Interview: Jared Hess of ‘Gentlemen Broncos’

Posted on November 5, 2009 at 9:08 am

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.

Interview: Tinker Bell (Part 2)

Posted on October 29, 2009 at 8:00 am

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.

Interview: Tinker Bell (Part 1)

Posted on October 26, 2009 at 3:59 pm

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. Don’t forget to enter my contest for the new Tinker Bell DVD and wings!

NM: Tell me what it is like to dress a fairy!

EJO: Dressing Tinker Bell is real exciting because that’s one of the major Disney characters, and to dress her in something else than what she was wearing is very exciting. They are fairies and their dwelling is Pixie Hollow, made of all natural stuff, so we begin with found objects made from nature, influenced by Victorian styles. She wears a green leaf dress. We wanted to continue that color scheme and nature, be inspired by nature, bring different texture of the leafs, different color variations, made out of flowers, leaf, and feather. Of course she is wearing leggings because it is fall, a shawl, boots with pom poms made of cotton ball.

NM: How do you suggest not just her environment but her personality?

EJO: Different fairies have a different personality. Silvermist is a really feminine personality and a water fairy; Irdidessa is really organized and she is also a light fairy, so depending on what their talents are, we give them some costumes that match. Silvermist will always have a long dress. And Tinker Bell, she’s really active, she’s really curious, very adventurous. Because in this movie she travels far out of Pixie Hollow into some other unknown land, we wanted to give her a really active, kind of sportly look. So she has a visor, a shawl for the cold weather, a pair of boots so she can run around and jump and hop and protect her little delicate feet. In this outfit she can do whatever she wants, climb up.

NM: It’s been about a hundred years since Tinker Bell first appeared — and she was just a little spot of light on stage in productions of “Peter Pan.” And then Disney was the first to personify her in the animated version of the story (which was also the first to have the title character played by a boy instead of a woman). How has Tink changed over the years?

Mindy Johnson (author of a forthcoming book about Tinker Bell): She did begin as a flash of light with James M. Barrie. He explored many different avenues on how to portray this character and she took the imagination of many including a very young Walt Disney as a boy, having seen the play as a child. She was always in the back of his mind as he built the animation studios and he had his version in development for 16 years, beginning before WWII, in the late 1930’s. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that it came back into development. The character was designed by a Disney artist named Mark Davis, a legendary animator, something of a ladies man — he worked on Cinderella, Snow White, and Princess Aurora. It was a challenge to portray a realistic, humanistic, character, especially because she was largely portrayed via pantomime. There were quite extensive explorations of her as redhead, brunette, a little powder puff, a whole variety of things which is the crux of this book I am working on about her history. But all of that is part of what left her so implanted in everyone’s mind as the embodiment of magic, and wonderment and fantasy and fun and a little mischief. There have been a number of things since the 1952 debut in the film. She was brought into the early television show to open each program. And now she has her own stories.

NM: How do you introduce her new evolved persona to the audience?

EJO: By giving her an adventure of her own. It was really the director’s choice to send her to a place where she was going to have a really great experience exploring this fantasy world. She was really given a great task, to make a fall scepter. It was such a great task that she wanted to be really good about it. But she made a mistake, the moonstone broke. She got the idea from the story-telling fairy that there is a far away place where you can find the moonstone so she decided to go on a trip. We see that she is not afraid to explore new territory to complete her responsibility. And boys like her, too, because she is not your typical princess, she is a tomboy and not afraid to do things, more of a character that could appeal to both audiences.

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Behind the Scenes Interview

Interview: Tinker Bell’s Raven-Symone

Posted on October 22, 2009 at 3:59 pm

RAVEN-SYMONE' HEADSHOT.jpg 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 hear just why she was selected for the role.
NM: Were you a fan of Tinker Bell when you were a little girl? Did you watch ‘Peter Pan?’
R-S: Of course I did! I loved all the Peter Pan incarnations.
NM: Tell me about Iridessa, the character you play.
R-S: She is a light fairy, like lightning bugs with their glow, and I am excited to play her. She is fun, smart, and kind of wary, and that is like me, because I am, too.
NM: You are known in your television show, That’s So Raven, for a lot of physical comedy. How do you convey a character just through voice?
R-S: You have to be able to make the words come alive. And I am lucky because the artists and the director are so creative and imaginative — they inspire me.
NM: I hear that they tried to make this Tinker Bell story boy-friendly and that it is directed at boys as well as girls.
R-S: The underlying story of friendship is universal. And it really is a story that appeals to everyone, boys and girls and young and older. There is a great boy character, Terence . And Tinker Bell is really a guy’s girl, a best friend, not overly tomboy but very adventuresome. She is also humble and she messes up — she’s a normal person with wings!

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Actors Behind the Scenes Interview

Reading Rockets: Where the Wild Things Are Family Kit

Posted on October 11, 2009 at 8:00 am

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 about horses?

And here’s a short animated version of the book: