Hey all! I was planning to release this with an.......announcement........I can't make that announcement yet and I'm so impatient I decided to deliver it to you! Even though SAW II is out now and SAW II is announced and the news really isnt coming.......Ill update you with everything SAW related I can find! (including all the chat transcripts that were'nt released but will be coming)
Just keep checking back and I swear there will be news! just not as often.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Hey all!
Lee here, since SAW II has come out and the news has just kindof...........stopped........ well I thought I might bring you guys something to do until about........Febuary....?
Please visit the Fourms! I just updated them alittle they have a New section for saw III and try out my poll!
All it takes is a simple registration and we can start building a unofficial SAW community!
Please visit the Fourms! I just updated them alittle they have a New section for saw III and try out my poll!
All it takes is a simple registration and we can start building a unofficial SAW community!
Friday, November 04, 2005
A Message From Gregg Hoffman - Producer Of Saw I And II
This was posted on the House of Jigsaw fourms! Go there damnit!
First of all, thank all of you for your support. The SAW II opening exceeded our wildest expectations and you guys had a lot to do with it. So THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
Now.. a few comments.
1) RELAX!!!! We just finished SAW II. Yes, there's going to be a SAW III, and yes, we will do our best not to fuck it up. We're going to try for next year, but if it's not right when we'd have to start shooting, we'll wait.
2) There are NO CONFIRMED cast members for SAW III yet.
3) There is no director confirmed yet.
4) The title is not S3W. That's ridiculous. It reminds me of when everyone thought the title of SAW II was SAW II: HACKSAW.
Let us catch our breath, and then we'll keep you posted on the next installment.
Gregg
Now.. a few comments.
1) RELAX!!!! We just finished SAW II. Yes, there's going to be a SAW III, and yes, we will do our best not to fuck it up. We're going to try for next year, but if it's not right when we'd have to start shooting, we'll wait.
2) There are NO CONFIRMED cast members for SAW III yet.
3) There is no director confirmed yet.
4) The title is not S3W. That's ridiculous. It reminds me of when everyone thought the title of SAW II was SAW II: HACKSAW.
Let us catch our breath, and then we'll keep you posted on the next installment.
Gregg
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Chat with JIGSAW!!!!!!
Although I’m sure some of you sick screws would like that, wouldn't ya?
The legal ramifications would be a tad bothersome, and we’d like to avoid that. What we are going to do, however, is host another wave of live chats with the sick minds behind the film and those who are unwillingly exposed to Jigsaw's latest scheme. Not familiar with the world of Saw and all this “Jigsaw” jive talkin' I'm doing? Here's a synopsis of the latest chapter, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, to bring you up-to-speed: "Jigsaw is back. The brilliant, disturbed mastermind who wreaked havoc on his victims in last year's SAW is back for another round of horrifying life-or-death games. When a new murder victim is discovered with all the signs of Jigsaw's hand, Detective Eric Mathews (Donnie Wahlberg) begins a full investigation and apprehends Jigsaw with little effort. But for Jigsaw, getting caught is just another part of his nefarious plan. Eight more of his victims are already fighting for their lives - and now it's time for Mathews to join the game.".
We like our chats to begin in a timely fashion, so if you plan on participating, we suggest you get in early. Now, here's what we have coming up. Keep in mind that many of the actors involved are pretty damn busy these days. Last minute changes should not come as a surprise.
All chats will begin at the same time: 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific unless any adjustments are made. Click HERE to enter the chat room. Click HERE to read the transcript of our first chat with Bousman and Whannell! And click HERE for a transcript of our chat with actress Shawnee Smith!
And don't forget to get your hands dirty at the Saw II official site here!
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
New Header
The last header looked really dumb ( I made it off a wallpaper) so I got a image from the HOJ site and edited it a little and got the SAW font and made a new header. Hope you all love it!
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Saw Sequel Saves Box Office Slump
From Here
The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with the studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to stay tuned there for the final figures on Monday.
After a month of poor business with no single movie earning more than $17 million in a single weekend, the box office has finally been knocked out of its doldrums by two sequels, each appealing to different audiences.
The clear cut winner of the weekend was Lions Gate Films' sequel to their 2004 horror hit, Saw II, bringing back the serial killer known as Jigsaw. It made an estimated $30.5 million its opening weekend, setting the record for a Halloween opening and becoming the Vancouver-based studio's highest opening film to date. It also became the fifth-highest October opener of all time with an average per-theatre over $10 thousand. Presumably filmed for $4 million, more than three times the cost of its predecessor, the sequel made three times its production budget by the close of business on Friday.
Then, there was Sony Pictures' The Legend of Zorro, the sequel to the 1998 film starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, which cost $75 million to make and had to settle for second place with an estimated $16.5 million. Directed by Martin Campbell, the movie opened in over 3,500 theatres with an average of $4,687.
Universal's romantic comedy Prime, starring Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep and newcomer Bryan Greenberg, opened with a respectable $6.4 million in just over 1,800 theatres for third place.
It came out just ahead of DreamWorks' horseracing film Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, starring Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning, which added over 400 theatres in its second weekend and another $6.3 million. It had the smallest drop of any movie in the Top 10, as it grossed $17 million in its first ten days. DreamWorks' other family film Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit got very close to $50 million thanks to its $4.4 million weekend take, as it dropped down to fifth place.
Opening in the #6 slot, Paramount's dark comedy The Weather Man starring Nicholas Cage and Michael Caine, failed to attract audiences with the thought of flying fast food, and it grossed only $4.2 million in a moderate release of 1,500 theatres.
Universal Pictures' Doom, based on the popular video game, took a huge hit in its second weekend, dropping 73% and six places after topping the charts last weekend with just over $15 million. Its second weekend take of $4 million brought its total to just under $23 million.
The eighth and ninth place went to Screen Gems' remake of The Fog and the Charlize Theron mining drama North Country respectively, each making just over $3 million.
Rounding out the Top 10 was the Jodie Foster thriller Flightplan from Touchstone Pictures, which grossed $2.6 million, bringing its total gross to $81 million.
George Clooney's historic drama Good Night, And Good Luck. continues to chug away, holding its place at #12 with a minimal 11% drop-off. Next weekend, it will expand into over 550 theatres nationwide after earning $7.2 million in limited release, so expect it to make its presence felt in the Top 10.
Outside of the Top 12, the urban drama G was given a nationwide release into 495 theatres this weekend, where it earned $1.3 million, twice its box office gross in its first five weeks of limited release. Steve Martin's drama Shop Girl, starring Claire Danes, expanded into 42 theatres and moved into the Top 20 with a second weekend take of $459 thousand.
The only two significant films in limited release were the Palestinian drama Paradise Now from Warner Independent Pictures and the Three... Extremes, an Asian horror anthology from Lions Gate Films. The former made a respectable $49 thousand in four theatres in New York and L.A., while the latter made less than that in almost five times as many theatres. Presumably, Lions Gate are too busy celebrating their #1 hit to worry too much about it.
Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films.
The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with the studio estimates for the weekend. Be sure to stay tuned there for the final figures on Monday.
After a month of poor business with no single movie earning more than $17 million in a single weekend, the box office has finally been knocked out of its doldrums by two sequels, each appealing to different audiences.
The clear cut winner of the weekend was Lions Gate Films' sequel to their 2004 horror hit, Saw II, bringing back the serial killer known as Jigsaw. It made an estimated $30.5 million its opening weekend, setting the record for a Halloween opening and becoming the Vancouver-based studio's highest opening film to date. It also became the fifth-highest October opener of all time with an average per-theatre over $10 thousand. Presumably filmed for $4 million, more than three times the cost of its predecessor, the sequel made three times its production budget by the close of business on Friday.
Then, there was Sony Pictures' The Legend of Zorro, the sequel to the 1998 film starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, which cost $75 million to make and had to settle for second place with an estimated $16.5 million. Directed by Martin Campbell, the movie opened in over 3,500 theatres with an average of $4,687.
Universal's romantic comedy Prime, starring Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep and newcomer Bryan Greenberg, opened with a respectable $6.4 million in just over 1,800 theatres for third place.
It came out just ahead of DreamWorks' horseracing film Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, starring Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning, which added over 400 theatres in its second weekend and another $6.3 million. It had the smallest drop of any movie in the Top 10, as it grossed $17 million in its first ten days. DreamWorks' other family film Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit got very close to $50 million thanks to its $4.4 million weekend take, as it dropped down to fifth place.
Opening in the #6 slot, Paramount's dark comedy The Weather Man starring Nicholas Cage and Michael Caine, failed to attract audiences with the thought of flying fast food, and it grossed only $4.2 million in a moderate release of 1,500 theatres.
Universal Pictures' Doom, based on the popular video game, took a huge hit in its second weekend, dropping 73% and six places after topping the charts last weekend with just over $15 million. Its second weekend take of $4 million brought its total to just under $23 million.
The eighth and ninth place went to Screen Gems' remake of The Fog and the Charlize Theron mining drama North Country respectively, each making just over $3 million.
Rounding out the Top 10 was the Jodie Foster thriller Flightplan from Touchstone Pictures, which grossed $2.6 million, bringing its total gross to $81 million.
George Clooney's historic drama Good Night, And Good Luck. continues to chug away, holding its place at #12 with a minimal 11% drop-off. Next weekend, it will expand into over 550 theatres nationwide after earning $7.2 million in limited release, so expect it to make its presence felt in the Top 10.
Outside of the Top 12, the urban drama G was given a nationwide release into 495 theatres this weekend, where it earned $1.3 million, twice its box office gross in its first five weeks of limited release. Steve Martin's drama Shop Girl, starring Claire Danes, expanded into 42 theatres and moved into the Top 20 with a second weekend take of $459 thousand.
The only two significant films in limited release were the Palestinian drama Paradise Now from Warner Independent Pictures and the Three... Extremes, an Asian horror anthology from Lions Gate Films. The former made a respectable $49 thousand in four theatres in New York and L.A., while the latter made less than that in almost five times as many theatres. Presumably, Lions Gate are too busy celebrating their #1 hit to worry too much about it.
Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
SAW III !!!! Its HAPPENING! (UPDATED!
SAW II Gained 12 million (which is alot) ON ITS FIRST DAY
(seeing as is Doom made 16 million in its first weekend) SAW III is bound to be coming! I loved SAW II so Much now its time to hype about SAW III!!!!
insert uninvented SAW III tagline here
Edit: NEW SAW 3 SECTION UP!
(seeing as is Doom made 16 million in its first weekend) SAW III is bound to be coming! I loved SAW II so Much now its time to hype about SAW III!!!!
insert uninvented SAW III tagline here
Edit: NEW SAW 3 SECTION UP!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Less then 12 hours.
Yes its true, less then 12 hours until SAW II is released everywhere!
I can't wait, on top of that SAW the Blog is on the offical SAW II MySpace!
I Love all the supporters of STB and SAW!
I can't wait, on top of that SAW the Blog is on the offical SAW II MySpace!
I Love all the supporters of STB and SAW!
The Syringe Pit Clip......well........some of it
Its here
its not the full clip, if you want to know what happens (I Saw it on spike) highlight below:
(This is AFTER the CLIP!)
Basically she falls in there and jonas is like "why'd you do that" to Xavier and then she starts searching and searching and xavier keeps telling her to hurry up and then she finally fines it with about 4 seconds left Xavier gets it goes over to the door and then sorta drops it and he puts it in but its to late the door is locked!
its not the full clip, if you want to know what happens (I Saw it on spike) highlight below:
(This is AFTER the CLIP!)
Basically she falls in there and jonas is like "why'd you do that" to Xavier and then she starts searching and searching and xavier keeps telling her to hurry up and then she finally fines it with about 4 seconds left Xavier gets it goes over to the door and then sorta drops it and he puts it in but its to late the door is locked!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Shawnee Smith Chat Transcript
From Here
Johnny_Butane: We have the one and only Shawnee Smith in the HC house!
Shawnee_Smith: Hey guys...
Johnny_Butane: Let's get it started! First question is to Jigsaws_Trap!
Jigsaws_Trap: Hello, Shawnee the Beautiful...Thank you for taking the time out for letting us hardcore fans ask you a question. Could you possibly tell us how you were approached to play Amanda in the first film, and your reactions on the headtrap and possibly
Shawnee_Smith: Let's see, it won't be Shawnee the beautiful after this movie. I think I'll win an award after this movie...I look so bad, it's good. But thank you.
My management company produced the first one and asked me to do the jawtrap scene and they sent me the script. When I read it, and was so horrified and disturbed by it, I said, no thank you. I don't want to live that out even for a day.
But they persisted, showed me a short film of the scene with Leigh in the jaw trap, and I finally said, OKAY...and I'm glad I did…but I'm still horrified by the whole thing. I saw a screening of it and had the worst nightmare of my life after watching Saw II. Like three days after that screening...and there was a saw involved.
jdclar: Hey girl! Thanks so much for being here! Can you tell us about your experiences working with and just being around Tobin? Figured you've seen him the most! What's he like, girl?!
Shawnee_Smith: I actually didn't get to work with Tobin that much, but the little that I did was very interesting. He is a very specific actor and very deliberate choices, right down to little things that were in his room that the audience will never see that the prop department labored over. He was great.
Goldmember91: Shawnee! Hi! Looking good! Will Saw II show us what Amanda did before she got to the trap house? I would like more detail on your character. So much to tell!
Shawnee_Smith: Yes, you definitely get clues as to what Amanda's been up to between part one and part two. They should be satisfying.
freddyfan12: Were you at all surprised that they asked you back to do Saw II? And what were your reactions towards the script and being back on set?
Shawnee_Smith: Well, being as I was the only one who lived through the first, aside from Tobin, I wasn't terribly shocked, but I was thrilled to say the least...and nervous about receiving the sequel script cause for me sequels rarely answer to the original. But I was even more thrilled when I got the script and shooting that horror sequel was heaven.
Shifty: Hey Shawnee. Becker rules! Anyways, what do you think of the opening scene to Saw II? Were you impressed by Darrens shooting tactics? Were they separate in a unique way from Leigh and Wans?
Shawnee_Smith: I was impressed with Darren across the board. Reading the opening scene in the script was intimidating to think of how I was going to parlay what was on those pages onto the screen. For Darren, this is his first big film...but he won my confidence in our meetings before we started shooting and added to that confidence with the way he conducted himself on the set. Of course he was surrounded by the best team of producers and crew that you can find.
When I saw the first scene edited I was, um, confident about the rest of the movie.
The_Monster: Shawnee, I very glad you've taken time to answer questions from your fans and possible stalkers. My question is this: How has Amanda changed since the last movie?
Shawnee_Smith: Unfortunately continues to shuffle through the dark. But she HAS changed, that you can be sure of. One of the changes is a very bad haircut. :D
metallico0kie: Thanks for taking time out to talk to all of us! My question is, who was the weirdest/funniest/and quietest actors/actress on the set of Saw and Saw II?
Shawnee_Smith: Oh my gosh...I'd have to say Billy, the Saw doll. I think that's his name!
justin138: Hi, Shawnee! Let me just say that I personally think your acting was the most convincing out of anyone in the first Saw, you did a great job! I was wondering if you could tell us what it was like going into the bear trap scene in Saw sick with a fever?
Shawnee_Smith: First of all, thank you for your encouraging words. And I'd say the fever and delusion were perfect timing to get into that contraption!
horrorchannelfan: Did you ever see James Wan on the set of Saw II? On the uncut Saw DVD we hear the producers commenting about Wan visiting the filming of Saw II, did you see and talk to him at all?
Shawnee_Smith: Yes, he would come on set with the single purpose of torturing Darren Bousman and it was good fun! Every time he came around we told Darren that James was taking over! 'Cause he was doing pre-production on his next studio picture next door, Silence.
deadlyrom: The first and second Saw films were filmed over substantially different timeframes and with different budgets. Was the directing of Darren and Wan really different, and was it different now that they had more of a budget and more $$ to spend?
Shawnee_Smith: Well, I don't think they spent a lot more money this time around. I mean, they definitely spent more but it wasn't...they kept it lean and mean, which I thought was smart of the producers to do. Darren did have an animatronic Billy which really pissed off James, as well as a little more time, and James had eighteen days. But they still kept it lean and mean, both the schedule and the budget. It's the only reason they hired Darren...'cause he's cheap!
bloodpuddle: Hey Shawnee Smith. You made a shocking preformance in Saw, and I congratulate you for your role in Saw II :)I was wondering what your personal favorite traps from both films were? And what about them make them unique in your opinion?
Shawnee_Smith: Ugh, all of the horror. It just so happens that the two traps that I encounter are, I think, about the most hideous and unnerving. Although there's one trap with razor blades in part two is pretty brutal...it's my favorite visual. But somehow I lucked out and got into the most terrifying, revolting traps one could imagine. I don't even like to be scared. I always wind up in scary movies!
lizzie: Hi Shawnee, I’m so nervous, anyway, its a pleasure to talk to you! My question is, how long did it take to do the makeup? And what IS up with the hair? Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us! You must have a super busy schedule.
Shawnee_Smith: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me!
The makeup has to do with the story. We're not a healthy bunch in this house. My general physical appearance was my specific attempt to look as different as I could possibly look from part one, just to reflect some of the change in Amanda between part one and two.
The additional change of my physical had to do with the fact that I was three months pregnant and hiding it from everybody. There definitely would've been heart attacks on that set if the men involved knew I was falling into needle pits with child. I kept that to myself and made sure that my baby and I were safe.
You should see my belly now. I could go into labor during this chat!
Jigsaws_Trap: Just for spur of the moment -- Do you think if you were in Doctor Gordon's shoes... you could take off your own foot?
Shawnee_Smith: Shawnee or Amanda?
Jigsaws_Trap: Yourself
Shawnee_Smith: For the sake of my children, I could saw off just about any limb. Not for the sake of myself, but for the sake of my children.
perfectbabyperfect: Hi Shawnee! Thanks for coming in to chat with us! I'd like to ask what your biggest challenges were in filming Saw & Saw II? Thank you! And a huge congratulations to you on your baby!
Shawnee_Smith: Biggest challenge of both of them was just living out the horror of it. That's why I didn't want to do part one in the first place because, like, I can't tease a role. I live it out by myself no matter how pleasant or unpleasant the scenario is. Saw I and II are just about unpleasant as you can get.
Of course, on top of that the challenge of part one, running off every twenty minutes to throw up with the flu. In Part II, running off to throw up with morning sickness!
metallico0kie: We all know Zep is done, and also Detective Sing. But assuming Dr. Gordon and also Adam were dead also (maybe they aren’t :D )...out of those 4, who would you want to rise from the dead, and come back for Saw II?
Shawnee_Smith: Zep, because he was so full of personality.
Leer: Shawnee how do you feel you contributed to Saw and Saw II other than as a actor?
Shawnee_Smith: My good looks!
Thank you everyone for your attention and your loyalty! Everyone worked really hard to give you what you DESERVE with Saw II. And I hope it finds you satisfied with our efforts after Halloween!
Johnny_Butane: We have the one and only Shawnee Smith in the HC house!
Shawnee_Smith: Hey guys...
Johnny_Butane: Let's get it started! First question is to Jigsaws_Trap!
Jigsaws_Trap: Hello, Shawnee the Beautiful...Thank you for taking the time out for letting us hardcore fans ask you a question. Could you possibly tell us how you were approached to play Amanda in the first film, and your reactions on the headtrap and possibly
Shawnee_Smith: Let's see, it won't be Shawnee the beautiful after this movie. I think I'll win an award after this movie...I look so bad, it's good. But thank you.
My management company produced the first one and asked me to do the jawtrap scene and they sent me the script. When I read it, and was so horrified and disturbed by it, I said, no thank you. I don't want to live that out even for a day.
But they persisted, showed me a short film of the scene with Leigh in the jaw trap, and I finally said, OKAY...and I'm glad I did…but I'm still horrified by the whole thing. I saw a screening of it and had the worst nightmare of my life after watching Saw II. Like three days after that screening...and there was a saw involved.
jdclar: Hey girl! Thanks so much for being here! Can you tell us about your experiences working with and just being around Tobin? Figured you've seen him the most! What's he like, girl?!
Shawnee_Smith: I actually didn't get to work with Tobin that much, but the little that I did was very interesting. He is a very specific actor and very deliberate choices, right down to little things that were in his room that the audience will never see that the prop department labored over. He was great.
Goldmember91: Shawnee! Hi! Looking good! Will Saw II show us what Amanda did before she got to the trap house? I would like more detail on your character. So much to tell!
Shawnee_Smith: Yes, you definitely get clues as to what Amanda's been up to between part one and part two. They should be satisfying.
freddyfan12: Were you at all surprised that they asked you back to do Saw II? And what were your reactions towards the script and being back on set?
Shawnee_Smith: Well, being as I was the only one who lived through the first, aside from Tobin, I wasn't terribly shocked, but I was thrilled to say the least...and nervous about receiving the sequel script cause for me sequels rarely answer to the original. But I was even more thrilled when I got the script and shooting that horror sequel was heaven.
Shifty: Hey Shawnee. Becker rules! Anyways, what do you think of the opening scene to Saw II? Were you impressed by Darrens shooting tactics? Were they separate in a unique way from Leigh and Wans?
Shawnee_Smith: I was impressed with Darren across the board. Reading the opening scene in the script was intimidating to think of how I was going to parlay what was on those pages onto the screen. For Darren, this is his first big film...but he won my confidence in our meetings before we started shooting and added to that confidence with the way he conducted himself on the set. Of course he was surrounded by the best team of producers and crew that you can find.
When I saw the first scene edited I was, um, confident about the rest of the movie.
The_Monster: Shawnee, I very glad you've taken time to answer questions from your fans and possible stalkers. My question is this: How has Amanda changed since the last movie?
Shawnee_Smith: Unfortunately continues to shuffle through the dark. But she HAS changed, that you can be sure of. One of the changes is a very bad haircut. :D
metallico0kie: Thanks for taking time out to talk to all of us! My question is, who was the weirdest/funniest/and quietest actors/actress on the set of Saw and Saw II?
Shawnee_Smith: Oh my gosh...I'd have to say Billy, the Saw doll. I think that's his name!
justin138: Hi, Shawnee! Let me just say that I personally think your acting was the most convincing out of anyone in the first Saw, you did a great job! I was wondering if you could tell us what it was like going into the bear trap scene in Saw sick with a fever?
Shawnee_Smith: First of all, thank you for your encouraging words. And I'd say the fever and delusion were perfect timing to get into that contraption!
horrorchannelfan: Did you ever see James Wan on the set of Saw II? On the uncut Saw DVD we hear the producers commenting about Wan visiting the filming of Saw II, did you see and talk to him at all?
Shawnee_Smith: Yes, he would come on set with the single purpose of torturing Darren Bousman and it was good fun! Every time he came around we told Darren that James was taking over! 'Cause he was doing pre-production on his next studio picture next door, Silence.
deadlyrom: The first and second Saw films were filmed over substantially different timeframes and with different budgets. Was the directing of Darren and Wan really different, and was it different now that they had more of a budget and more $$ to spend?
Shawnee_Smith: Well, I don't think they spent a lot more money this time around. I mean, they definitely spent more but it wasn't...they kept it lean and mean, which I thought was smart of the producers to do. Darren did have an animatronic Billy which really pissed off James, as well as a little more time, and James had eighteen days. But they still kept it lean and mean, both the schedule and the budget. It's the only reason they hired Darren...'cause he's cheap!
bloodpuddle: Hey Shawnee Smith. You made a shocking preformance in Saw, and I congratulate you for your role in Saw II :)I was wondering what your personal favorite traps from both films were? And what about them make them unique in your opinion?
Shawnee_Smith: Ugh, all of the horror. It just so happens that the two traps that I encounter are, I think, about the most hideous and unnerving. Although there's one trap with razor blades in part two is pretty brutal...it's my favorite visual. But somehow I lucked out and got into the most terrifying, revolting traps one could imagine. I don't even like to be scared. I always wind up in scary movies!
lizzie: Hi Shawnee, I’m so nervous, anyway, its a pleasure to talk to you! My question is, how long did it take to do the makeup? And what IS up with the hair? Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us! You must have a super busy schedule.
Shawnee_Smith: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me!
The makeup has to do with the story. We're not a healthy bunch in this house. My general physical appearance was my specific attempt to look as different as I could possibly look from part one, just to reflect some of the change in Amanda between part one and two.
The additional change of my physical had to do with the fact that I was three months pregnant and hiding it from everybody. There definitely would've been heart attacks on that set if the men involved knew I was falling into needle pits with child. I kept that to myself and made sure that my baby and I were safe.
You should see my belly now. I could go into labor during this chat!
Jigsaws_Trap: Just for spur of the moment -- Do you think if you were in Doctor Gordon's shoes... you could take off your own foot?
Shawnee_Smith: Shawnee or Amanda?
Jigsaws_Trap: Yourself
Shawnee_Smith: For the sake of my children, I could saw off just about any limb. Not for the sake of myself, but for the sake of my children.
perfectbabyperfect: Hi Shawnee! Thanks for coming in to chat with us! I'd like to ask what your biggest challenges were in filming Saw & Saw II? Thank you! And a huge congratulations to you on your baby!
Shawnee_Smith: Biggest challenge of both of them was just living out the horror of it. That's why I didn't want to do part one in the first place because, like, I can't tease a role. I live it out by myself no matter how pleasant or unpleasant the scenario is. Saw I and II are just about unpleasant as you can get.
Of course, on top of that the challenge of part one, running off every twenty minutes to throw up with the flu. In Part II, running off to throw up with morning sickness!
metallico0kie: We all know Zep is done, and also Detective Sing. But assuming Dr. Gordon and also Adam were dead also (maybe they aren’t :D )...out of those 4, who would you want to rise from the dead, and come back for Saw II?
Shawnee_Smith: Zep, because he was so full of personality.
Leer: Shawnee how do you feel you contributed to Saw and Saw II other than as a actor?
Shawnee_Smith: My good looks!
Thank you everyone for your attention and your loyalty! Everyone worked really hard to give you what you DESERVE with Saw II. And I hope it finds you satisfied with our efforts after Halloween!
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
New Clips Section and Images!
The Clips section has been redone and there are new images online Check it all out!
Take a look inside SAW 2
THX to Lions Gate Films we can give you a look inside the production of SAW 2. The film comes out this friday October 28th, and I don't know any genre fan who doesn't want to see this movie. But for now, read on to learn more about SAW 2:
"Hello, Michael. I want to play a game…" Jigsaw is back. The brilliant, disturbed mastermind who wreaked havoc on his victims in last year’s SAW is back for another round of horrifying life-or-death games. When a new murder victim is discovered with all the signs of Jigsaw's hand, Detective Eric Mathews (Donnie Wahlberg) begins a full investigation and apprehends Jigsaw with little effort. But for Jigsaw, getting caught is just another part of his nefarious plan. Eight more of his victims are already fighting for their lives – and now it's time for Mathews to join the game...
"SAW was one of those movies where people begged for a sequel because there were so many questions that were left at the end of the film," explains producer Oren Koules. "We were on the fence about whether or not we wanted to do it," adds Mark Burg, Koules' producing partner. "But we got so many e-mails from people wanting to know what happened with Jigsaw that we couldn't not do it."
"When I watched the first SAW," remembers director Bousman, a music video veteran who is making his feature film debut with SAW II, "it grabbed me because it showed real people put in real situations where they're forced to become monsters. This time, we really focus on Jigsaw, and the fans of the first film are going to get to see the man behind the madness." Since Jigsaw's identity is currently a mystery to audiences, the filmmakers decided that Det. Mathews would discover Jigsaw’s whereabouts early on. It is soon revealed that Jigsaw has much more elaborate plans, plans which involve eight captive strangers and, most importantly, Mathews himself.
Like the original, there are plenty of unexpected twists that will leave even the most savvy fans of the genre shaking their heads (and jumping out of their seats) more than once. "What you think the movie is about is not what it's about at all," says Bousman. "It keeps changing directions. There's a drastic shift in the last couple of scenes where we see what the real game is that is being played, and it's something much grander and much bigger than we could ever have expected."
Indeed, the ending is such a surprise that only key cast and crew were given the final pages of the already heavily-guarded script. Additionally, the filmmakers shot "four or five" alternate endings so as not to reveal their ultimate intentions. Along with SAW director James Wan and writer/co-star Leigh Whannell serving as executive producers, the producers re-assembled the first film's creative team, with David Armstrong returning as cinematographer, Charlie Clouser reenlisting as composer and Kevin Greutert back on board as editor.
Armed with a bigger budget and a desire to top the first film's ingenious ways to torment Jigsaw's prisoners, production designer David Hackl was eager to take full advantage of SAW II's gruesome potential. "Jigsaw has moved to a new lair, which is essentially a crack house," says producer Gregg Hoffman. "It's still incredibly disgusting, with all of these bizarre torture devices."
Hackl especially enjoyed solving the logistics of how Jigsaw's nasty traps work. In one scene, a character unknowingly slips her hands into a vessel filled with razor blades. "I had a million questions: 'Why can’t she pull her hand out? Why can't she break the vessel? Why can’t she apply a tourniquet to her arm to stop the bleeding?' Those aren't the usual kind of questions a production designer asks," he says, laughing. "It's really cool to be part of such a balls-to-the-wall scenario," says actress Shawnee Smith. "Like the jaw-trap scene in the first film, all of these scenes are really medieval. You don't see a lot of that in films, and here they're done hardcore."
With only three weeks to construct the sets for the entirety of the film, Hackl achieved the impossible, assembling twenty-seven sets on a single sound stage, all in time for SAW II’s five-week production schedule in the spring of 2005.
Director Darren Lynn Bousman's participation in SAW II came via an unlikely, circuitous route. Having seen footage from SAW before the film's release, Bousman was impressed by the camerawork of cinematographer Armstrong and wanted him to collaborate on a SAW-like thriller he had written called "The Desperate." Armstrong was floored by Bousman's script and rushed it to SAW's producers, Gregg Hoffman and Oren Koules. "We didn't have any idea this would be a sequel to SAW," says Oren Koules. "But when Gregg pitched it to me on the phone, I listened and I said, 'That's SAW II.'"
With Lions Gate Films eager to usher a SAW sequel into theatres within a year, and with Whannell and Wan busy promoting the first film, Hoffman and Koules saw Bousman's script as the perfect opportunity to get a sequel under way. With a rewrite by Whannell and lots of input from James Wan – whom Koules said "helped put the SAW in SAW II" – the script slowly evolved to encompass the horrifying world of Jigsaw.
Bousman's own talent and passion as a director was another intriguing part of the package. While placing a first-time director at the helm of a much-anticipated sequel might be considered risky, there was little hesitation on the part of the producers. "We had seen his commercials," remembers Hoffman, "and I thought if we took a chance on James Wan based on an eight-minute teaser he made on his own, then we should take that chance again for the sequel. We absolutely made the right decision." "Darren Bousman is great," declares producer Mark Burg. "He's slick. He's smart. And he's shooting a hell of a movie."
From the beginning, there was no question in the mind of Oren Koules that actor Tobin Bell would be back to play Jigsaw. "Tobin's a rock star for us," says Koules. "In SAW, he wore the make-up, the special effects prosthetics and everything, which took two or three hours a day to apply, and then laid on a linoleum floor all day for six days, all only to get up for one scene." A firm believer in the old cliché that "there is no such thing as a small part," Bell threw himself into the role of Jigsaw. "I'd never quite seen a small part that was so central and powerful," recalls Bell. "When something like that is going to be done, you invest in it completely, and that's what I did."
Now, Bell is excited to have the opportunity to flesh out Jigsaw in the sequel. "Jigsaw's mind is perhaps the most complicated and dangerous trap in the movie," says the actor. "Because Jigsaw, in his mind, doesn't kill people – he leaves all of the decisions up to them. He believes that people don't appreciate their lives, and they can only learn to appreciate their lives by being forced to fight for survival."
Also returning from the first film is the character of Amanda, played by Shawnee Smith, who is the only person to survive one of Jigsaw's brutal games. Though she was only a supporting character in SAW, Amanda became something of an icon for the film; her horrified face was used prominently in one-sheets and teasers for the original. Says Hoffman, "Shawnee has created this very intense, out there and dynamic character who has confronted Jigsaw before and seems to have extra insight because of what is going on."
Smith admits it's very exciting being part of the world of SAW. "It's become a phenomenon, and I really love working with the production company and the producers," she says. "When they asked me to do the second one, I was thrilled – even though I still don't like to be scared."
Donnie Wahlberg, who is widely known for his work in THE SIXTH SENSE and the HBO series "Band of Brothers," passed on doing horror films in the past; but he felt this project was different. "The first movie had a lot of balls," says the actor. "For a million dollar budget, they got a lot done, and it really surprised people. They've reinvented the genre a little bit, and I think that’s very inspiring." Wahlberg also didn't want to disappoint his son, who is a huge fan of the first film. "He and his friends said 'Yeah, Dad, Yeah!' when I told them I was thinking about taking the part," says Walberg. "They've already taken a bunch of the props to school."
"Donnie was amazing from the beginning," enthuses Bousman. "He came right to the table with ideas, and it was great being able to go through the script with him and have him say 'Hey, what if we tried this?' Everything from specific lines to the color of his tie. And the ideas were always right on." "Donnie Wahlberg brings a ton of dedication to this part," says Koules, who believes that Wahlberg's own role as a father brings a rich emotional layer to his portrayal of Detective Mathews. "He really brings the intense compassion of a man who is doing his job and all of a sudden gets tangled up in a situation where his son might be a victim. The audience is really going to see that in this performance."
Along with Amanda, there are several other characters who are trapped together, each searching for an antidote to a slow-acting poison that will kill them in two hours' time. Hard-nosed Xavier (Franky G.) makes no bones about looking out for himself; sensible Jonas (Glenn Plummer) tries to play group leader; tough-as-nails Addison (Emmanuelle Vaugier), rat-like Obi (Tim Burd), and emotionally fragile Laura (Beverley Mitchell) are also tested as Jigsaw's demands wear them down physically and emotionally.
"I hate horror movies," jokes Beverley Mitchell, who is best known for playing a minister on the WB family drama "Seventh Heaven." "What makes this different is that this is a real psychological thriller. We really get into the mindset of these characters, and because you can identify with them, it's terrifying when you see them doing horrible things to each other. They're not just being chased by a guy with a chainsaw."
Having received rave reviews for his screen debut in the 2002 Sundance hit MANITO, Franky G. quickly grasped the part of Xavier – a self-involved thug who is prone to violence. "He doesn't give a shit about anybody else," explains Franky. "At first, he thinks it's a game, a joke, but the next thing you know, he's kind of gone off the deep end."
As a first-time director, Bousman was initially unsure about the performances he would be able to elicit from his cast, but his doubts were quickly assuaged on set. "It's been amazing working with people like Glenn Plummer, who I've known for years from his part in "The Substitute," or Beverley Mitchell, or Shawnee, who have so much experience," says the director. "There are times when I get a little overwhelmed and they are totally there to help. It's become a passion project for us all."
Undaunted and excited by his debut, Bousman believes his enthusiasm and dedication, which is shared by the entire crew, will translate to the big screen. "This is the kind of movie that will scare people even though it's not about blood and violence. Yes, we have plenty of blood and violence in this movie; but I think the characters and the story are compelling in their own right."
Bousman is bracing himself for the inevitable comparisons to the first SAW; yet he's confident that audiences will be squirming in their seats when SAW II opens in theatres this fall. "People will walk away saying 'Wow, they really got me again!'" says the director. "When I saw the first SAW, and that very last scene of the movie, I was kind of speechless. We've got a couple of tricks up our sleeve that are going to leave the audience the same way. They're really going to dig it."
Be sure to check out The Most Shocking Movie of 2005 in cinemas October 28th.
Coming Soon dot Net Interview Darren Bousman and Leigh Whannel
from here
Whannell: (laughs) We're going to kick their asses!
Bousman: Yeah, we're going to kill them. No, the audience that's going to go see "Legend of Zorro", I don't think we're competing with them.
Whannell: We just hope people don't buy tickets for "Zorro" and then sneak into "Saw," man. That's what cost us last time. People would buy tickets for the PG-13 "Grudge" and then sneak into our movie. Man, "The Grudge" took half our box office and it's bullsh*t!
Bousman: It's funny 'cause the kids on the message boards are already talking about it, because a lot of the fans are 12 and 13 years old and they're already talking about it.
Whannell: They'd buy a ticket to "The Grudge" and then sneak into "Saw". Steve Susco, who wrote "The Grudge" is a friend of ours and we're always giving him sh*t like "Man, you only got to #1 because of us, baby."
Last year, ComingSoon.net had a chance to talk to Aussie filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell a few days before their first movie Saw would hit American theatres. The horror movie was about a serial killer known as Jigsaw and the horrific death traps he uses to test his victims. At that time, there was a lot of buzz, but no one knew what an enormous hit it would become in comparison to its modest production budget of just over a million dollars.
After it made $18 million its opening weekend, Lions Gate and production company Twisted Pictures wisely decided to greenlight a sequel to be released this Halloween, and to get things rolling, they approached Darren Lynn Bousman, who had written a script for a horror movie called "The Departed" to turn that idea into a sequel to the popular horror flick. In this case, Jigsaw would have an entire house of horrors and eight victims with which to play games.
Since James Wan had moved on to other things, Bousman was also hired to direct Saw II, and many fans of the original are probably wondering how this sequel will compare and whether it will meet their expectations. To help answer the question, ComingSoon.net sat down with Whannell, a year after the success of his film, and this time, he was joined by the sequel's director Darren Lynn Bousman.
CS: Leigh, we interviewed you and James last year, and some of us expected you to walk in here wearing a nice suit or gold chains. How has the success of "Saw" changed you at all?
Whannell: I don't know. Maybe I should be dressing better or something. You guys know as well as anyone that there's a lot of creative accounting in Hollywood. It takes a long time for money to trickle down the pipe. It's not like on the Monday after the film came out, somebody handed James and I an oversized check and said "Here! You've earned it!" You get it in dribs and drabs. I'm not quite doing "Cribs" yet, but I was telling Darren on the plane that maybe I should act more like someone who has a successful film.
Bousman: That was the funniest thing. I went to his place, and I was expecting him to be sitting at the coffee table with like stacks of hundreds, just sitting there.
Whannell: You get to the point where you feel like you should be advertising success. You've gotta buy the manual called "Stuff to Buy When You've Had a Successful Film". Ah, that's the car I'm supposed to drive, but I'm like driving around in this crappy rental car, living in this little apartment…
CS: For those just joining us, how did you originally get involved with "Saw"?
Whannell: It just came out of James and I. We were friends, and we went to film school in Melbourne, Australia. We graduated film school, and five years later, we kinda just looked at each other, and I said, "You know what? We graduated film school five years ago. If we keep meeting up and talking about it, five years from now, we're still not going to have a film. The only way we're going to be able to make a film is if we actually pay for it out of our own pockets." At that time, that was an unthinkable prospect because we had zero cash, so we just sat down and asked ourselves what is the absolute cheapest film we could come up with? We were using films like "Blair Witch" as a template. We were like if we shoot it on video, if we have two cast members and it's all in one room, that I think we can do. And then we spent another month coming up with all these bad ideas like "Okay, it's two guys, and they're stuck in an elevator for the entire movie, and the whole movie is seen through the security camera!" All these sort of lame, gimmicky ideas about how we could do something super-cheap and one day, the idea for "Saw" popped out. It's like two guys wake up chained up in this bathroom. When I went off and wrote it, I wrote all these other scenes and James is reading it going "This isn't set in one room! You've got torture scenes…you've got cops…you've got car chases…what are you doing? We'll never afford this!" And I was like "We'll be fine," and two years later, it finally got made.
After it made $18 million its opening weekend, Lions Gate and production company Twisted Pictures wisely decided to greenlight a sequel to be released this Halloween, and to get things rolling, they approached Darren Lynn Bousman, who had written a script for a horror movie called "The Departed" to turn that idea into a sequel to the popular horror flick. In this case, Jigsaw would have an entire house of horrors and eight victims with which to play games.
Since James Wan had moved on to other things, Bousman was also hired to direct Saw II, and many fans of the original are probably wondering how this sequel will compare and whether it will meet their expectations. To help answer the question, ComingSoon.net sat down with Whannell, a year after the success of his film, and this time, he was joined by the sequel's director Darren Lynn Bousman.
CS: Leigh, we interviewed you and James last year, and some of us expected you to walk in here wearing a nice suit or gold chains. How has the success of "Saw" changed you at all?
Whannell: I don't know. Maybe I should be dressing better or something. You guys know as well as anyone that there's a lot of creative accounting in Hollywood. It takes a long time for money to trickle down the pipe. It's not like on the Monday after the film came out, somebody handed James and I an oversized check and said "Here! You've earned it!" You get it in dribs and drabs. I'm not quite doing "Cribs" yet, but I was telling Darren on the plane that maybe I should act more like someone who has a successful film.
Bousman: That was the funniest thing. I went to his place, and I was expecting him to be sitting at the coffee table with like stacks of hundreds, just sitting there.
Whannell: You get to the point where you feel like you should be advertising success. You've gotta buy the manual called "Stuff to Buy When You've Had a Successful Film". Ah, that's the car I'm supposed to drive, but I'm like driving around in this crappy rental car, living in this little apartment…
CS: For those just joining us, how did you originally get involved with "Saw"?
Whannell: It just came out of James and I. We were friends, and we went to film school in Melbourne, Australia. We graduated film school, and five years later, we kinda just looked at each other, and I said, "You know what? We graduated film school five years ago. If we keep meeting up and talking about it, five years from now, we're still not going to have a film. The only way we're going to be able to make a film is if we actually pay for it out of our own pockets." At that time, that was an unthinkable prospect because we had zero cash, so we just sat down and asked ourselves what is the absolute cheapest film we could come up with? We were using films like "Blair Witch" as a template. We were like if we shoot it on video, if we have two cast members and it's all in one room, that I think we can do. And then we spent another month coming up with all these bad ideas like "Okay, it's two guys, and they're stuck in an elevator for the entire movie, and the whole movie is seen through the security camera!" All these sort of lame, gimmicky ideas about how we could do something super-cheap and one day, the idea for "Saw" popped out. It's like two guys wake up chained up in this bathroom. When I went off and wrote it, I wrote all these other scenes and James is reading it going "This isn't set in one room! You've got torture scenes…you've got cops…you've got car chases…what are you doing? We'll never afford this!" And I was like "We'll be fine," and two years later, it finally got made.
CS: What types of horror movies were you a fan of at that time?
Whannell: I guess it runs the spectrum. Horror's weird, because it has all these little sub-genres. You can be a fan of zombie films, but not slasher films, or you can be a fan of monster films, but not this. It's almost like heavy metal in that respect. It's like once you start dissecting it, you realize that there's 80 subgenres. There's not just heavy metal, there's Norwegian black metal, there's speed metal thrash metal, and with James and I, we were into a lot of them. We loved zombie films, we loved the old school Hammer stuff, we love European stuff like Mario Bava. "Saw" was kind of like a piece of all these different things we liked thrown into the pot.
CS: Once you achieve the success with it, did it create this flood of opportunities that you didn't know what the hell to do?
Whannell: Yeah, it really did. "Saw" was sort of planned that way. It was us saying "Okay, let's make a feature film on video at home in Australia. We'll then take that finished film, and it'll be like this really expensive business card that we'll show people and from that film, we'll get other jobs." What ended up happening was instead of "Saw" leading to a film that comes out in America and makes money. "Saw" was the film that came out! So all of a sudden, we're kind of like getting all these offers, and we hadn't really planned any next step, so it was a weird situation to be in to have all these people going "What's next? What's next?" I think you gotta slow down a bit in Hollywood for the lack of a better word, because that worker bee mentality really kicks in. People want things yesterday and if you're not careful, you can get caught up in that and try to provide them with something by yesterday.
CS: And yet, you managed to make a sequel in a year.
Whannell: I know. It's just insane. As soon as "Saw" was done, it was like "What's next? What's next? What's next?" and I was going "Woah woah…let's slow down." I just think it was like we had to release it next Halloween. At first I was worried, but it's turned out great.
CS: Okay, Darren, so you basically had this script for a movie you wanted to make. How did it get turned into Saw II?
Darren Lynn Bousman: It was a crazy process. Two year years ago, before "Saw" came out, I wrote this script called "The Desperate" and I'd been trying to get it made all around town, and I kept getting doors shut saying that it was too violent, it was too dark, it was too disturbing, it was too everything. Finally, I started getting some interest from a German company, and around the same time, "Saw" was going to Sundance, and people kept comparing my film saying "Dude, we can't make this. It's too Saw-like." Great, now people are going to compare it to Saw, and it'll never get made. I was about to go to Germany to make it, and I was meeting with DP's, and I met David Armstrong who DP'ed "Saw" and "Saw II." He was like "Dude, I love your script. I want to make this movie, but I don't want to go to Germany. What about if I got it made here?" Within ten hours of him saying that, I got a call from Greg Hoffman, who was one of the producers and Greg goes "Do not sign anything. Come to our offices immediately." Originally, they were just going to pick it up to make it its own movie. They were going to make "The Desperate" because they knew that "Saw" was coming out and they wanted to find other films such as. We worked on making "The Desperate" then "Saw" was released October last year, and then two days after that, they called me up and go "Darren, how about if we adapt your script into Saw II?" And so that's how everything happened, and then they saw a short film that I had done, so that's how I got to become director. It was funny. We'd been talking about the script has changed so much. It's a completely different movie now.
Whannell: Yeah, it's weird. Darren and I did so much work on the script that really if you were to read them…
Bousman: You would see similarities. The structure and skeleton was there from the original idea, but then we just went in there and tore it out. We tore the guts out and left the frame.
Whannell: Yeah, it's just the bones left. To me, it's a completely different script. We did so much work on it over seven months, that it really doesn't resemble that anymore. Just that core idea, as he's saying, and I think the finished film really feels like a sequel to "Saw". It doesn't feel to me like a script that's been twisted and pushed around to become the sequel to "Saw". It feels like an organic sequel.
CS: How was it for you working off someone else's script, Leigh, rather than writing from scratch?
Whannell: It was really interesting. Darren had been working on the script, "Saw-ifiing" it and changing things around. I think what happened was the producers were like "Great! We just have to change the names of the characters, and it's Saw II! Voila!" Darren quickly found out, sitting at his laptop over many late nights, it wasn't as easy as changing some character names and it becoming "Saw."It was a bit like putting the square peg in the round hole. The notes he kept getting was like "It needs to have the spirit and themes of "Saw", and eventually, it got to the point where…
Bousman: We kept pulling, stripping things out. It was easy to change one thing, but it was a domino effect. It was a house of cards. You take one thing out and everything falls.
Whannell: We would talk so much on the phone. He would be asking me for advice on stuff. Eventually, it got to the point where Greg, the producer, just called me and "Look, just get involved. Why don't you just come on board and cowrite it?"
Bousman: My phone bill from Australia, where he was at the time, was ridiculous. I was at my parents house during Christmas, and I remember a lot of the stuff was happening, and the phone bill came to over $1,000, so that was a nice Christmas present to my parents.
Whannell: I guess it runs the spectrum. Horror's weird, because it has all these little sub-genres. You can be a fan of zombie films, but not slasher films, or you can be a fan of monster films, but not this. It's almost like heavy metal in that respect. It's like once you start dissecting it, you realize that there's 80 subgenres. There's not just heavy metal, there's Norwegian black metal, there's speed metal thrash metal, and with James and I, we were into a lot of them. We loved zombie films, we loved the old school Hammer stuff, we love European stuff like Mario Bava. "Saw" was kind of like a piece of all these different things we liked thrown into the pot.
CS: Once you achieve the success with it, did it create this flood of opportunities that you didn't know what the hell to do?
Whannell: Yeah, it really did. "Saw" was sort of planned that way. It was us saying "Okay, let's make a feature film on video at home in Australia. We'll then take that finished film, and it'll be like this really expensive business card that we'll show people and from that film, we'll get other jobs." What ended up happening was instead of "Saw" leading to a film that comes out in America and makes money. "Saw" was the film that came out! So all of a sudden, we're kind of like getting all these offers, and we hadn't really planned any next step, so it was a weird situation to be in to have all these people going "What's next? What's next?" I think you gotta slow down a bit in Hollywood for the lack of a better word, because that worker bee mentality really kicks in. People want things yesterday and if you're not careful, you can get caught up in that and try to provide them with something by yesterday.
CS: And yet, you managed to make a sequel in a year.
Whannell: I know. It's just insane. As soon as "Saw" was done, it was like "What's next? What's next? What's next?" and I was going "Woah woah…let's slow down." I just think it was like we had to release it next Halloween. At first I was worried, but it's turned out great.
CS: Okay, Darren, so you basically had this script for a movie you wanted to make. How did it get turned into Saw II?
Darren Lynn Bousman: It was a crazy process. Two year years ago, before "Saw" came out, I wrote this script called "The Desperate" and I'd been trying to get it made all around town, and I kept getting doors shut saying that it was too violent, it was too dark, it was too disturbing, it was too everything. Finally, I started getting some interest from a German company, and around the same time, "Saw" was going to Sundance, and people kept comparing my film saying "Dude, we can't make this. It's too Saw-like." Great, now people are going to compare it to Saw, and it'll never get made. I was about to go to Germany to make it, and I was meeting with DP's, and I met David Armstrong who DP'ed "Saw" and "Saw II." He was like "Dude, I love your script. I want to make this movie, but I don't want to go to Germany. What about if I got it made here?" Within ten hours of him saying that, I got a call from Greg Hoffman, who was one of the producers and Greg goes "Do not sign anything. Come to our offices immediately." Originally, they were just going to pick it up to make it its own movie. They were going to make "The Desperate" because they knew that "Saw" was coming out and they wanted to find other films such as. We worked on making "The Desperate" then "Saw" was released October last year, and then two days after that, they called me up and go "Darren, how about if we adapt your script into Saw II?" And so that's how everything happened, and then they saw a short film that I had done, so that's how I got to become director. It was funny. We'd been talking about the script has changed so much. It's a completely different movie now.
Whannell: Yeah, it's weird. Darren and I did so much work on the script that really if you were to read them…
Bousman: You would see similarities. The structure and skeleton was there from the original idea, but then we just went in there and tore it out. We tore the guts out and left the frame.
Whannell: Yeah, it's just the bones left. To me, it's a completely different script. We did so much work on it over seven months, that it really doesn't resemble that anymore. Just that core idea, as he's saying, and I think the finished film really feels like a sequel to "Saw". It doesn't feel to me like a script that's been twisted and pushed around to become the sequel to "Saw". It feels like an organic sequel.
CS: How was it for you working off someone else's script, Leigh, rather than writing from scratch?
Whannell: It was really interesting. Darren had been working on the script, "Saw-ifiing" it and changing things around. I think what happened was the producers were like "Great! We just have to change the names of the characters, and it's Saw II! Voila!" Darren quickly found out, sitting at his laptop over many late nights, it wasn't as easy as changing some character names and it becoming "Saw."It was a bit like putting the square peg in the round hole. The notes he kept getting was like "It needs to have the spirit and themes of "Saw", and eventually, it got to the point where…
Bousman: We kept pulling, stripping things out. It was easy to change one thing, but it was a domino effect. It was a house of cards. You take one thing out and everything falls.
Whannell: We would talk so much on the phone. He would be asking me for advice on stuff. Eventually, it got to the point where Greg, the producer, just called me and "Look, just get involved. Why don't you just come on board and cowrite it?"
Bousman: My phone bill from Australia, where he was at the time, was ridiculous. I was at my parents house during Christmas, and I remember a lot of the stuff was happening, and the phone bill came to over $1,000, so that was a nice Christmas present to my parents.
Whannell: By the time I got involved and Greg called me and said "Listen, come onboard and write this", by that point, I was really interested. At first, I was sort of working on something with James, and this was something going on the side, but as time went by, I started getting really into it and having more and more input to the point where eventually, I just said "I want to come onboard." I think against all odds, it's a really worthy sequel.
CS: Darren, can you talk about the short film you did before doing this?
Bousman: It was a small thing. There was a couple on the reel. They had seen two, and the main one was called "Zombie." It was a two-minute short film, and it wasn't even horror. It's called "Zombie" but it was about depression, and it was very dark and very much in the style of the editing that was in "Saw II," cut like a music video. I had a clear vision what I wanted this film to look like when I went in there, and I think that helped as well. I wasn't originally attached to direct, but I went in the office and was like "You guys are idiots if you don't have me direct. Here's what I would do" I think it's become a new staple of the 'Saw' franchise to have a first-time director…James was 26, too, right?
Whannell: Yeah, if they do "Saw III", they should bring in some other young guy who has never done anything before, because it seems to be working so far. I mean neither James nor Darren had any real experience. James would be the first person to tell you that he hadn't done anything, and they really took a risk letting James direct a feature film with nothing. All he had to show for it was this scene that we had shot from "Saw", which was like the 8-minute jawtrap scene. That's what they went by.
Bousman: Probably it's a bigger risk the second time because you established a franchise at that point. When "Saw" came out and became so huge, and then hand it to another first-time director.
Whannell: I know and then to do it again and for it to work again, I mean, these guys keep landing on their feet. Eventually, maybe somewhere around "Saw 8", the guy's going to completely f**k up and they're going to be like "We should have got someone with experience!"
CS: Can you talk a bit about the controversy over the poster with the MPAA?
Bousman: I mean, the MPAA is there for a specific reason. We all know that they don't want little kids being able to access things they shouldn't see, hence dismembered fingers. You can argue that for an R-rated film, obviously you have to buy a ticket, they have to go into a theatre, but you can see a poster anywhere, so when they saw the poster, I guess that it wasn't shown them prior.
Whannell: Yeah, I can't remember. I think they put it out on the streets.
Bousman: Yeah, it was a street poster is what the deal was, and then it became a popular street poster and then it got picked up in other places. It was never intended to be the initial campaign for it, so when the MPAA saw these street posters advertising a movie that was not approved, I think that was the issue.
Whannell: Well, they got all these rules for posters. Like you can't have a gun pointing at someone…can't have any blood…
Bousman: No, there was a bunch of things I didn't realize that we realized after that.
CS: Leigh, what's your relationship with James at this point?
Whannell: Um…we're sleeping together. I'm just kidding, man. We're working together. He's working on a film now, at this stage called "Silence" for Universal, which is another film that we wrote together, so I guess that's our second film together.
CS: How's that going and where are you guys shooting that?
Whannell: It's already been shot up in Toronto. They did "Saw II" and "Silence" nearby so the producers could have a hand in both. It's very different. It's a real throwback to the Hammer horror tradition. James and I love that old school—I'm trying to think of the most recent film that captures that spirit, like "Sleepy Hollow—we loved the sort of fog, full moon, Vincent Price, red velvet, Dario Argento type stuff. We didn't want it to be campy, but we wanted to really hark back to that stuff, because we just love the way it looks, and "Silence" is that. It's kind of a tribute to these older style horror films, so it's very different. It's nowhere near as visceral. It's more of a ghostly film.
CS: Does James have any interest in returning to the "Saw" franchise, and in the same respect, Darren, would you want to do another movie if you get a chance?
Bousman: I definitely think that I'll stay involved, in some respect. It's always hard to answer that, so I think it all depends on how people respond to "Saw II." I think that's the big question in determining any sequel is how does the last one do? If fans want another one and they're really keen on this and it does very well, then of course, I'm open to it if we're lucky enough to do a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7…
Whannell: I don't know. I think the reason James wanted to move on was that you gotta remember that "Saw" was a finished film in January of 2004, but it wasn't released until October, so you had months and months of the film sitting on a shelf waiting to come out. During that time, James and I started working on another project. By the time "Saw" came out and did well and the producers called up and said "How about a sequel?" we were already well into "Silence" so I think that's why James had to choose between the two films. Does he go with the new film or does he go back to "Saw"? I think that he wanted to try something new.
CS: How do you guys feel about taking on another sequel, "The Legend of Zorro," your opening weekend?CS: Darren, can you talk about the short film you did before doing this?
Bousman: It was a small thing. There was a couple on the reel. They had seen two, and the main one was called "Zombie." It was a two-minute short film, and it wasn't even horror. It's called "Zombie" but it was about depression, and it was very dark and very much in the style of the editing that was in "Saw II," cut like a music video. I had a clear vision what I wanted this film to look like when I went in there, and I think that helped as well. I wasn't originally attached to direct, but I went in the office and was like "You guys are idiots if you don't have me direct. Here's what I would do" I think it's become a new staple of the 'Saw' franchise to have a first-time director…James was 26, too, right?
Whannell: Yeah, if they do "Saw III", they should bring in some other young guy who has never done anything before, because it seems to be working so far. I mean neither James nor Darren had any real experience. James would be the first person to tell you that he hadn't done anything, and they really took a risk letting James direct a feature film with nothing. All he had to show for it was this scene that we had shot from "Saw", which was like the 8-minute jawtrap scene. That's what they went by.
Bousman: Probably it's a bigger risk the second time because you established a franchise at that point. When "Saw" came out and became so huge, and then hand it to another first-time director.
Whannell: I know and then to do it again and for it to work again, I mean, these guys keep landing on their feet. Eventually, maybe somewhere around "Saw 8", the guy's going to completely f**k up and they're going to be like "We should have got someone with experience!"
CS: Can you talk a bit about the controversy over the poster with the MPAA?
Bousman: I mean, the MPAA is there for a specific reason. We all know that they don't want little kids being able to access things they shouldn't see, hence dismembered fingers. You can argue that for an R-rated film, obviously you have to buy a ticket, they have to go into a theatre, but you can see a poster anywhere, so when they saw the poster, I guess that it wasn't shown them prior.
Whannell: Yeah, I can't remember. I think they put it out on the streets.
Bousman: Yeah, it was a street poster is what the deal was, and then it became a popular street poster and then it got picked up in other places. It was never intended to be the initial campaign for it, so when the MPAA saw these street posters advertising a movie that was not approved, I think that was the issue.
Whannell: Well, they got all these rules for posters. Like you can't have a gun pointing at someone…can't have any blood…
Bousman: No, there was a bunch of things I didn't realize that we realized after that.
CS: Leigh, what's your relationship with James at this point?
Whannell: Um…we're sleeping together. I'm just kidding, man. We're working together. He's working on a film now, at this stage called "Silence" for Universal, which is another film that we wrote together, so I guess that's our second film together.
CS: How's that going and where are you guys shooting that?
Whannell: It's already been shot up in Toronto. They did "Saw II" and "Silence" nearby so the producers could have a hand in both. It's very different. It's a real throwback to the Hammer horror tradition. James and I love that old school—I'm trying to think of the most recent film that captures that spirit, like "Sleepy Hollow—we loved the sort of fog, full moon, Vincent Price, red velvet, Dario Argento type stuff. We didn't want it to be campy, but we wanted to really hark back to that stuff, because we just love the way it looks, and "Silence" is that. It's kind of a tribute to these older style horror films, so it's very different. It's nowhere near as visceral. It's more of a ghostly film.
CS: Does James have any interest in returning to the "Saw" franchise, and in the same respect, Darren, would you want to do another movie if you get a chance?
Bousman: I definitely think that I'll stay involved, in some respect. It's always hard to answer that, so I think it all depends on how people respond to "Saw II." I think that's the big question in determining any sequel is how does the last one do? If fans want another one and they're really keen on this and it does very well, then of course, I'm open to it if we're lucky enough to do a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7…
Whannell: I don't know. I think the reason James wanted to move on was that you gotta remember that "Saw" was a finished film in January of 2004, but it wasn't released until October, so you had months and months of the film sitting on a shelf waiting to come out. During that time, James and I started working on another project. By the time "Saw" came out and did well and the producers called up and said "How about a sequel?" we were already well into "Silence" so I think that's why James had to choose between the two films. Does he go with the new film or does he go back to "Saw"? I think that he wanted to try something new.
Whannell: (laughs) We're going to kick their asses!
Bousman: Yeah, we're going to kill them. No, the audience that's going to go see "Legend of Zorro", I don't think we're competing with them.
Whannell: We just hope people don't buy tickets for "Zorro" and then sneak into "Saw," man. That's what cost us last time. People would buy tickets for the PG-13 "Grudge" and then sneak into our movie. Man, "The Grudge" took half our box office and it's bullsh*t!
Bousman: It's funny 'cause the kids on the message boards are already talking about it, because a lot of the fans are 12 and 13 years old and they're already talking about it.
Whannell: They'd buy a ticket to "The Grudge" and then sneak into "Saw". Steve Susco, who wrote "The Grudge" is a friend of ours and we're always giving him sh*t like "Man, you only got to #1 because of us, baby."
Monday, October 24, 2005
New Header + Centered Description Leads us Into........
SAW the Blog 1.6
Basically there have been enough updates since 1.5 for me to call this 1.6, I hope you all enjoy everything that is new!
Basically there have been enough updates since 1.5 for me to call this 1.6, I hope you all enjoy everything that is new!
Darren Bousman Reccomends you see SAW 2 on friday ;)
His Message on House Of Jigsaw:
Do I need to remind anyone???? Listen, you guys all kick some major ass!!! Real major ass.... Since I have been gone off the boards for a while, and not had a chance to answer a lot of your questions, I have decided to give my friends over at HOUSE OF JIGSAW a little gift....
[CENSORED because I want you all to visit House Of Jigsaw, the post is named: Less than a week..... , Please join House Of Jigsaw! All SAW fans need to go there!]
- - - that is an AOL name I have set up... If you have instant messenger, go ahead and drop me an IM... If I am around - we can chat - and hopefully answer as question or two!
I will see all you sickos in the theatre in a couple days!!!!
dlb
[CENSORED because I want you all to visit House Of Jigsaw, the post is named: Less than a week..... , Please join House Of Jigsaw! All SAW fans need to go there!]
- - - that is an AOL name I have set up... If you have instant messenger, go ahead and drop me an IM... If I am around - we can chat - and hopefully answer as question or two!
I will see all you sickos in the theatre in a couple days!!!!
dlb
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