Coming Soon: Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D
Posted on May 18, 2008 at 10:00 am
This week director Eric Brevig and producer-star Brendan Fraser (“That’s Fraser like razor”) answered questions about their new film, “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D.” Unlike the earlier versions, including the 1959 George Pal version with Pat Boone and James Mason and a recent made-for-television movie starring Ric Schroeder, this is based on the Jules Verne book. Instead, it is the story of a modern-day scientist who searches for his brother, who discovered that Verne’s book was true.
The movie is a real thrill-ride with great stunts and effects and it was a blast to hear Brevig and Fraser talk about how it was made. In order to get the 3D effect, they have a special camera that shoots two separate movies, one for each eye. Essentially, they are projected together on screen (we got a sense of how tricky that was when they got it wrong three times before rebooting the system to get it right) and then when viewed with the special glasses, the audience gets a sense of depth and detail so distinct that — well, when the dinosaur drools, you’re going to feel like you need to wipe off your forehead.
Fraser good-naturedly answered questions — no, there will not be a sequel to “Encino Man” and yes, he does all his own stunts (he pointed out that the hanging off a cliff and getting burned stunts were left to the last day of shooting at the request of the insurance company). Brevig swore us all to secrecy when he confided that Fraser has one additional uncredited role in the film — he provides the warbling sounds for the adorable little glow-birds.
In this impressionistic, rose-and honey-toned memory piece, young Jacob hides from the Nazis in 1941 Poland but his parents are killed and his sister is captured. The terrified boy is discovered by a Greek archaeologist, who takes him in and becomes a gentle, devoted surrogate father. Over the years, Jacob (played as an adult by Stephen Dillane) tries to make sense of his past and his present.
. Not many people would look to that film for driving tips, but Bookbinder was able to use some of Mel Gibson’s moves to avert two different accidents. Read the post for details.