Showing posts with label producer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label producer. Show all posts

Friday, October 18, 2019




By Tracy Brown Digital Editor
Oct. 18, 2019 12:27 PM

...But the big revelation in “Mistress of Evil” is that Maleficent is not the only one of her kind. The film introduces the dark fey, who have all been living in exile from the human world, and digs further into Maleficent’s origins.
Among the new dark fey introduced are Conall (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Borra (Ed Skrein), two leader figures of their community. Visually, the dark fey are a stark contrast to the various CGI fairies that populate the Moors. And they also look distinct from one another.
“As a civilization, they are very, very diverse,” said costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, who explained that the dark fey’s backstory informed how their different looks were developed.

Because one of the underlying themes of the “Maleficent” franchise is “man versus nature,” it was important for Rønning that the production’s team look to nature in crafting the dark fey and their civilization. And they were struck by a surprising source of inspiration while working at Jolie’s house.
“We were working on the script at her house together with the screenwriters,” said Rønning. “We were trying to crack the code to the dark fey because we wanted to have different factions.
“And then, one of [Jolie’s] younger daughters came in the kitchen one day. She had done a school project about biomes that you find in nature,” explained the filmmaker. “She had made this board with pictures of the different biomes, and we all just looked at each other like, ‘Brilliant, we have the different factions of nature here.’ That was a huge breakthrough for us.”
From there, the four different kinds of dark fey that are shown in the movie were born: The tundra fey, the forest fey, the jungle fey and the desert fey. These four different factions are as visually distinct as the environments they are based on.
The desert fey have wings with colors that evoke their environment, and wear things that appear bleached and rough and cracked. The tundra fey are all ice, with a palette of white and blues and grays. Green and wood are what inspired the looks of the forest fey, while the jungle fey aesthetic was all about endless colors.
“What I really hoped to achieve in terms of the entirety of the dark fey and their costuming was that you not really notice the costuming that much,” said Mirojnick. “Because they’re a species that all have to look organic, and not ‘costume designed.’”

Additionally, they had to consider the dark fey’s wings and their ability to fly with every design.
“You would look at something and say, ‘Do you believe that will go up in the air? Will that fly?’” said Mirojnick.
Production designer Patrick Tatopoulos explained that they had actually developed a full backstory for the dark fey to help explain their different looks as well as why they are all living in exile on an island. This includes the idea that the dark fey all originated in one place — their own version of the Cradle of Humankind.
“We had such a backstory for this and it’s not all necessarily revealed in the movie,” said Tatopoulos. “Their original world was that island. The island exploded, like a giant volcano, so they left many, many thousands of years ago and moved around the world, to different parts of the world, different climates. … But they’d been tracked and trapped by people through the centuries and they came back to their original island.”
This history helped guide the design of the island that Maleficent briefly explores during the film, and how the various factions of the dark fey re-created their different home environments.
Both Tatopoulos and Rønning explained that these details were very important to Jolie. As creatures that have been forced out of their homelands, the dark fey are essentially a band of refugees. Their backstory requires care and adds another dimension to the movie’s overall story.
Although the movie alludes to some of these elements, most of the dark fey’s backstory is not explicitly addressed during “Mistress of Evil” since the focus is on Maleficent actually meeting her kind for the first time.
“Sometimes you come up on backstories that are just here for us, the people working on the movie, to understand what we’re doing, and you don’t necessarily need or have the opportunity to reveal all of it,” said Tatopoulos. “But it’s fun. It’s one of the funnest things in the design world.”



Collider: This character seems like it’s so much fun to play. Did you have some idea that you would get to revisit him, or was it a surprise to you?
SAM RILEY: It was kind of a surprise ‘cause so much time had passed since the last film. My dad was convinced that they would do a sequel, at some point. We were looking online at box office figures and everything, and he definitely thought that, at some point, it was gonna happen. I was really thrilled, to be honest. I’ve never done a sequel before. I hadn’t been killed off, in the first one, so it was possible. I enjoyed the first one, but I was just beginning to really enjoy, when it was all over, with my anxiety and my fear of the whole thing. So, this time, I was happy to be able to go back and just enjoy it. 
At what point did you realize that there actually was going to be a sequel? How far ahead did they call and tell you?
RILEY: It wasn’t a whole lot before. There wasn’t a massive amount of notice, which was quite surprising. My dad was like, “I can feel it, it’s gonna be this summer. This is happening. Angie will probably wanna do a movie.” I was like, “Dad, you have no idea.” He works in the textile industry, by the way. So, I rang my agent and was like, “My dad’s convinced that they’re gonna do the sequel. Have you heard anything?” And they were like, “Well, funnily enough, Disney did ask about your availability.” So, there wasn’t a lot of notice, but I was available.
Since he does get to come into his own a little bit, were you surprised at the direction that Diaval takes in this?
RILEY: Yeah. Angelina is more influential than I am, but we both enjoyed what we were starting to work out, in the first one, with the idea that they were bickering with one another, and that he also really does know where her heart lies and can see past her angry sorceress front. So, we talked about what’s been happening, in the last six years, and how we’ve become the mother and father of Aurora, to some extent, but that the two of them are still bickering with one another, like an old married couple. That’s a lot of fun to play with anyone, but it’s great fun to play with her, obviously.
What have you enjoyed about that relationship, and about sharing that with Angelina Jolie?
RILEY: I’m a huge fan of Angelina Jolie, as so many people are. When she comes on set, I still go, “Fuck, it’s Angelina Jolie! Wow!” With the horns, especially. But, she’s really lovely. We get on really well. We got on well, the last time, but we got on even better, this time. And I never really get to play comedy, in my career. I’ve been pigeonholed more as the dark, troubled characters, or psychopaths, so that was nice. I really enjoyed being silly. And she has great ideas. (Director) Joachim [Rønning] let us mess around, a little bit. We knew that it was going to get quite dark and serious, so we wanted to make sure that there were also some playful moments.
Did you ever get disappointed that you didn’t get some of the wild hair and make-up and prosthetics that some of your co-stars had, or were you fine with not having to go through that for hours?
RILEY: I actually had a lot of hair make-up. In the first movie, I had some of the most because I had a whole chest piece. But my nose wasn’t real, there were scars, and a wig. I still had two and a half hours, or so, in make-up. It was worse in the first film, so I was really happy to not be one of the dark fae. When I saw my pick-up time, it would be five in the morning, but then I’d see 1:30am for the dark fae, who had to sit for six hours to get make-up, and then be ready to start work at seven. So, I was happy. I was working with the same people that did it last time, so we we’re friends and would just chat away. What I’ve learned, in the years in this business, in my experience, is that there can be long periods of time without work. I’ve had that, in the last 10 or 12 years, as an actor. So, I don’t see being in make-up for two and a half hours. I’m grateful to be working. There are worse things. I’ve had real jobs before. 
Do you think Diaval wishes he could just go off on his own, or does he love bickering with Maleficent too much?
RILEY: I think he’s in love with her. That will be Maleficent 3. Otherwise, why would you stay, unless it’s sort of submissive thing. I think he just likes it.
It’s funny that he finds himself in the middle of this big battle that he didn’t ask to be a part of, and he has to save people. 
RILEY: And he’s not really the butch guy. He’s happy that he can be there to help, in the moment that he is there. He loves Aurora and he wants the wedding to go ahead. He sees how happy she is. But he has no idea what’s going on, when all of the other characters turn up.
How cool was it to be on such incredibly elaborate sets?
RILEY: A lot of it was practical. I’ve done really low budget films, and medium size ones. I love the whole process of being on a set, and all of the people coming together, and to witness something on that scale is really exciting to watch. It’s like herding cats, sometimes. Sometimes you’re just like, “How the fuck are we gonna do this? There’s a hundred extras.” There were so many dark fae. At one point, I saw a group of 200 people in one corner and they weren’t in costume. I was like, “Who are they?” They were the make-up artists because every one of the fae needed three make-up artists. I don’t even know how any other film was being shot in England, on that day, because every make-up artist in the country was there. It blows your mind, that stuff.
And with all of that going on, your director had to keep everything straight, in his head.
RILEY: Yeah. Joachim did an incredible job of keeping track of it. On the last days, everybody who was in the movie was there, so you’re dealing with a lot of actors and a lot of questions, not only from the actors, but from every single department. And then, there are all of the things that aren’t there. And there are the things that you have to change. You have to roll with it.
Did you have a moment on set, where things just felt so surreal that you couldn’t believe this is your life?
RILEY: On this one, there were many times like that. We shot the banquet scene over 10 days. You tell a friend what you’re doing, and it’s pretty nuts. They’ll say, “What are you doing today?,” and you say, “Well, we’re shooting a scene with Michelle Pfeiffer and Angelina Jolie.” It was very fun. Every day was pretty extraordinary.













#Maleficent 2 is playing in theaters 🎭 First of all, to Angie, Thank you for having me on your journey. You always inspire me and I’ve been learning tons from you. Such an honor to fly with you and see how you put your passion toward your creation with a strong message to deliver. Big big respect as always.🙏🏻🙏🏻😌💯And of course awesome @joachimronning and all the professional and sweet cast and film crew, it was surreal to be on set and work with you guys as a team with an important mission. (Big up to Tundra!!!!🙌🏻x1000) And... Team UDO!!!!! Big appreciation to your hard work every single day, putting makeup on my face while I’m dozing off on the chair (That was an absolutely brilliant invention to put gaff tape on my head with the chair so that my head doesn’t move while I was sleeping 😴) Thanks to you guys, it was always so much fun filled with laughter and smiles. Thank you so much, sending big love to you all. Everyone, please get your ticket and check it out at the theatre. And don’t forget to find yours truly as a white dark fey ☝🏻☝🏻🧝🏻‍♂️💙 マレフィセント２、公開されました！ディズニーならではの素晴らしい映像美とストーリー🎬そして作品に込められたメッセージ。ちょっぴりですが参加できて光栄でした！現場でも沢山のことを学ばせていただきました🙌🏻アンジー姉さんはじめ最高のキャスト＆クルーに感謝です🙏🏻皆さん、是非、劇場で白い妖精を探してみてね 🧝🏻‍♂️ #マレフィセント
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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Brad: Focusing on producing this year



Brad Pitt, 'Killing Them Softly': Actor Talks Stepping Behind Camera, Parenting, Physics

By JAKE COYLE 05/24/12 06:53 AM ET AP

Bradpittkillingthemsoftly
Brad Pitt debuted "Killing Them Softly" at Cannes.
CANNES, France -- Brad Pitt is making the movie star thing look darn easy.

Since he last collaborated with Andrew Dominik, he's starred in the Coen brothers' "Burn After Reading," David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life," and Bennett Miller's "Moneyball."

It's been arguably the best stretch of his career, one vacillating between comedy and drama and defined not by summer blockbusters but by provocative director-oriented fare.

The bookends to the period are Dominik's "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" and "Killing Them Softly," which made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this week.

Things are going great even as Pitt insists that movie-making is not his top priority.

"Right now, I'm just attracted to being a dad," said Pitt in an interview in a hotel penthouse in Cannes. "Film-wise, we get to do this thing and I feel very fortunate to get to do this. So I want to contribute to the art form. I think the films have to speak to our time and be authentic in their approach."

"Killing Them Softly" is adapted from George V. Higgins' 1974 crime novel "Cogan's Trade." It's a stylized, ruthless noir with a host of fine performances – by James Gandolfini, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn and Ray Liotta – in a brutally violent criminal wasteland.

Just as "Jesse James" used the western genre to explore a contemporary idea (celebrity culture), "Killing Them Softly" is really about capitalism. While gangsters and criminals maneuver in a grim world of backstabbing, reputation guarding and the perpetual pursuit of money, the background of the film is filled with speeches and billboards of former President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. Dominik has transplanted the story to 2008, adding the financial crisis as a backdrop for a cynical commentary on American greed.

"I immediately latched on to it because it was precisely the stories we were seeing on the news every day," says Pitt. "Everyone was talking about restoring market confidence and meanwhile people were losing their homes left and right."

Dominik, the New Zealand-born filmmaker of considerable visual flare, wrote the script in the midst of the financial crisis. He saw a connection between Wall Street's power brokers and Higgins' hoods: both showed "the consequences of blindly chasing a buck."

"Maybe crime films are about capitalism at its blunt, bottom end," says the director. "It became a vehicle for some ideas."

The quality of Pitt's movies in recent years may not be a coincidence. He's increasingly produced films through his production company, Plan B. The company was more nascent when it produced "Jesse James," but has recently had noted success. Plan B helped produce last year's Palm d'Or winner in Cannes, "The Tree of Life," and the Oscar-nominated "Moneyball."

"I don't expect every year to go that way," he says. "According to the laws of physics, things will balance out. But we're clear in our mandate: Pushing stories and helping storytellers get the film to the screen. Ones that are tougher, we feel we can help out."

Made with a production budget of $30 million, "Jesse James" failed to take in even $4 million at the box office, severely hampering Dominik's prospects in Hollywood. Pitt says the director "took a hit" after the film.

"The paint is not celluloid, it's money," says Dominik, who made "Killing Them Softly" on a smaller budget. "It's what the filmmaker works with."

Pitt runs Plan B, which produced "Killing Them Softly," with Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, and compares their trio to "a little garage band."

"I'm focusing more on producing this year than getting in front of the camera," says Pitt, adding that he's particularly excited about producing the next film from director Steve McQueen ("Shame"). "Killing Them Softly" will be released this fall.

Higgins' "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" was made into a film in 1973 starring Robert Mitchum. It, too, was a box office disappointment but has a devoted cult and critical following. It led Dominik to pick up a copy of Higgins' "Cogan's Trade."

"There was an untapped vein," says Dominik. "It was like after `All the Pretty Horses' they decided, `Cormac McCarthy movies, nobody wants to see that.'"

Dominik gave a comedic tone to the story, which is largely centered on a series of Beckett-like conversations between the thieves, punctured by bloody outbursts. On hatching a dubious plan, one says: "We're not the only smart guys in the world."

"I wanted it to be very square and straight faced, almost like a comic strip panel," says Dominik.

Pitt is now 48 and has six children with Angelina Jolie, who didn't join him in Cannes. The couple, who alternate their movies so neither is in production at the same time, is currently staying outside of London while Jolie shoots a film in the area. The more measured pace suits Pitt.

"It just doesn't happen back to back to back," says Pitt. "You need time off to refuel and to be inspired again. There's no greater inspiration than family."
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