Chris Marquette Message Board

I added a bit to my post above.

It was actually two different producers. At the first screening was Luke and one of the producers and at the second screening was another one. I also talked about it with Aaron (who is another producer).

Probably best to keep all this amongst ourselves, by the way.

I just pulled out the DVD to give you the exact time and guess what? They cut it out of the DVD. I'm just floored. I saw the film twice at festivals and it was there.

I can tell you exactly where it was, though. It was at 42:37. It wasn't even one second. But it was a pivotal moment.

Okay, here's the deal. Obviously this is all a spoiler...

Caleb goes to hug Owen as he is leaving the party. But the hug is just a bit more than friendly. Although Owen has had doubts in the back of his mind about Caleb's intentions, this is the very first moment where Owen starts to grasp what Caleb wants. You can see that in the look in Owen's eyes.

Now...at that very same moment when Owen realizes Caleb may want something sexual, at that EXACT same moment, as he is looking over Caleb's shoulder, off in the distance he sees Michael sitting on the lap of one of the old men like a baby in his daddy's arms. So at that same exact moment when he starts to realize something sexual might be going on with Caleb he also realizes there may be something sexual going on at these parties. It's like a double whammy.

Originally that was the first defining moment in the film when Owen figures out what is going on. Michael's clip at that moment was originally longer but they cut it to just a few frames. Blink and you miss it. But it looks like they cut it out of the DVD altogether, which just prolongs that moment when Owen figures out what the parties are all about.

There was originally another scene where Michael is in a dress playing the piano. Owen walks in and is like, WTF? He's a total queen. It just drives home to Owen that these are not normal parties.

Luke cut those scenes out because it was like hitting the audience over the head with a hammer. He wanted Owen's discovery about the parties (and the audience's) to come later and be more subtle. Taking Michael out prolongs the suspense both for us and Owen.

I had actually seen Michael's scenes before seeing the film, so once I'd seen the film I realized how much the scenes would have changed it and as much as I care about Michael I completely agreed with the decision to make the cuts. Luke, his producers, and I talked about it at length afterwards and we were all on the same page. They were very happy I'd seen the scenes first, then the film, and saw what they saw. As soon as I got back to Michael's we talked about it and he was totally in agreement too. 

BUT there was a frame or two left in of Michael on the guy's lap, and I see that was totally cut out of the DVD now.

There are actually a LOT of cases where this is true. A couple of years ago I got into a debate about this (during the Alpha Dog days) and I did some research. I don't know where it is now (IMDb gutted their boards) but I put together a list of dozens of recent films that bombed at the BO but have made a ton since then.

One example I like to use is the David Duchovny/Anton Yelchin/Robin Williams film House of D. Its lifetime theatrical gross was $388,532. But it made something like $20 million in DVD rentals alone. That doesn't count DVD sales or TV rights, and it's been shown hundreds of times on cable.

Alpha Dog took in $15,309,602 domestically. But it made an additional $22 million in just 3 months of DVD rentals. Again, that doesn't count sales or TV.

There are literally thousands of examples.

About final cut rights in general, another topic which I've written about extensively, it is extremely rare for a young director on a low-budget, independent film to have final cut rights. They deliver their cut to the producers or distributors by a certain date and then it's out of their hands. In the majority of cases the studio is then free to recut it however they want.

It's similar to the movies themselves in regards to actors' pay. Only a handful of powerful actors have a stake (points) in their movies. Most get paid a salary -- a flat fee -- and make no more than that regardless of how well the picture does.

Very very well said.

I can honestly say that this applies to the overwhelming majority of independent films ever made. It's one of the main reasons so many never see the light of day. If I had a nickel for how many times I've written or spoken this statement...

Hi irina. The other folks here are much more closely connected with the film and its history and probably know more about the budget than I do.

What I can tell you is that no budget has been officially revealed publicly.

I'm sure some of the ladies here can answer your question (if they are allowed).

For those who are following it, another decent weekend at the box office. Of the films that dropped, Fanboys had only the 4th smallest drop out of the top 39 films. It took in another $62K for a total so far of $395K. All this on only 34 screens, which is not bad.

P.S. I wasn't watching for Sean either but I definitely will next time I see it.

I hope it's not too soon to start talking about the third movie in the series, Eclipse.

Summit has set a release date of Wednesday, June 30, 2010. It's only seven months after New Moon but the two films will be shot very close together. It's a Wednesday because it is the first day of the five-day Independence Day holiday weekend (July 4th falls on Sunday),

Short synopsis from Summit press release:

"As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death."

Also, the titles for New Moon and Eclipse will now add The Twilight Saga's before the names.

Cool artwork!

BTW the release date was actually announced last December 15 so that's been official for awhile.

I don't think this has been announced anywhere else yet but I am pleased to report that Michael Welch has just officially signed on for New Moon. :applause:

Hotlinked:

OMG Ray Wise is one of my favorite actors. He may very well be one of the most underrated, hardest working actors in the world.

Powder, Jeepers Creepers II, and The Battle of Shaker Heights.

It's a shame we won't have it here anymore. Oh well.

BTW the red shirt and watch are gone but the purple shirt & pants are still up.

Yes, a lot of theaters only got it for one week. The same thing happened in NY. Some kept it while others dropped it and new ones picked it up this weekend.

Yes, exactly. They are usually in awful condition after having been screened over and over at any given theater and really cannot be shown again anywhere. They are returned and recycled (if they are returned at all).

Of course, some are always saved for archival purposes.