I think I need to make every Tuesday an Indiana Jones Tuesday.
Devin Faraci from CHUD visited the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull set on the Universal lot and got to talk to Steven Spielberg.
You can read it all right here.
And I really think you need to.
There’s even a part about Harrison Ford and ham.
Here’s my favorite excerpt:
This is not digital, baby. Spielberg said he’ll be the last guy in Hollywood shooting live action on film, despite the arguments Lucas makes (and the way he talks about their relationship makes me want to see these two at dinner). He’s not cutting on the Avid, and he’s doing as much practical effects work as possible on this film. There’s some digital, of course, but he’s going as old school as he can.
Practical effects, shooting on film… all old school. And so is his style. He’s not bringing ‘MTV style editing’ into the Indy films, he told me when I asked him whether the new cinematic language for action films, a language that has been building on what he started in the 80s, would be reflected here. This isn’t going to be a 21st century Indy film. Spielberg likes to give his audience a master shot, he said. He wants you to decide who to look at in a scene, and not do a ton of inserts and pump up the feeling of action with a zillion cuts.
He said that Shia and Ford are doing as many of their own stunts as they can. The footage of Ford today could have been footage of Ford from Last Crusade, he claimed. After seeing the man suited up, I believe it.
Spielberg also said that Drew Struzan would be back for the poster – he wouldn’t do an Indy without him or John Williams. The Commies make great replacements for the Nazis, and as they wrap up the final two days of shooting, he’s more excited than he’s been in years.
Even a jaded skeptic like me couldn’t help but get a little excited too.
I hope they’re selling candy crystal skulls at the theater near me on May 22, 2008!