Showing posts with label The Mask. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Mask. Show all posts
Certain horror films are trying to be depressing-Chuck Russell
8:09 AM
Currently in India to attend IFFI in Goa, Chuck spoke to us about the mayhem he creates in his horror films, his approach to staging, and the classical aspects of horror that are the foundation of his work.
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; November 28, 2024)
Hollywood director and producer Chuck Russell originally decided to make The Mask (1994) as a horror film. Following A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 (1987) and The Blob (1988), The Mask was set to be his next spine-chilling project. Instead, the 1994 global box office hit was an action-comedy.
Chuck says that a good horror film is a combination of psychology and fear. “I don’t think I’ve ever worried about scaring the audience too much. I’m concerned about going too graphic. I always think, ‘Is it graphic enough, or is it too graphic?’ As a director, I want to scare the audience as much as I can and give them a thrill. They’re going for a horror movie, so they know that it is going to be scary,” he says.
‘IT’S NOT ABOUT HOW GRAPHIC HORROR CAN BE, BUT HOW IT IS STAGED’
Chuck says that when he crafts horror films, he focuses on storytelling and characters because when the audience cares about the characters, it makes the scares impactful.
He says, “I want to make films where the audience thinks, ‘That’s how I might behave, even if it’s a spaceship,’ or ‘That’s how I might behave, even if it’s someone trapped in a cabin or whatever.’ Now once I have the audience’s heart in the character, I can scare the hell out of them. This is the horror you really remember. The scenes in my movies that people remember the most are often the most imaginative, but terrifying because they cared about the character. So it’s not just how graphic it can be, for me, it’s how it is staged.”
‘THE EVOLUTION OF HORROR FILMS HAS BEEN QUITE INTERESTING’
Talking about the way horror as a genre has grown over the years, the filmmaker says, “The evolution of horror films has been very interesting because it has become more and more graphic. I’m impressed when I see something surprisingly graphic that’s true to the story. What’s happened in contemporary horror is that certain horror films are trying to be depressing – they’re so choked with despair. Every character is miserable. The film itself can become depressing.”
‘HORROR COMEDY IS ABOUT COMBINING FEAR & HUMOUR’
In India, this year, horror-comedy genre was quite popular. Talking about the genre Chuck says, “Horror-comedy is really cool, but you have to be careful not to be silly. There’s a little bit more humour in most of my movies. In Elm Street 3, I did things that were unexpected for the character, and it worked. Horror comedy is about the combination of fear with humour. If you’re doing something a little funny when the audience expects a scare, and when the audience is not expecting a scare, you scare them, and you will get a scream.”
What makes a great horror film as per Chuck Russell
- Story and characters that the audience cares for
- Set pieces with a great shot design
- Originality – It’s a great rule to say you want to give the audience exactly what they wanted the way they least expected
- There has to be an organic sense to the magic in the story, but there has to be logic
My biggest sin would be to bore audience-Chuck Russell
4:19 PM
Ahead of his action thriller Junglee, director Chuck Russell shares what he learnt from his celebrated works and his notions about Indian cinema
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 27, 2019)
When we meet American filmmaker Chuck Russell at a suburban hotel, our first concern is obvious: Why Junglee? The director, credited for global blockbusters such as The Mask, The Scorpion King and Eraser, is making his debut in Hindi cinema this week with the family-adventure featuring Vidyut Jammwal. “There’s an old saying — 'the story chooses the teller'. When Priti Shahani (co-producer) approached me, I realised this is a dream project for any director. It has all the action-comedy elements that I love. But for once, there’s also a theme that’s important.”Chuck is alluding to the fact that Junglee narrates the story of a veterinary doctor who clashes with poachers at his father’s elephant reserve. While multiple films have conveyed the challenges in protecting the large mammals from illegal hunters, this one’s packaged as “an entertaining, family movie that also makes it uncool to buy ivory”. Besides, it also ticked Chuck’s personal checklist for evaluating a script — “It pleased the child in me, the adult in me and the action fan in me.”
Shooting in Thailand in an elephant reserve, one of Chuck’s personal accomplishments was being able to capture the enormous animals in their natural habitat while highlighting an issue that’s worth driving home. “Why do we need ivory? A man wants to put a tusk on a wall to be proud that he killed an elephant? I am proud that I made friends with an elephant,” says Chuck who auditioned several elephants before zeroing in on the two who play prominent parts in the film. “The dog in The Mask is great because I spent a couple of weeks to cast him. Animals have personalities and the two elephants in Junglee are socially engaging, complex and charming. They’re in their natural habitat so they behave naturally. I didn’t want circus elephants who do tricks,” says the filmmaker who got his lead cast members (Vidyut, Pooja Sawant and Asha Bhat) to bond with the mammoth tuskers prior to filming to ensure their equation translated across the screen. “I’ve seen elephants being used as props in films — people doing Kung-fu while jumping off them or just posing with them. I wanted to create personal moments with them,” he says fervently.
Chuck’s first impression of India was carved by the Western movies he grew up on, featuring daring heroes such as Tarzan and Sinbad. “It gave me dreams of India. It was an exotic place — some of those depictions are clichés — but there’s also some truth to it.” Prior to taking up his first Indian project, the filmmaker who counts Sultan and 3 Idiots as his recent favourites, shares that his notions about India were largely based on films. “Through Indian films, I assumed that Indian culture was warm and joyful which was all wildly true. The music and songs are obvious, but what is not obvious are the family values, a sense of national pride and heroism that possibly connects to mythology.” He was determined to ensure his first Indian project packed in these elements and yet, had a global message. “The Mask taught me that we all laugh and cry about the same things,” he says of the film he considers his most gratifying work till date. The iconic superhero comedy was also one that taught Chuck to trust his instincts. “I also learnt that when I have a notion, I shouldn’t doubt it, because no one believed me then. The technology wasn’t available, Jim Carrey was barely known, Cameron [Diaz] had never acted before and the studio was very upset about me pushing her. Also, the combination of action and comedy was unusual then.” But when the film went on to become a stupendous commercial and critical success, Chuck was convinced — he needed to make comedies that worked in every language. “With Junglee, I want to create cultural role models that I could take back to the West,” he says.
The filmmaker who worked with a largely Indian crew in Junglee, says that he learnt to value his team when the guy responsible for creating the creature for his science-fiction-horror The Blob gave up prior to filming. “He just couldn’t complete it and we were left without the starring creature. This was in pre-CGI times and it was just the most impossible physical effects I ever directed.” Chuck sought help from friends to complete the 1988 cult classic but realised the importance of building a strong team.
On meeting Vidyut for the first time, the filmmaker saw the same potential he had seen in Hollywood biggies. “I’ve worked with tough actors like Dwayne Johnson (The Scorpion King) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Eraser) and I find that the global audience loves their vulnerability and humour. People love seeing a valiant hero’s vulnerable side. So my job with Vidyut was just to keep the acting part fun and polish the dialogue.”
Closely working with writing collaborators Raghaav Dar and Ritesh Shah, Chuck says that language was never a barrier. “We did our rehearsals in English and once we were sure, the Hindi writers took over. But by then, I knew the mood and the rhythm of every single scene,” says the filmmaker, adding that he could tell each time someone would slip up. “I have a listening ear for languages — even if I may be terrible with pronunciation. I could tell what’s going on and could catch them when they were sleeping.” He did consider the fact that all material doesn’t translate verbatim. “So, we had to change some jokes, constantly break character and do a lot of artistic work on the story because we are seeing it through the lens of two different languages.”
About the surge in OTT platforms and easy access to global content, Chuck says he “always knew the global audience well”. “We, as storytellers, can counter some of the negative media that’s out there. Business and technology are always changing. I can imagine my future adventures with multi-cultural heroes and that’s my dream.” But how is he coping with the pressure to deliver in a new industry? “I am more excited than threatened. Movies are well-known as an uncomfortable marriage between art and business. I want to entertain the global audience and my biggest sin would be to bore my audience,” he says with a smile.
The pressure is on me because I am representing India-Vidyut Jammwal on working in Junglee
7:53 AM
Filmmaker
Chuck Russell, who has directed The Rock and Arnold Schwarzenegger,
says his Junglee hero is a “special guy” and promises a spectacular
action-adventure next
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 23, 2018)
Vidyut Jammwal, one of B-town’s best action heroes, admits to feeling some pressure when it comes to his upcoming action-adventure, Junglee, which is Hollywood filmmaker Chuck Russell’s debut Indian collaboration. Produced by Junglee Pictures, the film is set in Orissa and revolves around the unique bonding between a man and an elephant.
“The pressure is on me because I am representing India,” says Vidyut, who plays an animal-loving veterinary doctor out to expose a poaching racket in the film. He adds that every time he would discuss a daredevil stunt with Chuck, the director would share his experiences of working with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson on The Scorpion King or directing Arnold Schwarzenegger in his 1996 blockbuster-actioner Eraser. “These guys are action legends and Chuck used to tell me how he’d seen them perform high-octane stunts with pizzazz. So, when I suffered an injury on set recently and bounced back almost immediately, I felt proud of myself, more so when Chuck told me that any other actor would have asked for a break. That was my big moment!”
The 37-year-old-actor may be feeling the weight of the lavishly-mounted project of his Herculean shoulders, but Chuck, who has been working closely with Vidyut over the last one year, is extremely confident. “I’ve been to India four times in the last five years and have long wanted to tell stories that have an international connect. The success of The Mask internationally showed me how action and comedy could cross boundaries. I broke some rules in the West and added a little song and dance to The Mask. So, when I had two scripts set in India in development, I was open to meeting new actors and was knocked off by Vidyut’s talent. He is a very special guy, who fits my style of filmmaking and understands it. We’ve taken Vidyut’s performance to the next level in Junglee,” Chuck states with complete conviction.
For the action sequences, which boast of several Kalaripayattu sequences, his leading man has trained in several animal-like body movements. “We have done a Kalaripayattu-style aaradhana, using trunk-like motions. In nature, every animal has his own salutation, and Kalari draws from these movements, which you can see in the film too,” Vidyut explains.
The makers have collaborated with stunt co-ordinators from all over the world for the project, which kicked off in Thailand in December. The second schedule is presently underway in Mumbai. “Living and learning with animals is a completely different experience. I’m 80 kg and was performing in front of an elephant who weighed 3000 kg. One whack of his tail and I would suffer a fracture,” Vidyut recalls.
He did suffer an injury and Chuck reasons that athletes and martial artistes like Vidyut always push their bodies to the next level. The actor hurt his head during one such sequence. “Luckily, no elephants or other animals were a part of the sequence. There is a stringent safety protocol that limits all risks but we had a slip-up. It’s the kind of scene where we bring spectacular action to the screen and Vidyut came right back on the set after his injury,” the director applauds.
A number of other Bollywood actors have also piqued Chuck’s interest. He thinks Salman Khan was “a charming superstar” in Sultan and recalls meeting “a promising superstar with great potential — Priyanka Chopra” a year before she crossed over to the West and debuted internationally with Quantico. “I also met Aamir Khan in Australia and John Abraham in California. The greatest blessing of being a filmmaker is it allows me to bring together different role models from world cinemas and engage in the same thrills that excite us about movies. I’m presently developing two stories set in India and China,” Chuck signs off on an intriguing note.
Vidyut Jammwal, one of B-town’s best action heroes, admits to feeling some pressure when it comes to his upcoming action-adventure, Junglee, which is Hollywood filmmaker Chuck Russell’s debut Indian collaboration. Produced by Junglee Pictures, the film is set in Orissa and revolves around the unique bonding between a man and an elephant.
“The pressure is on me because I am representing India,” says Vidyut, who plays an animal-loving veterinary doctor out to expose a poaching racket in the film. He adds that every time he would discuss a daredevil stunt with Chuck, the director would share his experiences of working with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson on The Scorpion King or directing Arnold Schwarzenegger in his 1996 blockbuster-actioner Eraser. “These guys are action legends and Chuck used to tell me how he’d seen them perform high-octane stunts with pizzazz. So, when I suffered an injury on set recently and bounced back almost immediately, I felt proud of myself, more so when Chuck told me that any other actor would have asked for a break. That was my big moment!”
The 37-year-old-actor may be feeling the weight of the lavishly-mounted project of his Herculean shoulders, but Chuck, who has been working closely with Vidyut over the last one year, is extremely confident. “I’ve been to India four times in the last five years and have long wanted to tell stories that have an international connect. The success of The Mask internationally showed me how action and comedy could cross boundaries. I broke some rules in the West and added a little song and dance to The Mask. So, when I had two scripts set in India in development, I was open to meeting new actors and was knocked off by Vidyut’s talent. He is a very special guy, who fits my style of filmmaking and understands it. We’ve taken Vidyut’s performance to the next level in Junglee,” Chuck states with complete conviction.
For the action sequences, which boast of several Kalaripayattu sequences, his leading man has trained in several animal-like body movements. “We have done a Kalaripayattu-style aaradhana, using trunk-like motions. In nature, every animal has his own salutation, and Kalari draws from these movements, which you can see in the film too,” Vidyut explains.
The makers have collaborated with stunt co-ordinators from all over the world for the project, which kicked off in Thailand in December. The second schedule is presently underway in Mumbai. “Living and learning with animals is a completely different experience. I’m 80 kg and was performing in front of an elephant who weighed 3000 kg. One whack of his tail and I would suffer a fracture,” Vidyut recalls.
He did suffer an injury and Chuck reasons that athletes and martial artistes like Vidyut always push their bodies to the next level. The actor hurt his head during one such sequence. “Luckily, no elephants or other animals were a part of the sequence. There is a stringent safety protocol that limits all risks but we had a slip-up. It’s the kind of scene where we bring spectacular action to the screen and Vidyut came right back on the set after his injury,” the director applauds.
A number of other Bollywood actors have also piqued Chuck’s interest. He thinks Salman Khan was “a charming superstar” in Sultan and recalls meeting “a promising superstar with great potential — Priyanka Chopra” a year before she crossed over to the West and debuted internationally with Quantico. “I also met Aamir Khan in Australia and John Abraham in California. The greatest blessing of being a filmmaker is it allows me to bring together different role models from world cinemas and engage in the same thrills that excite us about movies. I’m presently developing two stories set in India and China,” Chuck signs off on an intriguing note.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)