All posts tagged "clarification"

Clarification of the day

I just read a nice blurb on Splinter over at WeAreMovieGeeks.com (great blog site by the way, definitely check it out, nice, clean, easy to read) but I have to clear something up that appears to have erroneously made its way down the series of tubes we call the internet. 

ScriptI cannot take credit (as suggested in the above, and on several other sites) for the Splinter screenplay. The story, and script (originally titled “Tooth and Nail” came from the talented Ian Shorr, with the equally talented Kai Barry handling rewrites while in Oklahoma. All I did was steer.

But I did bring a new creature to the movie, and that is a credit I happily share with my friend George Cawood (founder of Framework Studio). The Splinter creature concept came out of one of those cocktail-napkin moments you always hear about in Hollywood, and the idea stuck with us both for several years before finding it’s home in the amazing script that became Splinter. 

Who physically brought the creature to the screen with great practical effects? That’s the work of the hugely talented and resourceful team at Quantum Creation FX. 

Clarification of the day

I keep reading reports about Splinter like the one that just appeared on Bloody-Disgusting.com, containing statements similar to the following:

” Wilkins’ CGI skills will be put to use with the virus monster in the film. “

BloodyDigusting.com

This is probably a fair guess based on my background, and I am flattered that anyone might be interested in how I made a living while pursuing my career as a director, but the truth with regards to Splinter is quite the contrary. Throughout my career I have consistently steered away from the use of visual effects when making films, choosing that kind of digital trickery only when essential the story, and even then only as a last resort.

Like horror fans the world over, I often find that the use of CGI creatures can ruin the experience for me.  Undermining any sense of fear by shattering the illusion of reality.  So when it came time to bring the “Splinter” creature to the screen, it was of primary importance that we do it practically, in-camera, and without the use of CGI.

I also feel that it’s unlikely an actor will give his or her best performance against a greenscreen, or opposite a threat that is non-existent, or staring at a tennis ball on a stick.  In my opinion there is little about that experience that is rewarding for an actor, or a director, and ultimately the results are seldom satisfying for the audience.

It is a matter of great pride for us that with the combined efforts of the team at Quantum Creation FX, some very hard working physical performers, and the skills of cinematographer Nelson Cragg and editor David Maurer, we managed to use practically no CGI in the creation of the creatures in Splinter.  It’s my belief that this decision enabled us to bring to the film a creature that is not just terrifying, but terrifyingly real.