Tag Archives: Gary Ross

Director Gary Ross Talks Hunger Games And Catching Fire

Leave a reply

The Hunger Games has finally hit theaters over the weekends, and most fans seems to be pleased with the adaptation. But this is only the first book in the trilogy that has definite plans to be adapted for the big screen as well.

The director, Gary Ross, answered questions about the film and its sequel during a Los Angeles press junket.

Ross explained the idea behind the aesthetic look of the film, and why he planned on shooting it the way he did. He also described what the studio thought of his filming the project.

Well it’s also very handheld. There’s also a lot of vérité in it; that was really intentional. I’m trying to capture what was visceral in the books, which is your first-person present tense narrative, and that’s gonna require a certain amount of subjectivity. In order to be in Katniss’ point of view and in her shoes—what being in a character’s point of view is, is restricting the information that the audience has to what that character has, and not being writer omniscient. I’m not cutting from place-to-place, I’m moving in this serpentine, destabilized path as Katniss wanders through this world. That’s not only true in the shooting style, it’s also true in the editing style. My editors are Stephen Mirrione who cut Babel andBiutiful and Juliette Welfling who cut The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and all the Jacques Audiard films, The Beat That My Heart Skipped and A Prophet and stuff like that. This was a very conscious decision to create a very subjective style because the books are so subjective, they’re first-person and they’re urgent and you see the world as she sees the world, so that was the reason for it.

As far as the studio’s concerned, I made a little short film with some references in the beginning when I got the gig, and I was very clear what I was gonna do. Part of it was to get the job, but the other thing was if I was gonna get the job, I wanted them to know what this movie was going to be. I wasn’t going to make a slick, glossy over-produced piece of entertainment because then I would be doing what the Capitol did. Then I’m actually putting on the Hunger Games and not making a movie of the Hunger Games. Especially with this premise, it had to feel very, very real and it had to feel urgent, so it was a true use of the word vérité, it had to feel true.

Obviously, it will be quite a while before the DVD is even thought of, let alone the reveals of what deleted scenes fans can expect. But Ross says there were actually only a few scenes that were cut from the film.

No, there weren’t many scenes that I shot that were cut. There were some things from the book that I wanted to put in that I couldn’t, like the Avox subplot, where they came from, things like that. There weren’t many scenes [that I cut], there were a few scenes, but I don’t kind of believe in the whole ‘Director’s Cut’ thing, because this is the director’s cut, the thing I’m doing. There isn’t another version of the movie that I would’ve done, this is my version of the movie that I really intended to do. I think there’ll be a lot of cool supplemental materials on the DVD, but I don’t think I’ll be putting in other scenes that got dropped.

He also confirmed that he will be working on the next film, Catching Fire, the second novel in the trilogy.

I am attached to the next film and I’m intending to do it, I haven’t had a chance to think about it yet. […] It’s not like I’ve had a chance to think about Catching Fire but yeah it’s my intention to do the next one. They’ve asked me to do so.

In case you are worried about the second film having a different feel than the first, Ross says there will be differences but nothing is set in stone yet.

I think that there may be some aesthetic departures from what I did here, but I don’t wanna talk about them yet not because I’m being evasive, but just because they’re so half-baked I wouldn’t be doing myself justice in the process if I talked about them prematurely, but I think there may be some differences, yeah.

Ross also took time to explain the problems with the editing process. What scenes were the most difficult and which were the easiest when it came down to the editing.

Some things that I thought were going to be really, really difficult I had prepped so much for that they fell in so nicely, like the Tracker Jacker sequence or even The Reaping. They’re so unimaginably difficult with the number of axes you’re shooting and what the storytelling is, like The Reaping is eight pages and you need to cover it so specifically. The Tracker Jacker scene is basically vertically configured over 80 feet in a tree and we’re really in the trees and Jen’s really climbing the tree with harnesses on, and the crew’s hanging out of trees and scaffolding and stuff like that, so they were very, very daunting in the run-up to them, in the prep, but they actually fell in very easy—and the fire sequence—‘cause we were ready for them.

Other stuff, it’s always like a three-page dialogue scene where you just kind of get in there, and I don’t remember anything in particular, but none of this was actually that hard. We were so prepped, it wasn’t like I ever got in the weeds and felt buried on any particular day. Any director, if you really ask them, will tell you that the toughest thing to do is like a dinner table or a dialogue scene because you need to keep that electricity maintained throughout the course of the film. But to be actually honest with you, this thing was a blast to shoot and it wasn’t bad. It was very difficult physically, but I felt pretty clear. I mean I had a great time doing it, I really did. I didn’t ever feel in the weeds, and I have felt in the weeds before, and I didn’t on this one.

The sequel, Catching Fire, has been given a release date on November 22, 2013.

Watching The Midnight Premiere For The Hunger Games – A Review

Leave a reply

Last night I braved the crowds (full of tweens and despondent parents), the imminent bad weather, and staying up past my self proclaimed bed time for a movie that I have been waiting to see for MONTHS. The Hunger Games finally premiered in theaters last night, and I will go ahead and say this: It was FANTASTIC!

But I am going to take this review in three parts: Pre-movie, the actual film, and the aftermath.

Pre-film:

I have never attended, or wished to attend, a midnight premiere of a film. That is, until The Hunger Games was in the picture. I LOVED the trilogy, I read it in like a three day period and have been anticipating the film since then. So I’ll admit it, I bought tickets to the midnight viewing the day they were available.

I, as a 23 year old adult, totally geeked out for this film. Thanks to our sponsored giveaway from SkinIt, I had a Hunger Games skin on my tablet. While waiting in line, I got tons of compliments for it. Many said they wished they had one like it. The SkinIt skins look seamless. I had it for a Samsung Galaxy Tab, and it fit PERFECTLY.

I also fit in, probably too well, with all the tweens and young kids there, with my District 10 backpack that was custominzed with my name and Capitol citizen number, and my Down With the Capitol t-shirt. That’s right, I wore those things… But it was great.

One of the best things about going to a midnight premiere is the camaraderie. All these people that love a story as much as you do, all experiencing something that you all know is going to be HUGE. I kind of enjoyed that. For once I wasn’t lame for being so excited because everyone else was as excited I was.

The Film:

OH MY. This film was just as good as I thought it was going to be. I had been anticipating this film so much that I was a little worried that I would be disappointed. But I was surprised how closely it actually followed the book.

Honestly, there were a few things they changed that caught my attention, but they changes didn’t detract from the film, or affect the overall story.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss surpassed everything I could have expected from her. She is one of the best actresses I have seen in a long time. Every scene was so full of emotion. During the reaping day scenes I really felt and saw her terror when she volunteered. She knew how to act like she knew she was heading to her death. So much acting chops in one actress. I cried during the goodbye scenes before they left for the Capitol. I was so impressed the way she ran through the forest, dodging fireballs, and was able to pull herself up into trees. She embodied everything that is the character of Katniss Everdeen. I honestly do not think that any other actress would have been able to pull it off like she did.

I have mentioned before my love for Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, and it was reinforced by watching the film. He truly embodied the character I had pictured when reading the novel. He easily slipped between love sick baker boy, to warrior with the careers, to weak almost dying tribute. Hutcherson is a very talented actor who made the perfect Peeta.

The whole movie was an emotional roller-coaster that kept you enticed from beginning to end. I felt the same way about the novel when I read that, and was excited to see that that feeling translated to the big screen.

Rue’s death. Seriously. Tears. My face was a waterfall. They overlayed Katniss’s breakdown from her death with scenes of the riot beginning in District 11. It was just. Beautiful. My very manly boyfriend attended the film with me, despite not reading the books, and even he shed a tear at Rue’s death. If you don’t cry or at least tear up at that scene then you are not human!

There is only one scene that was missing from the film that I really wish had been included. When Peeta is still healing in the cave, instead of being put to sleep by the medicine by Katniss, he merely fell asleep. I loved that scene in the novel, and was a little disappointed that it played out differently in the film.

Something I liked that they changed was the way Thresh kills Clove near the end. It was incredibly brutal in the novel, but they tamed it down in the movie. I don’t think I could have handled seeing it the other way.

Every scene with the cornucopia was perfect. Just how I imagined it reading it all those times.

Aftermath:

Gary Ross is a surperb director. He was able to translate the novel almost flawlessly to the big screen. Fans of novel will not be disappointed with this adaptation. Once you get into the film, you stop thinking about the things that are different from the novel and you just fall in love with the characters from the novel all over again.

A big part of why this adaptation is so great, is truly the actors. They were so incredibly talented that they became their characters totally.

As we were leaving, I didn’t hear anyone saying anything other than praises for the film. Even those who had obviously gotten drugged their with their friends, family, and significant others, left the film as a fan.

This is one of the best book to film adaptations I have ever encountered. I don’t think any fan of the book will be disappointed with the way the film played out. It also will make new fans out of those who haven’t read the book.

So, go see it! It is totally worth it.

Hunger Games Producers Talk Battle Royale Debate

Leave a reply

With the release of The Hunger Games just around the corner, the comparisons to the Japanese film Battle Royale are rampant, even we did one here. So in the spirit of debate, the producers of The Hunger Games talked about the two films.

The Hunger Games is the movie adaptation of the bestselling novel by Suzanne Collins. It is followed by the sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay. 

The plot for the film is as follows:

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the governing body, the Capitol, of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Katniss Everdeen volunteers as a tribute to save her sister from going in to the ghastly arena. She is joined by Peeta Mellark, a boy she knew who once saved her life.

Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル Batoru rouaiaru) is a 2000 Japanese thriller film directed by Kinji Fukasaku based on the novel of the same name. It was written by Kenta Fukasaku and stars Takeshi Kitano.

The film tells the story of a class of teenagers that are forced by the government to compete in a deadly game, where the students must kill each other in order to win. The program is used to intimidate youths from participating in gangs and rebellions. It takes place in the not so distant future/alternate timeline of Japan where unemployment is rampant and most of the country is in disarray. 

The Hunger Games, producer Nina Jacobson talked about the continuing debate over the similarities between the two stories during a press event.

You know I think that they are distinct pieces of material. I know for Suzanne what her inspiration was and her inspiration was the Iraq war along side American Idol, that she was watching both. And experiencing both with her children. And so I know thats where her inspiration came from. […] We are all sharing the same kind of cultural touch points, all going through history together. So it doesn’t surprise me that sometimes they will be points where different source material intersects with eachother.

She goes on to say,

“The fact that people are engaged in talking about the book and the movie is a good thing. And I think the movie certainly stands on its own separate from [Battle Royale] I think it is very much its own property. The book and the movie together, so I don’t think it hurts to be debated.

Director Gary Ross explained that he chose to distance himself from the discussion by focusing only on his film.

I haven’t seen Battle Royale. […] I had never heard of it until I got this job and then when I heard of it, I intentionally stayed away from it. I never wanted to be influenced by it, and I also wanted to be able to say, ‘Look, I’ve never seen this film’ So I made my own film independently. And I suppose I’ll see it now. But I intentionally never wanted to see it or be exposed to it for those exact reasons.

Having read HG and watched BR, I really think the two are only vaguely similar. They have one tiny premise that is similar while the rest is completely different. I liked HG in a completely different way than I liked BR because they are so inherently different.

But I liked that Ross and Jacobson took the time to address the debate that is still going on.

The Hunger Games hits theaters on March 23.

What You Won’t See In The Hunger Games Movie

Leave a reply

In case you are one of the fans that is worrying about the new adaptation of The Hunger Games, I can tell you now, that you can stop fretting! Entertainment Weekly recently revealed the four aspects that fans won’t see in the film adaptation of The Hunger Games. I am happy to say that the four things are not to major for me to be disappointed.

Thankfully, we at least get a little bit of an explanation of why each scene was changed. Gary Ross and producer, Nina Jacobson took the time to explain each one.

Madge Undersee

If you have read the novel, you know that Madge was a pseudo-friend of Katniss and also the daughter of the mayor of District 12. In the novel, she is the one who gives Katniss the mockingjay pin before she is taken to the Capitol. However, in the preview for the film we saw that Katniss gives the pin to Prim, and Madge is not mentioned at all.

On the change, Jacobson says,

“you have so little time to establish these characters. So if Madge has to get thrown under the bus so you can make sure that an audience who hasn’t read the books understands the devotion between Katniss and Prim, then that’s what you do.”

The Avoxes

In the novel, we meet the Avoxes when Katniss described seeing a girl taken by the Capitol, only to show up again as her servant before the games. It is not a major plot point, but it was definitely a darker part of Capitol. While they are in the film, they are not explained or given much of a back story.

Ross says, regarding the change,

 “we have Avoxes, but we don’t digress in the film. I think it’s a wonderful way to populate the world, but there are just certain [cutbacks] that have to happen.”

The Prep Team

Katniss’ prep team while in the Capitol includes, Octavia, Flavius, and Venia. Don’t fret, they are in the film, but unlike the novel, the audience doesn’t get the chance to know them. The only one the movie focuses on is Cinna, especially because of his role as confidant to Katniss.

Jacobson explains,

“we agreed that the main thing is to establish Cinna. So we had to sort of borrow from Peter to pay Paul!”

Capitol Awesomeness

If you remember the book, the Capitol has all kinds of sweet gadgets and awesome things that no one else in the other Districts have. An examples is the food automators. While these won’t be shown, the Capitol will still retain its ominous presence.

Jacobson explained the subtraction,

 “we didn’t want the Capitol to appear too fanciful. It has to appear ominous and threatening. The Capitol has to be a mind-blowing experience, but it can’t be Whoville.”

So it seems that the film adaptation will be pretty faithful to the novel. If these are the only changes we have to worry about, I will be pretty satisfied with how it turns out. Although, I would have liked to see Madge, I am ok with that change still because I have the feeling this is going to be a great adaptation.

I mean after all, author Suzanne Collins, has praised the film version herself. 

Source: Entertainment Weekly new issue

New Hunger Games Promo And Photo Stills Released

Leave a reply

New Hunger Games content was released today that was met with excitement all around. A new trailer was released that featured the song Safe & Sound. Also released today were new stills from the movie featuring President Snow, Haymitch, Seneca Crane and Katniss.

Even though the movie is pretty close to being released, the media marketing for the film is not ending just yet. Also today, the MPAA has officially released its rating for the film ass PG-13 for “intense violent thematic material and disturbing images – all involving teens.”

The Hunger Games takes place every year in the ruins of what was once North America. The governing body, the Capitol, of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Katniss Everdeen volunteers as a tribute to save her sister from going in to the ghastly arena. She is joined by Peeta Mellark, a boy she knew who once saved her life.

The film is the big screen adaptation of the novel written by Suzanne Collins and was directed by Gary Ross. It stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. It also includes Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Lenny Kravitz as supporting characters.

(Personally, I don’t think I could be more excited about this film!)

We have seen tons of new trailers recently, but this one is slightly different. One new scene they actually featured in this trailer was a bigger glimpse into the first meeting between Katniss and Peeta, even if just for a moment. You can watch the new promo video below:

You also get a better look at some of the films supporting characters such as President Snow (Donald Sutherland), former Hunger Games champion Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), and deadly District 2 “tributes” Cato (Alexander Ludwig) and Clove (Isabelle Furhman). You can see the new images below:

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate and Entertainment Weekly.

Top 3 Scenes From The Hunger Games I Am Most Excited To See

Leave a reply

With the massively anticipated film, The Hunger Games, little less then a month away from hitting theaters, my personal anticipation for the film is growing. Yes, I preordered midnight showing tickets, and yes I read all three books in less than three days, and most certainly, yes, I am team Peeta (and no I can’t believe I just said that…) Either way, the point is, we are all excited for this film.

After reading the novel and considering the film, I have decided these are the three scenes from the book that I am most excited to see in the big screen adaptation. Unfortunately, we know that when it comes to movie adaptation of books, often things are left out for time purposes (although director Gary Ross maintains this is a very faithful adaptation) so hopefully these three scenes will remain intact for our viewing pleasure.

:::::Caution: there are a few tiny spoilers if you haven’t read the novel:::::

The Interview With Caesar Flickerman

I had to put this one, because I am girl who can’t resist a good proclamation of love. And I would be lying if I said my heart didn’t melt when Peeta professed his love for Katniss. I mean what girl didn’t enjoy that (even albeit slightly). It was a sweet moment, even if at the time you weren’t sure if it was a true revelation or manipulation. Thankfully, we all know it was a revelation of true love. When I read it, I read into its sincerity and thats something that Peeta isn’t able to fake during the games or even afterward. I hope Josh Hutcherson (who plays Peeta) will be able to pull off the sincere admission of love in the movie.

Either way, it was a great scene in the novel and I am looking forward to squealing in girlish delight when the scene plays in the theater.

Tripping of Tracker Jacker Venom

This was definitely one of the more intense moments of the novel. Katniss drops the nest of tracker jackers on the careers camp, killing two of them. However, in the process she gets stung several times and begins to hallucinate. I am very curious on how they are going to film this because basically, she was tripping. Her hallucinations are vivid and bright and incredibly weird.

I am excited to see this scene, because I think watching it will be pretty powerful compared to just reading about her tripping on the acid. I am also curious how the visualization of the weird things she sees will translate on screen.

The Feast

Easily my favorite scene in the novel. (The end with the berries is pretty awesome too, but c’mon you knew they would both live or there wouldn’t be two more books!) While reading, you know there is so much at stake when Katniss drugs Peeta to go to the feast and retrieve precious medicine and materials they need.  It was pretty intense and I couldn’t force myself to stop reading this. I can guess its going to be even more intense of the big screen. The feast scene adds more intensity when Katniss is about to be killed and Thresh saves her life.

While this is easily one of the most brutal scenes in the novel (I mean Thresh does cave in Clove’s skull) I know they will probably lighten it a little bit, however, even if it is a little less bloody, I really hope they retain the immense anxiety and fast paced imagery that the novel employs. Seriously, it was brutal.

I have mentioned before how much I loved this book series, and I still do. And frankly, I haven’t been this excited for a movie since Arrested Development announced chances of a movie. I will be moderately happy with the adaptation if at least these three scenes remain relatively intact. (But hopefully this really is a faithful adaptation and I will love it) I think all three are crucial turning points in the novel and should remain as they are.

The Untold Secrets of The Hunger Games

Leave a reply

The people over at The Hollywood Reporter recently did a photo shoot and interviews with the stars and director of the highly anticipated film, The Hunger Games. They also highlighted several “untold secrets” regarding the casting and production of the film adaptation.

The Hunger Games film is the big screen adaptation of the novel written by Suzanne Collins. The film is the first of a four film franchise that will adapt the two sequels to the novel, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. 

“After the trailer launched Nov. 14, we had 8 million views in the first 24 hours,” says Lionsgate Films president Joe Drake. “We were the number one Twitter trend on the planet. Since then, the book sales have jumped 7.5 million copies. That kind of data gives us enormous confidence.”

As you may know the film stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. The rest of the cast includes Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz and Elizabeth Banks.

Some of the secrets included:

Jennifer Lawrence, the actress who plays Katniss Everdeen, took three days to accept the lead role. While several actresses were considered for the role, Lawrence was ultimately rewarded the spot. Even though she hesitated when it came to accepting the role. Lawrence has stated that she credits her mother for accepting the role.

“I called my mom and she called me a hypocrite, because when I was doing indie movies and everyone was asking why I didn’t do studio movies, I said, ‘The size of the movie doesn’t matter.’ And she said, ‘Here’s a movie you love and you were thinking of turning it down because of its size.’ I thought, ‘I don’t want to miss out because I’m scared. Me being scared, I never want that to stop me fromdoing something.’ But I knew in my heart that I wanted it — it was about working out all the fears.”

It was also revealed that Lionsgate operated on a very tight budget to make the film. It was reported that the film eventually cost a little more than $90 million, reduced to $78 million after subsidies.

They also confirmed that the lead trio are in fact contracted for the entire franchise which includes 4 movies based on the three books of the series. Also that director Gary Ross is committed to working on the sequel as well, which will hopefully begin shooting in September.

You might not know that Lawrence had an accident while training for the film that almost halted filming of the adaptation. The actress revealed during the interview:

“I had to do 10 ‘wall runs,’ where you run at the wall as hard as you can to get traction, I ran at it and my foot didn’t go up, so I caught the wall with my stomach. My trainer thought I had burst my spleen. I had to get a CAT scan and go into a tube where they put this fiery liquid in your body. I was still pretty bulked up from X-Men: First Class, So a lot of the training was getting muscle back, heightening the muscles without building them. I loved the archery — well, I have a love-hate relationship with it.”

Probably the most unnerving parts of filming the project was the fact that the set was 100 degrees and included bears. During the interview with THR, Ross related that not only were there bears in the woods they were shooting but also 100-degree heat and rain that was almost daily. He added:

“we’d only get to shoot four or five hours a day,”

Liam Hemsworth also revealed that when he got the role of Gale in the movie, that his brother gave him a little bit of advice regarding his new project.

“My brother Chris texted me before shooting and told me to lose weight. He said, ‘It’s called The Hunger Games, not The Eating Games!’ “

You can read the entire article from The Hollywood Reporter here or watch the behind the scenes video from the photo shoot below:


‘Hunger Games’ Film Director Says It’s a ‘Very Faithful Adaptation’

Leave a reply

If you are like me, you are counting down the days till The Hunger Games hits theaters. But if you have read the books you are probably a little frightened of what they might do with the beloved trilogy. (There have been very few times when a film adaptation wasn’t off base from its source). However, according to a recent sit-down with the director of the film, Gary Ross, we know a little better what to expect from the adaptation. Continue reading →