I was able to take a few minutes of his time and pick the fighter’s brain for a brief chat.

Gregg: I noticed on your profile in the program you have a balance between school and boxing. How do you find that balance?

Yuandale: I go to a community college. I go to school in the morning, then I train in the afternoon and night, so it balances out instead of running into one. As far as sleep, I don’t lose any sleep.

Gregg: But you have a full schedule.

Yuandale: Yeah.

Gregg: Now you always hear about different athletes, even actors preparing for their work. How do you prepare for your work? What’s your workout regimen like?

Yuandale: Monday through Friday 5:30 (pm) to 8:30 (pm) I train. Everyday. Hard.

Gregg: And what kind of workout do you do?

Yuandale: You know, the regular workout, like sparring, punching bag, stretching, working on my wind, running around.

Gregg: Weights?

Yuandale: Yeah.

Gregg: Now I’m assuming with the workout comes a strict diet?

Yuandale: Oh yeah, strict diet always. I like to eat a lot of baked foods; seafood like fish and shrimp, no pasta though.

Gregg: Is it hard to stay away from the good stuff?

Yuandale: Yeah, you know I might sneak a little piece of candy every now and then, but for the most part I stick to the regular diet.

Gregg: Now you fought on ESPN, is that right?

Yuandale: Yes sir.

Gregg: What was that experience like?

Yuandale: Well it was a great experience because I fought on the card under a lot of experienced fighters and growing up pro I also fought on pay-per-view on the Roy Jones card. It was just a great experience, it just felt good, you know, being televised, but I think this fight (4/24/10) is going to be bigger than ESPN and the pay-per-view fight because this is my hometown.

Gregg: Do you get nervous before a match?

Yuandale: No.

Gregg: How do you psyche yourself up?

Yuandale: (laughs) I just stay away from a lot of people who yell “I hope you knock him out.” I just try and stay off to the side and keep my mind focused. I mean, really, I just listen to music or think about what I’m going to do in the fight.

Gregg: Are you superstitious?

Yuandale: Yeah!

Gregg: (laughs)

Yuandale: A lot.

Gregg: What are some of your superstitions?

Yuandale: …

Gregg: Or would you rather not talk about them?

Yuandale: (smiles) Yeah, I’d rather not talk about ‘em.

Gregg: (laughs) Okay! Yuandale, thank you very much, man. I appreciate the interview and good luck tonight.

Yuandale: Thanks.

Gregg: Thank you!

Outside the ring, he carries himself with poise and professionalism. Inside the ring he’s fierce; nothing less than a force to be reckoned with. Evans’ friends and family feverishly cheered him on at the start of the match, causing a smile to wash across his face, but once that bell rang for round 1, his cheerful expression morphed into the epitome of determination. As he danced around Hernandez, he delivered one barrage of knuckle-laced lightning after another, quickly wearing down his adversary blow by blow.

So how did the fight end? Not too bad, for Evans that is. He knocked out his opponent at 2 minutes and 53 seconds in the first round. Many in the audience noticed Evans dominating the match but still expected the oncoming second round. Evans, apparently, had other ideas. He gave his best performance as the power company and decided it was lights out for Hernandez. While he carries the nickname ‘Moneyshot’, someone should be calling this guy ‘Cobra’ because he strikes about as fast as one. I don’t think his opponent realized he just caught two quick jabs to the jaw before gearing up to take a swing of his own.

If this guy stays the course, you will be hearing about him with a lot more regularity in the future. He has far too much talent and drive to fall by the wayside. Oh, and that 6-0 record I mentioned earlier, make that 7-0 now with 5 KO’s.

For more information on Yuandale Evans and other boxing talent from around the country visit:

http://usaboxing.org/athletes/yuandale-evans

http://www.boxing-scoop.com

An Enchanted Conversation with Mistress Clegg

Brian White and Gregg Senko — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 08:07:45 +0000

Every once in a blue moon you come across some unlikely artistic pairing that just makes you wonder how the two ended up together. The funny thing is, these odd combinations can somehow come together and pull it off. Call it fate, call it the planets being in alignment, or just call it two different forms of talent gelling with one another. There was Nelly and Tim McGraw, Def Leppard and Taylor Swift, but how about the 1960’s flavor of go-go dancing and the smooth sound of rockabilly? Don’t laugh. Entertainer extraordinaire Captain Clegg has melded the sound of his rockabilly band with the high energy go-go dancing of the very beautiful Emily Kaye, better known to you and I as Mistress Clegg.

The foxy temptress certainly stands out on stage amongst the jamming band who belt out tunes donned in their best grave-digging threads. Still, their sound and her flare combine for one cohesive piece of artistry that few others (if any) can lay claim to. Mistress Clegg recently took a break from her schedule to sit down with two of Why So Blu’s writers (Brian White and myself) to give us a glimpse of her thoughts, her work, and what the future holds. – Gregg Senko

Gregg: You were born after go-go dancing left the pop culture spotlight. What drew you to this style of dance?

Mistress Clegg – My mother was a dancer in Vegas and in Reno. She worked with Sinatra, Dean Martin and had Marilyn Monroe give her a standing ovation after one of my mother’s numbers. We danced like crazy my entire childhood. Whenever and wherever we felt like it! She was also an actress so the theatrics of dancing for me came very naturally.

Brian: We couldn’t help notice how…umm…in shape you are. What do you do to stay fit in today’s busy world?

Mistress Clegg – Thanks…I work my ASS off. I run, swim and bike. I love triathlons. I’m also a vegan. Now if I can just keep Clegg outta the BBQ joints in Texas, all would be good!

Gregg: Go-go dancing is still and always will be something that catches everyone’s attention. Why do you think this is and how did the concept get incorporated into the rockabilly style of Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures?

Mistress Clegg – Clegg and I are huge fans of Russ Meyers’ films. Tura Satana is a huge inspiration to me, as is Satan’s Angel. Neither of these babes were into pin-up, girlie stuff. They were all sex and VERY powerful characters. Clegg and I wanted to create a character that was different from the same old tired 50’s pin-up chick image.

Brian: Are there any plans for another Captain Clegg record/tour or was this last tour we saw just a one-time shot to tie in with your band’s work with Rob Zombie and the production of Halloween II?

Mistress Clegg – I can safely say there will be a follow up to the Clegg record. He’s writing a record called “Ghost Soldiers” and the concept was inspired by civil war era ghost stories. Clegg’s a voracious reader and finds inspiration from some really interesting and obscure people and places. As far as touring goes, time will tell. But we’re way into it.

Brian: Great! I’m looking forward to the new recording! Speaking of Halloween II. I have only seen it twice, but it’s been so long ago since my last viewing. I remember the movie featuring a total of like 5 Clegg songs throughout. I also remember there being two Go-go dancers on the stage during the “Translyvania Terrror Train” song. Were you one of them?

Mistress Clegg – The dancers were strippers from the Atlanta area. Nice boobies right? I was busy making shit happen in Austin! Besides, I don’t do nudes unless it’s Playboy or for Clegg J.

Brian: Gotcha! Also, I just read on Jesse Dayton’s Facebook page and also on the Clegg one that the 1-hour documentary of the road show with Rob Zombie has been completed and pressed. Can you tell us any details about this documentary?

Mistress Clegg – It’s more fun than a documentary should be. It’s a backstage pass for all Phantom Jammers into the world of a big arena rock tour with tons of live footage, backstage interviews, and cameos by rock stars!

Brian: I can’t wait to check that documentary out. Now speaking of Rob Zombie, I am just curious of the following because I idolize the man. His beliefs are our website’s core values. His love, passion and contributions to the world of music, movies, comics and now TV have motivated me to become all I can in life. What was it like working with the man? I met him a few times and I have my own favorable opinion of him, but what is yours? Is he as friendly and lovable behind the scenes as he is when he is greeting and talking to his fans?

Mistress Clegg – Rob is a genius. He’s fearless, completely focused, and tenacious and has a never-ending stream of ideas. His work ethic is insane and I was totally inspired by his whole persona. He treated Clegg and I so unbelievably well. As did his entire band and road crew. It doesn’t get any bigger does it? And I had NO expectations. I just wanted to show up do my job.

Rob and Clegg have a special creative partnership, which is really unique. I can’t wait for their next collaboration because Clegg just explodes creatively which is great for me as his partner

You know that Rob actually came up with the name Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures? Clegg and I came up with Mistress Clegg…

Gregg: Rumor has it you are also an actress. What kind of work have you done and how do you find time to split a focus on that and your time with the band?

Mistress Clegg – I am an actress and have been working consistently since 2002. One of the first more recognizable gigs I had was in Sin City. I was one of the Old Town Girls, which was so great. I spent a lot of time with Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller. And they both taught me a lot. Under my belt right now I have 5 national commercials, a slew of great indie films and on April 21^st I will be in the TV show In Plain Sight on the USA Network, as the character named Lindsey Dennis.

Brian: Now I have 2 reasons to watch Sin City! I’m going to need to pull out that Sin City Blu-ray again this weekend. By the way, I could not help noticing your new photo shoot you just did. If you are ever in Northeast Ohio you have to look us up. We work with one of the nation’s best photographers, Scott Morrison. How did you get involved with modeling?

Mistress Clegg – I would LOVE to work with Scott Morrison! HAHA! I’m 6’ tall, started modeling before I could wear high heels Traveled to Japan, etc… I grew up in Hawaii and had legs like a giraffe. In fact, that was my nickname in middle school. Kids are SO mean. Anyway, growing up with a beautiful actress as a mother, I naturally gravitated towards the arts. I was born a ham. I love to flirt with the camera!

Gregg: What type of music does the Mistress listen to when she’s off the stage and on her own time?

Mistress Clegg – I like this question! I’m proud to say I’m a metal head. I freaked out like a little girl at an Iron Maiden concert last summer. Totally lost my shit and danced around like a freak show. My favorite record right now is the new Mastodon. Of course I listen to everything Clegg does because I’m usually right there when he writes it. He’s an amazing writer who is surrounded by other amazing writers/ artists. I’m not limited in my scope of what I listen to by any means: 60’s soul, Hawaiian music, be-bop, reggae/ dancehall, punk rock.

Gregg: Through an email conversation with Brian you mentioned that you had a lot of good things cooking. What is next on your list of accomplishments?

Mistress Clegg – I will be in the new movie Clegg is writing and co-directing called “Zombex”. I’m the lead female character and we’ll be shooting the majority of the film in New Orleans- one of our very favorite cities in the world. There are a lot of great actors and musicians who are stepping up for the project. It’s so encouraging! Also, I have modeling gigs and a smaller film I’m about to start working on as well. Idle hands are the devil’s playground. If I’m not busy I’m depressed.

Brian: This is always the million-dollar question. We have asked this of Zombie and also of Jesse Dayton (aka Captain Clegg). But everyone’s response is always unique and inspiration in their own little way. What motivated and inspired you to be the person you are? Many people live their lives just dreaming with never even attempting to achieve those dreams. How are you different? What made you successful in life? Your philosophy towards life?

Mistress Clegg – When I first met Clegg I was working in the music business. I had worked at a major label and signed a band called Monster Magnet. Then I moved on to build a label called Timebomb Recordings. Our first releases were re-mastered Social Distortion records. After that I started getting involved in film and music supervision. I then started a company called The Chop Shop Music Supervision with my former partner. Being entrepreneurial is a huge part of who I am. My mother was this way as well. Obviously she had a huge impact on me. My father was out of the picture at a very early age. So in order to survive, fear of failure was not an option.

I came to Austin, TX with Clegg and immediately fell into the theater scene. I co-produced and starred in the Russian classic play “The Master and Marguerita”. It got great reviews and then I got an agent. I’ve never looked back on having a day job since then. That was a HUGE leap of faith knowing I was giving up a certain amount of security, for art. There have been many sleepless nights, but nothing compares to the freedom I have in my life to be creative, and work on whatever projects I choose.

Life is very short. Do whatever makes you happy and have no regrets!

Brian: Amen. Is there anything else you wanted to let your fans know about you or better yet, ever wanted to try in life that you have not yet?

Mistress Clegg – I do hope at some point soon to hike to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. I really want to do that. Also, spend a long period of time in Europe with Clegg finding inspiration for new projects.

Brian: Well Mistress Clegg… It was a pleasure. Thanks so much for chatting with us! We’ll hopefully see you on the road again soon!

Well there you have it folks. Much like our previous interviews with Rob Zombie and Captain Clegg, Mistress Clegg is another inspiration to us all. All three of these artists have something very special in common. They were not afraid to go after, chase and achieve their dreams. They are living proof that good things come to people who work hard in life. They refuse to let anyone tell them they can’t do or accomplish something. And for that, they have my undying respect. When I think of role models in my life, these three are instantly in my thoughts. They give me the much needed motivation I require to give it my all in life and never let anyone tell me what I want is for someone else. Why can’t it be for me? It will be mine. That’s the positive attitude we all need to have. Let the naysayers fall by the wayside. Thanks for stopping by Mistress Clegg. We very much enjoyed chatting with you. Until next time… – Brian White

Please say hello and leave Mistress Clegg some comments below.

And next time you are on Facebook, make sure to stop by and say hi to her. Click the image below to check out Mistress Clegg’s official Facebookpage.

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Mike Haszto – From Athlete to Author

Gregg Senko — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:30:27 +0000

Typically, when you come across an author, they specialize in one type of format. Their area of expertise is usually one in novels, short stories, poetry, or even comic books, but a combination of two or more of these is a rarity. Such is the case with author Mike Haszto. The former New Yorker and St. Anthony High School graduate didn’t spend his youth focused on writing though. Haszto utilized his extracurricular time on the soccer field, the baseball diamond and the hockey rink. After high school he played Triple-A ball as a center fielder for the Oklahoma City 89ers in the late 1970’s before heading to the University of Akron as a goalie in college soccer.

The man’s athletic journey didn’t cease there, however, as he soon moved up the ladder to minor league hockey as a backup goalie for the Flint Generals of the Colonial Hockey League for the ’93-’94 season. From there it was on to the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the now defunct International Hockey League as the team’s practice goalie. His active life certainly didn’t take a relaxing turn after those days as he now turns his personal goal attention towards his writing, something that has long been on the mind of the husband and father of five.

From idea to paper, Haszto’s literary work started coming to fruition within the last couple of years as his first title, Of Dampness and Dreams, arrived on store shelves and Amazon.com in April of 2008. This poetic delivery was soon followed up a month later with Pieces of the Heart. That year turned out to be a productive one for the budding author as it closed with his first novel, Radio Free Mickey; a story about an independent radio station trying to survive under the burden of corporate America. The author/athlete recently spent some time sharing his experiences and offering his thoughts on his works, his accomplishments, and his latest book, Blood & Ice: Tales of 32 Years in the Crease.

WSB: You work full-time and you’re a full-time dad and husband. How do you balance all this and still have time for your writing?

Mike: That’s a question I get asked frequently. I utilize my quiet time as my writing time. With a very hectic, ever-changing schedule, my quiet time is often improvised to whenever I am actually free for the moment. It could be two in the morning, five in the morning, or thirty minutes between dinner and bedtime. I really try and block out at least an hour when I write in novel form in order to get into character, but sometimes that is just not doable. I do reflect upon where I’d like to go with the next chapter of the story ahead of time so I can sit and write productively when I do, but things like storyboarding do not work with me because oftentimes when I do sit down and write, the story takes on a mind of its own and creates tangents that I go with, because those tangents tend to be more exciting than any storyboarding that I do.

WSB: You seem to be turning your works out at a pretty good pace while maintaining substance. So often we see assembly-line authors whose projects seem to get watered down with each progressive release. What is your secret to keeping your material fresh?

Mike: I have a couple, really. On the novels, I tend to write over periods of time, anywhere from a page or two to a chapter or two a day, depending on how much time I have. Since I have a full time, and then some, job/career, time is of an utmost importance, and I try to utilize any free time well. I have a knack for ‘living the main character’ in the novel…I can go into character as I write. With that there is an intensity and a focus in the writing. How it can stay fresh is that I only write so much a sitting. The other secret is that I balance my writings between novel and poetry. If I get a bit burned out, or dry for ideas in the current novel, I will sit and compose poetry for a day or two so I can refresh my mind and go back at the novel after a couple of days writing poetry. A final secret is that I don’t write about the same thing book after book. Each novel is another story, another genre, another subject matter. Although I have written one sequel thus far, the story line between those two books is quite different while utilizing the same background and characters.

WSB: What kind of recognition or awards have you received as an author?

Mike: My recent awards include Nominated Poet of the Year in 2008 by the International Society of Poetry. I also received a Poet Fellowship Award in 2008, as well as an Editor’s Choice Award by the International Library of Poetry.

WSB: Your books are definitely varied in content. There are multiple books of poetry, one of which tells a bit of a story that ages as the book progresses, a novel about a mom-n-pop radio station, and now Blood & Ice: A Tale of 32 Years in the Crease. Do you have a lot of ideas upstairs and if so, how do you determine what gets priority for a serious project?

Mike: Within the five books of poetry there seems to be a reoccurring theme. The first book was actually planned to go through life’s timeline. The next three all have to do with emotions, aptly titled Pieces of the Heart, II, III. The most recent poetry book, A Warm Breeze From Under Palm Trees, takes on the theme of tropical emotional poetry…probably because I yearn for the tropics…writing about the beach and such lifts up my spirits.

The novels are very varied in story content. I chose to write stories about things I knew so much of during the first two books. I was taught somewhere along the line to write what I know, so I did that with two books about a man who owns a radio station. A hobby I had since I was a kid was radio and I have always been obsessed to a point with radio, so much so that I was on college radio and afterwards here and there. While I was writing the first two novels, I realized I had a gift for telling stories and creating…thanks to the poetry writing that I have developed. So with that, I leaned on some creativity and came up with different subjects to write about. The idea for Eyes of Fury though, was from a thirty second conversation with a friend of mine. He gave me an idea he had that came to him in a dream and said ‘you’re the writer, now give me 400 pages.’ So I made up everything except the original thirty second concept. The book turned out awesome.

I do have a fountain of ideas in my head to write about…the priority? I think some of that comes with feedback from friends I know. A few people pushed for me to write a hockey book, so I did. A few people are pushing for a third radio novel, and a few are pushing for a sequel to Eyes of Fury. In the end though, whichever subjects motivates and captivates me will win out.

WSB: Is this latest book more of an autobiography or rather a fictional tale based on your experiences playing hockey?

Mike: This is a fictional tale, although some stories are indeed true. The story takes place in the future, but I will say that a number of the stories have truth in them…parts of the main character have some similarities, but no, this isn’t an autobiography. This is a simple feel-good story of an aging goalie.

WSB: As far as your time on the ice, what keeps you going as the proverbial “over the hill” goalie?

Mike: I have always loved the game of hockey, from a child through now. I still have the feel of first putting on old coach cushions and tying them around my legs with work boot laces…wow…that was when I was seven or so, and on the streets of Central Islip with my neighborhood friends.

I still have that childlike motivation…always wanting to put on the pads and play. It is a little more difficult to do with the tremendous work schedule I endure, though it makes me appreciate playing that much more.

WSB: What is your greatest hockey moment, either as a fan, coach, or player?

Mike: That’s an unfair question. I have several in each category. On the big stage, the Miracle on Ice in 1980. The Islanders first, second, third and fourth Stanley Cups. They won their fourth Cup during my wedding and honeymoon (no wonder they haven’t won since…lol) !

On the Coaching stage, any moment where I have seen my children play. I’m so proud of all of them. One has played for National Championships at the Junior and College level. That’s been exciting, but no more exciting than any of them skating hard on the ice, giving 110%, and having fun. To see the smiles on their faces really touches me…being able to coach a number of players that have gone on to become very successful in the sport. It’s not about championships and banners at this level, it’s about development and fun, and if the players enjoy the sport so much that they develop and play until they can’t physically play anymore.

Greatest moment as a player? Again, so many. With all of the experiences I’ve had over the years, it would be anytime that I can lace them up with any of my kids and play, either with them or against them. Any time I can step out on the ice with any and all of them, that right there is my greatest moment.

WSB: What kind of literary work can we expect next from the mind of Mike Haszto?

Mike: Well, I’m taking a short break to collect my thoughts right now. I have enough material for another poetry book or two, but instead may dip into another novel. Eyes of Fury has done so well that I’ve had lots of requests to do another suspense thriller. I also have quite a few people waiting for another Radio Free Mickey tale that is set in Key West. Then again, I never know. I may wake up tomorrow with yet another idea…stay tuned!

(Author Mike Haszto with WhySoBlu’s Gregg Senko)

In Closing…
Be sure to stop by Amazon today and get your copy of Blood and Ice: 32 Years in the Crease or any one of the other engrossing stories or collections of poetry from Mike Haszto. Influenced by sports, family, and a little Jimmy Buffet, expect to see more quality releases from Haszto in the future. Being the hockey fan that I am, I must say I am a little biased toward his latest work, Blood and Ice, over his other writings. Nevertheless, Haszto has a way to welcome the uninitiated to his stories, making those readers unfamiliar with his material feel like they are right there, witnessing his experiences and stories through their own eyes, and while I may not be able to decipher which tales in Blood and Ice are true and which are creative conjurings of the writer’s mind, I did indeed feel like I was at that Brooklyn banquet or sharing ice time with his goalie alter ego.

It’s certainly evident that Haszto’s literature offers a little something for everyone; from poetic grace to suspense to blue collar grit. As long as he continues living life to the fullest and keeps the gears turning upstairs, audiences will continue to enjoy Haszto’s affinity for assembling quality publications.

Irish Dance and the Flatley Factor

Gregg Senko — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:39:20 +0000

Four years is not that long when you think about and in that amount of time from now, Riverdance will become 20 years old. Where has the time gone? The year was 1994 and a little something known as the Eurovision Song Contest, a competition that is a fixture in Europe, was being hosted by Ireland. As host, it was their duty to provide a piece of entertainment with hopes of impressing audience members and television viewers alike. What could they use? The country is steeped in musical history so it shouldn’t have been too difficult to come up with something. How about the centuries-old art of Irish dance? Ooooh…big gamble. You’ve got a rigid art form that, up until then, wasn’t known outside of the culture and was something that was viewed as very traditional, consisting of rules such as don’t lift your arms above your waist, keep your head straight, and don’t smile. At first glance, it’s easy to think that this is about as far from entertaining as one can get.

Enter Michael Flatley. Who? The American-born son of Irish immigrants started Irish dancing later in life than usual. The lad’s first exposure to Irish dance was at 4 years old, but he wouldn’t take his first formal lessons until age 11. That’s what lit the fuse. As he grew into adulthood, this entertainment powder keg performed in small venues and Irish cultural events here and there, even touring with the famous Grammy-winning Irish band, The Chieftains. His talents were called upon in the early to mid 1990’s to be the male lead in Ireland’s piece for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. This 7-minute performance opened with a choir of angelic voices and the gentle but determined soft shoes steps of Jean Butler which were followed by the lightning-quick taps of Michael Flatley. Buckle up, audience. You’re about to go for one hell of a ride.

As Bill Whelan’s composition was performed with flawless vigilance, Flatley commanded the stage on his own. He lifted his arms, he looked away, he nodded his head, and he smiled to the audience, all the while his Irish hard shoes rapped out a series of beats. He did everything an Irish dancer was not supposed to do…and the audience loved him for it. In a matter of seconds, his solo work was soon augmented by Butler’s reappearance and backed up by a line full of champion Irish dancers. It was riveting, it was adrenalizing, and it was tear-inducing. The audience leaped to their feet with a rousing ovation. Irish or not, it didn’t matter. Flags waved from all nations throughout the excited audience. There were flags from Greece and Norway and any country not named Ireland that were carried back and forth in graceful motion with grateful exuberance. What the Point Theater in Dublin experienced that night was about to take the planet by storm.

It wasn’t long after that moment when Riverdance became a full-fledged, 90-minute touring production. Now some may use the word ‘unfortunately’ here, but I will say ‘fortunately’ Flatley soon had a falling out with the show’s producers due to contractual disagreements. Why was this a good thing? He was about to embark on an even greater journey than before. Calling upon the musical talents of Ronan Hardiman, Flatley sought the former bank teller to compose the score for his own production, Michael Flately’s Lord of the Dance. In a matter of just a few months, a complete dance troupe was assembled, the choreography was finished and a set was built…all funded courtesy of Flatley’s earnings from his days in Riverdance. Some told the accomplished performer that this would never work, that he should go back to his previous show, but on the 27^th June, 1996, Lord of the Dance premiered going back to the scene of the crime; the Point Theater in Dublin, Ireland. If that night was a launch pad, then the show was the rocket.

People occasionally ask me what the difference between the two shows are and some, when they hear the title Lord of the Dance, reply with, “Oh, isn’t that that Riverdance thing?” Um, no. Both shows are highly entertaining, but Riverdance displays more of a variety show with an Irish base. You will also find American tap dance (which is derived from Irish dance), traditional Russian dancers (the dervish is awesome to see live), uilleann bagpipes, and a choir. Lord of the Dance is all Irish with a dash of rock n’ roll focused around a basic yet enduring tale of good versus evil. There is your full troupe of dancers and four dance leads which consists of the hero, otherwise known as the Lord of the Dance, the main villain Don Dorcha (pronounced Dark-uh), the hero’s love Saorise (pronounced sheer-sa), and Morrighan the Temptress. The show also graces its audiences with a modern dancer as a Tinkerbell-esque character known as the Little Spirit, incredibly talented dueling violinists, and one very accomplished female singer as Erin the Celtic Goddess (pronounced kell-tick), who is a Mother Nature of sorts.

Lord of the Dance and its spinoff Feet of Flames, have entertained millions upon millions around the world, filling 100,000+ seat arenas, was the #1 selling video in Germany for 51 straight weeks, and performed for world leaders everywhere such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton and current Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Riverdance also continues to dazzle countless spectators around the globe as both shows set their sights on untapped Asian and South African markets who are clamoring to see the shows. Flatley left Lord of the Dance in 1998 only to make his return some years later with his latest creation, Celtic Tiger; a show that tells the history and perseverance of Ireland through 90 minutes of song and Irish dance. Though this show was billed as bigger and better, it is tough to beat its predecessors and Flatley had to end the tour prematurely due to ill health he was experiencing at that time. Only a few months ago in December of 2009, Flatley made his long-awaited return to the stage, taking the re-ignited Feet of Flames to Taiwan where record ticket sales and a series of 8 shows in 6 days brought in a reported $20,000,000 payday for the champion flautist and most successful dancer of all time (info courtesy of michaelflatley.com).

What Michael Flatley brought to the table was more than some fancy footwork. He brought business-sense and the mindset of a fan and as a result, opened doors for the art of Irish dance and countless dancers and musicians everywhere. Even those performers whose names we’ll never see in lights have had some kind of grateful impact from the one-time Golden Gloves boxer and former Guinness World Record holder for fastest feet at 28 taps per second…that’s no typo…28 taps in 1 second. Believe it.

I recently had the chance to talk with two such talented performers who were influenced by the Irish-American Flatley. Pat Campbell and Justin Boros are both former dancers in Lord of the Dance, each having their own unique experiences performing in front of audiences in North and South America as well as Europe. One was affected by the live show’s wow-factor almost overnight while the other was anchored in Irish traditions from his youth. What did the pair have to say about their experiences? Read on to find out…

Pat Campbell at the 2008 Cleveland Irish Festival

Interview with Pat Campbell

WSB: How old were you when you started Irish dancing and who influenced you?

Pat: I started dancing at the age of 6. My older brother and sister danced before me.

WSB: How long were you in Lord of the Dance and what kind of position did you hold in the show?

Pat: I was in Lord of the Dance for 7 years. I was a chorus line dancer from 1998 until 2001. I played the Lead Bad Guy ”Don Dorcha” from the end of ‘01 until the end of my dancing career.

WSB: Acting as Don Dorcha, the story’s main villain, can you explain what it was like to be a lead in the show?

Pat: It was absolutely amazing. From getting the costume on to getting pumped up side stage. The bad guy does not start until the 4th part of the show. There is no room for error when you are out there because the spot light is always on you. It is also one heck of a workout.

WSB: Despite being the arch nemesis of the Lord of the Dance, audiences took to the character instantly. Why do you think this is?

Pat: I think it is because there is more of an opportunity for the “bad guy” to act more. The Good Guy is always smiling and coming to save the day, whereas the bad guy can cause all sorts of mischief. Mind you, I have never won and always get booed, but it is fun. My record is 0-587.

WSB: Haha!

WSB: Though Irish dance is hundreds of years old, Michael Flatley was the one who put it on the map. As a result, he is not only well-known in the landscape of Irish dance, but in the world of entertainment. What was it like to work with him?

Pat: He is an amazing dancer. His show presence is by far the best out there. He has been able to enable dancers to continue their careers and love for Irish Dance. Before any of the shows came out, you would quit dance after high school!!

WSB: What does life after the show hold for you and how important is it for you to maintain your footwork and pass on the tradition?

Pat: Life after has been crazier than expected. At the moment I teach dance with my wife, Rebecca, who also was a lead dancer in Lord of the Dance. We have over 100 kids and teach 3 nights a week. We also have a pub (PJ McIntyre’s) that we run as well. When I dance really hard at a practice, I feel it a lot more than I used to. I am getting old!!!

WSB: What is your advice for anybody out there who has hopes of joining a professional Irish dance troupe?

Pat: Follow your dreams and try to fulfill your goals. I believe everything happens for a reason. Stay focused and put in that little extra that others are not doing!!!!!

To see Pat’s footwork in action from Lord of the Dance and for more information on the Brady-Campbell Irish Dance School, please visit http://www.bradycampbellirishdanceschool.com/the-instructors/patrick-campbell.html.

Justin Boros from 'Lord of the Dance'

Interview with Justin Boros

WSB: You were in both an abbreviated version of the show at Epcot and later in the full-fledged tour. What were some of the differences between the two experiences?

Justin: I joined Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance in June of 1999. I was asked to join the ‘Best of Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance.’ This production was a 30-minute show that took the most popular numbers from Lord of the Dance and presented them in a concise 30-minute story line. The Best of Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance performed at the American Gardens Theatre in Epcot Center 4 times a day, 7 days a week, for several months. We were considered Troupe 4, and Troupe 4 consisted of many dancers from all the Troupes touring the world performing the full length 90 minute show of Lord of the Dance. This was a much more intimate production that seated just a few hundred people for each show. The stage was nearly 120 degrees while performing due to the hot Florida weather in addition to the production lights that added heat to each performance. It was an honor to be asked to join the Best of Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance and perform with many of the world’s most prestigious Irish dancers.

After a short break at the conclusion of Troupe 4′s run at Epcot, I was asked to join the US touring troupe, Troupe 2, in January of 2000. Troupe 2 traveled around North America, South America, Mexico, and Canada performing the full length 90-minute production of Lord of the Dance. This was pure rock and roll! During this time in what now has been 14 years the show has been running, Lord of the Dance was at its peak in 2000. We performed in arena-size venues selling out everywhere we went playing to over 25,000 people a night. Not only was Lord of the Dance the biggest touring production in the world, and sold more tickets than U2 and many world famous bands combined, but in every city, we were the ticket! Irish dance had taken over the media while Lord of the Dance was taking over the world. Tour buses, nice hotels, extravagant catering, television shows, partying, lines of people waiting for autographs, and having major celebrities attend performances was a typical day in the life on tour. Touring with the largest production in the world is something that cannot be imparted unto someone, it’s pure experience that can only help someone understand what it was like, and especially at this time when Irish dance was at its peak. Touring during this monumental time in the lifeline of Irish dance was an experience that I will always cherish and be thankful for.

WSB: What was your audition process like?

Justin: I had just started Irish dancing a year and a half before I was asked to join the show. I studied the video of Lord of the Dance every night in my basement until the sun began to rise for nearly a year. Kids my age were out socializing while I was in my basement putting rhythms together and envisioning my goal which would soon become real. I made an audition tape of me performing every male dance in the show Lord of the Dance and on a vacation to Florida in 1999, gave it to the dance captain of the troupe, which he informed me would take several months to get to. Several days later while I was in the audience, the troupe manager asked to see me after the show. I met with him by the entrance to the venue after that night’s performance and he informed me they watched my tape and he wanted me to come back after the park closed and audition on stage that night. Later that night, he drove me to my hotel and I retrieved my hard shoes and went back to a dark Epcot around 11 pm. Pretty soon I was dancing all the dances from the show on stage in front of several dance captains and the troupe manager. After about 45 minutes I thanked them for the honor and they said they will be in touch. The next day I received a phone call and a 30-page contract that was faxed over to me. Within the next three days I had flown home to Ohio and gathered my things and was back down in Florida rehearsing with the troupe. The rest is history.

WSB: Your experience was a little different from most in that you hadn’t been involved in the art of Irish dance from childhood. What obstacles did you encounter as a result of this?

Justin: I wouldn’t say I encountered any obstacles during my year and a half of learning to Irish dance before I joined the show. I would say I came across things that helped me adjust my path to reach my goal, many of these being inspirational things that drove me to achieve. When I started dancing, I was 6’4″ about 200 pounds, dancing with an all girls class of 10 and 11 year olds. Strange, but I didn’t care. My first competition I placed last place in every dance. I was not discouraged, the traditional competition I did not particularly like. It was the masculine hard shoes, lights and crowd that inspired me to start Irish dancing. However, I realized in order for me to succeed I did needed to compete traditionally and do well. I stayed at the dance school every night and watched the championship-level dancers dance and saw what I needed to do to reach that level, and I did. My next feis (pronounced ‘fesh’) I placed 1st in every dance. I was on a path that nobody could stop. Pure passion and vision was my drug, which is a deadly combination for anyone with a bit of drive. Like Michael Flatley said, the more people told me I couldn’t do it, the closer I knew I was. And then I became.

WSB: Irish dance productions took the world by storm starting back in the mid-1990′s and they’re touring today. How do you explain all this success?

Justin: Riverdance was really good, Lord of the Dance was great. Most business people understand that in order to be successful you do not have to create something new, you just have to take something and make it better. That’s what the brilliant artistic mind of Michael Flatley did in 1996. He realized why Riverdance was a success, what worked, what didn’t work, and what people wanted to see that was missing in Riverdance. When Lord of the Dance debuted, Michael Flatley set that bar so high, that in the last 14 years no other production has achieved what Lord of the Dance has. In the last several years, Irish dance is certainly not as popular in theatres as it was during my run back in 2000. This is surely due to the amount of Irish dance shows that have flooded the market over the past ten years, and the amount of touring that Riverdance and Lord of the Dance have done. I would not say that Irish dance is still going strong today. Like every show’s life cycle, Lord of the Dance and Riverdance will soon come to a point where it’s not worth belittling what was once a magnificent production to make a small profit. Regardless, Irish dance has made its place in the world with the help of great shows like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance and kids and adults will forever be inspired to take up this magic art.

WSB: Lastly, what advice do you have for aspiring Irish dancers, who started later in life as you did, seeking to find their niche in one of the many shows out there today?

Justin: Three Words that Michael Flatley repeatedly said that helped me achieve my goals, “Follow your dreams.”

WSB: Thanks a lot, lads!

For more information on these fine shows, their tour dates and histories, please visit:

http://www.lordofthedance.com/

http://www.riverdance.com/

http://www.michaelflatley.com/

For all your Irish Dance needs!

Michael Flatley Collection:

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Lord of the Dance DVD:

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Lord of the Dance Soundtrack:

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Michael Flatley Gold:

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Feet of Flames DVD:

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Feet of Flames Soundtrack:

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The Best of Riverdance DVD:

*

Riverdance Soundtrack:

*

Riverdance Sheet Music Book:

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Riverdance – Live from Radio City Music Hall (2-disc Collector’s Edition):

*

Riverdance – Live from Geneva:

*

Celtic Tiger DVD:

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Celtic Tiger Soundtrack:

Interview with Michael Flatley

Gregg Senko — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:29:59 +0000

September 19, 1997 is a date I will always remember. I have been fortunate enough in my life that I got to interview (and later meet) someone who inspired more than anyone else. This may sound cliché, but Irish dance changed me, my life, the way I approach things, etc. This interview, while it didn’t really fall into my lap, well, I’m just going to say it fell into my lap. I had been chatting online one day with a fellow Lord of the Dance fan named ‘Mitzi.’ She was telling me how she interviewed the four main leads of Lord of the Dance; Michael Flatley, Daire Nolan, Bernadette Flynn, and Gillian Norris. It frustrated me how popular this show had become yet so few around me were aware of it. I told Mitzi that I was going to contact my local newspaper and see if I can write an article for them about the increased popularity of Irish dance and these shows. In the blink of an eye and with her keen sense of direction, she sent me on my way with some valuable advice that led me to interview Mr. Michael Flatley. Wherever you are today, Mitzi, I am truly grateful for what you had done for me.

Up to this interview that you are about to listen, I was taking tap dance, a fine form of dance to be sure, but it’s not Irish. It’s not what I wanted. It didn’t move me in a spiritual sense. At 20 years old at the time, try finding an Irish dance teacher that takes adults and you would probably want to play the lottery the same day. After all, it felt like the odds were about the same. Yet the day after I completed this interview, I was on the phone with Irish dance schools throughout my area and through some serious post-interview motivation and the graces of one Peggy Cannon-O’Donnell, I was on my way to learning an art form that has forever changed my life.

Now what you are about to hear is probably not the best interview you will ever encounter. Heck, it may not even be the best Flatley interview you will ever encounter, but it is a candid 15 minutes or so with a guy from Chicago who completely altered the landscape of professional dance.  For the first time ever interviewing someone, I guess I landed on a pretty impressive subject.  I was nervous, I was tense, I pronounced Daire Nolan’s name as dare-ee (it’s dare-uh) and the audio is a tad rough, but when that phone call that began at 5:01pm EST on the 19th September, 1997 had concluded, I had finally reached Cloud 9.   I’m 33 now and while that’s not old, the knees do ache a little more and ankles crack a little louder than they used to, but if that’s the price to pay for the wings I have been given, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have since danced in front of friends, family, strangers, and celebrities and I have the Lord of the Dance himself to thank for every moment of it. Thank you, Mr. Flatley.

Without further ado, I give you my telephone interview with Michael Flatley…

Part 1

Part 2

Bring home Lord of the Dance: My Story (autobiography) today!

WSB’s Aaron Harris Talks with Cass Warner

Aaron Harris — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:16:38 +0000

Hello Why So Blu fans. I would like to thank every reader and viewer that stops to visit us here every day at our site. We love to bring you the best of the best in movie entertainment. Where would we all be without the big screen? What could point us in the direction of our lives, without anything to stare at for continuous hours on end? I don’t even want to know. That is why I am particularly proud of one company who has been entertaining us for centuries, The Warner Brothers. How did we all come to be the people we are today? It’s all explained to us by Cass Warner Sperling in the documentary, The Brothers Warner on Blu-ray.

I know what you’re saying, “I hate documentaries,” but in this case folks you have to put all personal feelings aside and simply listen for a minute. The documentary, The Brothers Warner is not your average, oh-let-me-sit-down-and-hear-my-lecture sort of film. Although now in the new form of broadcasting, documentaries are really becoming quite interesting. Just think about it, reality TV, that’s a form of documentation and it has received some of the highest ratings. This film here has a little bit of all that in one. The story of the four brothers also known as the Warner Brothers, is told by the granddaughter of Harry Warner himself, Cass Warner Sperling! If that’s not real deal enough for you, then I don’t know what is. Not only that, if you’re a respectful individual like myself, then you would definitely want to honor the fact that there is a film that gives us an inside scoop of the individuals who in some way shaped the way of the world. If you can name one American that you could go up to and ask, “Who is Bugs Bunny?” and they not know the answer, please introduce me.

Little do people know, Warner Brothers Studios has been in operation since the early 1900′s. To be exact, the brothers began doing business as Warner Brothers Pictures Incorporated in 1923. Cass Warner Sperling gives us a compassionate narration of events occurring in the lives of the four brothers throughout the years. At one point in the film Cass even sits down with her mother and goes through family photo albums, which really gave me a sincere feel about the subject. It actually made me want to call my mother and see if I had any long lost cousins who struck it rich that I didn’t know about! The Warner Brothers are four brothers by the names of Harry Warner, Albert Warner, Sam Warner, and Jack Warner. As explained by Cass Warner Sperling, Harry Warner (Sperling’s grandfather), being the eldest, was the so-called leader of the bunch. Although Harry Warner passed away when Cass was only ten years old, she still has vivid memories of him letting her tag along to the studios. In her words, “It was better than going to the circus.”

Once the 1930s began with action packed films, Warner Brothers had an official stamp on the business. Strong family ties with dignity and dedication to the art of the business, made the company strong. Sam was classified more of as the brains of the bunch, while Jack Warner grows to be seen as chauvinistic by family and friends, which angers older brother Harry. Albert being more of the quiet one, kept the brothers loyal. During this time there were wars throughout nations that the Warners embraced in their films, which led them to political fame. In the early days, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein were studying light and sound and the Warners improved this by adding the new technology to their films. Remember it’s now 2010, a new millennium, and these guys were doing this in the early 1900′s. Now to this day, the Warners are thriving.  Cass Warner Sperling also uses an excellent cast of doctors, actors, and actresses to narrate along with her throughout the film.

My highlight in the film is when Roy Disney Jr. is sitting with Cass revealing how they achieved the art of sound in movies. Folks, ‘Warner’ is a family name carved in stone which we all must remember, for God’s sake, these are the people who put Ronald Reagan in the movies! After hard times, Harry and Jack sell the business. To everyone’s surprise, Jack Warner buys back Warner Brothers behind Harry’s back, which causes Harry to crash. Success, turmoil, and betrayal; this is a saga that everyone should tune in to. The reality of television has made a large impact in all of our lives. Why not pay tribute to the four men who started it all? Like all good things, they have to come to an end with the passing of all four of the brothers. Yet and still the legacy of The Warner Brothers will never diminish, as we now have a subsidiary of the The Warner Brothers which is called The Warner Sisters! This documentary was released through Warner Sisters by Cass Warner Sperling, and I actually had a chance to catch up with Cass and ask her a few questions about the film and the company Warner Sisters.

Here’s an interview I had with Ms. Cass Warner Sperling. The interview is split up into two parts. Enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

Bring home The Brothers Warner today!

Johnny Cash Tribute w/ Jimmie Ray & Cyndi Cantrell

Aaron Harris — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:40:18 +0000

If any of you readers frequent Las Vegas often, you know that at any given moment you’re bound to see something that puts you in a state of “ah.” Whether this is an intoxicated patron conducting a free sidewalk show or even a 1950′s young Elvis taking tips for a memorable, yet cherishing photo, there’s always a good show in Vegas! In any case, that’s similar to what happened to me last week in Sin City. February 22^nd through the 28^th was a tribute to the late musician Johnny Cash!

Mr. Johnny Cash’s heyday was a little before my time, although, you cannot pass the chance to do a good shimmy dance when you hear a good tune. Friday February 26^th was Johnny Cash’s 78^th birthday reunion, and I was in downtown Las Vegas where all the action was going down. As I was shoveling through the crowd of individuals who looked to be as old as my grandmother or grandfather, I came across a man and a woman who very much intrigued me to ask them a couple of questions. They go by the name of Jimmie Ray & Cyndi Cantrell, also known as Johnny Cash and June Carter!

These are two wonderful and extremely nice people who conduct a live traveling band in honor of the late Johnny Cash. Last week on the First Street Stage on Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas, Jimmie and Cyndi rocked the house. Performing hit songs from the late musician Johnny Cash, the band sounded incredible! This was a little different from my average work, but to say the least, I really did enjoy the entire celebration. In the words of Jimmie Ray, “Johnny Cash made music for the common man,” and that’s exactly how this reunion made me feel. A couple of beers, a pretty lady next to me, and a little Johnny Cash playing on the tuner, what could be better? All in all this was a fabulous celebration for a great musician who affected a lot of folks’ lives, and will always be remembered throughout history.

For more information on Jimmie Ray & Cyndi Cantrell please visit http://www.johnnycashtributes.com/.

Check out my brief audio interview below with Jimmie Ray.

WSB’s Aaron Harris Interviews Marc Rizzo

Aaron Harris — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:30:05 +0000

Hey guys and gals! It’s Aaron Harris back at the ball and chain, (my desk) reporting on an interview I had with a superstar musician. Now when I say ‘musician,’ I mean musician! This is a guy who plays everything by hand, which being a musician myself, will do also, but to a certain extent. Ok, ok, let me stop beating around the bush and let you know whom I am referring to, but hold on, have you guys ever played Guitar Hero? If so, you’ll definitely lose playing against this guy. Marc Rizzo folks, Marc “the hardest working man” Rizzo!

Now the name Marc Rizzo may not start ringing your bells or tooting your horns, but just the name itself sounds cool anyway. Say it with me guys Rizzz-o, rizzle, visited us here at why sizzle blizzo! This was a great experience speaking with this man, to have just a glimpse of what goes through his mind when he’s not wailing demonic roars through his vocal cords. The focus on my interview with the guitar beast was the release of his new solo album titled Legionnaire.

Now folks, this is an album that Rizzo recorded while he was on tour with Soulfly, one of the two rock bands he’s a member of! That does in no way shape or form degrade the value and respect of this solo project. For all you guys who are not familiar with Marc Rizzo or Soulfly, just to say the least, they’re a smashing heavy metal band and Rizzo is the lead guitarist. For some people heavy metal is not their cup of tea, but for guys like Marc Rizzo, it’s their shot of vodka.

Soulfly gets your adrenaline pumping and your blood flowing. A lot of people I’ve spoken with say that Marc Rizzo creates music that you can workout to! You hear that Marc, any ideas for an instructional DVD? Beside all of the high volume, speaker bursting, heavy metal action, Marc Rizzo brings to the table acoustic sounds as well. The solo album brings alive a style that Marc has been using for a considerable amount of time, which is the Flamenco style. Flamenco is a Latin-based dance style which has a South American vibe with acoustic tunes. This new solo album incorporates all into one!

Legionnaire is just one of three solo albums that Marc Rizzo has under his belt. As you all heard in years of trials and tribulations, “the third time’s the charm,” and that is definitely true in this album. So girls dye your hair pink, and to you guys, grow some hair until you look into the mirror and think you’re Eddie Van Halen. Once you accomplish that, turn on Legionnaire and bop your head continuously! Here is an interview I had with Mr. Marc Rizzo.

Click on the link below to listen to the interview.

01 rizzo interview 21910 final mp3

DISCLAIMER - Link will open in a new window and you can click to play or right click to download (Save Target As) and listen on your iPod.

Make sure to vist Marc Rizzo’s official home on the web.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand – Discussion with Cast

Gregg Senko — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:20:32 +0000

Tomorrow, January 22^nd, marks the inaugural episode of the much anticipated Spartacus: Blood and Sand on the Starz Network. Taking place in the gladiatorial times of ancient Rome, we follow the life of a loving husband and cunning warrior who is bestowed the moniker of ‘Spartacus.’ It’s a difficult task to educate the inevitable fans on the show without giving too much away but if you enjoyed the film 300, you will certainly fall into a world of engrossment when watching Spartacus: Blood and Sand. After watching the first four episodes, I was just blown away. I cannot look back at any point thus far and say, “You know what? That one thing really disappointed me.”

The storyline is reminiscent of a basic skeleton of the Gladiator plot though it’s removed enough to only bear a few similarities. The editing is done very similar to the fashion of 300, so when the blood flies, expect an airborne hemoglobin extravaganza that’s slow for emphasis and vast in quantity. Make no mistake though. This series doesn’t ride the line of cartoonish behavior. It is in your face. You will often experience well-timed and proficient use of the green screen, but those beautiful people in front of it are all real.

Speaking of the cast, I was able to speak with the show’s creator Steve DeKnight, in addition to Spartacus himself; Andy Whitfield, and the seductive Lucretia, played by Lucy Lawless. The trio fielded several questions from a variety of media. Personally, I wanted to know what kind of workout regimen the cast had to go through to get to where they are. Andy Whitfield explained how it was a very scientific process as trainers figured out what parts to tone and how. It was on to calorie-counting and 4 hours a day in the gym for the English-born actor. As for Lucy, well, the women aren’t going to like to hear this but she admitted she really isn’t on a workout plan. Her secret? No donuts.

If you checked out the resumés of either Lawless or Whitfield, you would be instantly aware they are no strangers to the business end of a camera. Lawless, as many know, played Xena: Warrior Princess on the TV series of the same name. Steve DeKnight admitted, previously unbeknownst to Lawless, that he had her picked for the part long before the show even got off the ground. Whitfield, however, is a newcomer to North American audiences and was auditioned several times before being declared the rebellious hero to the people of Rome…or Spartacus as we’ll get to know him. Put your seatbelt on, Andy. Here come the rush of fans that will follow you to hell and back.

Now you don’t work for a site that got its start on Blu-rays without inquiring about the show’s plans for this wonderful format. I asked Steve DeKnight on the chances of the series coming to Blu-ray to which he responded, “Oh this show was meant for Blu-ray!” With the production team’s cameras capturing 1,000 frames per second in High Definition, this series is bound to deliver jaw-dropping astound in 1080p. We know the public loves Blu-ray, but how do performers feel about it? Both Lawless and Whitfield exclaimed how they prefer the eye-popping clarity and detail-laden presentation. Lawless mentioned that while High Def does reveal bodily flaws, this is definitely preferred due to the authenticity it adds to the show. People don’t look perfect and they certainly didn’t back in ancient Rome, so why create illusions?

From the hour-long talk, it seems like producer Steve DeKnight is comfortably at home on the Starz Network. When you have talents such as his and that of Spider-Man trilogy director Sam Raimi behind you, there is no telling just how far the brilliance of Spartacus: Blood and Sand will soar. Tune in to Starz for the January 22^nd premiere! If you don’t get Starz, contact your local cable or dish network provided today.

Visit the official Spartacus website http://www.starz.com/originals/Spartacus/.

Why So Blu? » Interviews

Los Angeles Animation Festival: The Iron Giant

Huff: The New Villian on the Street

Huff: Rising Star Elly Stefanko

Huff: Interview with Clint Howard

A Talk With Disney Producer Don Hahn

A Talk With the Directors of The Lion King

A Talk With Disney About the Restoration of Dumbo

Interview with Chillerama’s Anton Troy

Interview With The Cast Of ‘Bellflower’

BELLFLOWER

Interview with ONE FALL’s Marcus Dean Fuller

Comic-Con 2011: Spartacus: Vengeance – Roundtable Interviews

Comic-Con 2011: Interview with CHILLERAMA’s Adam Rifkin & Tim Sullivan

Comic-Con 2011: Interview with CHILLERAMA’s Adam Green

Comic-Con 2011: A Talk with Clone Wars Actress/Entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein

Our Second Enchanted Conversation with Zombex’s Emily Kaye

Interview with Actor Brendan Wayne – ‘Cowboys & Aliens’

A Talk With ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Bill George About I Am Number Four

A Talk With D.J. Caruso, Director of I Am Number Four

Interview with Don Jeanes from Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Interview with James Pfeiffer – MMA Fighter

Interview with MMA Fighter Micah Bender

A Talk With Eric Barba – Visual Effects Supervisor for Tron: Legacy

A Talk With Steve Preeg – Head of Animation for Tron: Legacy

A Talk With Joseph Kosinski – Director of Tron: Legacy

A Talk With the Directors of Tangled

Interview with Hatchet II’s Danielle Harris

Interview with Hatchet II’s Adam Green

A Talk with Director Jon Turteltaub

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Blu-ray Interview

Guillermo del Toro vs. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Tamara Drewe: The Gemma Arterton Interview

A Talk with Beauty and the Beast’s Glen Keane

PART II -

If you would like to learn more about the making of Beauty and the Beast, pick up a copy of the movie on Blu-ray!

Tamara Drewe: The Stephen Frears Interview

Tamara Drewe: The Dominic Cooper & Luke Evans Interviews

Brian Chats w/ Spartacus’ Katrina Law

Comic-Con 2010: Jason Howard Interview

MUSH Brings Solid Sound to the Table

Interview with Adam Bogle – MMA Fighter

Interview with MMA Fighter Mike Maderitz

Inteview with MMA Fighter Brandon Vasquez

An Interview with Boxer Yuandale Evans

An Enchanted Conversation with Mistress Clegg

Mike Haszto – From Athlete to Author

Irish Dance and the Flatley Factor

Interview with Michael Flatley

WSB’s Aaron Harris Talks with Cass Warner

Johnny Cash Tribute w/ Jimmie Ray & Cyndi Cantrell

WSB’s Aaron Harris Interviews Marc Rizzo

Spartacus: Blood and Sand – Discussion with Cast