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Ask 'Hitchhiker's Guide' Exec. Producer Robbie Stamp
After nearly three years of waiting, the movie version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is almost upon us. I've been impressed with the casting, and with the trailers I've seen of the film -- enough that I'm taking the rather unhappy early review posted the other day with a large grain of salt. Now's your chance to ask whatever you'd like of Robbie Stamp, the film's executive producer; we'll pass on to Robbie some of the best questions and publish his answers as soon as he gets them back to us. (As usual, please -- confine yourself to one question per post.)
How faithful to the spirit of the book will the movie be?
http://tech-hawg.blogspot.com
Why'd you take out the jokes?
Do you realize how many people will miss "Beware of the Leopard?" Almost all the dialogue in that skit is gone, so it's not even a joke anymore.
Will the full trilogy (5 books) be made or is it being played by ear to see how the first goes?
I like muppets.
What is the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything?
It had to be asked.
94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
If /. is the kind of interviews he's getting, this movie is destined to fail unless it's a sleeper. :(
Considering that there is zero chance that real Hitchhiker fans will be satisfied with the movie ... why do you even bother trying?
Know what I like about atheists? I've yet to meet one that believes God is on their side.
Which of the characters in the movie was the most difficult to find an actor for and why?
42 - So long and thanks for all the fish.
In Making the Film, what was the most difficult cut that had to be made? What scene from the book do you wish could have made it into the movie?
Can you appreciate Brittish Humor?
Who do I have to blackmail to get some representation around here!?!?!?!?
So is the movie really as bad as MJ Simpson says? You can tell me, I won't tell anyone else if you agree with him.
Was there an effort made to appeal equally to both fans of the original books and those who have not read the books, or was it slanted towards one group over the other?
"Me? Lady, I'm your worst nightmare -- a pumpkin with a gun."
Was investing in a franchise with such a purist fan base ever a concern for you, and what audience do you see this film appealing to most in light of such concerns?
How about doing another interview after we've seen the movie?
Those who fail to understand communication protocols, are doomed to repeat them over port 80.
How much change is there in this movie from the "spirit" of the other Hitchhiker productions? To put it another way, how true to the original works will this movie be?
In making the film, was it ever a consideration to create a film that will appeal to people who have never read the books or heard the radio broadcasts? In making adaptations from literary works, especially ones with rich, stand alone universes, much time is spent on exposition of material that is well known to anyone who has read the works. While needed for people unfamiliar with the milieu, exposition rarely makes for riveting entertainment. But then again, so many people have read the books or heard the broadcasts, who actually makes the decision? It it just left up to the screen adaptor?
I understand from film makers that I know that it's very difficult to bring a book to film. Many things that work in a novel just don't work on film.
I'm curious as to what decisions you made regarding editing, changing, or even adding things to the plot to bring the story to film?
it looks like they've taken out the humor, and put in special effects. Anyone who has seen the BBC version is quite aware that the special effects suck. But that only helps the movie. The wonderful think about HHGttG is it's not meant to be taken seriously. From the trailers, it seems like it is. That's a mistake.
I'll still watch the movie (I was totally wrong about Fight Club when I saw the trailers), but from what I've seen so far, I don't think I'll be impressed.
What was the driving inspiration behind the look for the movie version of Marvin? Fans are all aware of the "brain the size of a planet" lament, but what's with that giant round head? A new play on words? For laffs? Because all the other MP3 players seem to be going with that look nowadays?
Starkle, starkle, little twink.
If more films are made how will the refrences to God (The babelfish entry) and God's message to his creation be handled? In the current politically correct world will these be dropped or edited to refrence something different?
I like muppets.
Douglas Adams wrote multiple versions of the screenplay, including the one used in the movie. The "new" characters, such as the one played by John Malkovich (sp?), were added by Adams specifically for the movie.
If Adams wrote it, grilling the producer about it seems pointless.
Also, fans of the Guide universe(s) will already know that the books, the TV series, the radio series, and all the other media versions have all been contradictory. Douglas Adams himself lost track of how many variant plotlines there were. Having read the interviews and seen the trailers, I'd say they're as close to following "the spirit" of the books as they can be.
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
The Heart of Gold is great and all...but can it run Linux?
why? forty-two.
Maybe they got the Vogon captain to rewrite the script?
Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
How hard was it dealing with studio exec's who neither read nor understood Douglas Adam's work, while attempting to transition the original stories to film?
What do you feel is the single compromise made in the name of satisfying studio demands that the fans of the originals will be least likely to accept?
While making the movie, did you ever start to panic and then see copy of the guide and realize, "Oh yeah DON'T PANIC"?
Where is your towel?
Douglas Adams has likened getting a movie made in Hollywood to "trying to grill a steak by having a succession of people coming into the room and breathing on it."
Given the considerable success of his books and their large following, why wasn't a film adaptation released earlier? What hurdles had to be overcome?
Is there any chance of a sequal of some sorts to put in what was left out in this movie?
do the ads look like a terribly unfunny movie?
Reject Fear - Embrace Hope
On a scale of 1-23, how challenging was the task of casting mattresses for the part of Zem the Mattress? I mean, I've never even seen a talking mattress, I've only read about them in books. Do they have a seperate guild in Los Angeles, or do you have to go abroad to find talent? Enquiring minds want to know.
Based on the MJ Simpson's review and detailed plot analysis, there can only be one simple question:
What the FUCK were you thinking?!
I like how eBay tries to sell me '42' items when I search google for 42:
Huge selection, great deals on 42 items.
94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
It seemed that a lot of the reason that Hammer and Tongs was chosen to do this film was their unique style, and in a lot of ways, it works with Douglas Adams' creative vision. However, it's being distributed by Touchstone Pictures, a division of the Walt Disney Corporation, and the quirky nature of Hammer and Tongs doesn't seem like it'd mesh with the culture at Disney. Additionally, I'd imagine the "suits" would have a lot of problems with a faithful treatment of Adams' work.
My question: how was the working relationship between the filmmakers and Disney (Touchstone)? Were there elements of the movie that were cut by Disney because they "just didn't get it," or were they pretty supportive of the decisions made by the filmmakers?
Why the decision to go with an almost totally American leading cast)? Other big book to movie adaptations (Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings) did outstanding with a fully british, and very mixed (respectively) cast. Was this by design to win over American audiences, or studio pressure, or just because they were the best auditioned actors these right roles? and also, were they the 1st choice for the roles. NOTE: I love Sam Rockwell, Mos Def and Zooey Deschanel, so these are not to be taken critically.
As an enormous Hitchhikers fan and Douglas Adams friend, I'm curious how you feel he would view the movie in it's final rendition. Since it's not about the accuracy to the books but about the intent, spirit and truth to Douglas' vision bracketed by the financial and operational limitations of a movie in todays economy would Douglas smile and have another drink or just get drunk? He worked for many years to get this on film and now that it is ready for release, as a friend and knowing him as long as you did, how do you think he'd feel you did?
What does the "movie-first" experience have to offer that the "book-first" does not? Or is this movie really just for the geeks that are already in love with the tale, and my wife will just think it's another of my quirks?
This forum Sig is licensed under the LGPL.
Did the studio execs want a flashy blockbuster like Men In Black, or were they projecting for a lower box office total with the production (and thus not as willing to pony up big effects dollars)?
A.I. was never really a book, just a sci-fi rendition of Pinocchio with some inspiration of a few PKD short stories thrown in for good measure (Super Toys Play All Summer Long, I think was the one). That's like saying "O Brother Where Art Thou?" is a terrible rendition of "The Odyssey". And besides, I doubt if AI would have been better if Kubrik would have directed it- it seemed too light hearted for his slow and panning style of film making. I personally enjoyed the movie.
click me
Consider: Every "incarnation" of tHHGttG has had variations such that no two are alike. Not including this one, Douglas Adams had a direct hand from start to finish of each version, so one cannot make remarks about accuracy or authenticity.
While DNA started this one, he was taken from us before its completion.
SO, my question is : Which "divergences" in this version were done (by/under the guidance of) Douglas Adams and which (if any) were done by other folks after his passing.
FWIW, I plan to ignore the critics and go see this film with a child-at-Christmas expectation. It should be great Eye Candy if nothing else.
Could you please respond to the review located at http://planetmagrathea.com/shortreview.html , in particular rebutting the parts that suggest the movie is poor in quality, is a travisty, or is otherwise unworthy of the name HHGTTG?
Lawrence Lessig is my personal hero.
QED.
In the end, how did you choose, from this range of sources, what sort of Hitch Hiker's Guide you actually wanted to make?
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
To me, the essence of the Hitchhiker's Guide lies in the unpredictable turn of events that Douglas sets up to the reader. From a little girl with the answer to Vogon poetry, leaping to dolphins and mice. How do you retain these elements in such a straightforward media as the movies? How did you manage to "guide" the viewer without loosing the "in this page, for something completely different, we will talk about dolphins"?
Please read this most-recent interview with Robbie before posting any (more) questions that have already been answered.
Those who fail to understand communication protocols, are doomed to repeat them over port 80.
Douglas Adams seems to have not known [that 54 in base 10 is 42 in base 13] but highly approves of the coincidence.
No, more like "disapproves". "I may be a pretty sad case, but I don't write jokes in base 13!".
Considering that there is zero chance that real Hitchhiker fans will be satisfied with the movie ... why do you even bother trying?
My, aren't we bold and bitchy this morning? You presume a lot with your question. I haven't read up on all the fanboy gossip about the film, but from the trialers, I have seen, yes, the movie diverges some from the book. Why is this a big deal? As long as the film stays true to the spirt of the works, (i.e. Life is random and absurd, so shutup and enjoy the ride) why does it matter?
What do you want, a exact re-creation of the book, so you can sit in a theater and silently mouth the dialouge with the actors? As an additional point, did you see the first Harry Potter flick? It was exactly like the book, and it was dull as hell. If you love the books that much, go read them again.
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
This is true: two years ago I was watching "The Office" at a co-worker's house (I'd never watched a whole episode before), and realized that Martin Freeman struck me -- out of the blue -- as exactly the way I would have expected a real-life Arthur Dent to look, gesture and sound, right down to the mooning for dawn, and the look of frustrated annoyance that he occasionally beams at (or rather just past) Gareth.
At the time (having no head for celebrity news), I didn't realize he'd been cast already as Arthur, and figured some other, well-meaning but inferior actor had been cast in that role. "It's too bad that they're already shooting 'Hitchhikers,'" I said, "because that guy *is* Arthur! Anyone else will pale in comparison to the flesh-and-blood Arthur who is playing Tim in this bizarre English-type sit-com!" My better-informed co-worker let me in on the good news, and my casting prowess was confirmed (to me, anyhow).
However, I'm curious how he came to the attention of the film's makers -- or was it vice versa? Was it because of his role in The Office, or was it his idea, or what? Was he already an Adams fan, or was this just happenstance?
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Does any one person have final creative say on a movie? Can the editors take a film and chop it up as they see fit thereby changing, for better or worse, the movie? Can the Executive Producer tell the director to change a character the EP doesn't like?
There are 01 kinds of cars in the world. The General Lee, and everything else.
Yours, or your audience's?
From my experiences in talking to h2g2 fans, the majority of your audience wants more fidelity with the book and existing broadcasts - two headed Zaphod, white Ford, less American-ized.
I think of existing British humor such as Monty Python that if had been American-ized just wouldn't be the same.
How well do you think this movie will go over with Hitchhiker newbies and United States audiences as compared to a "native" British audience? On a similar vein, did you go out of your way to make it accessible or concentrate on autenticity?
How many "real Hitchhiker fans" are there? I'm guessing that making money off the people that will pay to see it is why he'd "even bother trying." This movie is going to rake-in piles of cash, just wait and see. Plus, even if the "real Hitchhiker fans" hate it... guess what? They bought a ticket. Why bother doing anything, though really, right? I mean, if you're not going to be satisfied, then everyone should just stop doing everything.
Don't be such an ass.
put the what in the where?
Wouldn't it be a very SMALL grain of salt? Or do I not understand the analogy?
Peter Jackson reportedly said that he got the inspiration to work on Lord of the Rings when he finally realized that no one else was going to do it. What motivated you to get involved with Hitchhiker's? And secondly, what project would you love to see someone do?
Education is the silver bullet.
Even if people say it sucks, the purist fan base will still check it out to see for themselves what it is.
500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
Thanks,
.. pa-ra-bo-la, pa-ra-bo-la, 2 pi R, 2 pi R, where's your latus rectum, where's your latus rectum, 2 pi R
With Douglas Adams gone, one of the difficulties you most certainly faced was balancing your ideas for the film with loyalty to his work.
Without Adams to serve as a reality check and oracle for all things Hitchhiker, how did you divine what he would have enjoyed, recommended, etc., without forfeiting or neglecting your own ideas?
How did you prepare yourself mentally for this project? Did you study the collective works of Douglas Adams to get a feel for his work, or did you have your own ideas about how to develop the film and about what were the important points of the story?
It's easy to stand out when the general level of competence is so low.
Well can it? And if yes, what's the fps in highest detail and highest resolution?
1. If Douglas Adams were still alive, what do you believe would be his thoughts and opinion of the final version of the movie?
2. Do you believe the movie would be noticeably different if Adams had survived and had more of a hand in its making? If so, in what ways?
Sorry, wrong franchise, never mind. This must be a Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
Can you re-do it with Peter Jackson directing?
Vote Libertarian
Is Zaphod's other head in his chest because of midichlorians, you bastard?
-Peter
I have been confused by the TV spot for this film. It pushes itself as a Sci-Fi exploration, possibly action film with absolutely no comedy. Is this merely the TV advertising campaign, or is the film not a comedy?
Dear diary: Today I stuffed some dolls full of dead rats I put in the blender.
Were there any changes to make the humor more Generally accepted or Americanized, from dry British humor that is sometimes hard to follow? Some of the humor was very 60s Geekish also, was that "dumbed down" any or is it all as it was written?
There's a rumor going around that there were a great number of things about the movie that were in contention between the studio and Douglass Adams, and that after his death all of these points were decided by the studio in their favor. Is there any truth to this? A lot of fans are concerned that this film will not be faithful to Douglass Adams' vision for the movie.
Dear diary: Today I stuffed some dolls full of dead rats I put in the blender.
How much filmed material will not make it into the movie, and is making an extended edition a possibility?
Having read "Salmon of doubt", I gather Douglas Adams very much wanted to be involved in this project, (I found his list of phone numbers rather funny :), but then he died. :(
What I wonder is how much he got the chance to be involved, and what (if any) of his contributions to the movie script that were cut (and that you miss)? Were there new stuff, or was it a question of selecting from the preexisting versions?
(I realize answering this question might require the protection of an asbestos suit, but you are welcome to borrow mine.)
Yes, I am a biological organism. All rumors to the contrary are just that, rumors.
What's the speed of a swallow carrying a coconut ? ...
It's not in the book, but somebody that can't answer this can't understand the Guide..
Ploum.net.
Knowing the popularity and fame of HHGG and it's creator, did you have any hesitations before agreeing to work on the movie?
Misery loves company. Online misery loves unsuspecting random strangers.
You want to censor the books because the idea of the world being created by a Supreme Being annoys you?
Don't censor the books, man. Censoring is never cool.
Why did you take something that was so perfect and destroy it?
Is that too harsh? Ok, well let's try this:
When will you sign up Peter Jackson to make the REAL version?
90% of everything is crap. Also, crap is relative.
there were still five minutes left to the program! it wasn't done yet!
of course it's not going to have been right.
for all we know arthur was just a unit test.
sheesh...
-- it's ridiculous how many people misspell ridiculous... (damn, damn, damn...)
I would like to know why the decision was made to not give Zephod the second head and third arm (as was in the radio show, tv and books).
Granted that these weren't really all that important to the story line, but they did have some jokes that were related.
is how hard was it to completely fuck up the movie? Did it come naturally?
Steve's Computer Service, Hobbs, NM
The Heart Of Gold is "supposed" to resemble a running shoe, an elegant one at that.
Why is it a sphere?
Do you think fans of the radio, book, and BBC tele series feel that this movie retains the wit of its prior incarnations?
If Adams wrote a portion of the script, did he not write enough of it for the entire production to be bastardized by exec editors to appeal to the largest audience?
Will this be the only instance of HHGG to not have a cult following?
|plastic....or gasoline?|
My question is, how much did you have to pay Slashdot for this?
Never saw "Starship Troopers", did you?
Was it just that British humour and the struggle of the loser isn't regarded as funny in the USA, or was it because the Hollywood execs don't understand anything that involves a sense of understated irony?
Oh, and did you use a casting couch or a settee?
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
With today's technology you could almost make a movie that was based word for word from the book. How close to the content of the book did you stay? More importantly, if you did stay as close to the book as I suggest, would only those that read it, or the types of people that enjoyed the book, go to see it? The humor is dry and some of it is actually based upon things like improbability (the humor is geek humor), are you afraid that you will not draw in the blocks to buster?
Why does the movie suck?
just because your a schizophrenic doesn't mean people arn't really out to get you
How many of the books will the movie be covering? Is it the whole story, or just the first book?
Can you tell us if the ground will be friends with the whale in the film?
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
Don't you think that turning it into a movie will kill the popularity of the story by over-exposure and marketing etc..?
IMOPO , whenever someone takes something that was really good long ago and try to resurrect it by changing it (format, style, whatever) it seems to not only be not that popular, but also kills the original. Examples: VW Beetle, Spiderman, LOTR. Don't you think it will become less popular in the next 10 years because of the movie than it was in the last 10 years?
"I used to have that really cool,funny sig
This movie was in deadlock for a long time until Douglas Adams died. In a reasonably short time span after this, things began moving.
My question is what things did Douglas Adams block that have now gone ahead?
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
Is that your real hair?
The infamous Planet Magrathea pre-release review is saying that a lot of Adams's original dialogue was chopped to bits, leaving out classic lines and asphyxiating his jokes. Is this true? If so, why was the dialogue--the one aspect of H2G2 that has been a constant--changed so drastically?
[insert witty sig here]
I've often wondered on the impact of political correctness on roles such as Trillian's. She (or rather, the director) trod an unknowingly delicate path in the TV series I imagine, but those were innocent days and one rarely even thought of how perceptions might develop in the future.
:-)
Hers was probably the most complex actual character in the whole work, mixing several stereotypical characters that usually occupy diametrically opposed corners in one very interestingly balanced person showing no overt signs of internal contradiction. Maybe Trillian's IQ is just too high to be affected by such primitive issues.
Anyway, an interesting aspect of HHGG for me. If there is a question in this, it's "What is Trillian, really?".
"The question of whether machines can think is no more interesting than [] whether submarines can swim" - Dijkstra
Hi, I was really impressed with how the Guide looks in the movie. Was this a team effort, somebody's vision, or did it just kind of come out that way? And also, would you be surprised if books ended up looking like that one day?
Monster Zero is the reason we cannot live on the surface, but must live forever live underground like this.
I've always wanted to know what an executive producer does. What do they do? And how many of them does this film have?
If you'd read the books carefully, you would know that it is impossible to know both the Ultimate Question and the Ultimate Answer for any given universe. Thus, since the Ultimate Answer is known (42), the Ultimate Question can never be known.
"If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards."
Should I panic?
Why wasn't garreth cast?
Timothy you dumb-ass.
Then again, compared to Cowboy Neal and his "Linus quote" story...
Editors! Edit!
Is The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy better than Monty Python?
hehe
My brother used to have a very B-movie looking film version of the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
:p )
:)
It was on 2 VHS tapes, but it didn't suffer any lack ( other than the filmish part of it
I don't have much information on it though, I saw for a long time ago ( I just remember the screen where they blew up the Earth ).
Clicked pie.
All of the trailers I have seen on televison recently make the movie seem like an action flick. In keeping with the spirit of the book, I think this clearly isn't the case. However, the trailer I saw before Sin City last night, actually made the movie seem like more of a comedy. Is this just a case of marketing to different demographics? For instance, the audience for Sin City is most likely into comics, sci fi, etc. and will already know what the book and movie are about. However, the average schlub watching televsion will have no idea, so the trailer tries to draw them with lots of explosions. Is this indeed the case?
I guess I fall into both categories, so I will be there for the humor and the explosions. ; )
SiO2
So, when can we expect the movie version of "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" to come out?
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
Will moviegoers be treated to special movie-edition towels, or will our own be required for viewing?
or will there be any gratuitous scenes of violence involving the above?
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
My money is on the old axiom that a movie's trailer reflects what the studio thought it was paying for, not the movie that got made. Personally I can't believe how completely off-base the first couple of trailers I saw were. It's like they were made by someone who never read the books or saw the BBC series. They've made me extremely leery of paying my $8.
(And the right answer to these questions could win me back. So in this question lies the chance of redemption. Mod up!)
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
Is there any truth to the rumor that the ending of the movie is a montage of singing by Zaphod Beeblebrox And The Dolphins?
Are you as big a Apple mac fan as Douglas?
Are the differences from the book typical of the movie making process? In other words, are all films substantially different from the original material?
They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
Hey, I am a big fan of the book series, and recently read the review. I am still skeptical about the review, and even though it sounded in the review that it was your intention to maliciously edit the jokes to not include the punchlines from the book. How do the jokes in the movie version measure up to the ones in the book, based on presentation and content? (in your opinion of course)
Mess with the Best, Die Like the Rest
Are there any scenes that have counterparts in other versions that you originally thought "There is no way that we're going to be able to do that" that you feel have turned out particularly well?
"I think everyone is an agnostic but just doesn't know" - Frazz
How many extra tickets do you expect to sell through giving an interview on a site where everyone will download the torrent instead of going to the cinema? Honestly, what were you thinking?
I feel a new acronym coming on....WTFM (Watch The F'in Movie).
mp3's are only for those with bad memories
What aspect(s) of the book did you want to translate the most into the movie?
Yeah, but Dune (the book) makes no sense without having read the book. It wasn't till the second time I read it that I realised how good it was... the first time I was just coping with the weird vocabulary and the details and didn't really take in the big picture.
this has already happened... ;)
-- it's ridiculous how many people misspell ridiculous... (damn, damn, damn...)
By ignoring all sources except the screenplay Adam's had written. (I swear I read that somewhere, but can't find a source at the moment.)
Those who fail to understand communication protocols, are doomed to repeat them over port 80.
Not having watched the trailers (not wanting to spoil it) the things that intruges me most is: are the accents american or british? I hope their british. I mean it's not anymore difficult to understand and it's more authentic. I mean thats one thing that should not have been sacrififec for accessibility....
Your CPU is not doing anything else, at least do something.
This isn't too off topic since it could inform a few questions being posed here.
Basically, this movie is NOT an adaptation of the book. It's the screenplay started by Adams. In the introduction to "The More Than Complete Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy" omnibus he refers to the screenplay as being the latest iteration in the conflicting versions of the Hitchhikers story. Fifteen-ish years later and minus the lead writer, no telling what it's turned into. But, there's no reason to expect it to be The Book.
Dear moderators: the parent post isn't actually a troll, despite your moderation. It's a (very valid) criticism of the style of argument put forth in the original post.
Assuming that it's not there (I haven't seen the film that's not out yet), the additional dialogue about the leopard did enhance the humor (though in a typical wordy brittish way), but is unnecessary for the overall gag: namely that the notice was on "public display" in a very unpublic place. The leopard bit just dresses it up a bit by pointing out how rediculously un-public the public display was.
The cheapest resource in a book is its words: you can have as many of them as you want really, no matter how long it takes to read.
By contrast, the most valuable resource in a film is, arguably, the time. If you want to fit the film into one sitting, you need take advantage of films strengths: it is a visual medium.. drop some dialogue and tell the rest of the joke with the visual portion. Which no doubt will be stunning if the trailer is typical of the film.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
How do you respond to allegations that you have taken the jokes out of the movie to make room for the plot, which was then removed to make room for flashy special effects?
Some people like to stand in the rain without an umbrella. That's what it means to live free.
-Roger Smith
2) With the six books in the series on Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, and Zaphod Beeblebrox, how did you choose to keep some material and not show other material? Did you do this with the the thought of a sequel in mind?
3) In the Introduction: Guide to the guide: Some unhelpful hints from the author, will the movie update the contact info on "How to leave the planet" with current contact info to NASA, The Whitehouse, The Kremlin, and the Pope, with the addition of Virgin Galactic at www.virgingalactic.com ?
4)So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish
so basically they cut out a lot of signature DNA stuff to fit it on the screen... are we looking at "double platinum plus directors exclusive special edition" for 75.95 at best buy to get the complete movie ala LOTR?
Is this a new movie trick? Show half the movie in theatres to help with the dvd sales?
The first rule of USENET is you do not talk about USENET.
Why did you have to do this to our beloved books?
-Jason
A lot of good questions posted so far, but I have one which I really really wish he would get asked during this interview:
Hasn't George Lucas pissed all over my fondest childhood memories enough? Must you tarnish another great memory by cashing in on it, you heartless fucker?
Most movies force the producers into some sort of comprimise due to budget/time/movie length restrictions. If these restrictions were lifted so that you could add one more thing to this movie, what would it be?
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
DA wrote a godamned screenplay for it.
WHY CAN NO ONE UNDERSTAND THIS?
(And until I read your post I didn't realize they'd gotten it right!) Im dum.
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . .
How close do you feel the new film kept to the book in terms of referance and events?
[sarcasm]
No, we figured, we'll make a multi-million dollar movie that will only appeal to a small number of geeks. That way, we get to loose a ton of cash, which, as you know, is the goal of all commercial enterprises.
[/sarcasm]
You can't take the sky from me...
Nothing like burning kharma to get a semi-bad joke modded up.
"No beer until you finish your tequila!" -Leela's Dad
Have you chosen the undisclosed location where you'll be hiding out from the enraged HHGG geeks who will be looking for you with pitchforks and torches once they see how you have assraped an icon of geek culture to dumb it down for the slack-jawed, American moviegoing public?
Which actor was worst to work with? Which was sexiest?
Are you kidding me? People around here seem to love writing jokes in all your base.
Free yourself. Everything else will follow.
In the current politically correct world
Speaking of political sensitivity, I see that you're using the word "world" to mean "the United States of America".
The rest of the industrialised nations aren't overrun by christian fundamentalists like in the U.S.A. you know.
You can't take the sky from me...
Did you leave the original narration done by the book in the movie?
If so, How much of it? Will it be in pauses between chapters or did you manage to integrate it into the plot somehow?
Behold, another webcomic!
Have you already planned a response to the Death Threats, or were you going to leave the planning to the last minute?
Any addition to a beloved fandom will always be hated by the "true fans" and H2G2 will be the same.
There are two kinds of fool. One says, This is old, and therefore good. And one says, This is new, and therefore better.
My oldest son (8 years old) saw the commercial for H2G2 - The Move, and has seen the teaser trailers in the theaters with his PG-rated movies, so my question is - "Is this a Kid-friendly movie?"
;^) Sample of dialog
I'll probably take him since I can't recall any real over-the-top scenes in the book, and since the film has a PG rating, I feel comfortable, but I'm curious if it was "designed" as a family picture, or if it happened to wind up with a PG rating...
Funny aside - I let my son watch "Space Balls" last year (when he was 7), since the DVD said it was rated "PG" - I forgot to consider that when "Space Balls" was released, there was no PG-13 rating, so since it wasn't an "R" movie, it was "PG". My son handled it well, but now he thinks "Asshole" is actually someone's last name
Ken
Not bad, though.
the rotten tomato site has some early reviews and other info http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hitchhikers_guide_ to_the_galaxy/
We have heard a lot about scenes being in and out of various cuts, suggesting that many of the things long-time fans will miss in this movie may have been filmed.
So, my join questions: Are there plans in place to have an extended cut? and Are there any particular scenes that come to mind that you believe should be added back in?
My Photography - http://ian-x.com
The Deathlings (comic) - http://thedeathlings.com
How about some casting suggestions?
If Douglas Adams were still alive, what do you believe would be his thoughts and opinion of the final version of the movie?
Do you really expect a studio exec to awnser ANYTHING but "he would have loved it; it is very faithfull; it respects the spirit of the book"?
He his contractually obligated to hype this movie, he will NOT tell you anything negative about it: His job depends on the sucess of this commercial product.
You can't take the sky from me...
When great books get turned into movies, the directors use the books as toilet paper. LOTR was no exception.
I despise Peter "Dwarves are Clowns" Jackson.
-- Erich
Slashdot reader since 1997
"Theo, that is the dumbest... question I've ever heard." How the hell is this rated 5, interesting?!
What do you expect, "if it makes $18.00 at the box office we're sure to make a sequel!"
I don't know if it's a troll of just a stupid question, but everyone should know that all sequels (LoTR is a single piece mind you) are decided upon based on how the original does at the box office. Pirates of the Carribean II/III was given the tumbs up during I's opening week, for example.
Do you always bring a towel with you?
Hi
I will probably see this movie. I plan on downloading the movie to my computer and watching it for free. If i didnt download it, I would probably wait for the video.
My question is: Do you personally feel (studios, bosses etc aside) that I am doing something morally wrong with your work? Or is it more important for people to see and enjoy your work?
I'll just use my special getting high powers one more time...
My, aren't we bold and bitchy this morning?
Bold and bitchty gets me +3 moderation!
...and no, I've never read the book!
;)
Know what I like about atheists? I've yet to meet one that believes God is on their side.
Why have you forsaken us?
Why is the Heart of Gold a sphere now?
It's described (in detail) in the books as being shaped like a running shoe.
What's up with that?
From what I've seen in the TV ad, this is all FX/CGI flash.
The six episode version, done in the 1980's by the BBC and shown on public tv where I live, was a STORY, with good acting and great great low key British humor. (Babelfish and telephone sanitizers, etc.)
I've always knew I wouldn't care about *small* changes to the story, because this is expected with most H2G2 versions, but what I have heard in recent reviews seems insane and doesn't even sound like Douglas' world (Galaxy?) he created. With all the new massive changes and added jokes, how many of them were Karey's and how many were right from Douglas' mind?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
i'm skeptical of everything i read online, but if the unhappy review is right and the moviemakers don't know that the restarant is at the temporal end of the universe, then i have no faith in them to get the rest right. as far as i'm concerned, mj simpson's review has saved me $8.
I have one question for you... It's a 42 part question:
No, seriously though, here is my question:
Did you get to work with Douglas Adams before his untimely death? If so, what was it like?
http://www.accelerateglobalwarming.com
nope, haven't finished it at least. got it from the library a few weeks ago.
http://tech-hawg.blogspot.com
> While LotR or tHGttG were originally books ...
...
By strict logic, that statement is true (LotR was one book, broken into three by the publisher), but in fact HHG was originally a radio PLAY. Since Adams already wrote all the dialogue, it's sort of "right" for a play or other visual performance
There is something about a BBC radio play, performed in the orignal language, that never translates well to the American screen.
Spiritus ex Machina
"The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it's stranger than we CAN imagine."
Why did you feel it necessary to change the character motivations? Part of what made the books and radio programs funny was that the characters AREN'T actually interested in the Question to the Answer of the Meaning of Life the Universe and Everything/Saving the Universe from the homicidal planet Krikkit/God's Last Message to Creation/etc. Instead, all they want is a good cup of tea/wealth and fame/a drink and a peer group/ad infinitum... The utter inanity of the characters was part of the funny.
The plot of HHGTTG has always been fluid, but the characters were the same throughout all the plot variations. I think the new PLOT of the movie could have worked just as well as any of the other HH plots, except that the characters are significantly different in attitude, behavior, and motivation.
Yes, there are women on Slashdot. Deal with it.
I am SO sick of the "Americans are too daft to comprehend British humour" rubbish.
I grew up in Ohio. I was well aware of the nuances in the comedy stylings of Benny Hill from about age 8.
Because there WAS a screen release of HHGG, it was the TV series, which is as close as you're going to get to the books.
That said, the movie is really a remake and in the way of remakes is a mishmash of stuff from the book and a bunch of other things not quite the same, because it it was it'd just be the TV series only shorter.
If you don't like the TV series, you won't be pleased by the film. That's about all there is to be said.
The Film, on the other hand(s) is taking a whack at people fullfilling their ambition to do what they want with somebody elses work, and much easier to do once that person is out of the way. Not necessarily because the director or producers feel it is so, but because more influential people who know how much easier it is to change canon or anything for commercial convenience. A cute Marvin may have turned Adams' stomach, but is the dream of a merchandising partner.
The only question I'd have is why they didn't do the two heads, on Zaphod, side-by-side, which is actually pretty comic. The description of what form the second head takes in the film makes me queasy. Eww...
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
And all this still assumes they went with the screenplay Douglas Noel Adams wrote. Did they? It wasn't "proven" material, but the other sources are. And once Mr Adams was dead, they could hardly go to him for last-minute revisions. Hollywood likes "safe", and the books & radio series would be far safer, far more known quantities.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
That's science fiction books, not comic or fantasy books which both have some decent attempts. Where do you think HG2TG will stack up? I can think of lots and lots of bad SFB2Ms:
Starship Troopers, I-Robot, The Postman, etc, not bad translations so much as bad movies with the wrong title, that changes the entire story and adds new, boring ones. Starship Troopers took out the armor and added sex and unrequited love. I-Robot I will confess I never eyed. The Postman took a sympathetic do-gooder who put his own life in danger and turned him into a post-apocalyptic con man who gets a bunch of innocent people killed.
The original Planet of the Apes, Blade Runner, Total Recall, Running Man are all decent films but again, the source material was pretty much just a starting point, it just went in a better direction.
I look forward to seeing this movie, however I also looked forward to some of the movies I mentioned previously. Good luck, for all our sakes.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a mile-stone in moviemaking. They managed to stay very, very, close to the original material without becoming bogged down in dialogue, or become extremely boring. They were hugely successful.
In this day and age, how can anyone honestly say that something from a book 'cannot be done' or 'won't work'? Why did you use ideas that weren't in the book? The books seem to have been Douglas Adam's final draft of most of the ideas in the HHGTTG, what made you think that ideas from his other sources were superior?
Did you learn any lessons from the LoTRs movies? (What would work, what doesn't work?)
In my opinion, what made Douglas Adams' H2G2 books special was their combination of light-hearted wacky humor with a quite serious undercurrent of bitter socio-philosophical commentary.
The movie trailers look as if they capture the light-hearted wacky humor, but my big concern is that the movie will fail to capture and blend in Adams' commentary on society. And as others have pointed out, with Disney involved somehow in the making or distribution of the movie, I doubt the suits would have let much bitter or deep underlying social commentary into the film.
Do you think you actually correctly identified, related to, and captured in film format the social commentary aspect of Adams' writing?
Adams had a George Carlin-esque approach that was key: he pointed out the asinine flaws in mainstream human thinking and behavior, which are things we all notice but few dare to explicitly point out or belittle. To lose that would be a an artistic shame.
Moderator hint: a comment is neither "Flamebait" nor "Troll" if it is true.
Anne McAffery was also asked about a Hollywood version of her Dragons of Pern series. Again, she worked with them, only to find they had altered the story to use cute, squeaky dragons. The project was abruptly halted. (I talked with her some about this episode at WorldCon in Glasgow, and she did not have fond memories of the experience.)
Given these experiences, I don't exactly have the most awe-inspiring trust in Hollywood. With the scriptwriter very much dead on the floor, they would have abslute freedom to do what the hell they wanted, with nobody able to say otherwise.
Hollywood likes safe. Hollywood likes formula. The books and radio series are known quantities and therefore safe and formula. The script is neither. On that basis, and given their track record, they need to be asked how they decided what to actually use and why.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
PLEASE don't let it go down like that dribbling love-fest of an interview with Mozilla's Mitchell Baker.
Just don't get a h2g2 geek to do the interview and we should be okay.
GET FREE APPLE STUFF!
IIRC Robert Graves in his weird & wonderful book The White Goddess points out that 42 is the numerological answer to the Greek concept of the Christ as the incarnataion of logos. The term has been applied to the "historical" figure of Jesus Christ, but the idea is much more ancient and hitched a ride with Christianity. Logos suggests a transcendental realm of pure reason. This ancient idea of a Christ figure who embodies luciditiy brought to Christianity a sort of changling Christ and embedded in Christianity a search for transcendent reason that could be seen as the spark for science. I don't believe in God and find it amusing that Christianity in its hubris and eclectic method may have taken on a hitchhiker that spawned science and worked to transcend tribal religions.
"Academicians are more likely to share each other's toothbrush than each other's nomenclature."
Cohen
Was a very interesting move. Was it his work in "Along came a spider" that impressed you? Or perhaps, "Driving Ms. Daisy"?
Monster Zero is the reason we cannot live on the surface, but must live forever live underground like this.
What sort of auience were you aiming at? Fans, non-fans, British, American, et cetera?
What operating system do you see marvin running?
"Hey, why does that guy bring a towel with him to the movies?"
"Um, I don't know, but let's sit far, far away in case he has to use it for... something."
What would your dream shooting locations have been, if you could have shot anywhere except Earth?
Blade Runner was nothing like "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep" but it was still one of the best movies ever made.
I have friends, including my current SO, who are not from English-speaking countries but speak English pretty well. Not one of them has been able to enjoy my favorite comedic literature due to the cultural and/or lingustic barriers. In making the film have you taken any special steps to make the material accessible to international audiences? Is it even possible to do so without ruining the material?
I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
If the movie isn't true to the series, and we don't like it. Will you promise to give a refund for the tickets to see the movie? //bursts out laughing
Oh, this is Thursday, I never could tell a joke with a straight face on Thursday...
_ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
What do you think of Mos Def, post-movie?
So, as a fan of Mr. Def, i've been wondering:
Did you ever listen to his music, pre-casting?
What do you think of the naysayers of your casting choice, e.g., those who would write Mos Def off simply because he is a rapper?
On the whole, what do you think of rap / hip-hop?
After seeing the movie, should I read the book to see all the things that were left out? Or will the movie cover most of the book?
mostly harmless.
"What are your thoughts on half the proposed questions' misguided attempts to stab you for being some American Hollywood hack who's never read the books, while you were in fact a friend of Douglas Adams for years?"
What was the movie budget?
Was this movie made in 'Hollywood' because the trailer doesn't look very 'Hollwood'-ish to me.
It looks somewhat cheapish and foreign, like an
international film.
Was the interview an effort of
Ironclad Security only exists when you have Chuck Norris on the shift. Do we really have to discuss this? (Plutonite)
Do you have any estimates on how many RPM Mr. Adams is doing?
This may be a trite question, but...
I noticed in the trailer that the classic eyeless green-planet-sticking-its-tongue-out logo (which I *instantly* associate with "Hitchhiker's Guide") has been replaced with a different logo, one featuring a thumb.
What gives?
I couldn't agree more. I read the Simpson review and got the impression that he is way too emotionally involved with the source material to give a perspective that more casual fans can identify with.
I'm going to see the film. In fact, I can't wait to see it. I'm sure I'll enjoy it, especially because I won't be able to predict everything that's going to happen.
How do you feel about digital watches?
Wanted: witty unique signature. Must be willing to relocate.
Whilst I havent yet been able to hear the radio plays, I have seen the TV series (well the VHS version on 2 tapes anyway) and read all 5 books.
I understand that the movie is not a movie of the book, just another conflicting version of the whole story. But, why are things that are consistant between the book and TV show (and probobly the radio plays too I suspect) different in the movie?
Why does the production design/costumes/etc differ so much from what the books (and I assume the radio plays) describe and also what is shown on the TV series? (e.g. zaphod's extra head and arm not being as prominent as the book and TV series depict, the heart of gold not being shaped like a sneaker as described in the book and shown in the TV series and so on)
The question is not how failthful to the spirit of the book it is, since it's not the storyline that matters. It's how failthful to the spirit of DNA's WIT it is. From what I read in THAT review, it seems as if that's where the soul of this movie has got lost. Far from taking it with a grain of salt, sadly it rings all too true. So much so that I seriously doubt whether I could even go and watch the movie, for fear that it will taint my H2G2 personal culture. It's been with me for a very large part of my life, in a way I cherish it - for some fucked-up witless yanks to go and ruin it now is not an option.
Where are my socks?
-- Religion is not an exact science
"If we do, the universe will be destroyed and replaced by something even weirder."
We have a winner! The prize? Those with the mod points will get to decide *cough*ModInformative*cough*...
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
Did you delete most of the jokes, as MJ Simpson says? If he hates the movie so much, why will I (who loved the books, reading each of them when they were originally published in hardcover) love the movie?
--
make install -not war
I once heard Douglas Adams respond to this question.
He said, "I say Disney, and people get very concerned. But you've got to remember that that same company who runs Disney also distributed 'Pulp Fiction'".(Buena Vista)
Assuming that you're a fan of H2G2G and assuming that you couldn't fit in all the great jokes and stuff you wanted to. What joke/part was the hardest for you to leave out of the movie?
Or rephrased: What detail not in the film will you really miss?
"Live free or don't."
That said, the scene they did show (The Vogon constructor fleet destroying Earth) was great. I look forward to seeing the film, it looks like it was made with a lot of heart.
What puzzled me was the tight lips about the budget. In isolation, how much is spent is irrelevant, it's what you produce for the money that matters. I can only assume that the budget for the film was much smaller than the increasing prevalence for $100M films, and the unwillingness to answer questions was out of concern that it would reflect negatively on the film.
So my question is,
Have we gone full circle, from when spending $150M was considered laughably unnecessary and wasteful, to when not spending that much is considered the sign of a weak or starved production?
It didn't appear that way to me, and you would think a congratulations is in order if you make a quality film in Hollywood for much less.
Ouch.
Answer: Hopefully not enough to supercede the cat with the buttered bread on its back... or... you know.... that joke... with the power generator.
Actually, Adams is a pretty relaxed guy, I'm sure if this move did suck, he'd laugh it off, and then in his afterlife make some sort of book that somehow insulted the movie. Allow me:
"Finally, Earth v2.5 was built. But everyone noticed that it looked nothing like Earth v1 or Earth v2. When asked why, the mice responded that the archetect of the original Earths had died and...." well I'm not as good as Adams but you get the idea.
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
I loved it! I'm going to see it again when it is released. The cast is really good.
WTF?? Did you really not have Prosser lie down in the mud in Arthur's place? If you did eliminate it, for God's sake, why man???
Besides simply being a scream, that one bit, right at the beginning, tells you everything you need to know about what to expect from the rest of the story. It sets up the proper attitude for what is to come. It's a *legendary* bit. HHGTG without Prosser in the mud is like Bugs Bunny without carrots or Porky Pig without his stutter.
So, you must have had your reasons. Please enlighten us.
Cheers, Tim -- Tim Janke Part mad scientist, part lion tamer: sr. software engineer, global team leader, project mana
I won't ask the obvious question about what your reason was for such and such. What I would like to know is how you experience the type of H2G2 fan reaction you have probably seen on places such as slashdot? Do you have sympathy for the fans who rant about your creation or do you write them of as rabid fans who don't understand the problems you experienced while making the film?
Personally I'm reserving judgement until I've seen it, but was upset that some things might not live up the the H2G2-verse as I know it.
'I am become Shiva, destroyer of worlds'
True, leopards are more frightening than dogs and the excess of excess works, but we also hardly see leopards in England. They aren't well known for hanging around council buildings either.
Which books have you read? From the sounds of all the review, it seems that none of the key players of the movie has even read the books.
Will you be releasing a book of the film too?
Ceci n'est pas un sig.
Thanks to trolls with moderator points, this post has been modded down pointlessly.
What is Trillian's phone number, and is it by a staggering coincidence the same as the level of probability against her going out with me?
If you didn't, did someone else?
"Physics is to math as sex is to masturbation." -R. Feynman
I have seen some of the commercials for the film and they look good. I just have one question, where the HELL is Zaphod Beeblebrox's 2nd head! Isn't that a very important part of his character? WTF.
How faithful to the spirit of the book will the movie be?
That's a problem I have with going to the movie of a book I already read and liked, I usually am disappointed with the movie, and why I decided not to see the "Lord of the Rings" movies. I read the trilogy back in the 1980s and loved them but refused to see to movies fearing they'd be bad. I read the "Hitchhikers" trilogy about the same tyme and I don't know if I'll see the movie.
FalconShould there be a Law?
What actor would you say best played the role they were given?
"The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul" is (IMHO) funnier than some of the later material in the H2G2 trilogy (of-five). I literally cried when "The Salmon of Time" ended so abruptly.
Is anyone looking at film versions of the two and a half Dirk Gently novels?
www.sjbaker.org
Arthur pulled it out of his a^Hscrabble bag (which was probably made from Gagravaar's(sp?) hide) and it works just fine in radix 13.
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
When he made the script he never realized until afterwards that multiplying six and nine was not in fact 42.
What a pity, I'm quite disappointed now. I always thought that the question and answer mismatched because of the replacement of the original humans with those phone sanitizers, basically replacing a whole 'component' of the computer which is Earth in THHGTTG.
Heck. I thought of this passage as brilliant.
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
Now that we have seen how lifeless and vapid blue screens can make a movie (see Star Wars Episode 1&2,) I just wondered about your opinion on using blue screens instead of 'live' props, and did you use blue screens extensively in the HHGG?
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
probe your faith by seeing the movie 1st.