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Post by gothicarchiesfan on Aug 10, 2021 20:33:50 GMT -5
Hello all,
I know I've been gone for quite a while. health and work problems sadly forced me to take more time off than I had initially planned. While I was gone though, I was able to get in contact with Brad Silberling (the director of the 2004 movie)'s management and he has graciously agreed to answer our questions about his work and the movie in general.
Feel free to post as many questions as you like below, and I will gather them up, send off the most appropriate ones, and post his response here.
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tsmefford
Catastrophic Captain
Posts: 67
Likes: 112
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Post by tsmefford on Aug 10, 2021 23:13:47 GMT -5
I hope you're doing well! I did respond to your email (thanks again for that!), but I'll go ahead and have the questions here as well, for conveniences sake. Mine focus on the music: - As an Editor & Composer myself, I've always wanted to know the story behind the music edit on the Train Sequence. With Tom Newman's original cue included on the Original Soundtrack and being able to compare the two, I'm curious what the creative reasons may have been for replacing most of it with segments of "Hurricane Herman" and "Attack of the Hook-Handed Man". As well as what the process was like working with Tom and his editor to make that change and figure out what should take its place. I don't feel like the specificity of music editing is usually touched on so I can imagine some interesting stories may come out of this.
- In the BTS documentary on the DVD/Blu-Ray you can hear snippets of a cue that is not heard in the film or on the Original Soundtrack. With around 30 sessions spanning across nearly a year, how much music was written and recorded for the film that may have gone unused for one reason or another? Would there ever be or has there ever been talks of releasing more music from the film?
- What was the process of working with Thomas Newman like? We know he's very experimental when recording, but what were the initial meetings like? How did he present themes and ideas and what was the early creation process like on the score?
What a cool opportunity! This is exciting. EDIT: Oh and for sure if there's any time for praise, I absolutely adore this film. I think he did an outstanding job, especially considering the hurdles he had. I consider it's production one of the landmark influences for me pursuing the career that I have and I still to this day enjoy the heck out of it.
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Aug 11, 2021 2:01:13 GMT -5
What is your favourite moment/element of the film which seems to get very little recognition by people?
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Post by the panopticountolaf on Aug 11, 2021 7:28:00 GMT -5
Ahh!! Thank you so much for this opportunity, GAF. I hope you're feeling better soon! Where to begin? - Out of all of the scenes that were filmed and ultimately cut, which are your favorites and for what reasons? - There's been some evidence that during post production on the film, the darker elements were toned down so much that even Olaf slapping Klaus was cut from the film at one point. What, if anything, can you say about the post production process and the conflicts in the editing room? To be more specific, what was the process of recutting and rescreening the film like? - I almost hesitate to ask, seeing as the anniversary is years away at this point and anything going on is probably supposed to be kept quiet, but have there been any plans to mark the film's 20th anniversary as of yet? I'd also like to add some praise, if I may. I consider Snicket 2004 to be one of the film industry's most interesting unheard stories, and the hero of that story is without a doubt Brad. He clearly cared very deeply about the film and its messages, even when the studio lost faith in it. (I point to this New York Times article as a measure of how much Silberling truly understood the books and what made them tick.) He worked tirelessly with a difficult star, fickle film executives, and a wonderful team of set, costume, and prop designers to make the very best film that he could, and it shows in every frame of the finished product. Hats off to Mr. Silberling.
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Aug 11, 2021 7:45:51 GMT -5
How did you manage to make Kara and Shelby Hoffman perform as well and convincingly as Sunny Baudelaire? Was there a time when they spontaneously acted out of the script that you liked their natural reaction the most and left it in the movie?
Did the kids deal with real snakes at any point during the adaptation of TRR's film adaptation?
I think the best scene in the movie is the destruction of Aunt Josephine's house. Despite being something different from what happens in the books, that scene always excites me, no matter how many times I see her. How was the creative process to change a few significant details of the original story to create that breathtaking sequence?
The movie's intro, with the animation about the little elf, is another very fun and almost original snippet. Who had that idea? And how was the animation process?
How did you manage to deal with Jim Carrey's eccentricities? Did you ever have to be tough on him for him to act according to the script?
Meryl Streep does one of the best acting in this movie. Did she also have any ideas of her own about how she should play the role?
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Aug 11, 2021 8:27:00 GMT -5
There are some iconic elements from the books that are not present in the film, such as Mr. Poe's coughing fits and Klaus' glasses. Why were these elements taken out of the adaptation?
What were the real plans for the film's sequels? And do you really have a detailed guide to the 13 books that was produced with the help of some fans?
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Post by gothicarchiesfan on Aug 11, 2021 16:09:41 GMT -5
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Post by the panopticountolaf on Aug 11, 2021 16:39:40 GMT -5
I've actually just had a chat with his team, and they say he has no real restrictions in terms of content or length when it comes to the questions, so feel free to ask more if you'd like. Hmm... - Recently, I've been looking through the various versions of the film's tie-in video game for unused content/insights into how the production teams for the video games worked with the production staff on the film. Did you have any contact with anyone developing the video games? If so, what were they given as far as production assets go? - Could you tell us how long your ideal cut of the film is/was? (The theatrical release clocks in at 1 hour 41 minutes, with 1 hour and 29 minutes of that devoted to the film's actual story.) - Do you have a favorite Baudelaire child? (I refer of course to the characters, not the actors portraying them.) - What did the average day on set look like during filming? - Was the identity of the mailman who delivers the "letter that never came" ever decided on? - There have been rumors that one of the final shots of the original cut of the film was Olaf in yet another disguise following the children as Mr. Poe drove into the cluster of trees seen in the closing shot. Was this ever committed to film or even in the script? - Research by several volunteers suggests that the ending of the theatrical release (specifically the "epilogue" with the letter and Lemony finishing his manuscript) was cobbled together from otherwise unused scenes, for reasons unknown. What did the original ending look like? Why was it changed?
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Post by Liam R. Findlay on Aug 13, 2021 14:43:17 GMT -5
Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity! Here are some things I am curious about...
- I would love to know as much as possible about what sequels might have been like! Would Brad have skipped The Miserable Mill, as has been suggested? Did Brad have any actors in mind for sequel characters? Was there really ever a chance of a stop-motion sequel? Anything Brad can reveal about what might have been would be of huge interest.
- I've spent a lot of time imagining what Prufrock, Esme, the sugar bowl, and all sorts of other features might have looked like in sequels following the original film's style. Was any concept art made for any sequel ideas, and if so, where can we see it?!
- Who was responsible for creating the Littlest Elf opening?
- Does Brad have any props, artwork or artefacts left over from the film which he might be able to show us?
Finally, to follow the spirit of others' comments, the Snicket film is a masterpiece. The costumes, the painted skies, the music ... So unique! It inspired me greatly as a child, it introduced me to Snicket and Helquist, and it consequently had a big influence on who I became as I grew up. Even today, I spend a lot of time in mustard coloured outfits, and I wear a yellow lab coat for my work in smell-making; Monty and Stefano are to blame for this.
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Post by Isadora Is a Door on Aug 13, 2021 16:47:11 GMT -5
There is an early draft of the script (available on this site) featuring an unidentified pregnant female volunteer and two younger unidentified volunteers. These seem likely to be Kit Snicket and two children she has 'recruited' to vfd. How far into the process of making the film did this element survive? Where any thoughts made in regard to casting? If not, why not speculate and tells us who would you liked to have cast?
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Post by ryantrimble457 on Aug 13, 2021 17:22:33 GMT -5
Thank you so much for putting this together!
I echo what Liam said......I would love to know EVERYTHING about possible sequels. What story changes did you consider? How far did you get into planning them? Assumedly the film would cover books 4/5/6. Did you also plan to do a 7/8/9 film? You could probably do a whole interview JUST on this subject so I understand if you can't answer everything.
Also I'm a little fuzzy on this timeline so I apologize if I'm misremembering. Were you on board when the production considered filming in Wilmington, NC? As someone who lived there for a long time, I love thinking about the alternate version of history where the film was produced there. If you WERE on board by that time, did you ever scout any Wilmington locations, or was it gonna be entirely on set?
Thank you!
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Post by gothicarchiesfan on Aug 14, 2021 18:23:07 GMT -5
Thank you very much Liam R. Findlay and ryantrimble457 ! I'll be sending the questions off on Wednesday next week, so if anyone has any other questions, please make sure to ask them here before then.
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Post by Optimism is my Phil-osophy on Aug 14, 2021 19:11:38 GMT -5
For you, what really is the secret behind asoue books being good, and how did you try to replicate that in the movie?
Where did you get the idea of adding spyglass to the movie script?
What was the decision process to remove references to Kit Snicket and the Quagmires from the plot?
Dustin Hoffman - How did you manage to convince him to make a cameo? And who had this idea? And why exactly Dustin Hoffman?
Why were some references to Jewish culture not included in the film on occasions when this would be possible?
My wife has never read the books asoue and has never had the patience to watch the Netflix series, but she really likes the 2004 movie. One of the things she always talks about is that she has the feeling that movie is going to have something involving magic, but do not have magic. What was the secret for you to be able to create this atmosphere that leads the viewer to believe that they are in a fantasy universe, but at the same time breaks this expectation by making it seem that the anachronistic universe is somehow believable?
I only got interested to read asoue books because of this movie. I was waiting for a sequel that never arrived, I got tired of it and decided to read the books from the 4th book onwards. Then I fell in love with history and reading books, which was something I wasn't used to doing for fun. Asoue's books have several important lessons, one of them being the importance of enjoying reading, a lesson that I understood and put into practice. Would you say the 2004 movie also has some important lessons for kids?
An important feeling for me that the film made me have when I was a child, and that in a way I try to preserve to this day, is that there are no easy ways out of problems, and that sometimes the people who should support you will be the first to let you down. Still, by the end of the film I was happy to see Count Olaf being punished for every single thing he did. Even though the narration says he ran away, I didn't see it happening, so seeing him punished was such a relief. So it seems like all the main feelings I had when watching the movie were negative: frustration and revenge. But that's not true: I felt the urge to surpass myself just like Violet. How did the film's direction manage to create all these lingering feelings in me and why can't other children's movies do the same thing?
Do you think asoue's 13 books would be better adapted as movies in a sequel than as a TV series?
If you were to adapt The Miserable Mill for a Movie, would you change Dr Owell's type of death to be less shocking like the Netflix series did? Would you try to do a sword-to-tooth fight between Sunny and her?
Do you think it's possible to have in the future a movie with a practically original story that takes place in the same universe as ASOUE but tells a different story? Or maybe an ATWQ film adaptation? Would you still be interested in projects like this?
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TheAsh
Formidable Foreman
Posts: 175
Likes: 99
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Post by TheAsh on Aug 16, 2021 4:19:34 GMT -5
Whose idea was it to introduce and focus on the spyglasses, which generally aren't in the books (except The Puzzling Puzzles, which is essentially na movie tie-in anyways.) Was it Daniel Handler or someebody else?
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Post by gothicarchiesfan on Aug 18, 2021 15:06:44 GMT -5
I'm going to be sending my edited list of questions off in a few hours, so this is the last chance, in case any of you still have anything you'd like to submit.
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