Videos:

To reduce loading time, see the rest of the videos after the cut!

February 11, 2012

Hey everybody!

I know it’s been a long time—way, way too long—since I updated my site personally. 2011 was a bizarre, lovely, and insane year and I didn’t spend nearly enough time where I should be—here at my keyboard.

Since I’ve been M.I.A. so long, I thought I would do a little “my summer vacation” essay for those who are interested—though it’s really a “my last whole year away making movies” essay, with occasional camera phone illustrations.

I’m going to break this down into three separate pages, as my time has been spread across a few different projects.

Breaking Dawn 1&2:

I’ve already said a lot about Breaking Dawn in various interviews, so most of this is probably not news. It was a surreal year in a lot of ways and also a crazy crash course in movie making, which came in really handy last summer

Some of my favorite memories from filming BD 1&2, in random order:

- Weathering a “white squall” off the coast of Paraty, Brazil with the cast and crew during the filming of the honeymoon. We got trapped for the night due to rough seas—roughly 130 people in a house with eight beds, no food, and a very small amount of drinking water. I spent the night on the stair landing, sharing an old mattress covered in blackout fabric with the set photographer, set publicist, and the EPK team. (Shout out to the stair gang! Never forget!) I was actually offered a chance to escape, as was Bill Condon, but we both decided to go down with ship rather than abandon our crew.

- Exploring the third version of the Cullen House, a.k.a. Howl’s Moving Castle, now bigger and better than ever. Finally getting to see Alice’s room was awesome.

- Watching the creation of a three-story wedding cake composed of dead bodies. I may or may not have climbed to the top to get a picture.

- Being there for Kristen’s first wedding dress fitting. Magic. Even Summit’s head of marketing got all teary.

- Hanging with the new vampires. We had a lot of very cool people with us, which made the daily grind—particularly the days with wall-to-wall green screen and breathing-hazard fake snow—much more fun.

- Playing Farkle (wikipedia.org/wiki/Farkle) with Taylor and company. Yes, it is a real game, and just because I won doesn’t mean I was cheating.

- Wearing more clothes at one time than I’ve ever worn on our Pemberton , B.C. set. People from Arizona should not go outside during February in Canada. They just embarrass themselves.

- Watching Noel and Guri sing classic Madonna in Romanian accents and full costume.

- Finally seeing Bella and Edward get married, even if it meant freezing my butt off and ending up on screen (ew). Richard Sherman’s design was so far beyond my expectations.

- The cottage! The nursery! It was a joke on set that any woman who walked into that nursery would spontaneously conceive. Too beautiful.

- Spending our very last night in beautiful St. Thomas. It was such a nice way to end 101 days of shooting.

Right now Breaking Dawn 2 is being edited and having special effects added. Still a ways to go with some very complicated effects; we’re doing some things we’ve never done before. I’ve gotten to see a few scenes so far, and everything is so cool. Bill Condon has such a gift. I was there, I saw everything get filmed, yet I’m still always surprised at how he’s able to put it together into something that is more than the sum of its parts.

I’m looking forward to the Breaking Dawn 1 DVD coming out this week. I actually have no idea what all is on it, and I’ve got my fingers crossed for some of my favorite scenes that didn’t make it into the movie.

I look forward to seeing some of you in the upcoming months as publicity for Breaking Dawn 2 starts up. It feels so weird to think it’s all coming to an end! Happy in some ways, depressing in others. The saddest part for me is that the next premiere is the last time I’ll get to see you guys all together. It’s something I always look forward to, even though it’s frenzied and I don’t really get a chance to talk to anybody. I’ll just tell myself that a couple of you will show up for The Host premiere so that I don’t get too depressed about finality and goodbyes. It’s been quite a ride, hasn’t it? Thanks for being there with me through all of this. It wouldn’t have been any fun without you. See, now I’m getting maudlin. Better call it quits before I start crying.

Thanks so much for your always amazing support and general awesomeness!

Steph

Click here to see her posted pictures and read more.

If you weren’t at one of the 500 Target stores that premiered exclusive footage of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2″ last night, you’re in luck, because we’ve got a wrap-up. Check out our coverage of the event, and let’s delve a little deeper into the exciting first look at the finale of vampires, werewolves and hybrids.

The five-minute long clip featured greetings from pretty much the whole cast (hey there, Jasper and Emmett!) with Kristen Stewart talking about her favorite of Bella’s powers: Her “super self-control.” There was also a behind-the-scenes look at Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner in the woods rehearsing, presumably footage from the upcoming, intense final battle. To the disappointment of many in the crowd, Taylor was wearing a shirt for the entirety of the clip.

But rehearsal footage was just an appetizer: The real treat was the full-length scene of Bella and Edward in the cottage, where Bella discovers a note from Alice hidden away in a book. Twilighters know this scene is key in laying the groundwork for “Part 2″’s action.

But what’s a little plot set-up when you can have a little romance? Much more exciting for the fans was an Edward and Bella kiss (thank you, producers!) that happens after Bella and her bloodsucker have a little heart-to-heart. Most heart-racing of all, the sneak peek featured our very first look at Vampire Bella—well, besides those chilling blood-red eyes that closed out “Part 1.”

In fact, viewers were treated to full Vampire Bella—scarlet irises, pale skin and, in a moment of footage that elicited screams when it was shown, the first tease of her new, vampire abilities. Audiences saw Bella speed across the room, just like the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them Cullens, and for a lot of fans, that move seemed to set the stage for just how awesome kick-butt Bella could be with super-human powers.

Source

Click twice to enlarge

Thanks to  TeamKristenJS

Via The Breaking Dawn Movie:

The folks from ‘Make It Right’ reached out to let us know that there is a private pre-screening of Breaking Dawn part 2 up for bids!

You can help a great cause and bid on a personal screening of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 for you and 20 of your friends, at a private screening room in Los Angeles or New York on the evening of November 15th, 2012! A special introduction will be made by a cast member from the film. Donated by Elizabeth Reaser (“Esme Cullen”) and Summit Entertainment.

Make It Right builds safe, sustainable homes for New Orleans’ families who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. We also work with community groups in Newark, Kansas City and other areas to provide energy-efficient, affordable housing for disabled veterans, senior adults and low-income families

More info from the Ebay bidding page:

Private Twilight Screening

Bid on a personal screening of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 for you and 20 of your friends, at a private screening room in Los Angeles or New York on the evening of November 15th, 2012! A special introduction will be made by a cast member from the film.

Terms: Includes: private screening ofBreaking Dawn Part II for winner and 20 friends on November 15th, 2012, in New York or Los Angeles. Please note no recording devices are allowed (including mobile phone or other devices with picture-taking and/or recording capabilities). Travel and accommodations not included. Cannot be resold or re-auctioned.

Donated by: Elizabeth Reaser (“Esme Cullen”) in conjunction with Summit Entertainment.

There are more indications that The Twilight Saga could continue after Breaking Dawn Part 2, the fifth and (assumed to be) final film in the hit vampire series.

On Friday, Lionsgate executive Rob Friedman said that the studio would develop an additional movie should Twilight author Stephenie Meyer decide to write a fifth book.

“If she wishes to do it, we’ll be there to support her,” THR quotes Friedman as saying during a call with analysts.

As Gossip Cop reported last month, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer also hinted at the studio’s desire for a sixth film following the purchase of Summit Entertainment, the franchise’s home.

The trailer for Breaking Dawn Part 2 will debut with The Hunger Games’ theatrical release in March.

Last month, Breaking Dawn Part 1 passed the $700 million mark globally.

Will there be a Twilight 6?

That depends on getting a fifth book out of Twilight writer Stephenie Meyer, Lionsgate motion picture group co-chair Rob Friedman said Friday, giving hope to Twi-hards everywhere.

“If she (Meyer) wishes to do it, we’ll be there to support her” with a sixth film, said Friedman, who now runs the Lionsgate movie division with Patrick Wachsberger after the duo sold Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the Twilight franchise, to Lionsgate in January as part of a $412.5 million leveraged buy-out.

Friedman was participating in his first Lionsgate analyst call after the indie studio missed on its third quarter earnings Thursday, but insisted it was bullish about the future now that it has swallowed privately-held Summit and its Twilight franchise.

Lionsgate in recent weeks has also talked about a sixth Twilight movie after projecting the upcoming Breaking Dawn Part 2 release will bring in $700 million-plus in worldwide box office, which should invite a follow-up film.

Lionsgate executives on Friday did much to talk up the synergies between the two studios now that the brain trust behind the Twilight franchise is at work on the launch of the next possible vampire flicks franchise once The Hunger Games debuts next month.

For example, the Breaking Dawn Part 2 trailer will debut on every Hunger Games print on its theatrical opening on March 23 – Lionsgate’s largest ever theatrical release.

Changes, however, are afoot as Lionsgate integrates Summit. Summit releases its own films on DVD through Universal Studios, while Lionsgate DVD titles go out through 20th Century Fox.

Lionsgate president Steve Beeks told analysts he will look to consolidate the home entertainment distribution over time.

But Friedman and Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer stressed in answers to analysts Friday that both studios shared similarities and that consistency would be maintained going forward.

“We don’t see a lot of dramatic changes. We just see a great combination,” Friedman said.

In a 20-minute phone call, they (Tinsel Korey and Chaske Spencer) talked about makeup, staying in shape, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson, what the franchise has meant for their careers (percolating before Stephenie Meyer imagined a world of humans, vampires and werewolves) and other topics.

Here are some highlights:

The franchise’s appeal:“We have fans all the way from 6 to 66 and what I think it is, is it brings you back to that first time of falling in love. Those emotions are extremely heightened, and I think that holds a really dear memory for a lot of people and I think that’s why it’s resonated with such a wide audience,” the actress said.

His co-star, however, quipped, “I think it also has a lot to do with Taylor’s abs and Rob’s hair.”

Source

He also noted that during the filming of Eclipse, he never actually worked with some of the stars, including Robert Pattinson. “We were together in a scene, but I was a wolf, so I was never there. So this whole time, I filmed the movie, and we’re doing press for it, and I still haven’t met him, and then finally, we were at the Kids’ Choice awards, and I got to shake his hands for a second.” He did note that once they started filming Breaking Dawn, he got to hang out with Robert, and said he was a really nice guy. I asked him if any of his friends had asked for Robert or Taylor Lautner’s numbers, and he laughed and said no.

Source