Recently in Behind the Scenes Category

This week's release, "The Blind Side," is the story of Michael Oher, played by Quinton Aaron. Here is a glimpse of the real Oher, now an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens. What I find most touching is when he says that he became a part of the family when he realized he was needed.

Edi Gathegi and Jamie Campbell Bower play bad guy vampires in "New Moon," the second in the "Twilight" series based on the best-selling books by Stephanie Meyer. I had a chance to talk with them about making the movie. They were enormous fun, exceptionally friendly and happy to talk about making the movie.

NM: To begin with, this film has a different director, Chris Weitz of "American Pie," "About a Boy," and "The Golden Compass." How will we see his influence on the story?

EG: Every director has his own unique style. Even in big franchise film series they'll often switch off. Chris knows how to direct big stories and he has worked with CGI and special effects. In terms of color scheme and tones, "Twilight" was very blue and "New Moon" is very brown, with the introduction of the wolves. It does look gorgeous!

NM: How do you develop your walk and other movements for these supremely graceful creatures, the Volturi?

EG: Stephanie Meyer said the Volturi glide. So it's not a clumpy foot stomp. It has to be liquid looking

JCB: My character is very still. For the one small bit of walking I did from my perch to my next perch, I was like a snake almost.

EG: We went to a moving like a cat workshop with exercises and cat movement. The idea is more like a tiger, lion, or panther. This is a new mythology of vampires, no fangs, no crosses. The Volturi have no blood in their bodies. They never have to move. There is a lot of stillness. We are not trying to pass ourselves off as human like the Cullens are.

NM: Tell me about the look of your characters. What do you wear?

JCB: The look of the Volturi is more stylish in its aesthetic. We are very well dressed even though we don't get out much. We take what we can from our victims, so it is not always coordinated.

EG: It was a collective ensemble, the group look. Laurent was more rock star-y. He's 300 years old, well traveled, picked from his favorite fashions of the day. He is fearless, doesn't have to impress anyone. If it pleased him, he would wear a bright purple Russian car salesman suit.

NM: What's the most fun about playing Volturi?

JCB: Getting to be incredibly evil and stare. We make use of the contacts, even though they are Irritating and decreased my vision.

EG: That's the funny part! We are supposed to be the most gorgeous, perfect vision creatures in the planet, and with the contacts in, none of us can see!

Some of the stars of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" are on Twitter, and The Examiner has published a helpful list to let you follow all their tweets.

Jared Hess directed "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre" from screenplays he wrote with his wife Jerusha. Their latest film is "Gentlemen Broncos," about a teenage boy whose story is stolen by a best-selling author. He told me that he has spent part of his Mormon mission in my home town of Chicago and that it was there he first heard the name "Napoleon Dynamite." I spoke to him about the autobiographical sources of this film, sleeping on the couch, and why things get funnier in hindsight.

NM: You have an outstanding cast in this film. But the one who surprises me is Mike White. I would not have expected to see you work together.

JH: Both my wife and I have been big fans of his work on "Freaks and Geeks" and "The Good Girl" and "School of Rock." A lot of people might not see our comedic sensibilities matching up, the same things make us laugh. We were both raised in very religious families. There's a little bit of an understanding there.

NM: Michael Angarano was extraordinary; some of his expressions were so thoughtful and layered.

JH: We spent a lot of time trying to find someone who would be really genuine in the role of Benjamin. He's just kind of effortless, really believable, super-talented. Every actor has their own process but he's the kind of guy where we're on set and he's chatting and boom! He jumps into it as soon as we're ready to go. Compared to the other characters in the film, he's kind of Mr. Normal. But when you see the world that he's created, you realize that he is strange like everybody else.

NM: And Halley Feiffer is wonderful in the film. Shes the daughter of artist Jules Feiffer and was so terrific in "The Squid and the Whale."

JH: For that role, we read a lot of people. Again, she had a natural but crazy feeling, that unintentional feeling, unaware of what she is doing to people, trying to take advantage. The hand cream scene was very autobiographical. When my family moved to Idaho, the English and theater kids were going to a Shakespeare festival in southern Utah on a bus. I was crowded onto a seat with a guy who was blowing in a girl's ear and giving her weird head massages.

NM: Are those real vintage pulp novels in the opening credit sequence? The cover art is amazing!

JH: Yes, they were all real. Those were all real illustrations, mostly from the 60's and 70's. The main artist was a man named Kelly Freas.

NM: Are you a fan of that genre of sci-fi?

JH: Yes, though as a kid I didn't read as much but I loved the covers. All my favorite films were science fiction.

NM: Like what?

JH: "Star Wars," David Lynch's "Dune," which I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about. That was a creepy movie, though. I liked it. "The Explorers." And then as I got older, I got more aware of the more obscure films. I'm a big fan of the limited resource genre, the ones with small budgets. They've got a lot of charm to them. They've got big worlds that they're trying to create but they don't really have the dough. One guy who was in the Q&A scene, when we were done shooting, he gave me a copy of the screenplay of "Krull." "Check this out, man, you're going to love it; it's a really great read." He said his new year's resolution is to read every Philip H. Dick novel. I really wanted to be a special effects guy, a lot of my early films were sci fi related, when you're a kid you don't have a script, or the whole idea is cut short.

NM: That's what you did in this film.

JH: Yes, and the idea that this is from the mind of a 15-year-old kid. This is his epic fantasy; it's not "Blade Runner." We're in the world of battle stags and yeast.

NM: Yes, there is this very fresh, innocent cheesiness in the stories in the film.

JH: We really try and populate our films with authentic people who might not normally have an opportunity to be in a film. We have a lot of fun with it. Like the idea of adults that are still thinking like children. I guess that's how I am.

NM: This is your first PG-13 film.

JH: Yes, my wife has seven brothers and I'm the oldest of five boys. The body humor aspects of this film are quite prevalent. We wanted to have the kind of awkward body things that happen in his real life influence his work a little bit. It's quite silly.

NM: How do you and your wife work together when you are writing a screenplay?

JH: It's fun working with my wife. I slept on the couch a lot, but each time we write it gets better. We're not really sure who's responsible for what. We spend a lot of time just talking. The biggest difference is I'm a boy and she's a girl. On "Napoleon Dynamite," she was the costume designer, on this one she is the producer. Whenever she's on set she keeps me in check. We are planning a romantic comedy and she might direct it. I'd like to do a western with cowboys and shoot-outs.

NM: What makes you laugh?

JH: The awkward things that happen, usually in hindsight. You have to have a good sense of humor about the past.

Part 2 -- from an online press briefing with "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure" director Klay Hall and producer Sean Lurie." And don't forget to enter the contest for the Tinker Bell DVD and wings!

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the look of this film and what inspired it?

Klay Hall: Certainly the inspiration comes from the original 1953 Peter Pan movie. The colors and the richness of the backgrounds from the original film were embraced. What was great about this time is we were able to give it a fresh look and able to incorporate CG. We were able to enhance the textures and the hues to really give it the richness we felt it deserved.

Q: What is the benefit of Blu-ray for a film such as this?

Sean Lurie: We produced the film in High Definition. Watching it on Blu-ray is, by far, the best way to see this. It's visually stunning and we don't want you to miss the incredible visual details.

Q: Mr. Hall, do you coordinate the performances of the voice talents with the visual artists? Or does one come first and the other have to try to match up? Do the voice talents have a good idea of what the look of the scene will be?

Klay Hall: Yes, I do coordinate all the voice talents with the visual artists; however, we do record the voices first, so the animators have an acting track to work from. If I don't have an actor recorded at the time I am handing out a scene, we do what is called a "scratch track," where myself or an animator will speak the words and we will record them, so we have something to work from. When I go into final record with acting talent, I bring character design, color art and sometimes a pencil test scene that will help inform the actor of what I'll be looking for.

Q: Which is the secret to Tinker Bell's success?

Sean Lurie: I think it's her charm, curiosity, and that she is not perfect. These things make her relatable. And she can FLY!

Q: Can you tell me about the production of the score? How did you work with Joel McNeely? Can you tell me about the chorus and the choice of Gaelic for the lyrics, as a kind a secret fairy language?

Klay Hall: I worked very closely with Joel McNeely from early on. We talked about how we wanted to capture authenticity of the Celtic world and have it sound organic. Joel is a very accomplished musician on several instruments and he had creative ideas on how to create this new sound. As part of our production process, we were able to travel to Ireland and meet with David Downes, several musicians and singers, including some of the Celtic Women. When we first heard the Celtic choir, it was in the Abbey's residence, a 400 year old building next to St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. Talk about inspiring and moving. It was truly amazing, an incredible experience and we felt like we were really on to something.

Q: How long did the production for the movie overall take?

Sean Lurie: It took about two and a half years.

Q: Is it all computer generated?.

Sean Lurie: Yes. We start with "flat" designs and storyboards drawn with a stylist in the computer (they resemble pencil drawings). We then construct those characters, environments and props as models in a 3d digital environment. Even though the shots are computer generated there are many talented animators animating each shot and character.

Q: What are the differences you can see comparing the new Tinker Bell and the older one, being a co-star of Peter Pan?

Sean Lurie: The biggest difference has to be that she can talk in these movies. Even though she couldn't talk in the Peter Pan movie she was very expressive. You always new what she was trying to communicate. We tried to keep her very expressive, and maintain her key personality traits. Translating her from 2D drawings to a fully 3 dimensional character is also a visual difference. We tried to be as accurate in her appearance as possible. It was important that people recognize and accept her as the Tink they know and love.

Q: Can you describe Tinker Bell's new costume and how you arrived at its design?

Klay Hall: Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure is set in the Autumn. So it seemed proper to update Tinker Bell's outfit. In the earlier films, she wears her iconic little green dress. However, it being fall and there being crispness in the air, in addition to this being an adventure movie, her dress just wouldn't work. So myself, John Lasseter, Ellen Jin, the Art Director, and the costume designers from the parks all weighed in on an approach to a new design. We landed on her wearing leggings, a long-sleeve shirt, a shawl, a hat and high boots with her iconic pom-poms still attached. The costume also had to feel as if a fairy made it, so all the materials, textures and elements are organic and easily found in nature.

Q: What was it like working with John Lasseter?

It was awesome! Working with John was a dream come true. He is so invested in this TInker Bell films and very hands on. John is very much a collaborator and helpful at every level. He was involved practically at all levels....From the original story pitch, costume design and character design to sequence approvals, animation, music and the final sounds effects mix.

Q: To Mr. Hall: Please, would you share some memories of Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl as persons and the way they inspired you in your work?

Klay Hall: It was an honor to meet Ward Kimball, which I had the pleasure on several occasions. I spoke with him while a student at Cal Arts and then was able to correspond with him in the later years about animation and technique. He was a warm, friendly guy who had me out to his house and even invited me to his last steam-up at Grizzly Flats Railroad. Unfortunately, I never met Milt personally, but was also able to correspond with him through the mail. He was very friendly and encouraging in his advice about acting for animation and being sure to do your research before you begin to draw. I still look back and read the letters from these guys, watch the scenes they worked on and I'm truly inspired to this day.

Q: Do you anticipate any of the other Peter Pan characters making appearances in Tinkerbell films?

Klay Hall: You never know! It would be great.

Q: What are the advantages of treating the fairies' world in CG? And what are the difficulties that implies, too?

Sean Lurie: We felt that CG was a great medium for these films because it allows us to create a truly magical world. The richness, color and depth is fantastic. We also felt that CG would help create an environment that we could easly return to in subsequent films. Our biggest challenge with CG was to create a faithful rendition of Tinker Bell. We spent a lot of time on this because we know that this is a beloved character.

Q: I love the stylized look of the opening sequence. What inspired it?

Klay Hall: I happen to love Autumn. The way the light hits the trees, the colors of fall and the crispness in the air. I wanted to capture the textures and feel of the season.

Q: What is the most important lesson children can learn from Tinkerbell?

Klay Hall: We all can learn so much from Tinker Bell and her adventures. TInk herself learns a valuable lesson in the film -friendship is one of the greatest treasures of all; she learns that it's okay to make mistakes and to forgive.

Q: What is your favorite scene from the Tinker Bell movie?

Sean Lurie: I love the scene where Terence is helping Tink build the scepter, and over a period of time gets on her nerves. It's a very relatable scene with lot's of humor. The acting in this scene is very good and funny. We are also both very fond of the Trolls scene. It's a great thing when you can take very unappealing (looking) characters and make them some of the most charming characters in the film.

Q: Both of you have two sons like me. With the emphasis on the Terence character, is part of the priority for you to make Tinker Bell more interesting to boys?

Sean Lurie: Our objective was to create a film that had a broad family appeal. We wanted to create a movie that the whole family would enjoy, including our sons.

Continuing this week's celebration of all things Tinker Bell, I spoke to Ellen Jin Over, Art Director for the new DVD, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. I was really lucky that Tinker Bell historian Mindy Johnson was there, too....

Talking with Raven-Symone on the telephone, it was easy to imagine that I was really speaking to Iridessa, the character she plays in the new DVD, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. She has such a sparkly quality, I could...

Get ready for the release of "Where the Wild Things Are" by reading the book! Reading Rockets has a great site with resources including an interview with author Maurice Sendak. Did you know he originally wrote it as a story...

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If you saw the new Matt Damon movie, The Informant! and would like to know more about the real-life Mark Whitacre, the highest-level and most productive white collar informant in history, listen to the episode of This American Life that...

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle is one of the bright new stars who "light up the sky like a flame" in the new re-booting of the 1980 classic film, "Fame." I was lucky to get to interview her about the...

"Play the Game" has many elements that are often found in sexy romantic comedies -- a hero who thinks he does not want to fall in love and a heroine who teaches him that he does not know what he...

In 2009, film critic Roger Ebert declared "Ramin Bahrani is the new great American director." I'd say he's a great new American writer as well. I heard him speak at Ebertfest (his second time presenting there) and was moved, enthralled,...

Steven Spielberg has announced the remake of one of Jimmy Stewart's most beloved films, "Harvey." It is the story of a gentle soul named Elwood P. Dowd and his invisible friend, a six-foot rabbit-ish character called a pooka. The screenplay...

Is it because we're in a year that ends with a nine that there are so many "nine" movies coming out? There's "Cloud 9," a German film about a long-married woman who has an affair. Next is "District 9," about...

Hollywood legend and Oscar-winning screenwriter Budd Schulberg died this week at age 95. His best work documented the anguish and corruption he observed growing up as the son of one of the top executives of MGM at the height of...

Hugh Dancy plays the title role in "Adam," the story of a man with Asperger Syndrome, a form of social dyslexia that is on the autism spectrum. As the movie begins, Adam's father has just died and he must learn...

Max Mayer is the writer/director behind the sensitive and insightful new film, "Adam," the story of a young man with Asperger Syndrome (Hugh Dancy) who is befriended by his new neighbor (Rose Byrne). He is an exceptionally thoughtful and engaging...

Paul Peterson was one of my first celebrity crushes when he appeared on The Donna Reed Show. He was briefly a Mousketeer at age 8 and played Cary Grant's son (with Sophia Loren as his babysitter) in the affecting romantic...

The CG Society has a terrific interview with John Goodson, who worked on the starship Enterprise and many other iconic movie models. "I've worked on almost all the miniatures for the Enterprise that exist and I've studied them all," he...

D.W. Brown has trained, directed, and coached hundreds of actors and is co-artistic head of the distinguished and successful Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio. His new book, You Can Act!: A Complete Guide for Actors is both practical and inspiring with...

You know them. That is, they look familiar, but you might not be sure if that is because you saw them in a movie or because you saw them on a train. These are character actors, the indispensible performers who...

This afternoon/evening at 4 pm PST there will be a live video chat on Facebook with writer/director Cyrus Nowrasteh to answer participant questions regarding his latest film. Based on a true story, "The Stoning of Soraya M." stars Shohreh Aghdashloo...

"Shopaholic" comes to DVD this week. Here is a glimpse behind the scenes: • The film shot inside of some of the most exclusive stores and boutiques in New York, including Barneys New York flagship store on Madison Avenue, Henri...

My brilliant and talented friend Robert J. Elisberg writes an outstanding column about politics and culture in "The Huffington Post." I told him how much I admired his most recent piece about the way that Hollywood's obsession with youth interferes...

Check out Entertainment Weekly's gallery of shots from the set of "New Moon." They say that even though Edward does not play much of a role in the book, fans have been assured that the popular Robert Pattinson will...

Studio 360, one of my favorite radio programs, has a wonderful interview with Gene Winfield, the man who designed the cars from the future for everyone from "Star Trek" and "Blade Runner" to "Sleeper," "Robocop" and this episode of "Bewitched."...

Cinematical does what the producers of the new Terminator movie did not -- they sit down with a calendar to try to figure out the Terminator Timeline....

Thanks to my pal Kathy Deane for alerting me to this website from the actress who played Zuzu in "It's a Wonderful Life." She was the little girl who asked her dad, played by Jimmy Stewart, to fix the petals...

More from the "NatM: Battle of the Smithsonian" press conference: Ricky Gervais, creator and star of the original British version of The Office returns as the director of New York's Museum of Natural History. He said that he loves...

Yesterday, I attended a press conference at the historic Smithsonian Castle and had the immeasurable and almost-surreal pleasure of sitting opposite Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, director Shawn Levy, and screenwriters Robert Ben Garant and...

There is no movie I am more excited about right now than the Spike Jonze-directed "Where the Wild Things Are," opening this fall and based on the classic children's book by Maurice Sendak. Having watched the trailer several times, I...

In an exclusive interview for the new Star Trek 1-6 movie box set, Whoopi Goldberg interviews the captains of the USS Enterprise, to boldly go where no interview has gone before....

Ann Hornaday has a fascinating article in the Washington Post about the impact that an editor has on a film. You've heard the expression "the cutting room floor?" That comes from the days when film editors used real scissors and...

Maurice Jarre wrote soundtracks for movies that became the soundtracks for our lives. The lush romantic score for Dr Zhivago (known as "Somewhere My Love") is inseparable from the snowy vistas of the story. The sweep of his score for...

NPR has a very charming five-minute interview with the screenwriter for "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" about how he came up with the movie's ending....