New Moon News [UPDATED]

With The Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD coming out on our shores on March 20th. We’re looking forward to the film commentary by Director Chris Weitz! Here’s a preview first published on Buzzsugar and reblogged on Twilighters Anonymous! Thanks guys!

Twilight fans still have a few months to go before Eclipse hits theaters this Summer, but they’ll flock to the stores in a few weeks to pick up copies of New Moon on DVD on March 21. There are a few editions featuring all kinds of bonus features, and I was lucky enough to chat with director Chris Weitz on everything from his favorite scene, to Rob and Kristen’s relationship, to what he wishes had ended up on the cutting room floor.

There are lots of different editions of the New Moon DVD. Which bonus features are you particularly excited about?

Chris Weitz: I’m excited that my voice will finally be heard! For me, the fun thing was doing the commentary with Peter Lambert, my editor, because it kind of re-created the atmosphere in the cutting room. Peter’s a really funny guy, and we were able to delve into not only the behind-the-scenes moments, but to explain why certain things were shot or cut together in certain ways. So that, for me, was the most fun.

When you go back and watch it again, are there things you’d like to change if you could?

CW: I would like to never have shot Rob and Kristen running through the forest and Kristen’s just turned into a vampire. Because everybody always laughs and it makes me feel terrible. [Laughs] I would have shot it a different way so it wouldn’t get that response. But otherwise, I’m very happy with things.

What was your favorite scene to shoot in New Moon?

CW: I’m very fond of the memories that a lot of the scenes invoke in me. My favorite scene is probably somewhere between the very last scene, and the cliffhanger that it’s left on, and the scenes in Italy. Just the experience shooting those scenes was so magnificent. We were in this beautiful hillside town in Tuscany, and going home to fresh-made pasta every night, and surrounded by thousands of fans of the series while we were shooting it. I know I’ll never experience anything like that ever again.

Read the complete interview here!

[UPDATED]

IESB.net Christina Radish’s Exclusive with Chris Weitz reveals more about his experience in doing New Moon and working with the cast. And of course he has also talked about the New Moon DVD.

IESB: Having had to deal with stunts, green screen, CGI, weather, bugs and everything you had going on, what was the biggest challenge in bringing this film to the screen, so as to please as many of the fans as possible?

Chris: I think the greatest challenge was the logistical load of it. When you’re talking about taking a film from beginning to end in one year, it’s difficult to do that with a normal film where people are just sitting on their butts, talking to one another. But, when you add in underwater work, heavy CGI work and wire work, it becomes extraordinarily complicated. And then, you add in getting the London Symphony Orchestra to record a soundtrack, and getting 10 or so indie bands to compose songs especially for the film, there are a lot of timelines that are ticking along, at the same time, and you hope that you are able to combine it all at the right point. And, you always end up, just at the last minute, on the last day, your final CGI shot comes in. There are about 400 and something CGI shots, which actually isn’t that many compared to what I’ve done before, but it’s quite a lot. It can complicate things when you’re in the editing room.

IESB: Did you have any preconceived notions, coming into this film, about what it would be like to work with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, prior to filming with them? And, was there anything you learned about working with them that really surprised you?

Chris: I think what surprised me most was how level-headed they were, given the kind of pressures that they were under from the attention of the fans and the number of things that could have taken their head out of the game, and how much they really cared about getting their characters right. In the second film, in a franchise in which you know that people are going to go see it anyway, it’s very impressive to see young actors who really care about getting things just right. It’s the first time I’ve actually been twice the age of the actors, except on About a Boy, but that was really working with a child actor. These guys are actually rather grown up. I was surprised at how old I actually felt, in comparison to them. At the same time, I was really impressed by their professionalism.

IESB: Is there a specific reason why you didn’t include any commentary from Kristen, Rob and Taylor on the DVD? Were they just not available?

Chris: I just didn’t want them to say anything bad about me. No. It was actually happenstance. These things are scheduled during the whole press bonanza that you’re doing and, on that particular day, everyone was in motion between one screening and the next, and I happened to be the only piece of the puzzle, as well as Peter Lambert, who was in London, that was available. Now, I’m sure there will be something on the Internet about some kind of scandal where we don’t like each other, or something. That will be interesting. I’ll have to check Twitter for that. But, it was really a much more boring reason than that.

IESB: Looking back on the process of making New Moon, from pre-production to the finalization of the DVD, what will you remember most about the experience? Was there anything that you learned about directing or filmmaking that you’ll carry with you to future projects?

Chris: What I learned was the power of a devoted audience, in supporting the filmmaker’s efforts. I felt incredibly supported by the fans throughout the process. And then, to see their enjoyment and anticipation was such a visceral experience that you don’t usually get to have on a memory. What I learned, as a director, was that very early on I promised myself and the actors that I would never rush them along or expect them to do something, just because it was a movie and we had a schedule to meet, and that we could always talk things through, no matter what. When I worked with my brother, I was probably the guy who was less likely to talk with the actors, and this was a full commitment to always engaging with them, and that’s something I’ll always take with me.

Awww I really like this interview. Thank you Chris Weitz.  Hope you’ll find it interesting too. Click here to read more!

Over at HitFix.com Chris Weitz talks more about ‘the scene’ which he would rather be on the cutting room floor, on whether he will come back for ‘Breaking Dawn’ and about his new film, The Gardener.

“I think it could have been less than an Arcadian fairy tale running through the foresty movement and more of an abstract at Kristen flash on her face,” Weitz says of what he would have changed. “That would have avoided laughter, which wasn’t only heard at the premiere where there are cynics and jaded Hollywood types, but the most packed fan screenings.”

Weitz, who is currently prepping his independent drama “The Gardner ” for Summit Entertainment (the same company that shepherds “Twilight”) was taking time out of his busy schedule to talk about the release of the highly anticipated two-disc DVD on March 23.  It’s clear one of the reasons he’s doing more publicity for the film is because he feels “tremendously grateful” for the support of the “Twilight” fanbase which helped “New Moon” hit $706 million worldwide and revitalize his career.  He notes, “I feel like it was two-way street. The reason the fans have been kind to me is i really approached it from step one as ‘What would I want as a reader of the book?’ I didn’t concern myself with making a four quadrant movie or any overall effect other than to be true to the nature of the book. To be able to entertain people and give people joy in that way is something a director looks for his whole life.”

One of the other interesting aspects of Weitz’s audio commentary is that the filmmaker refers to a number of deleted scenes from the film. Like many commentaries, Weitz’s was recorded soon after “Noon Moon” was released.  At the time he was unaware the DVD would contain none of the deleted scenes he mentions although he suspects they might be included on new DVD packages down the road.

“I think those were kind of made at the corporate level,” Weitz says. “I am very satisfied with the cut we did. Goofy running in the forest notwithstanding.”

More at HitFix.com!

March 5, 2010 | Categories: Eclipse News | Tags: Buzzsugar, Chris Weitz, HitFix.com, IESB.net, Twilighters Anonymous | Leave A Comment »