A Visit to the Serenity Set! by Skywalken

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A Visit to the Serenity Set!

POSTED BY: SKYWALKEN
UPDATED: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 05:43
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Tuesday, November 16, 2004 3:26 AM

I found this on Comingsoon.net

Joss Whedon stands, hoarse-voiced, telling the many flanking journalists, "Today, I'm deciding whether or not to use this shot. Whether it's realistic enough or it looks too fancy."

There is currently a woman and two men hanging from wires in a futuristic bar. This is the set of Serenity, Joss Whedon's adaptation of his "failure" of a TV show Firefly.

Serenity follows a crew, headed by Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), through their adventures in space battling the evil Alliance and reavers. If this doesn't sound too familiar, don't fret. The show was cancelled after a short time on the air, yet Universal Studios is giving Whedon a chance to resurrect the project for the big screen.

Producer Barry Mendel said the best-selling DVD set of the TV show didn't even help Universal latch onto the film. "They were already onboard before they came out. (Universal execs) are big believers in Joss; I think they think he is someone who is going to be making films for a long time," said Mendel.

The challenge for the cast and crew was transitioning the show to a big-screen film. "We love the show and we want to preserve everything great about the show," continued Mendel. "But, we also give reason for someone to get out of their house and pay for something they used to get for free."

Summer Glau, who stars as River remarks about the positive changes that come along with a big-screen budget. "We have a bigger budget, which is fun, and we get more time to do each scene. But really, the way Joss shoots is so specific, we wondered how different it would get from the series. He knows exactly what he wants so when we come in to do a scene."

As for those who don't know the TV show well, Glau reports that there are some flashbacks and some moments for new people to catch up.

When pressed for information on how her character evolves in the film,Glau only drops this enigmatic hint: "My character was just getting started and now, in the film, you really going to see an explosion of what really is going on with River."

Whedon believes that Serenity is Glau's chance to rise to the occasion. "She really stepped up to the plate; she's not in the corner babbling all the time anymore. She's got more to do and her presence is pretty luminous," said Whedon.

Whedon finds the task of directing a movie to be tough, but he's not one to back down at the challenge. "I thought it would be less stressful. I thought I'd be golfing in between takes and writing sonnets. Two things have not worked in my favor, although I don't have three shows to run, and nothing will be as hard as that was, the movie takes up your attention the way three shows do. All the creative energy that you usually pour into creating 20 or 40 stories a year, you are pouring into one and you find you need it."

What Whedon finds most important is allowing new viewers to watch the film with fresh eyes, while still being able to please his rabid fan base. "It's incredibly hard. Building a story that doesn't repeat or contradict what we've already one that satisfies the fans, but is made for people who haven't seen the show is incredibly tricky. It's the hardest story I've ever had to structure. Writing these people is the easiest thing in the world cause I know these people so well. TV shows built around slow development of character's movies are built on momentum. They are two very different things. You have to let some things drop and you have to speed some things up and know which ones or which."

Whedon does shy away from jinxing a sequel, but does mention it. "I think of this as an absolute one-shot. Could it sustain more stories? Well I obviously designed their world and these characters and this ensemble to sustain seven years for us. So yeah, there could be more. We'd love to do more. We have to make this one good enough to deserve that."

As Whedon looks again at the current scene, he remarks, "I'm trying to stay away from a Matrix-y kind of aesthetic. I don't want people doing anything they can't do, to an extent."

Serenity will be released April 22nd.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=7236

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Tuesday, November 16, 2004 5:43 AM

EMBERS

you beat me to it!
It is a great article, well worth reading.

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