Q&A Part III
Garth and Nick Answer More Hitchhiker's Guide
Like I mentioned in Part II
of the Q&A, it seems that a lot of distributor companies are catching
up to the fact that fans are more responsive to films if they like the production
crew. Hence, allow the fans to ask direct questions to the key players only
produces positive results. On that note, here is the latest Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy Q&A:
"Does Zaphod have two heads? How did
they film that? If not, er... it won't be Zaphod, will it?"
Garth: Zaphod has two heads. We've used some brilliant
special effects to bring it to life and it looks wonderful. It's definitely
Zaphod but no paper Maché or eye patch.
Nick: One of my favourite moments of the film was trying
out the first Zaphod 2nd head tests with Garth and a video camera. There
was a big smile on everyones face when we showed the results, because it
really worked! As far as filming it was concerned it was never going to
be easy, however hard we tried, we ended up using 3 different techniques
depending on the shot to create the effect.
Were the designs of Marvin, Deep Thought, the Heart of Gold, etc.
made to exacting descriptions in Douglas's script, or are they all solely
products of your vivid imaginations?
Garth: We would always start by clarifying the concept
of whatever it was we had to design before we drew anything, and Douglas
always had amazing concepts. It's very easy to design creatures and space
ships and as a result, it can be difficult to design something that you
haven't seen before. We wanted it all to look amazing, but different from
what we've come to expect from Sci-Fi. And it had to be in-keeping with
the original concept. We'd carefully work out what part the creature/ship/thing
played in the story, then we'd fill our mugs with PG Tips, pick up a pencil
and go mental.
Nick: And in some cases that cup of PG tips was in itself
an inspiration!
IMDb.com mentions that Joby Talbot is doing the score for the film
- can you describe how that's going, if it's adding an integral part to
the film or just keeping itself alongside and not intruding on the film?
Garth: I think Joby Talbot is the greatest composer in
the world. Hearing him play me demos on his piano is one of the best bits
of the job. He's already been to Prague to record a temp score with a bloody
huge orchestra. It was extraordinary stuff. I cannot wait to do it for real.
You'll love it. I'll never forget asking him if he'd like to write the score
for the movie. I said, "it's the Hitchiker's Guide to The Galaxy, do you
know it?" "Know it?" he said. "The last 3 times I read the book, I read
it out loud to my entire family!"
Nick: Joby has been amazing so far, we now like to get
him along to whenever we decide a review a cut, because he always has so
many ideas, without ever being intrusive. In a few areas of the film we
have actually started with a score in my mind and then filmed or edited
to that, so I would definitely say integral. Joby is also now working with
Nigel Godrich on creating a specific sound of music for the Guide itself.
Aside from Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox and Marvin the Paranoid
Android, probably the most popular character in the HHG series is the narrator
(aka "The Book"). Will the narrator's presence be as prominent as in the
books and radio series and, if so, how will his pert be translated to the
screen?
Garth:The Guide voice will be peppered throughout the film
and accompanied by animated sequences created by the mighty Shynola.
Nick: We went through a strange process during the editing
of the film. In the begininning we found ourselves stripping out the Guide
bits, because they were taking you out of the film, but as we went further,
and began treating the Guide more like a character, they are now all going
back in, and we find ourselves looking for more.
What differences can we expect to see regarding the characters both
visually and psychologically that will expand from the radio show and novel
to this newly updated version meant to appeal toward a more mainstream audience
and why were they chosen? In short – how and why were characters altered
from the original?
Garth: In general, all the characters have been given more
depth, especially Trillian, in order that we care about who they are and
where they are going. Once you get the chemistry right between the characters,
the rest of the madness falls into place. Even in the earliest test screenings
the cast have been enchanting everyone and allowed us more freedom in other
more peculiar areas. We haven't had to change a character in order to make
them appeal to a wider audience but we have had to add dimensions so that
it's a more fulfilling story.
Nick: We also have some new characters in the film which
were invented by Douglas, mainly Humma Kavula.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will come to theatres on May
6. For more info and trailer, go to The
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Movie Page. |
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