Ends of the Earth - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 7.
Ends of the Earth - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио,
сценариста фильмов «Пираты Карибского моря». Часть 7.
Перевод:
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 7.
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 8.
Overheard on the walkie-talkie: official times are kept, including first shot of the day, first shot after lunch, official wrap time, etc. There are very strict rules for 'turnaround' for the cast and crew, everyone has to have at least twelve hours off before being called back to work, unless the call is 'pushed' (in which case the crew is paid extra). There are strict rules regarding how long the crew can work until lunch, etc. Jocelyn passes along this bit of movie trivia: mealtime officially starts when the last person goes through the line, not the first!
MORE MOVIE SET TRIVIA: What is a prop? What items fall under the domain of the prop department, instead of the art department/set designer/set decoration? Answer: any item that is called for in the screenplay and is touched by an actor -- is a prop.
*****
So we actually have to deal with this PIRATES lawsuit, some poor soul is claiming his work was stolen. Aside from everything else there is to do, I now have to search around for original screenplay drafts, memos, phone logs, notes, research materials, and a dozen other things. Legal aids end up crawling around the attic and garage and storage unit, getting old drafts. But it also turns out -- what a fun blast to the past, to see all that early stuff! Little sketches and notes written on the backs of screenplays, legal pads with arrows pointing this way and that to work out the basic storyline, early snippets of dialogue... it all looks so charming and innocent. Little did we know... Ah, the whole subtitle thing... we are shown to different mock up posters, one with the subtitle "World's End" and the other "At World's End."
It's obvious to us that "At World's End" is better (although I still would have chosen "Calypso's Fury.") We like "At World's End" because it feels more vast, grand, sweeping, it feels like a destination, sounds more nautical, has a double meaning, etc. "World's End" sounds like a neighborhood bar, reminds me of London's West End theatre district. Or some generic apocalypse movie. But then we find out Oren Aviv and the studio prefers "World's End" though he says he is not married to it, and would defer to the creative team. Oren is an expert at marketing, and his opinion is not to be taken lightly... but to us "At World's End" sounds better... So that means getting Gore's attention, and apparently there is an issue where it has to be done right away, well ahead of the release of the film, due to manufacturers getting ready to print up packaging for all the merchandising, etc. So we make a presentation to Gore and he agrees, and the studio agrees to add the 'At'.
На съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На краю света».
But then an odd thing, the studio rep asks whether there should be an apostrophe or not. "At World's End" or "At Worlds End." We prefer the apostrophe, the studio doesn't. ("It doesn't print well, looks messy" he says, "We prefer films to not have them.") Gore advises us to quit while we're ahead and approves the no apostrophe version. Now it turns out I happen to be online on my website's (www.wordplayer.com) message board just prior to this meeting, and I ran an impromptu poll as to which subtitle sounded better ("At World's End" was the consensus choice). So after the meeting I posted that the forces of good had prevailed and that "At World's End" would be the subtitle (without the apostrophe). Little did I know that the boards were monitored by someone in the press and that this post would somehow transmogrify into a newswire item: "Pirates Screenwriter confirms Pirates sequel title." Disney got on my case about making announcements, they wanted to orchestrate the reveal of the subtitle in their own way, and now they couldn't. Mea Culpa. So the following day Ted and I were talking and we decided we just really hated that missing apostrophe. It made no sense, it was grammatically incorrect, and besides, DEAD MAN'S CHEST did just fine with an apostrophe! On behalf of grade school grammar teachers across the land, we talked again to Gore, and Jerry, and Brig Taylor, (Ted told Brig, this is your chance to yell, "Stop the presses!") Though I think it cost Disney some good amount of shiny coin, cooler heads prevailed and the proper apostrophe was restored, and all was right with the world.
*****
I hate to reveal how movie magic is done, but this one is just so cool. That shot of Jack the Monkey, frozen, on the Hai Pang, shivering on the barrel? They got the effect by making the barrel vibrate! FLASHBACK - PIRATES FUN FACT: Shooting CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, Jimmy Buffett came by to visit the set. Have I mentioned there are two Buffett tributes in that film? The name of AnaMaria's ship, the Jolly Mon, is an homage to Buffett's song of the same name (and the story the song is based on). Second tribute is Jack's triple slap in the course of the film, "I didn't deserve that," "I may have deserved that," "That one I deserved." Jack's responses are an homage to the progression in Margaritaville, "It's nobody's fault," "It could be my fault," "It's my own damn fault."
*****
We get invited to do a talk for the merchandising group... a theater full of people, video games, comics, toys, clothing, all that. Very exciting to see shots from AT WORLD'S END -- shooting it as we have, in and around DEAD MAN'S CHEST, it's heartening to see that it has its own vibe, its own sensibility, but still proper to the PIRATES world. My first reaction was -- that looks great, we've got enough movie to release right there! Of course we have months to shooting to go. Ted and I get a chance to suggest specific toys, Ted gets an 'ahhh' with his suggestion of the 'ship in a bottle' for each of the pirate ships, I campaign again for the reversible dead/undead hand puppet monkey. The Shipwreck Cove set for the Brethren Court scene is amazing, but the 'walk up' scene got cut (rightfully so, as it existed pretty much only as an establishing shot, and did not convey needed story information, and it was more powerful to cut straight into the scene). So a lot of this fantastic set isn't going to make it onto the screen. Storyboard artist Jim Byrkit has the notion to make a short film using the set, maybe something for trilogy 'Treasure Chest' DVD. He comes to us and we start knocking around ideas, not sure if we'll have time to pull it off in between the rest of the shooting.
*****
I get the word that the Disney Premiere for AT WORLD'S END is going to be different this year, more security. We are told: "NO VIDEO CAMERAS of any kind anywhere in the event. Regular cameras are okay on the red carpet and at pre-screening party FOR CANDID (not posed) PHOTOS ONLY. NO STOPPING/STANDING on red carpet. NO POSED PHOTOS. NO AUTOGRAPHS. DO NOT ASK anyone to pose for a photo, or for an autograph. Please tell your guests not to do so. And please, out of solidarity with your fellow filmmakers and the actors, just politely DECLINE IF SOMEONE ASKS YOU." Yikes, I put the word out on Wordplay and Keep to the Code, I know a lot of fans travel a long way to get photos and autographs at the red carpet, and if that is not going to be allowed, at least people should know.
*****
So, I get a chance to look at the AT WORLD'S END trailer. It's exciting, it should work, but it also seems like it should be better. Here are the notes I sent: 1. Try to find a better Johnny line that simply 'we must fight to run away.' Fans expect something more clever than that. What about, 'Four of you tried to kill me in the past... one of you succeeded.' Or, 'Were I in a divulgatory mood, what might I be divulging?' etc.
2. Where is Jack Davenport? Should be at least one shot of him, he is a key player and has his own fan base.
3. Also why not at least one quick 'flash' shot of Bootstrap Bill, and Governor Swann. Our beloved cast is back sort of thing.
4. Keira's look over to the monkey is unmotivated because the monkey hasn't done anything, it hasn't made a noise or lifted its hand until after the cut, so why did she look there? How did she know it was going to do something? Fix with a chatter noise or cut to the 'hand raising' almost in progress.
5. There is a second shot of the 'ice ship' at the end of the trailer, but since we've seen that before, it makes the trailer look like it is running out of ideas. Some suggestions for better shots that could go into the flash cuts: a) those freaky boats with the lanterns and the dead people (maybe see Swann?). b) pirates all lined up standing in front of the nooses. c) the shot of the dead bodies floating past underwater? d) the Pintel Ragetti boat wipeout in that huge wave e) at least one shot of Norrington, Bootstrap Bill.
6. I'm still not a big fan of opening on the compass, that's such an image of the last movie. When you think about it, why not use that point of view shot of the 'Pirates Code' book carried toward the pirates (fans would go crazy to see that) or a shot of that Codebook slamming shut. Or, in the world of objects, why don't we see the dish that has all of the Nine Pieces of Eight? That's visually interesting and would engender a lot of fan debate (especially if you could make out Ragetti's eye).
7. A possible Jack line, in keeping with the gravitas of ending, maybe to come back at the end... 'Captain Jack Sparrow, the last pirate. I like the sound of that.'
8. The end thing with Jack and the cannon just looks kind of choppy and unpolished. Wish the full line was there... 'If I'm not mad, if this isn't all some fever dream, this will probably never work.' We got to see a rough cut of the film, which is always exciting -- a film is made one excruciating shot at a time, and to see even two shots cut together ('cut footage' as we say, which is not footage that was cut, but footage that has been assembled) is a thrill. A lot of effects aren't done, a lot of final decisions not made, music isn't finished, etc. Main thing is to see whether we have a story that works, and where the problem areas are. Seems clear that once we get to the maelstrom we're set, and the opening is strong; it's the usual Act II issues, and we don't have an action sequence there to help get us through -- so that's where most of the work needs to be done. I attended the presentation to Gore on the P3 next generation X-Box game. I thought the look of the game was stunning. Are video games destined to be the next great art form? To be able to explore and interact in a world that seems endless, that sounds like more fun than being locked into a narrative -- if there could be a way to keep a narrative, make the story good. Gore was impressed by the fighting but you expect that in a video game. Afterwards we all spoke about thinking long term regarding the brand, the franchise, the world building, this is based on the game, but are they missing an opportunity? My idea, is there a user-based version of this world, where fan can invent their own islands, ships, characters, pick the top ten characters and places others have invented, etc.? We are told, regarding royalties, that Disney's position on merchandising is that the characters, items, ships, locations, etc., are not described in enough detail in the screenplay in order to be considered anything other than generic. This allows them to sell a Jack Sparrow figure, dressed like the character from the movie, with scenes we created referenced on the packaging, and when you press a button Jack actually speaks six different lines of dialogue straight from the film -- but that's really just a 'generic' pirate, and so you pay the writers nothing. (The way the legal definitions work, only the 'look' of the item matters, not what is spoken, and payments are made on the spoken words only if they are part of the separated rights agreement, such as a live performance.) My flight of fancy would be to manufacture the exact same figure saying the same lines and watch how fast Disney would sue for copyright infringement. Somehow they are able to hold the contradictory positions that the same figure that is indeed unique enough to be protected via copyright is somehow also not quite unique enough to qualify for merchandising payments to the writers.
*****
We agreed to do a DMC DVD release signing at Disney studios. Seems to be mostly Disney employees, not sure how others would get onto the lot. I take time to try to talk with each person and personalize each signature -- from where we were sitting, it only looked like a few people. I didn't realize that the line went out the door and around the building, and that I was taking too much time! Later I'm told we signed for over a thousand people. So Marty went to the trouble to get a signed DVD for himself. Lee Arenberg was the last to sign, and he wrote Marty's DVD sleeve, "We've had a fucking great time!" Marty was upset. "I can't believe you wrote a swear word on my DVD!" So he had to go to the trouble to get a whole new DVD and have everyone sign it again. Again he gives it to Lee, who writes on it, "Sorry I wrote 'fuck' on your other DVD." Here's an odd thing: I have not listened to any of our DVD commentary on either PIRATES film, I have not watched any of the making-of features, I haven't even seen any of the deleted scenes. But I broke my own rule and saw a featurette on DEAD MAN'S CHEST. As expected, it was disappointing. They showed a story meeting -- hey that's our field! -- but all they chose to feature was Jerry talking, with Ted and I nodding our heads. Not how the typical story meeting goes! It's hard to watch these things and see how far off they are from the actual workings on set. There was nothing on the animal trainers, nothing for the catering dept., very little of Mackenzie, Tom, Bill Nighy, Stellan. Too many extended shots, yeah we get it, make a cut and move on. And lots and lots of producers speaking. Why a series of Mike Stenson observations and nothing from Ted and I? Nothing against our producers, they're the best in the business, just looking for balance. It's like a reality TV show, the edit can make you hero or villain. I finally figure out, Ted and I should do our interviews separately. That puts you larger in frame than when you are a team, and eliminates the distraction of the other guy sitting there listening. Exec producers Chad and Mike don't do their interviews together. Word comes out regarding the DVD sales, DEAD MAN'S CHEST, first day: $5 million. Total shipped is $20 million units, a live action record. Geez, that's about $700 million dollars, plus the original billion box office... not to mention cable and VHS, rentals, pay television, iTunes downloads, etc. Plus merchandising, novelizations, the soundtrack, funny, that's probably $3 billion in revenue, and it's still they say the film is in the red.
*****
Character names are important to actors... they read a lot into the name, sometimes they think the name is incorrect and they change it in their heads. Chatting with some of the 'atmosphere' actors, a couple of the pirates asked that their characters be given names. They had worked out what their names were, and wanted to be cited in the script (and the credits) as more than just Pirate 1 and Pirate 2. Speaking of which, I mentioned anywhere, that the Captain slain in DEAD MAN'S CHEST was supposed to be named Jim Hawkins? And now you know why he never returned to the Admiral Benbow... And speaking of names, again not sure if this has appeared elsewhere, but reading online, fans started to refer to Barbossa as "Hector". Apparently Johnny and Geoffrey were goofing around and came up with Hector as Barbossa's first name, and it was caught on one of the DVD features. All we knew was that suddenly seemed to be his name, the fans had decided, so we made a point of writing it into AT WORLD'S END. We ran the idea past Johnny and Geoffrey, and they loved it.
*****
Working on one film, one always has to also look forward to the next project. Way back when, like so many screenwriters in Hollywood, Ted and I were hired by Disney to write an adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, "A Princess of Mars". Director John McTiernan managed to screw up the screenplay and the film never got made, and the project went into turnaround. The underlying rights eventually expired, and the project was picked up by Fox. Oddly, the folk at Fox are restricted from even considering our Disney adaptation, as they can't even read it to decide if they want it, for fear of not buying it, and then creating material that is too similar. Not to mention there are huge 'turnaround' costs associated with the Disney screenplay, as so many drafts had been done over the years, not to mention McTiernan's fee. So fast-forward to today: We hear that the project has fallen through at Fox, and the underlying rights to "A Princess of Mars" are again available. Producer Michael Engelberg checks with us to see if we're interested in updating our screenplay -- we are -- and possibly now the project can see the light of day at Disney? Bruckheimer is interested, he gets another screenplay from us basically for free, and we check with the Execs at Disney... and there is a snag. Disney is already pursuing the rights for another group. Well, heck, we can beat out anyone else, can't we? What other producer or writing group has a better track record, more clout than us? Turns out there is one, and pretty much one only, group that can trump us: PIXAR. And so, once again our "A Princess of Mars" adaptation is dead. On the other hand... go PIXAR!
*****
Finally DEJA VU opens, and after the weekend, I get a call from my daughter. I asked her, what did she think of the film? "I don't know, I went to see HAPPY FEET." Thanks, kid! As the weekend progresses, the phone doesn't ring at all, the DEJA VU numbers are disappointing, something like $3 million on opening day. Chat with co-writer Bill Marsilii, who is also scanning the box office numbers, and we share the bad news. Early projections had the film tracking to be perhaps number one, somewhere around $35-50 million, and now we're looking at third place at best. We got trounced by CASINO ROYALE, but over the weekend the final numbers pick up, and the total looks to be $23 million... not terrible, and finally the phone rings with some congratulatory calls. Funny, one of the directors first interested in DEJA VU was Martin Campbell, whom I campaigned for, but the production team was not interested... and no one appreciates when I point out that Campbell ended up directing the film that beat us out for the weekend, CASINO ROYALE. There's a weird attitude in Hollywood, no one ever makes a mistake. Maybe it's because so often nothing happens that people act like what happened had to happen, because it happened that way. Later I meet another director whom I would have preferred, who wanted to the do the movie -- P.J. Hogan, who, oddly, has been hired to do a different Bruckheimer movie.
*****
We travel out to the 'Fort' set built in the hills near Magic Mountain, location of the opening hanging scene. FUN SET FACT: the whole thing is constructed using railroad storage containers, stacked ten high, that's what's on the other side of those 'ancient' brick walls. Attending the tech scout of the opening Fort/hanging scene. Funny, in P1 the first scene shot was the last scene of the film, and featured a hanging at a fort. In P3, the last scene shot is the first scene of the film, also a hanging, at a fort. I love symmetry. I must say it's a lot easier to do it this way, use the first scene to set up the film, than in P1, where we had to have the ending in the can and then hope to somehow get there. Gore stops to look at the gallows, says, "Creepy." Then he calls for seven people to get up there to visualize the shot. I volunteer, standing next to effects superstar John Knoll. "All right, now step into the center of the trap door." Uh, sure. We all step forward. And then you get to look up and see the bar where the noose would go. Sort of reminds me of the feeling I had when we started work on these two sequels... I listen in on an interesting tech conversation, they need to construct a large blue screen to paint in a wall and imply distance and perspective -- but the blue screen is going to block the sunlight to the subjects being filmed. "Well, so would a real wall," Gore points out. Gore is asking the set designer for a source for smoke, perhaps burning clothes? I suggest "Bodies" and everyone makes a face. "Uh, let's keep that off screen," Gore decides, "and just have the smoke floating through."
*****
So working as producers, we go out to the industry with a screenplay we like, with the title PLANT LIFE, written by writers Steve Barr and Tina Anderson. For anyone who thinks Ted and I are in positions of power, and we can set up anything we like, turns out that's not true. Everyone in town passes -- even though it's one of those one-of-a-kind concepts. We get Disney to agree to a deal by pitching a revised approach, but boy you'd think it would be easier.
*****
What to give our amazing director as a gift? One item, one idea is to collect interesting and thoughtful comments and analysis from various PIRATES fan websites and message boards, I call it the "Internet Chatter" list. There's a lot of amazing stuff there, and Gore doesn't have time to read through all that, which doesn't seem fair, it only seems right he should get to see some of What He Hath Wrought.
Speaking on set one day with Rafi (Rafael Sanchez), our electrician, he's most proud of the scuttled ship, in DEAD MAN'S CHEST. Underwater power cables. Night. In the rain. On the water. "After this production," he says, "There's nothing that I'm going to run into that I'd have to say, 'I can't do that.'"
Tom Hollander is the last actor shot. We're chatting, he mentions that his job isn't that hard, because when an actor steps before the camera it is a culmination of everyone's efforts. "But you have no safety net" I counter. "And you have to be the transition for us, into the world of the movie. That's some mystical shit."
One of the DVD producers is shocked when I comment I've heard other people say they made Ted and l look bad on the DEAD MAN'S CHEST material. "That wasn't our intent," he says. In truth I don't care that much, as I tend to not watch that stuff. The guy admits the producers get a chance to review and make additions/changes to their material, and even re-shoot stuff if they don't like the early takes, a courtesy they don't extend to the writers.
Nearing the end of this long trilogy shoot, various gifts start to arrive. Vee calls us over to the makeup trailer, and presents an amazing life-size barnacle encrusted Davy Jones heart presented under a glass jar, designed and constructed by Joel; Johnny Depp gives out a cool leather pirates bag complete with bead and feather dangles; Various t-shirts arrive from different departments, a bottle of wine from stuntwoman extraordinaire Lisa; signed photo from Tom Hollander, a pen set from actor Reggie Lee, Teddy the caterer offers his digital photo collection gathered from various crew members; in the end there really are too many gifts and too many people to really keep track.
Ladies and Gentlemen... in the wee hours this morning, under the watchful eye of the 'making of' video crew, the final 'check the gate' was called, on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN II & III, DEAD MAN'S CHEST & AT WORLD'S END. A gorgeous cake was wheeled out. On the cake was written:
6 countries.
141 2nd unit days.
281 1st unit days.
256 3/8 pages.
4000+ crewmembers.
2,868,690 feet of film.
3,409 hours, 24 minutes of filming.
February 24, 2005-December 12, 2006
Geoffrey Rush's gift to Ted and I had all the class and elegance one would expect from Geoffrey Rush: a single, shiny, shiny, elegant black pearl in an elegant black case. The accompanying note from Geoffrey is even more cherished (reprinted here):
Dear Terry... this is the sort of speech I think Gibbs should get! Most likely it would be cut but with a good West Country Accent, who knows? I turned down a Beckett play to do Curse of the Black Pearl and was pilloried by my peers -- little did I know I was venturing into the world of popcorn, Wagner, mythological expressionism, finely wrought textual intensity and the true Shakespearean pleasure of laying bare the state of the world! Here's a small emblemic memento of our crazy ride together on the Black Pearl. -- Yours, Geoffrey Rush
Speaking of cool gifts, Chad Oman and Mike Stenson have delivered to my house a full-sized PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN pinball game. Pretty cool machine, complete with ships to sink, battle with Davy Jones, a heart in a chest and lines from Johnny Depp, etc. A classy gesture, though I suspect it might be a bit of a bribe to do more work on NATIONAL TREASURE 2. If so, it works. For the record, I currently own all top five high scores, the best being 417 million.
*****
We score tickets to the Academy Awards this year. Highlights: seeing Peter O'Toole in the men's room. Running into and chatting with Linda Lichter, our entertainment lawyer, who has clients with four different films nominated. Also saw Marc Haimes, Zak Penn (what a great screenwriter name that is) and Roger Allers. I get to tell Roger a story I'd never told him before. Back after we finished ALADDIN, my phone rang, and a voice said, "Hi, this is Roger Avary." Only I mistakenly heard the name as "Roger Allers." This can partly be explained by the fact that I had worked with Roger Allers on ALADDIN, before he went on to co-direct THE LION KING, and I'd never had any dealings at all with Roger Avery (co-writer of PULP FICTION) and who expects a call like that out of the blue? So I say "Hi, Roger!" and proceed to have an entire phone conversation with Roger Avery, thinking it is Roger Allers.
The funny part is, I went into fair detail complimenting 'his' movie, lauding the merits of THE LION KING (without actually saying the name, just 'loved your movie' and 'it was so ground-breaking' sort of stuff) and somehow all of my points also made some sort of skewed sense when applied to PULP FICTION, I got through the entire conversation, didn't realize till after my error. Watching the Academy show in person is pretty exciting, and I did feel one unexpected emotion... when you're sitting in the theater, twenty or thirty rows back, you really do want to be down there in the A-list crowd. You want to be nominated, you want to win. You want to be in the club. No matter how inside you are, there always seem to be others more inside, others who are on the inside of the inside... Weird, as I'm sitting there, half trying to figure out dialogue for Helen Mirren as she is announced winner, best actress, and she goes up to accept the award. The story: Bruckheimer is courting her for NATIONAL TREASURE 2, written by the Wibberleys, with Ted and I assisting on some scenes, and I'm trying to figure out a line for a scene that she's going to read the next day. Driving back from the Academy Awards, I have an interesting conversation with Jocelyn regarding the Spaghetti westerns... one interpretation of those films is that they tell the story of demigods walking among the mortals... which never goes well for the mortals. You can tell who is the most powerful demigod by how little they speak, the less words the more powerful.
The same interpretation works for PIRATES, where Tia Dalma, Davy Jones, Barbossa, Jack are the gods or demi-gods, and mortals such as Will and Elizabeth are just a backdrop to their dramas. Only the talking part doesn't fit, all our demi-gods love to talk, and the more they say, the less you can trust them. Next day is the cast and crew read-through for NATIONAL TREASURE 2, with Nick Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, et all. This is a very weird life. SET RUMOR: As is the case with most rumors, I have no idea if it's true, but rumor has it Nick Cage bought his own cave. Apparently, shooting NATIONAL TREASURE 2, Nick toured a cave, thought it was cool, and so then bought land with a cave on it. Actually, two caves, one that is open to the public, the other for personal use. "Why would Nicolas Cage buy himself a cave," I ask. The answer... "For when he wants to go into a cave." So once again we arrive at the Disneyland PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Premiere. There is a real sense of deja vu, that we've done this before, in a good way, because this time there is also a sense of finality, of completion. I get personally called out for a LOT more autograph requests this year! Jocelyn thinks it's perhaps the 'MySpace effect' where people get to see a photo, making me easier to spot. We get to the front gate early this year, and it's fun watching different folk arrive -- Martin Landau is again in attendance, this is the only place I ever run into Martin Landau.
I introduce him to my brother, who wears a giant t-shirt, and he gets Landau to sign it with a magic marker. We've put together our bags of swag, and once again they let us in carrying them. This year we've got PIRATES foosballs, and PIRATES necklaces, and PIRATES gold coins, and PIRATES playing cards, along with the usual beads and scarves. We took the time to sign each and every scarf and foosball. Rounding it out are a dozen signed DMC DVDs. Walking down the red carpet, once again people love it when an item comes their way -- it's fun to try to catch stuff, and whatever it is makes for a fun memento. I wonder why Disney doesn't facilitate this and make up bags for the actors, what fan or kid wouldn't want to get a photo or necklace from Jack Davenport or Bill Nighy? Maybe they think it's tacky, but to me it's a blast. We cross paths with Geoffrey Rush on the red carpet, and he's walking along with Jack-the-Monkey on his shoulder. "It's all going to be about Orlando and Johnny," he says, "I figured this was my best chance to get my photo published!" So I mis-introduce Craig (Wood) our film editor as 'Chris' ... my personal nightmare, I always freeze up at the moment of truth trying to do introductions. It's not like I don't know his name, after all the meetings we've had, but the brain just refuses to function. Painful. Handing out stuff, the signed DVDs get the most 'ooohs' from the crowd. I make it all the way to the end of the red carpet, and I've got one single DVD left in the bottom of my bag. Who to give it to? I see a somewhat elderly lady near the very end, hanging back, and not looking like she's having much fun. I go over and present her with the DVD -- she grabs it out of my hand, making sure no one else gets it, and clutches it to her chest, like something truly valuable, and smiles. I don't know if it was a significant moment for her -- but it was for me. Finally we're all in our seats, and the film is ready to start. Last time we had a falling star. This year, I look over -- and there is a gorgeous sliver of a crescent moon, with Venus hanging below, "hanging like a diamond on an earring." "That's a TREASURE PLANET moon," says Jocelyn, which makes me smile -- she knows the zoom-in shoot of the moon in TREASURE PLANET is one of my favorites.
*****
This is the sort of thing you get before a film opens -- actual e-mail:
Subject: Tracking for Monday, May 21st PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END looks huge on tracking. Unaided awareness continues to increase suggesting great top of mind awareness, and first choice is up with younger males and females. They look poised for another incredible opening weekend. BGRACIE still doesn't have much awareness - 21% overall. Younger females are currently the most aware quadrant - 28%. All other numbers are likely to flop around until awareness increases. KNOCKED UP picked up some awareness with older males (56%) and younger females (58%), and awareness in evenly balanced across all segments. Younger females are currently the lead audience with 32% definite interest and 6% first choice - up two points. MR. BROOKS had some good increases in awareness from over the weekend - 48% overall. Older males inched up in unaided awareness to 2% and are currently the most aware (up 10 points) and interested at 57% and 27% respectively. They look to be the best choice for the over 25 crowd on this weekend. HOSTEL 2 came up 6 points in awareness with older females to 33% and 8 points in definite interest with younger females to 36%. There wasn't much movement elsewhere though this campaign will be late breaking. OCEAN'S 13 looks good on tracking and has the highest numbers with older males at 7% unaided awareness, 97% awareness, 48% definite interest and a solid 18% first choice. Younger males are at the same level of interest and females are not far behind. SURF'S UP inched up in awareness with older males and females. Though family tracking would provide further insight, younger females are the most on board with 53% awareness and 26% definite interest.
Looking at Rotten Tomatoes, assistant/producer Susan sends an e-mail, "Yet again, ZERO consensus among the mainstream press brainiacs. I'm hugely amused that Entertainment Weekly sent a different critic (instead of Lisa S.) and his complaint is that he liked P2 more? Why didn't they have HIM review P2? And Roeper... ROEPER loves it?!" We get word that the Disney plagiarism lawsuit has been dropped. Papers arrive, we sign and notarize, and I guess that's all I'm supposed to say about it. Here's an example of the sort of report one gets from the studio on opening day:
Buena Vista Pictures Marketing
Attached please find the following reviews for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END: June 4, 2007 PEOPLE Jason Lynch MIXED
June 4, 2007 ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY Owen Gleiberman MIXED
May 24, 2007 NEW YORK TIMES Jeanette Catsoulis FAIR
May 24, 2007 NEWSDAY Gene Seymour FAIR
May 23, 2007 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER Michael Rechtshaffen GOOD
May 24, 2007 USA TODAY Claudia Puig POOR
May 24, 2007 NEW YORK POST Lou Lumenick FAIR
May 24, 2007 METRO Dan Dunn POOR
May 24, 2007 VILLAGE VOICE Nathan Lee POOR
May 24, 2007 NEW YORK SUN Grady Hendrix MIXED
May 24, 2007 ASBURY PARK PRESS Eleanor O'Sullivan GOOD
May 24, 2007 BERGEN RECORD Richard Roeper VERY GOOD
May 24, 2007 LA WEEKLY Nathan Lee POOR
May 24, 2007 LA DAILY NEWS Bob Strauss MIXED
May 24, 2007 ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Craig Outhier POOR
May 24, 2007 NJ STAR LEDGER Lisa Rose POOR Rebecca Rosen
Walt Disney Pictures Publicity
E-mail from Executive Producer Mike Stenson: "Anyway, on the way home, my son who is a senior in high school called to let us know he'd be home late because he was going to watch PIRATES at midnight. He told me not to worry because tomorrow is Senior Ditch Day. Thank God the studios scheduled the release on the same day as Senior Ditch Day, Now he has a legitimate excuse for missing school." Mystery of the end credits is solved. I get a report from Susan, "In the Multiple Jacks scene some of those Jacks have tattoos different that those we know of as being Jack Sparrow's. Johnny picked the content of those tattoos himself. In some cases, they are visible/readable in the finished film, and where they are readable, they have to be cleared. One includes a line(s) from the Saroyan play, the other from the poem credited at the end." Opening night, we again do our drive around to various theaters. Again we're amazed how many theaters are showing the film out of focus or improperly framed, or the prints are not color balanced, etc. And the same exact theater that had the sound out on the right side, still has the sound out on the right side. The early numbers come rolling in during dinner, and there is no celebrating... they are huge but less than hoped for; almost impossible to do well with the Thursday preview and the long Memorial Day weekend. But again, as per tradition, I lose my bet with Spencer, and we all try to remember which President is on the face of a $500 bill.
At dinner, chat with Jerry and his wife about the Internet fans, of course he doesn't have time to track message boards and such. I describe the notion of 'shipping' and try to describe the depth with which the fans analyze the films, such as the 250-post thread on the topic of, "Should Norrington have left the Black Pearl and positioned his troops at the mouth of the cave at Isla Muerta or should he have trusted Jack and stayed on the ship." Johnny Depp and his wife Vanessa join us this year for dinner, and afterwards we head over for the midnight showing at the El Capitan. So, if any of you out there reading were watching AT WORLD'S END there that night, opening night, you might not have noticed, but Johnny Depp, Gore, and Bruckheimer were there in the theater with you. Much later, I get another e-mail on my new iPhone from the Disney marketing folk. The sort of thing that comes floating your way over the weekend when you have a big film in release. Here it is, word-for-word: PIRATES 3 internationally has now crossed PIRATES 2 and is at $642mm..... adding in the domestic total to date of $306mm we are at a worldwide cum of $948mm, we will cross the $950mm level this weekend. P3 is now the 5th biggest film of ALL TIME and our Pirate franchise holds the #3 and #5 slots..... No other franchise has two in the top 5 slots..... Titanic is #1, LOR3 is #2, and Potter 1 is #4..... We will likely take in another $5 to 7mm to generate throughout the summer..... this has been a GREAT RUN..... Quietly, over on Box Office Mojo, yours truly passes the $2 billion dollar mark, domestic gross on credited films, with no fanfare. This puts me in second place behind only George Lucas on the all time list (I'm slightly ahead of Ted due to DEJA VU). Everyone else on that list is a household name. But me, I can still go to a nude beach and not worry about having my picture taken. Which is probably a good thing.
*****
FLASHBACK MOMENT: At the cast and crew party for AT WORLD'S END. Gore and I look at each other for a long moment. How can words convey so many years, so many events, so many conflicts, agreements, breakthroughs, setbacks, shared experiences? He gives me a long hug. I tell him he's the man, he's the guy who made it all happen. Gore says in my ear: "We're both just chasing the deer, man, trying to catch a glimpse of it in the woods."
Карибские сказки (2005). Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 1.
Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season (2005). Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 2.
Прогулка по доске - 2005. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 3.
Прогулка по доске - 2005. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 4.
Девять восьмёрок - 2006. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 5.
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 6.
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 7.
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 8.
Из дневников Терри Россио. О съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На странных берегах». Часть 1.
Из дневников Терри Россио. О съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На странных берегах». Часть 2.
Из дневников Терри Россио. О съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На странных берегах». Часть 3.
Из дневников Терри Россио. О съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На странных берегах». Часть 4.
сценариста фильмов «Пираты Карибского моря». Часть 7.
Перевод:
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 7.
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 8.
Overheard on the walkie-talkie: official times are kept, including first shot of the day, first shot after lunch, official wrap time, etc. There are very strict rules for 'turnaround' for the cast and crew, everyone has to have at least twelve hours off before being called back to work, unless the call is 'pushed' (in which case the crew is paid extra). There are strict rules regarding how long the crew can work until lunch, etc. Jocelyn passes along this bit of movie trivia: mealtime officially starts when the last person goes through the line, not the first!
MORE MOVIE SET TRIVIA: What is a prop? What items fall under the domain of the prop department, instead of the art department/set designer/set decoration? Answer: any item that is called for in the screenplay and is touched by an actor -- is a prop.
*****
So we actually have to deal with this PIRATES lawsuit, some poor soul is claiming his work was stolen. Aside from everything else there is to do, I now have to search around for original screenplay drafts, memos, phone logs, notes, research materials, and a dozen other things. Legal aids end up crawling around the attic and garage and storage unit, getting old drafts. But it also turns out -- what a fun blast to the past, to see all that early stuff! Little sketches and notes written on the backs of screenplays, legal pads with arrows pointing this way and that to work out the basic storyline, early snippets of dialogue... it all looks so charming and innocent. Little did we know... Ah, the whole subtitle thing... we are shown to different mock up posters, one with the subtitle "World's End" and the other "At World's End."
It's obvious to us that "At World's End" is better (although I still would have chosen "Calypso's Fury.") We like "At World's End" because it feels more vast, grand, sweeping, it feels like a destination, sounds more nautical, has a double meaning, etc. "World's End" sounds like a neighborhood bar, reminds me of London's West End theatre district. Or some generic apocalypse movie. But then we find out Oren Aviv and the studio prefers "World's End" though he says he is not married to it, and would defer to the creative team. Oren is an expert at marketing, and his opinion is not to be taken lightly... but to us "At World's End" sounds better... So that means getting Gore's attention, and apparently there is an issue where it has to be done right away, well ahead of the release of the film, due to manufacturers getting ready to print up packaging for all the merchandising, etc. So we make a presentation to Gore and he agrees, and the studio agrees to add the 'At'.
На съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На краю света».
But then an odd thing, the studio rep asks whether there should be an apostrophe or not. "At World's End" or "At Worlds End." We prefer the apostrophe, the studio doesn't. ("It doesn't print well, looks messy" he says, "We prefer films to not have them.") Gore advises us to quit while we're ahead and approves the no apostrophe version. Now it turns out I happen to be online on my website's (www.wordplayer.com) message board just prior to this meeting, and I ran an impromptu poll as to which subtitle sounded better ("At World's End" was the consensus choice). So after the meeting I posted that the forces of good had prevailed and that "At World's End" would be the subtitle (without the apostrophe). Little did I know that the boards were monitored by someone in the press and that this post would somehow transmogrify into a newswire item: "Pirates Screenwriter confirms Pirates sequel title." Disney got on my case about making announcements, they wanted to orchestrate the reveal of the subtitle in their own way, and now they couldn't. Mea Culpa. So the following day Ted and I were talking and we decided we just really hated that missing apostrophe. It made no sense, it was grammatically incorrect, and besides, DEAD MAN'S CHEST did just fine with an apostrophe! On behalf of grade school grammar teachers across the land, we talked again to Gore, and Jerry, and Brig Taylor, (Ted told Brig, this is your chance to yell, "Stop the presses!") Though I think it cost Disney some good amount of shiny coin, cooler heads prevailed and the proper apostrophe was restored, and all was right with the world.
*****
I hate to reveal how movie magic is done, but this one is just so cool. That shot of Jack the Monkey, frozen, on the Hai Pang, shivering on the barrel? They got the effect by making the barrel vibrate! FLASHBACK - PIRATES FUN FACT: Shooting CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, Jimmy Buffett came by to visit the set. Have I mentioned there are two Buffett tributes in that film? The name of AnaMaria's ship, the Jolly Mon, is an homage to Buffett's song of the same name (and the story the song is based on). Second tribute is Jack's triple slap in the course of the film, "I didn't deserve that," "I may have deserved that," "That one I deserved." Jack's responses are an homage to the progression in Margaritaville, "It's nobody's fault," "It could be my fault," "It's my own damn fault."
*****
We get invited to do a talk for the merchandising group... a theater full of people, video games, comics, toys, clothing, all that. Very exciting to see shots from AT WORLD'S END -- shooting it as we have, in and around DEAD MAN'S CHEST, it's heartening to see that it has its own vibe, its own sensibility, but still proper to the PIRATES world. My first reaction was -- that looks great, we've got enough movie to release right there! Of course we have months to shooting to go. Ted and I get a chance to suggest specific toys, Ted gets an 'ahhh' with his suggestion of the 'ship in a bottle' for each of the pirate ships, I campaign again for the reversible dead/undead hand puppet monkey. The Shipwreck Cove set for the Brethren Court scene is amazing, but the 'walk up' scene got cut (rightfully so, as it existed pretty much only as an establishing shot, and did not convey needed story information, and it was more powerful to cut straight into the scene). So a lot of this fantastic set isn't going to make it onto the screen. Storyboard artist Jim Byrkit has the notion to make a short film using the set, maybe something for trilogy 'Treasure Chest' DVD. He comes to us and we start knocking around ideas, not sure if we'll have time to pull it off in between the rest of the shooting.
*****
I get the word that the Disney Premiere for AT WORLD'S END is going to be different this year, more security. We are told: "NO VIDEO CAMERAS of any kind anywhere in the event. Regular cameras are okay on the red carpet and at pre-screening party FOR CANDID (not posed) PHOTOS ONLY. NO STOPPING/STANDING on red carpet. NO POSED PHOTOS. NO AUTOGRAPHS. DO NOT ASK anyone to pose for a photo, or for an autograph. Please tell your guests not to do so. And please, out of solidarity with your fellow filmmakers and the actors, just politely DECLINE IF SOMEONE ASKS YOU." Yikes, I put the word out on Wordplay and Keep to the Code, I know a lot of fans travel a long way to get photos and autographs at the red carpet, and if that is not going to be allowed, at least people should know.
*****
So, I get a chance to look at the AT WORLD'S END trailer. It's exciting, it should work, but it also seems like it should be better. Here are the notes I sent: 1. Try to find a better Johnny line that simply 'we must fight to run away.' Fans expect something more clever than that. What about, 'Four of you tried to kill me in the past... one of you succeeded.' Or, 'Were I in a divulgatory mood, what might I be divulging?' etc.
2. Where is Jack Davenport? Should be at least one shot of him, he is a key player and has his own fan base.
3. Also why not at least one quick 'flash' shot of Bootstrap Bill, and Governor Swann. Our beloved cast is back sort of thing.
4. Keira's look over to the monkey is unmotivated because the monkey hasn't done anything, it hasn't made a noise or lifted its hand until after the cut, so why did she look there? How did she know it was going to do something? Fix with a chatter noise or cut to the 'hand raising' almost in progress.
5. There is a second shot of the 'ice ship' at the end of the trailer, but since we've seen that before, it makes the trailer look like it is running out of ideas. Some suggestions for better shots that could go into the flash cuts: a) those freaky boats with the lanterns and the dead people (maybe see Swann?). b) pirates all lined up standing in front of the nooses. c) the shot of the dead bodies floating past underwater? d) the Pintel Ragetti boat wipeout in that huge wave e) at least one shot of Norrington, Bootstrap Bill.
6. I'm still not a big fan of opening on the compass, that's such an image of the last movie. When you think about it, why not use that point of view shot of the 'Pirates Code' book carried toward the pirates (fans would go crazy to see that) or a shot of that Codebook slamming shut. Or, in the world of objects, why don't we see the dish that has all of the Nine Pieces of Eight? That's visually interesting and would engender a lot of fan debate (especially if you could make out Ragetti's eye).
7. A possible Jack line, in keeping with the gravitas of ending, maybe to come back at the end... 'Captain Jack Sparrow, the last pirate. I like the sound of that.'
8. The end thing with Jack and the cannon just looks kind of choppy and unpolished. Wish the full line was there... 'If I'm not mad, if this isn't all some fever dream, this will probably never work.' We got to see a rough cut of the film, which is always exciting -- a film is made one excruciating shot at a time, and to see even two shots cut together ('cut footage' as we say, which is not footage that was cut, but footage that has been assembled) is a thrill. A lot of effects aren't done, a lot of final decisions not made, music isn't finished, etc. Main thing is to see whether we have a story that works, and where the problem areas are. Seems clear that once we get to the maelstrom we're set, and the opening is strong; it's the usual Act II issues, and we don't have an action sequence there to help get us through -- so that's where most of the work needs to be done. I attended the presentation to Gore on the P3 next generation X-Box game. I thought the look of the game was stunning. Are video games destined to be the next great art form? To be able to explore and interact in a world that seems endless, that sounds like more fun than being locked into a narrative -- if there could be a way to keep a narrative, make the story good. Gore was impressed by the fighting but you expect that in a video game. Afterwards we all spoke about thinking long term regarding the brand, the franchise, the world building, this is based on the game, but are they missing an opportunity? My idea, is there a user-based version of this world, where fan can invent their own islands, ships, characters, pick the top ten characters and places others have invented, etc.? We are told, regarding royalties, that Disney's position on merchandising is that the characters, items, ships, locations, etc., are not described in enough detail in the screenplay in order to be considered anything other than generic. This allows them to sell a Jack Sparrow figure, dressed like the character from the movie, with scenes we created referenced on the packaging, and when you press a button Jack actually speaks six different lines of dialogue straight from the film -- but that's really just a 'generic' pirate, and so you pay the writers nothing. (The way the legal definitions work, only the 'look' of the item matters, not what is spoken, and payments are made on the spoken words only if they are part of the separated rights agreement, such as a live performance.) My flight of fancy would be to manufacture the exact same figure saying the same lines and watch how fast Disney would sue for copyright infringement. Somehow they are able to hold the contradictory positions that the same figure that is indeed unique enough to be protected via copyright is somehow also not quite unique enough to qualify for merchandising payments to the writers.
*****
We agreed to do a DMC DVD release signing at Disney studios. Seems to be mostly Disney employees, not sure how others would get onto the lot. I take time to try to talk with each person and personalize each signature -- from where we were sitting, it only looked like a few people. I didn't realize that the line went out the door and around the building, and that I was taking too much time! Later I'm told we signed for over a thousand people. So Marty went to the trouble to get a signed DVD for himself. Lee Arenberg was the last to sign, and he wrote Marty's DVD sleeve, "We've had a fucking great time!" Marty was upset. "I can't believe you wrote a swear word on my DVD!" So he had to go to the trouble to get a whole new DVD and have everyone sign it again. Again he gives it to Lee, who writes on it, "Sorry I wrote 'fuck' on your other DVD." Here's an odd thing: I have not listened to any of our DVD commentary on either PIRATES film, I have not watched any of the making-of features, I haven't even seen any of the deleted scenes. But I broke my own rule and saw a featurette on DEAD MAN'S CHEST. As expected, it was disappointing. They showed a story meeting -- hey that's our field! -- but all they chose to feature was Jerry talking, with Ted and I nodding our heads. Not how the typical story meeting goes! It's hard to watch these things and see how far off they are from the actual workings on set. There was nothing on the animal trainers, nothing for the catering dept., very little of Mackenzie, Tom, Bill Nighy, Stellan. Too many extended shots, yeah we get it, make a cut and move on. And lots and lots of producers speaking. Why a series of Mike Stenson observations and nothing from Ted and I? Nothing against our producers, they're the best in the business, just looking for balance. It's like a reality TV show, the edit can make you hero or villain. I finally figure out, Ted and I should do our interviews separately. That puts you larger in frame than when you are a team, and eliminates the distraction of the other guy sitting there listening. Exec producers Chad and Mike don't do their interviews together. Word comes out regarding the DVD sales, DEAD MAN'S CHEST, first day: $5 million. Total shipped is $20 million units, a live action record. Geez, that's about $700 million dollars, plus the original billion box office... not to mention cable and VHS, rentals, pay television, iTunes downloads, etc. Plus merchandising, novelizations, the soundtrack, funny, that's probably $3 billion in revenue, and it's still they say the film is in the red.
*****
Character names are important to actors... they read a lot into the name, sometimes they think the name is incorrect and they change it in their heads. Chatting with some of the 'atmosphere' actors, a couple of the pirates asked that their characters be given names. They had worked out what their names were, and wanted to be cited in the script (and the credits) as more than just Pirate 1 and Pirate 2. Speaking of which, I mentioned anywhere, that the Captain slain in DEAD MAN'S CHEST was supposed to be named Jim Hawkins? And now you know why he never returned to the Admiral Benbow... And speaking of names, again not sure if this has appeared elsewhere, but reading online, fans started to refer to Barbossa as "Hector". Apparently Johnny and Geoffrey were goofing around and came up with Hector as Barbossa's first name, and it was caught on one of the DVD features. All we knew was that suddenly seemed to be his name, the fans had decided, so we made a point of writing it into AT WORLD'S END. We ran the idea past Johnny and Geoffrey, and they loved it.
*****
Working on one film, one always has to also look forward to the next project. Way back when, like so many screenwriters in Hollywood, Ted and I were hired by Disney to write an adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, "A Princess of Mars". Director John McTiernan managed to screw up the screenplay and the film never got made, and the project went into turnaround. The underlying rights eventually expired, and the project was picked up by Fox. Oddly, the folk at Fox are restricted from even considering our Disney adaptation, as they can't even read it to decide if they want it, for fear of not buying it, and then creating material that is too similar. Not to mention there are huge 'turnaround' costs associated with the Disney screenplay, as so many drafts had been done over the years, not to mention McTiernan's fee. So fast-forward to today: We hear that the project has fallen through at Fox, and the underlying rights to "A Princess of Mars" are again available. Producer Michael Engelberg checks with us to see if we're interested in updating our screenplay -- we are -- and possibly now the project can see the light of day at Disney? Bruckheimer is interested, he gets another screenplay from us basically for free, and we check with the Execs at Disney... and there is a snag. Disney is already pursuing the rights for another group. Well, heck, we can beat out anyone else, can't we? What other producer or writing group has a better track record, more clout than us? Turns out there is one, and pretty much one only, group that can trump us: PIXAR. And so, once again our "A Princess of Mars" adaptation is dead. On the other hand... go PIXAR!
*****
Finally DEJA VU opens, and after the weekend, I get a call from my daughter. I asked her, what did she think of the film? "I don't know, I went to see HAPPY FEET." Thanks, kid! As the weekend progresses, the phone doesn't ring at all, the DEJA VU numbers are disappointing, something like $3 million on opening day. Chat with co-writer Bill Marsilii, who is also scanning the box office numbers, and we share the bad news. Early projections had the film tracking to be perhaps number one, somewhere around $35-50 million, and now we're looking at third place at best. We got trounced by CASINO ROYALE, but over the weekend the final numbers pick up, and the total looks to be $23 million... not terrible, and finally the phone rings with some congratulatory calls. Funny, one of the directors first interested in DEJA VU was Martin Campbell, whom I campaigned for, but the production team was not interested... and no one appreciates when I point out that Campbell ended up directing the film that beat us out for the weekend, CASINO ROYALE. There's a weird attitude in Hollywood, no one ever makes a mistake. Maybe it's because so often nothing happens that people act like what happened had to happen, because it happened that way. Later I meet another director whom I would have preferred, who wanted to the do the movie -- P.J. Hogan, who, oddly, has been hired to do a different Bruckheimer movie.
*****
We travel out to the 'Fort' set built in the hills near Magic Mountain, location of the opening hanging scene. FUN SET FACT: the whole thing is constructed using railroad storage containers, stacked ten high, that's what's on the other side of those 'ancient' brick walls. Attending the tech scout of the opening Fort/hanging scene. Funny, in P1 the first scene shot was the last scene of the film, and featured a hanging at a fort. In P3, the last scene shot is the first scene of the film, also a hanging, at a fort. I love symmetry. I must say it's a lot easier to do it this way, use the first scene to set up the film, than in P1, where we had to have the ending in the can and then hope to somehow get there. Gore stops to look at the gallows, says, "Creepy." Then he calls for seven people to get up there to visualize the shot. I volunteer, standing next to effects superstar John Knoll. "All right, now step into the center of the trap door." Uh, sure. We all step forward. And then you get to look up and see the bar where the noose would go. Sort of reminds me of the feeling I had when we started work on these two sequels... I listen in on an interesting tech conversation, they need to construct a large blue screen to paint in a wall and imply distance and perspective -- but the blue screen is going to block the sunlight to the subjects being filmed. "Well, so would a real wall," Gore points out. Gore is asking the set designer for a source for smoke, perhaps burning clothes? I suggest "Bodies" and everyone makes a face. "Uh, let's keep that off screen," Gore decides, "and just have the smoke floating through."
*****
So working as producers, we go out to the industry with a screenplay we like, with the title PLANT LIFE, written by writers Steve Barr and Tina Anderson. For anyone who thinks Ted and I are in positions of power, and we can set up anything we like, turns out that's not true. Everyone in town passes -- even though it's one of those one-of-a-kind concepts. We get Disney to agree to a deal by pitching a revised approach, but boy you'd think it would be easier.
*****
What to give our amazing director as a gift? One item, one idea is to collect interesting and thoughtful comments and analysis from various PIRATES fan websites and message boards, I call it the "Internet Chatter" list. There's a lot of amazing stuff there, and Gore doesn't have time to read through all that, which doesn't seem fair, it only seems right he should get to see some of What He Hath Wrought.
Speaking on set one day with Rafi (Rafael Sanchez), our electrician, he's most proud of the scuttled ship, in DEAD MAN'S CHEST. Underwater power cables. Night. In the rain. On the water. "After this production," he says, "There's nothing that I'm going to run into that I'd have to say, 'I can't do that.'"
Tom Hollander is the last actor shot. We're chatting, he mentions that his job isn't that hard, because when an actor steps before the camera it is a culmination of everyone's efforts. "But you have no safety net" I counter. "And you have to be the transition for us, into the world of the movie. That's some mystical shit."
One of the DVD producers is shocked when I comment I've heard other people say they made Ted and l look bad on the DEAD MAN'S CHEST material. "That wasn't our intent," he says. In truth I don't care that much, as I tend to not watch that stuff. The guy admits the producers get a chance to review and make additions/changes to their material, and even re-shoot stuff if they don't like the early takes, a courtesy they don't extend to the writers.
Nearing the end of this long trilogy shoot, various gifts start to arrive. Vee calls us over to the makeup trailer, and presents an amazing life-size barnacle encrusted Davy Jones heart presented under a glass jar, designed and constructed by Joel; Johnny Depp gives out a cool leather pirates bag complete with bead and feather dangles; Various t-shirts arrive from different departments, a bottle of wine from stuntwoman extraordinaire Lisa; signed photo from Tom Hollander, a pen set from actor Reggie Lee, Teddy the caterer offers his digital photo collection gathered from various crew members; in the end there really are too many gifts and too many people to really keep track.
Ladies and Gentlemen... in the wee hours this morning, under the watchful eye of the 'making of' video crew, the final 'check the gate' was called, on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN II & III, DEAD MAN'S CHEST & AT WORLD'S END. A gorgeous cake was wheeled out. On the cake was written:
6 countries.
141 2nd unit days.
281 1st unit days.
256 3/8 pages.
4000+ crewmembers.
2,868,690 feet of film.
3,409 hours, 24 minutes of filming.
February 24, 2005-December 12, 2006
Geoffrey Rush's gift to Ted and I had all the class and elegance one would expect from Geoffrey Rush: a single, shiny, shiny, elegant black pearl in an elegant black case. The accompanying note from Geoffrey is even more cherished (reprinted here):
Dear Terry... this is the sort of speech I think Gibbs should get! Most likely it would be cut but with a good West Country Accent, who knows? I turned down a Beckett play to do Curse of the Black Pearl and was pilloried by my peers -- little did I know I was venturing into the world of popcorn, Wagner, mythological expressionism, finely wrought textual intensity and the true Shakespearean pleasure of laying bare the state of the world! Here's a small emblemic memento of our crazy ride together on the Black Pearl. -- Yours, Geoffrey Rush
Speaking of cool gifts, Chad Oman and Mike Stenson have delivered to my house a full-sized PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN pinball game. Pretty cool machine, complete with ships to sink, battle with Davy Jones, a heart in a chest and lines from Johnny Depp, etc. A classy gesture, though I suspect it might be a bit of a bribe to do more work on NATIONAL TREASURE 2. If so, it works. For the record, I currently own all top five high scores, the best being 417 million.
*****
We score tickets to the Academy Awards this year. Highlights: seeing Peter O'Toole in the men's room. Running into and chatting with Linda Lichter, our entertainment lawyer, who has clients with four different films nominated. Also saw Marc Haimes, Zak Penn (what a great screenwriter name that is) and Roger Allers. I get to tell Roger a story I'd never told him before. Back after we finished ALADDIN, my phone rang, and a voice said, "Hi, this is Roger Avary." Only I mistakenly heard the name as "Roger Allers." This can partly be explained by the fact that I had worked with Roger Allers on ALADDIN, before he went on to co-direct THE LION KING, and I'd never had any dealings at all with Roger Avery (co-writer of PULP FICTION) and who expects a call like that out of the blue? So I say "Hi, Roger!" and proceed to have an entire phone conversation with Roger Avery, thinking it is Roger Allers.
The funny part is, I went into fair detail complimenting 'his' movie, lauding the merits of THE LION KING (without actually saying the name, just 'loved your movie' and 'it was so ground-breaking' sort of stuff) and somehow all of my points also made some sort of skewed sense when applied to PULP FICTION, I got through the entire conversation, didn't realize till after my error. Watching the Academy show in person is pretty exciting, and I did feel one unexpected emotion... when you're sitting in the theater, twenty or thirty rows back, you really do want to be down there in the A-list crowd. You want to be nominated, you want to win. You want to be in the club. No matter how inside you are, there always seem to be others more inside, others who are on the inside of the inside... Weird, as I'm sitting there, half trying to figure out dialogue for Helen Mirren as she is announced winner, best actress, and she goes up to accept the award. The story: Bruckheimer is courting her for NATIONAL TREASURE 2, written by the Wibberleys, with Ted and I assisting on some scenes, and I'm trying to figure out a line for a scene that she's going to read the next day. Driving back from the Academy Awards, I have an interesting conversation with Jocelyn regarding the Spaghetti westerns... one interpretation of those films is that they tell the story of demigods walking among the mortals... which never goes well for the mortals. You can tell who is the most powerful demigod by how little they speak, the less words the more powerful.
The same interpretation works for PIRATES, where Tia Dalma, Davy Jones, Barbossa, Jack are the gods or demi-gods, and mortals such as Will and Elizabeth are just a backdrop to their dramas. Only the talking part doesn't fit, all our demi-gods love to talk, and the more they say, the less you can trust them. Next day is the cast and crew read-through for NATIONAL TREASURE 2, with Nick Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, et all. This is a very weird life. SET RUMOR: As is the case with most rumors, I have no idea if it's true, but rumor has it Nick Cage bought his own cave. Apparently, shooting NATIONAL TREASURE 2, Nick toured a cave, thought it was cool, and so then bought land with a cave on it. Actually, two caves, one that is open to the public, the other for personal use. "Why would Nicolas Cage buy himself a cave," I ask. The answer... "For when he wants to go into a cave." So once again we arrive at the Disneyland PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Premiere. There is a real sense of deja vu, that we've done this before, in a good way, because this time there is also a sense of finality, of completion. I get personally called out for a LOT more autograph requests this year! Jocelyn thinks it's perhaps the 'MySpace effect' where people get to see a photo, making me easier to spot. We get to the front gate early this year, and it's fun watching different folk arrive -- Martin Landau is again in attendance, this is the only place I ever run into Martin Landau.
I introduce him to my brother, who wears a giant t-shirt, and he gets Landau to sign it with a magic marker. We've put together our bags of swag, and once again they let us in carrying them. This year we've got PIRATES foosballs, and PIRATES necklaces, and PIRATES gold coins, and PIRATES playing cards, along with the usual beads and scarves. We took the time to sign each and every scarf and foosball. Rounding it out are a dozen signed DMC DVDs. Walking down the red carpet, once again people love it when an item comes their way -- it's fun to try to catch stuff, and whatever it is makes for a fun memento. I wonder why Disney doesn't facilitate this and make up bags for the actors, what fan or kid wouldn't want to get a photo or necklace from Jack Davenport or Bill Nighy? Maybe they think it's tacky, but to me it's a blast. We cross paths with Geoffrey Rush on the red carpet, and he's walking along with Jack-the-Monkey on his shoulder. "It's all going to be about Orlando and Johnny," he says, "I figured this was my best chance to get my photo published!" So I mis-introduce Craig (Wood) our film editor as 'Chris' ... my personal nightmare, I always freeze up at the moment of truth trying to do introductions. It's not like I don't know his name, after all the meetings we've had, but the brain just refuses to function. Painful. Handing out stuff, the signed DVDs get the most 'ooohs' from the crowd. I make it all the way to the end of the red carpet, and I've got one single DVD left in the bottom of my bag. Who to give it to? I see a somewhat elderly lady near the very end, hanging back, and not looking like she's having much fun. I go over and present her with the DVD -- she grabs it out of my hand, making sure no one else gets it, and clutches it to her chest, like something truly valuable, and smiles. I don't know if it was a significant moment for her -- but it was for me. Finally we're all in our seats, and the film is ready to start. Last time we had a falling star. This year, I look over -- and there is a gorgeous sliver of a crescent moon, with Venus hanging below, "hanging like a diamond on an earring." "That's a TREASURE PLANET moon," says Jocelyn, which makes me smile -- she knows the zoom-in shoot of the moon in TREASURE PLANET is one of my favorites.
*****
This is the sort of thing you get before a film opens -- actual e-mail:
Subject: Tracking for Monday, May 21st PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END looks huge on tracking. Unaided awareness continues to increase suggesting great top of mind awareness, and first choice is up with younger males and females. They look poised for another incredible opening weekend. BGRACIE still doesn't have much awareness - 21% overall. Younger females are currently the most aware quadrant - 28%. All other numbers are likely to flop around until awareness increases. KNOCKED UP picked up some awareness with older males (56%) and younger females (58%), and awareness in evenly balanced across all segments. Younger females are currently the lead audience with 32% definite interest and 6% first choice - up two points. MR. BROOKS had some good increases in awareness from over the weekend - 48% overall. Older males inched up in unaided awareness to 2% and are currently the most aware (up 10 points) and interested at 57% and 27% respectively. They look to be the best choice for the over 25 crowd on this weekend. HOSTEL 2 came up 6 points in awareness with older females to 33% and 8 points in definite interest with younger females to 36%. There wasn't much movement elsewhere though this campaign will be late breaking. OCEAN'S 13 looks good on tracking and has the highest numbers with older males at 7% unaided awareness, 97% awareness, 48% definite interest and a solid 18% first choice. Younger males are at the same level of interest and females are not far behind. SURF'S UP inched up in awareness with older males and females. Though family tracking would provide further insight, younger females are the most on board with 53% awareness and 26% definite interest.
Looking at Rotten Tomatoes, assistant/producer Susan sends an e-mail, "Yet again, ZERO consensus among the mainstream press brainiacs. I'm hugely amused that Entertainment Weekly sent a different critic (instead of Lisa S.) and his complaint is that he liked P2 more? Why didn't they have HIM review P2? And Roeper... ROEPER loves it?!" We get word that the Disney plagiarism lawsuit has been dropped. Papers arrive, we sign and notarize, and I guess that's all I'm supposed to say about it. Here's an example of the sort of report one gets from the studio on opening day:
Buena Vista Pictures Marketing
Attached please find the following reviews for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END: June 4, 2007 PEOPLE Jason Lynch MIXED
June 4, 2007 ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY Owen Gleiberman MIXED
May 24, 2007 NEW YORK TIMES Jeanette Catsoulis FAIR
May 24, 2007 NEWSDAY Gene Seymour FAIR
May 23, 2007 THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER Michael Rechtshaffen GOOD
May 24, 2007 USA TODAY Claudia Puig POOR
May 24, 2007 NEW YORK POST Lou Lumenick FAIR
May 24, 2007 METRO Dan Dunn POOR
May 24, 2007 VILLAGE VOICE Nathan Lee POOR
May 24, 2007 NEW YORK SUN Grady Hendrix MIXED
May 24, 2007 ASBURY PARK PRESS Eleanor O'Sullivan GOOD
May 24, 2007 BERGEN RECORD Richard Roeper VERY GOOD
May 24, 2007 LA WEEKLY Nathan Lee POOR
May 24, 2007 LA DAILY NEWS Bob Strauss MIXED
May 24, 2007 ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Craig Outhier POOR
May 24, 2007 NJ STAR LEDGER Lisa Rose POOR Rebecca Rosen
Walt Disney Pictures Publicity
E-mail from Executive Producer Mike Stenson: "Anyway, on the way home, my son who is a senior in high school called to let us know he'd be home late because he was going to watch PIRATES at midnight. He told me not to worry because tomorrow is Senior Ditch Day. Thank God the studios scheduled the release on the same day as Senior Ditch Day, Now he has a legitimate excuse for missing school." Mystery of the end credits is solved. I get a report from Susan, "In the Multiple Jacks scene some of those Jacks have tattoos different that those we know of as being Jack Sparrow's. Johnny picked the content of those tattoos himself. In some cases, they are visible/readable in the finished film, and where they are readable, they have to be cleared. One includes a line(s) from the Saroyan play, the other from the poem credited at the end." Opening night, we again do our drive around to various theaters. Again we're amazed how many theaters are showing the film out of focus or improperly framed, or the prints are not color balanced, etc. And the same exact theater that had the sound out on the right side, still has the sound out on the right side. The early numbers come rolling in during dinner, and there is no celebrating... they are huge but less than hoped for; almost impossible to do well with the Thursday preview and the long Memorial Day weekend. But again, as per tradition, I lose my bet with Spencer, and we all try to remember which President is on the face of a $500 bill.
At dinner, chat with Jerry and his wife about the Internet fans, of course he doesn't have time to track message boards and such. I describe the notion of 'shipping' and try to describe the depth with which the fans analyze the films, such as the 250-post thread on the topic of, "Should Norrington have left the Black Pearl and positioned his troops at the mouth of the cave at Isla Muerta or should he have trusted Jack and stayed on the ship." Johnny Depp and his wife Vanessa join us this year for dinner, and afterwards we head over for the midnight showing at the El Capitan. So, if any of you out there reading were watching AT WORLD'S END there that night, opening night, you might not have noticed, but Johnny Depp, Gore, and Bruckheimer were there in the theater with you. Much later, I get another e-mail on my new iPhone from the Disney marketing folk. The sort of thing that comes floating your way over the weekend when you have a big film in release. Here it is, word-for-word: PIRATES 3 internationally has now crossed PIRATES 2 and is at $642mm..... adding in the domestic total to date of $306mm we are at a worldwide cum of $948mm, we will cross the $950mm level this weekend. P3 is now the 5th biggest film of ALL TIME and our Pirate franchise holds the #3 and #5 slots..... No other franchise has two in the top 5 slots..... Titanic is #1, LOR3 is #2, and Potter 1 is #4..... We will likely take in another $5 to 7mm to generate throughout the summer..... this has been a GREAT RUN..... Quietly, over on Box Office Mojo, yours truly passes the $2 billion dollar mark, domestic gross on credited films, with no fanfare. This puts me in second place behind only George Lucas on the all time list (I'm slightly ahead of Ted due to DEJA VU). Everyone else on that list is a household name. But me, I can still go to a nude beach and not worry about having my picture taken. Which is probably a good thing.
*****
FLASHBACK MOMENT: At the cast and crew party for AT WORLD'S END. Gore and I look at each other for a long moment. How can words convey so many years, so many events, so many conflicts, agreements, breakthroughs, setbacks, shared experiences? He gives me a long hug. I tell him he's the man, he's the guy who made it all happen. Gore says in my ear: "We're both just chasing the deer, man, trying to catch a glimpse of it in the woods."
Карибские сказки (2005). Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 1.
Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season (2005). Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 2.
Прогулка по доске - 2005. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 3.
Прогулка по доске - 2005. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 4.
Девять восьмёрок - 2006. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 5.
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 6.
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 7.
Край земли - 2006/2007. Из дневников Терри Россио. Часть 8.
Из дневников Терри Россио. О съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На странных берегах». Часть 1.
Из дневников Терри Россио. О съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На странных берегах». Часть 2.
Из дневников Терри Россио. О съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На странных берегах». Часть 3.
Из дневников Терри Россио. О съемках фильма «Пираты Карибского моря: На странных берегах». Часть 4.