Chris Weitz: What Was Different In Filming New Moon?

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Chris Weitz On Youtube And Amateur Film

Nikki Reed’s Acting Advice

Nikki Reed: How Was New Moon Different From Your Previous Films

Source: Kaleb’s Youtube Channel

Chris Weitz just joined the ranks of a very select group of directors such as Chris Nolan and Sam Raimi who have opened their films above the $100 million mark. The news is sweet revenge for a man who had his last film The Golden Compass complete re-cut by his previous studio bosses. Check out our Q&A with Weitz where he reveals his favorite cast moments and how he’s dealt with the fan adoration and the paparazzi intrusion.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was your biggest fear going into [opening] weekend?
CHRIS WEITZ: I didn’t have any particular fears. The tracking numbers were enough to indicate that I wouldn’t be letting the studio down. But if one could imagine their biggest fears, it would be complete rejection of the movie, by the fans. What I’ve realized over the last week is I won’t necessarily get good reviews for this movie. Having swallowed that, this was made for the fans, and if you don’t get it, then you don’t get it.

Did the negative reviews surprise you?
Nothing surprises me in terms of reviews. Having been a reviewer myself, there are only two ways to spin this story. You can either be the one guy who says this is a great movie, or more likely, take a more jaundiced view of the whole thing. And given the media blitz that has accompanied New Moon, it’s rather unsurprising. I do wish there was more appreciation for cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe. I think he’s a genius and I think he made something beautiful.

A lot of fans say they like the movie more than the book, that New Moon was their least favorite book in the series.
New Moon takes a lot of time to read and you have a lot of time without Edward in the picture. And here in the compressed scenario of the movie, there is less time without RPatz. And the fact that Taylor [Lautner] does such a great job, to the reading audience who’s been very skeptical of him, here he is in the flesh, and it’s quite something.

Were there moments that you felt constrained by the book? Anything you wanted to take out but couldn’t?
The studio, my editor, and I were all working off the same piece of music. The only way I can make that interesting is to compare it to my previous experience of The Golden Compass. I don’ think the studio had read the book. Maybe they had heard the audio book while sipping Zinfandel. Eventually, they were appalled and frightened by it. At a certain point they considered cutting loose the author. They considered and executed the complete regearing and destruction of what I thought was going to be a pretty good movie. It was a shame and pursued me through what should have been my sleep for a good year.

Really, you didn’t sleep for a year?
Yes, I lost sleep over it. Literally. I stayed up at night pondering how I could have saved it or turned it around or if I had acted differently could I have made it what it ought to have been. Unfortunately, my experience was I went down with the ship. I could have quit at one point. In a parallel universe — and [author Philip] Pullman is really big on parallel universes — I get up and say fine, re-cut, but you won’t see me back again. At the same time, I loved the book so much that if there was any way to abdicate for the better version of it I couldn’t let go.

It’s interesting then that you went forward with another book adaptation with another studio, considering how badly it went the last time.
I really liked the actors. I saw the first movie and I thought there was something special about Kristen [Stewart] , Rob [Pattinson], and Taylor. I liked the emotional tones to the book. It was stuff I knew how to do. I had this theory that if you stay true to the book, you would win. You would not only win with the fans, but other people will get what the fans care about. If the box office tells us anything, then it’s a win. It’s made more in its first day then the entire domestic run of Golden Compass. It’s extraordinary.

What were the highest and lowest points of making New Moon?
The lows had to be shooting at 5 a.m. in a forest and struggling to get certain shots so a sequence would string together properly. It was a very cold forest in British Columbia, and we knew we’d have another night shoot just like it the next day. The highs were the moments of real identification with the actors. With Taylor, the moments early on when he realized he was going to do it. That was very gratifying to me.

What do you think is Taylor’s best scene?
When he jumps into Bella’s room. There is so much pathos there even though it’s melodrama, there’s something touching about it. Or maybe the last moment he has, just when he says Bella’s name. You sort of understand just how crushed he is at that moment. There are a few times where he’s absolutely that guy and it’s really lovely. He’s that guy for the fans and that’s what I always thought he could do.

Do you think Kristen evolved as an actor in this movie?
I’m not sure she evolved as much as she had room to run. She’s a thoroughbred as far as actors go. To me, she can do no wrong. The experience of working with her and the caliber of work she was doing was pretty extraordinary. Let’s put aside girl in love with a vampire, her ability to manifest these emotions below the surface, above the surface just to get things right. She’s extraordinarily exacting of herself and in those moments where I was able to give her the room to do that are things I’m very proud of. That’s a high point.

You made the movie you wanted to here?
Yes, pretty much. In terms of what I wanted to do with the gloss of the picture, the look of the picture, I’m very satisfied with it. And satisfied to touch back with the crew and the actors and to feel we made it under humane conditions as well. No actors were harmed in the making of this movie.

The music was such a big part of this film. How did that all come together?
The songs that came in didn’t have to be as good as they were. We asked bands to come up with something in days or weeks. We screened the movie for The Killers, Death Cab, Lykke Li, Anya Marina. In the case of Thom Yorke, it was surprising and delightful that the song he did worked for the action scene. There were a lot of songs that didn’t make it because they didn’t fit a particular moment or mood, not at all due to their quality. Somewhere out there is a Anya Marina recording of Lou Reed’s Perfect Day. There’s some lovely work by the Republic Tigers, some lovely work by Moby. You could make a pretty good album of the stuff that didn’t make it.

You’ve been around the world promoting this movie. Have you ever been part of something like this?
Never. It’s like being Ringo Starr. There are the big three and then there’s Ringo. It’s probably what he faced a lot. Hey Ringo, Can I meet Paul? When I meet the fans there’s a lot of enthusiasm for me, if one of the kids is nearby or, if they think I can arrange some tryst.

What about dealing with the paparazzi? Did you have any run-ins?
I did a bit of a Sean Penn at LAX. When we were leaving for the European tour. We had left from our L.A. press junket to go to LAX and someone nearly ran us off the road trying to get to one of the cars. We were followed by eight different vans and there was some really dangerous driving. And I understood for the first time how things happened to Princess Diana (I don’t think I’m Princess Diana), and I understood for the first time why celebrities lash out and what’s that about. My first thought upon getting out of the car was, “Who was that driver of the car?” I never found him, but I did lift someone by the hood. A photographer. He was in my way. They have a legal right to be there but they don’t have an ethical right, and he was obstructing my path, and there was someone else I threatened to knock their teeth out. It’s not like me but I felt very protective at that moment and very attacked. There is a huge difference between the attention of the paparazzi and the attention of the fans. The fans have been lovely. The paparazzi in my opinion are a very low form of primate.

Do you think you’re going to get some boys into the theater for New Moon?
I think so. I just hope it’s not just guys who were dragged there. And if they were dragged there, I hope some part of them is enjoying it. And I hope they can admit it if that’s the case. But if not, I hope they have a nice night with their girlfriend. I had an imaginary ad campaign saying “Will your girlfriend go in thinking of Edward, Jacob, or you.” I thought that would force men to go.

Artist on Artist with Chris Weitz and Death Cab for Cutie

Artist on Artist | MySpace Video

If you’re among the most die-hard Twilighters, you might know that Stephenie Meyer has previously worked on a novel through the eyes of Edward — but which other character deserves his or her own spin-off? You may be aware that Anna Kendrick is getting Oscar buzz for “Up in the Air” — but who do fans think will win the award before her?

From the best-looking actress to who should direct “Breaking Dawn,” a new poll is offering insight into Twilight Nation, and MTV News is the only place where you can see the results.

Last week, we teamed with Fandango to survey 1,457 Twilighters who had purchased tickets to “New Moon” through their service. Much like a poll in mid-October, the results are as illuminating as Edward Cullen stepping into the Italian sunlight. Here are five of the most interesting tidbits and trends.

Breaking Down “Breaking Dawn”
It’s the question on everyone’s lips these days: Who should direct the final “Twilight” movie? Out of the three series directors — Catherine Hardwicke, Chris Weitz and David Slade — Twilighters overwhelmingly want Weitz:

Q: Which of these directors would you most like to see return for “Breaking Dawn”? (Chris Weitz received 57 percent.)

“Oh, that’s sweet,” Weitz grinned when we told him about the results. “Those are Obama-like numbers! I’d say to them thank you very much, but wait until you see the movie. They’re just going on the trailers. And, of course, no one has seen David Slade’s ‘Eclipse,’ so they can’t judge fairly based on that. I’m the flavor of the month.”

Interesting notes: Forty-seven percent of fans are more excited to see “Breaking Dawn” than either “New Moon” or “Eclipse.” They are split on the topic of separating “BD” into two movies, however, with 47 percent wanting to enjoy the final flick “Harry Potter”-style, and 53 percent saying it should be only one film.

Alice in Wonderland
Wow, Twilighters love Ashley Greene — you really love her! Proving that she’s come a long way since fans complained she was too tall for the part, Ashley won three key questions:

Q: Which “Twilight” actor is closest to the way you imagined the character when you read Stephenie Meyer’s novels? (Ashley received 47 percent.)

Q: Which “Twilight Saga” actress is the best-looking? (Ashley received 41 percent.)

Q: Which secondary “Twilight” character would you most like to see in their own spin-off movie? (Ashley’s Alice received 57 percent.)

With such overwhelming results, it sounds like Greene has won over fans and has come to embody Alice in their minds. And although a spin-off movie may be a long way off, Twilighters will undoubtedly be pleased with her expanded “New Moon” screen time.

Keep It on the Page
So far, Twilighters don’t have much to complain about with the film series. But if there is one source of discontent, it seems to be purists who are seeing too much new material in Melissa Rosenberg’s scripts:

Q: So far, which of these is your biggest complaint about the “Twilight Saga” movies?

a) Not loyal enough to the books (30 percent)
b) Not enough action (3 percent)
c) I’m not happy with the casting (3 percent)
d) The acting needs to improve (16 percent)

Going for the Gold
Forks is populated by some of Hollywood’s best young actors, and Anna Kendrick is already receiving advance buzz for her work in the December 25 George Clooney film “Up in the Air.” But apparently, Twilight Nation isn’t hearing that buzz just yet:

Q: Which of these young actors will be the first “Twilight Saga” veteran to win an Oscar in their career?

a) Robert Pattinson (43 percent)
b) Kristen Stewart (23 percent)
c) Anna Kendrick (1 percent)
d) Dakota Fanning (29 percent)

An Oscar for RPattz? OME, indeed.

Would You Have to Do the Bikini Dance?
Out of all the “Twilight” stars, fans seem most eager to hang out with Peter Facinelli and Kristen Stewart. KStew beat out Fatch by only 1 percent when we asked fans which of the stars seemed most down-to-earth. Food-loving Kellan Lutz and actor/rocker Jackson Rathbone finished a distant third and fourth. But, based on what we’ve seen before, chumming around with Peter Facinelli can sometimes come back to haunt you.

“I was very impressed not only by the visual effects and the movie, but by the acting itself. Chris Weitz is bad ass.”

“Just saw New Moon. Better than Twilight and crowd just applauded at end. Leaves on a soap opera sting….”

“I’m not allowed to say anything! But be sure to follow me tomorrow at @celebuzz – Big day for RPattz news!”

“I enjoyed it more than Twilight, lot of frenching! RT @mytwitherapy: @JasonKennedy1 so….how was the new moon press screening?!?!? ”

“@shaunssanctuary just came frm seeing NM.I guess it’s every girl’s dream to have a vampire & werewolf fighting over her!”

“One word: amazing! I was very impressed all around – visuals were stunning. The underwater scene..le sigh. And Summit was fabulous!!”

Read the whole post here.

It started with a pie. Once Chris Weitz and brother Paul deflowered the dessert in 1999′s American Pie, they became two of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood. Though he was barely out of his twenties, Chris Weitz was smart enough not to squander the opportunity, and instead of signing on to keep the sequels coming (seven, counting the straight-to-DVD installments), he held out to direct more literally adult fare like Chris Rock’s Down to Earth and About a Boy, the Hugh Grant-led adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel. Weitz invested the next several years in his passion project—the big budget fantasy film The Golden Compass—but the film’s irreligious subtext coupled with Weitz’s high ambitions and the studio’s anxiety doomed the American release. Though worldwide grosses of $372 million justified the estimated $180 million budget, its comparatively small US take left everyone involved backing away from what had once considered a surefire franchise. But with The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Weitz has taken the reins of another hit franchise, and he’s certain to steer this one to box office success. Weitz talks to BOXOFFICE about the power of break-up stories and his family’s gratitude to vampires—a lineage that stretches back to his grandparents.

How do you direct a film when everyone knows the story and ending?

In a way, that’s an advantage. That people know and love the book means that people know and want to see the movie, which is what you hope for when you’re making a film. It’s a fine balance between being as faithful as possible to the spirit of the book, and bringing changes. I regard myself as fan as much as any other, and the way that I see the book in my head is just like any other fan’s ability, except that I happen to have tens of millions of dollars at my disposal to realize that vision. One hopes that it’s a strong enough envisioning of the book that people will be amused and entertained and excited even though they know how things are going to end.

One of my favorite New Moon conspiracy theories is that the producers are ordering Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson to keep their love hidden because it will affect the way people will perceive the story, even though the story is already known even until the next two books.

The fans know what the Volturi look like or what Taylor Lautner as Jacob’s amazing bod is going to look like—the producers know these things are big points of curiosity about whether we’ve been able to be faithful to people’s notions. And they want to parse these things out over time. [Laughs] It is a conspiracy, but the conspiracy is called marketing.

There are so many films about vampires, vampire romances, teenage romances—what is it about Twilight’s love triangle that’s catalyzed this phenomenon?

To me, it has a lot less to do with vampires and werewolves than with readily identifiable emotional situations. Bella has a choice between the loving friend who’s nearby and the distant, unattainable object of her affections. That’s a pretty common scenario, and unfortunately also, so is being dumped. I know I’ve experienced it—pretty much anybody except the incredibly lucky has experienced it—and the supernatural element of things just allows for a degree of wish fulfillment. We can play out these scenarios on a grand scale. When you get broken up with, you’d like to think that if you just did something brave enough, something amazing enough, you could rescue the relationship that’s been broken. And you would like to think that the person who’s left you has left you for your own good against their heart. That’s usually not the case, but in New Moon it happens to be, so that’s a lovely way to fulfill one’s wishes. A great thing that Summit as a studio understands is that there are dark places that the movie has to go in order for it all to work. They’re not afraid of the angst and the sorrow that’s in the book. In a way, the film can be kind of a throwback to weepies as well as very cutting edge in terms of visual effects.

It’s got this operatic tone that’s like soma for anyone with a broken heart.

We’re probably going to put out one of the greatest breakup mix albums of all time on the soundtrack. Alexandre Desplat doing the music means there’s this sense of French Romanticism that goes back to Alexandre’s mentor Maurice Jarre and everything he did for David Lean’s movies—going back to Debussy and Ravel and that kind of stuff. There is a lot of luxuriating in the emotionalism of the piece. I think I’m probably now supposed to add at this point that there’s great stuff for guys as well. But leave that aside for the moment.

You talked a minute ago about Pattinson being an ‘unattainable male.’ We always see stories about men pursuing a woman. It’s rare to see stories where a woman really pursues a man, and when you do, it’s usually handled like All About Steve, where it teeters into comic stalking.

Farce.

Exactly. You always hear about the male gaze in films, but this seems to have such a strong female gaze. One of the prerequisites is how many times Pattinson and Lautner take off their shirts.

It’s there in the script, and that’s one for the ladies, really. Women have been objectified plenty in Hollywood films. And there’s still sort of a chasteness to the objectification in Twilight and New Moon. One approaches it hopefully with a bit of tact—not just an exercise in beefcake peddling. You hope when you’re shooting any kind of above-the-waist nudity that it suits the demand of the moment, it isn’t just in there for the hell of it. That being said, I think we did come to Comic-Con with a lot of muscles and it was really fun to see the reaction to it. I’ve tried to make films that take into account the female members of the audience. Even American Pie, which comes from a genre that is notoriously misogynist.

I would agree with that. In American Pie, you make a point to show the girl’s side of why she would or wouldn’t do it on Prom Night—it was fair.

We were trying to say, too, that they were really in control of the scenario, and the guys were more or less hopeless schlubs just trying to navigate these waters. The girls were in control of what happened when.

American Pie—like Twilight—was one of those films that made stars of everyone in the cast. This time around, do you find yourself wanting to give this new generation career or life advice?

I don’t particularly feel qualified because I’m not in their situation. I don’t have to deal with that fame; I’m able to turn it on or off—or rather, the publicity department is able to turn it on and off. I don’t walk around and get recognized. I’m recognized in inverse proportion to my nearness to Rob. There’s some kind of equation I could work out. Basically if I’m within 50 yards of Rob, I matter. If not, I just don’t. I think that they don’t really need my advice because they are determined to remain true to their own life, in spite of anything that might turn their heads. That’s the only advice I could give them: that they stay the clever and decent people who they already are. And I don’t think they’re manifesting any problems in that regard.

I heard that the on-set experience has been like living in A Hard Days Night.

It was like that in Italy. Although it wasn’t so much running and chasing. I’d compare it more to The Birds. You look around and then there’s suddenly ten girls over there. And then there’s 20. Then 30, then 40. And then suddenly the street you’re intending to walk down to get to your next location or lunch is just blocked and there’s no way to get through. Or you will get through, but it’ll take you hours because you’ll take pictures and sign autographs. Which is fair enough because they’ve come all this way and they’re really the reason that we’re there. Or you’ll have to be a real meanie and just run past. I’ve developed a preoccupied look that sometimes works. I try to seem as though there’s something going really badly at a different location, and sometimes that gets me out of situations.

Have there been any crazy fan experiences?

The crazy thing has been how extraordinarily supportive, friendly and enthusiastic people are. They really want this to be done right, but they’re not hyper-critical. There’s a degree of good faith between the people making the movie and the people who want to see it, and we are innocent until proven guilty. And that’s great because that’s not always the case with fan boys. I did encounter this Italian girl in Montepulciano who then appeared in Vancouver who speaks impeccable English. That’s one of the reasons I recognized her. She came up to me and said, ‘Do you remember me?’ and I said yes, I did. And then her mom was there and I sort of wanted to ask her mom what else she and her kid were up to because it seemed like she should be in school, but it’s really not my place.

Which other book would you love to film?

To be honest, I would love to film The Golden Compass. I would love to have been allowed to do my own cut of The Golden Compass because I did film that book and there could be a real version of it, but it would cost millions of dollars to complete with the special effects. The cut was taken away from me and that was a devastating experience. That’s the other book that I would like to film. I wouldn’t have the strength to go through another three years to do it, but it is a great shame that the fear of the ideas in the book led the studio to do a version which I think caused its own downfall.

It was a beautiful film, the look of it.

It’s a good-looking film. And there are moments where it’s precisely the way I wanted it to look or to feel. But it’s been put through a blender so that the interesting ideas that it had in it and the real emotional heft of the story was lost. And that’s a shame because I take very seriously my responsibilities to an author in trying to represent their vision on film. Failing Philip Pullman in that regard is a big sadness for me because he’s one of the authors I most admire in the world.

Between the author and the studio, that can be a lot of weight.

It is, and I have to say that Summit understands that the fans want to see the book in the film, not just a popcorn movie.

It’s almost a safety net, having that many people know the book already very well, more than American audiences knew The Golden Compass.

Yes, American audiences weren’t that familiar with The Golden Compass. Once you start monkeying around with the plot and characters and key concepts in the film, you really lose what made the book appeal to anyone in the first place. If you take the example of The Lord of the Rings, it wasn’t that it made everybody into a geek overnight. People were able to see what had been great about it in the first place, and the adherence to story and character really paid off, even though a lot of people went to see it who hadn’t read Lord of the Rings in the first place and didn’t know anything else.

What can you tell me about The Game, the film adaptation of the Neil Strauss guide to picking up women?

I can tell you that Rawson Thurber [director of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story] is going to direct it, and that he is rewriting it now. It’s an attempt to walk a very fine line with a project like this. It has things to say about the relationships between men and women and it could be perceived as misogynistic or as a textbook in how to manipulate women. But it’s really not about that—it’s about the weaknesses of men and women more than anything else.

And your brother Paul also has a high school vampire movie coming out?

He does. That was not planned at all. It’s very funny. A week before I was offered New Moon, I was wondering why there were so many vampire movies around. Paul had wanted to indulge a long-standing love of the grotesque, which the Cirque du Freak series allowed with its visuals and that sort of perversity—not perversion, but perversity—of the books and the script. It’s a funny coincidence. Actually, if you want to take it one step further, my grandmother was a silent film actress in the Mexican version of Dracula. They shot it on the same sets as the Todd Browning version, but they started shooting at midnight. My grandfather, who was a producer for Universal at the time, was courting my grandmother, and when talkies came out, there were no parts for women with strong Mexican accents. He convinced Carl Laemmle at Universal that you could make a profit by using the same sets during the night and making Spanish-language versions of the same film. Hence, the Spanish Dracula. It’s a film geek delight to compare the Todd Browning version to the Mexican version.

And if your grandfather hadn’t done that, you might not exist.

This is true. If it weren’t for vampires…

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“Twilight Saga: New Moon” director Chris Weitz is ready for a different speed, now that filming and finishing the soon-to-be mega-hit is just around the corner.

“I’m rather lazy and I get tired after a while, waking up at six in the morning,” he laughed during roundtable interviews at the San Diego Comic-Con. Instead, he’s decided to take up a “small movie,” after this one’s out.

“It’s called ‘The Gardener’ and it’s about a Mexican gardener,” Weitz said. “And I’m not joking. It sounds like a joke movie, but it’s not.”

Directing the third “Twilight” movie was out of the question, “impossible without serious disjunction” due to scheduling. But he said there will be some noticable stylistic differences between the first film, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and his “New Moon.”

“I like classical films, I’m kinda an old fogey in that way. Catherine… is very much more contemporary. This will look and feel like an old romance.”

We were lucky enough to chat with New Moon director Chris Weitz, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and star Ashley Greene during New Moon’s Comic-Con takeover. They had a lot to share about onscreen chemistry, creating the wolves, and Taylor Lautner’s resemblance to a certain Greek god.

Chris, what were the challenges of adapting a Twilight book?
Weitz: In terms of the visuals, just sort of combining a sense of, I mean the last film I did [The Golden Compass] was set in a parallel universe, so we could reinvent the wheel. This one’s not only set in a very specific place, and in some ways a very workaday place, but also a place that had already been established in the previous film. And then to take it to flights of fantasy, the Volturi. Really, to be honest, its hiring someone like David Brisbin who is a genius production designer and Javier Aguirresarobe the D.P. who shot things in such a beautiful way. We were able to take a world that had already been established and put it in a setting that is just incredibly rich, and I think it’s quite beautiful.

We know the characters are close to people’s hearts, but Kristen and Robert have become true superstars, what do you think is the secret of their appeal?
Rosenberg: Personally for me, it’s how genuine they both are. They’re both very authentic people; that comes across on the screen.

Greene: They have great chemistry.

Rosenberg: They’re chemistry is incredible together, I mean visually as well. I think that sets them apart.

Ashley, you can Kellan, in this film you play siblings, but then you move on to the next film you’re doing together [Warrior]. Is it strange with the two different relationships you have to have with the same person?
Greene: No. Kellan and I know each other so well, it’s kind of a no brainer and again, we’ve already got this kind of chemistry. So no it wasn’t weird at all. I was kind of wondering about that in the beginning because he’s one of my very close friends and we definitely have a platonic relationship. Going and playing romantic, I was wondering if it was going to be harder or easier, but because we’re already so comfortable with each other it was actually less awkward than kissing someone I didn’t know.

How many versions of the wolf did you have, and cg wise, how long did that take to come up with?
Weitz: Well, we knew very quickly that we wanted it to look like a wolf, just a very, very big one. Once you’ve made that crucial decision you don’t have to spend much time on look with R&D [Research and Development] and the concept and the renderings you usually have to do with monsters and those type of things. Getting very tedious details stuff like fur, the muscles, the fat over the muscles, the way the light is with the fur, that stuff takes months. We have a huge advantage in that it’s Phil Tippet’s studios. Phil Tippett is one of the greatest visual effects artists in the world…They’ve turned out much more quickly than we thought they were going to be.

How important was Taylor’s transformation to make this character work in this film?
Weitz: Well, probably less important to me than it was to fans, because I felt that he had the feeling of the character anyway. It’s a bonus that he happens to look like Adonis. He really looks like a cartoon character when he takes his shirt off, in a good way. I don’t think any steroids have been employed, he’s just incredibly fit. That’s great, and that’s lovely for the girls, but to me, he was the character.

What do you think that you’re bringing to New Moon that’s different?
Weitz: I think I”m very old fashioned in terms of my films references and what appeals to me. In the way that shots are composed and the way the camera moves. The color I like to bring out of things, and so that influenced the people that I hired on the crew. I’m always more influenced by somebody like David Greene, not that I would put myself in the same breath as him, Kurosawa or somebody like that, than anything that feels at all contemporary. Because that’s already there. The characters are contemporary. The music is contemporary. The feelings are perennial.

Ashley, how are you preparing for Eclipse, and what scenes are you looking forward to shooting?
Greene: I just got the script probably three days ago, so I haven’t gotten the time too much to dig into it. But I will and I work with my coach and kind of bounce ideas off of her, but it’s kind of nice because we’re playin ghte same characters and we’re building on to them and digging deeper into their layers and so I feel like the hard part of it is over, and now we’re just having fun with it. I’m excited about filming it Eclipse. I don’t want to give anything away, but I’m excited about the things that are going to happen.

How much of a cool toy box do you inherit with a sequel to a Twilight movie, with the previous film or from the source material?
Weitz: I inherited a wonderful cast. It was really the main appeal to me, because when I was offered the film I hadn’t read the book yet. And I read the book I realized there were these kind of deeper undercurrents, and longing and romance to it. I inherit a huge fanbase, which is incredible for a director, because you know people are going to go see your movie. That’s the whole thing you worry about when you’re making a film in the first place. It’s so expensive to make a film. You work so hard; you make other people work so hard. Knowing that people are going to go see it is tremendously refreshing.

Ashley, has the phenomenon of Twilight bonded you with the other actors in a way that’s different from the way other actors bond on other projects?
Greene: Yeah, I obviously can’t speak on anyone else’s bond because I don’t know, but I think we’re all kind of looking at each other going ‘What is going on? What do you do? Have you experienced this?’ It’s very nice to have someone right there going through the same thing as you and being able to relate to it. It’s had a tremendous effect on how close we are now.

Have you made any changes to the vampire makeup you saw in the first movie?
Weitz: There’s more consistency between shots, if I were to be just coldblooded about it.The Volturi have a slightly different look, because they’re a different breed of vampire altogether. The diamond skin we’re remaking. It’s gonna be groovy.