David Slade Explains Why 'Eclipse' Is The Best Twilight Film So Far

MTV's Hollywood Crush chatted with David Slade last week in anticipation of the 'Eclipse' DVD release and he explained to them why he thinks 'Eclipse' is the best film so far: 

"I think it had the best story," he said. "And the most action."

That's all well and good, David, but we think you had a little something to do with it, too.


"You know, I did my best," he said with a chuckle. "The director of the film is always the harshest critic of the film. What you do is spend two years or a-year-and-a-half or whatever it is intensely, emotionally working on something. You watch it a thousand times. What you're doing is assembling it together, and then there's a bunch of cracks, and you're closing the gaps in those cracks. And then, what happens in the end, you go, and you start noticing those cracks again. It's the same with any film."

Yes, David clearly is his own worst critic, but he did admit the film had a lot going for it.

"I certainly do believe we had one of the best stories," he said. "'Eclipse' is the fans' favorite book, behind 'Twilight,' the first book. There's so much in terms of backstory and understanding characters. It has a very clear progression to Bella's transformation; not physically but emotionally. That's something that is important. That, along with the fact that we had so many fun backstory moments. We had a Western. We had a 16th century historical piece. We had a '30s period piece, as well as the rest of it."

It did sort of feel like "Eclipse" had several movie-within-movie moments, didn't it? We can only hope "Breaking Dawn" lives up to its predecessor.

David Slade Talks About Robert Pattinson & Calls Him An Enigma.

via ROBsessed

Eclipse DVD Features: "The Meadow"

via @Twilight

David Slade Talks Eclipse Filming

Kristen Stewart stressed during Twilight Eclipse shoot: 'There were tears'

VANCOUVER — When David Slade appeared on the pop-culture dais in the wake of his breakout Sundance smash, Hard Candy, featuring a plucky would-be victim in Ellen Page, the last thing you'd expect to learn about the man was his deep conviction in the concept of romantic love.

A story that hung on the threat of sexual assault involving a minor, Hard Candy seemed like such a testament to the baser elements of the human animal that its director assumed the shape of a next-gen Neil Labute — a creator capable of balancing absolute contempt for the human species with an arid sense of humour.

It's a dicey endeavour, but one Slade pulled off with a dramatically elegant sleight of hand.

Slade reached into the same bag of tricks when he called the shots on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which hits DVD and Blu-ray on Saturday.

The story of a young woman named Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) who falls madly in love with a vampire stud named Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), only to be hounded by a lovesick werewolf named Jacob (Taylor Lautner), the whole Twilight Saga deals with a young woman at risk.

In this case, Stewart is at risk of losing her mortal soul. In Hard Candy, Page was at risk of losing a similar chunk of self, as well as — we suspected — her life.

"Hard Candy was definitely a different beast in some ways, because it was a contained, two-person drama, with Ellen Page raging away in a brilliant performance," says Slade.

"Eclipse was a lot broader . . . but it's still a character-based drama. That's what I really enjoyed about it," he says. "I think it's also a much more adult film than (the previous two), because the characters are becoming more mature. There's loads of fun stuff to play with, and because we treated it as a drama, the transformation (of character) takes place."

The substance was always bloody and meaty, but Slade says the pragmatics of the whole ordeal were anything but easy. He feels exhausted just thinking about the experience.

"It was a 50-day shoot, with many 16-hour days," he says.

To make things even more challenging, the cast was losing itself in its own Twilight cosmos. All actors have to surrender to their roles and inhabit their characters to some degree for the duration of production, so Slade was pleased his cast was taking the whole project seriously and sincerely.

Everyone was committed, he says.

"Kristen, in particular, was very tough on herself."

Slade says because Stewart didn't pull from her own life and her own person to play Bella Swan, she found it personally demanding to find Bella's truth.

"She would say, 'I don't know who Bella is to me.' In a lot of ways, I think she felt Bella was the antithesis to her, which presented a lot of challenges for Kristen. . . . She would beat herself up about it, because she wants to be there. She never wants to leave a scene undone.

"There were tears," says Slade.

"But you move on and you keep going. . . . Even in rehearsals with Rob (Pattinson), there was a similar spiralling that would happen."

Actors are people. They get insecure, and any human being facing the weight of expectation surrounding Twilight would have to buckle, if only a little. To offset as much of the thespian obsessing as possible, Slade says he's learned the value of preparation.

He says he rehearses his actors as much as possible, so they're comfortable with the material and their characters, and he gets to focus on the minutiae of performance without the intrusive presence of a camera.

"You're always looking to get the emotional truth from the performance," he says. And with Twilight, that emotional truth is nothing less than the blood-red heart of romantic love — which pounds away in Slade's heart, even though, at 41, he's supposed to be a member of a more cynical generation.

"I do believe in romantic love. How could you not, if you're lucky enough to find it? It seems like we live in a much more sarcastic . . . cynical culture, and I don't like to use the c-word. There's the idea out there maybe that (romantic love) isn't cool. But true love is a wonderful thing."

Slade says romantic love is the gooey hook on the Twilight narrative, but after reading Stephenie Myers' books, he also feels they address a lot more issues than mere vampires and teen romance.

"It's a love story that's dealing with the problems of the last century," he says. "And I got the best book. We had the epic battle, the action . . . the whole thing."

Slade says he's leaving at a high point in the story, and that's one of the other big lessons he's learned along the way: Preparation will save your bacon, but timing is what makes it tasty.

He'd love to share what he's doing next, Slade says, but he can't. At the very least, we can rest assured it will be interesting, well-prepared and approached with an open heart and a vampire-proof carotid.

Twilight Saga Eclipse hits store shelves Dec. 4 on Blu-ray and DVD.

kmonk@postmedia.com

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David Slade Explains Why He Cut the "Window Scene" in Eclipse

I have been waiting to hear why this scene would have possibly been cut from the movie....though I knew it probably had something to do with the length of the movie....but I mean COME ON it would have been what 30 seconds tops?! This is one of my FAVORITE scenes from the book so I was ticked when it wasn't in the movie. 

Anywho, MTV's Hollywood Crush explains:

Though he couldn't remember too many of the making-of segments, David was passionately involved with the DVD's deleted scenes special feature. He teases us with a preview of one such scene after the jump!

Fortunately for all you Bella and Edward fans, one of the film's cut scenes is a "sweet little moment" between the two. Apparently there was a running argument between the couple throughout the course of the film, but David ultimately decided to cut it from the film.

"We were trying to get the film to a manageable length, to flow really well, and it was like hitting a speed bump. You just felt it every time you hit these scenes," he explained.

The scene that made it to the DVD's special features is one that "closed the argument." Edward is sitting outside Bella's house and is being "kind of a jerk, making certain demands which Edward is like to do throughout all of these films," and Bella finally gets fed up with him. She storms off to her room, locking her window, effectively telling Edward that he is not welcome in her boudoir that evening. But after a moment's hesitation, she unlocks and opens the window. (Aw, we wouldn't be able to keep the window closed either, Bella!)

If there's one thing we can never get enough of, it's lovely little Bella and Edward moments, though we can do without them fighting. We're glad that David chose to add his own commentary to all these scenes to explain why he cut them. I'm sure I'm not the only person out there who might have been okay with sitting through a three-hour-long version of "Eclipse."


via ROBsessed

David Slade Answers "5 Burning Questions" About 'Eclipse'

 

Eclipse director, David Slade chatted with EW and answered "five burning questions" about Eclipse:

 

         1. Why doesn’t he do a commentary track?

Slade is obviously well-represented in the feature-length making-of documentary and introduces and provides context for deleted and extended scenes, but he’s not on either of the two commentary tracks over the movie — he leaves those to Stephenie Meyer and producer Wyck Godfrey, and Stewart and Robert Pattinson (she’s in Montreal, jealous that he’s in L.A. eating In-N-Out). “It’s a choice I made after doing my first ever and last ever commentary on my first film Hard Candy,” he says. “I did a commentary for that and found it such an unsatisfactory experience, personally, that I vowed never to do it again, because I’m not very good at it. You work for a year-and-a-half, two years, however long it is on a film, and it’s a very personal experience as well as a very public experience. There’s so much catharsis that goes into it, and then you end up sitting in a little room and you reduce what was an intense amount of work down to a crappy, silly little anecdote usually. ‘It was raining that day.’ [Laughs] I just found it to be really disheartening, and, like I say, I’m not really good at it. I didn’t do one for my second film [30 Days of Night] either.”

2. Listening to Stephenie and Wyck’s commentary, you hear a lot of the discussions that went on on-set, like debating how Jacob should kiss Bella both times, and you realize what a collaborative experience making a Twilight film must be. Is that helpful or more challenging as a director?

“If you’re in sync with everybody, the collaboration is second nature. What you’re doing is looking for the best ideas and utilizing them. Certainly there is a lot of collaboration, but there is also a lot of clarity that has to be had in the vision that you have for the film when you come in as the director. Without that, there’s no bullseye to be aiming for,” he says. “There’s all kinds of things that we can discuss, but at the end of the day, I’m the guy that has to go off and get the shot… Film is always a fight because you’re the person, as the director, with a clear picture in your head of what you think is really exciting, and you’re just trying to convince a bunch of other people to buy into that. That’s always gonna be a tough ride, particularly when there’s two very successful films that have gone beforehand. There’s a tendency to think safely. ‘We have something that works. Why would we change this or that?’ Anything that was changed, they took lots of discussion. But there was nothing that was likeeverybody disagrees. There were only discussions to get to a point where everybody was comfortable.” One example: The shattering vampires in Eclipse. “I was really fascinated with the pathology of the creatures. There’s one thing to write something from an emotional place when she imagined it, a dream of a man who’s made of diamonds, which is now the mythology and the lore that goes into how she describes Edward Cullen. But then to me, well, that’s esoteric. I have to make something really tangible. So let’s get pathological, let’s figure out why do they shine, and therefore what are they made of, and therefore why do they break?,” Slade says. “There was a certain balance that had to be struck between a really great visual image and also what would work for Stephenie. One of the things I remember was the size of the pieces. You couldn’t have biscuit-size pieces around because people might find them. Which is fair enough. We would have to then adapt our effects work to make sure there were no biscuit-size pieces. There were big chunks that broke off that could all be found and burned, because in the books, of course they continue to live. They’re not inanimate, those little pieces will crawl around, which we took cinematic license not to do.”

3. Why don’t we see all the deleted scenes described in the commentaries on the DVD?

Stewart describes the first thing she shot on the movie — a “fairly ridiculous” sequence in which she imagined herself in the fireside flashback as the Quileute elder chief’s third wife, who stabbed and sacrificed herself to distract the vengeful female vampire attacking the village. Meyer and Godfrey describe people laughing when they saw it. Understandable that they would choose not to include it. Ditto the scene Bella imagined after her kiss with Jacob on the mountain. She saw them having grown old together. “There were a lot of issues with prosthetic makeup,” Slade says with a groan, then a laugh. “It gives me a bit of a shiver, as a filmmaker. As an idea, it was wonderful. What happens with a film is it becomes organic and it grows, and it tells you what it wants, and it was screaming loudly, ‘I don’t want that!’ to me.” Another scene described in the commentaries never actually got shot. “Stephenie really wanted to see Edward as a young man again, and we had this vision scripted for a while where Bella and he are together in Victorian times, as a kind of reverie,” Slade says.

4. Did he ever toss a grape into Taylor Lautner’s mouth between takes?

The making-of documentary occasionally breaks into “Taylor Time” (there’s even a graphic) during which we see Lautner having fun on-set. Slade’s assistant and Stewart are seen throwing grapes that Lautner catches in his mouth from a good distance away. Did the director ever partake in that game? “Not me,” he says. “I watched in astonishment and photographed him backflipping from a standstill, which he does. I also got to witness how he terrorized, in a very good-natured way, the bodyguards that were hired to make sure that they were all fine. He would play practical jokes on them all the time. It was quite a lot of fun.”

5. Why don’t we get a blooper reel on the DVD?

Kristen and Rob talk about how people fell a lot on the fake snow. That, for instance, we would have liked to have seen. “We had a blooper reel, but I think people were pretty potty-mouthed,” Slade says. “I think you can put that down to bad language.”

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New Video Interview with Eclipse Director, David Slade

More The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Videos

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David Slade Posts Letter To Fans!

Eclipse Director, David Slade posted this letter to fans on facebook:

"I want to congratulate you for reaching over 6 million fans on The Twilight Saga Facebook page.

It’s hard to fathom that it was just over one year ago that I started constructing this third and epic adventure which takes place in the town of Forks.


I want to share a story about one of our days of shooting with you.


It was a Friday night and the rain was relentless. We were at La Push to shoot the tribe’s histories, a great speech by Billy Black. We had Taylor and Kristen and the whole wolf pack around a campfire as the heavens let loose on us.


Gil Birmingham was in fine form as the rain hammered down on us all, we adjusted our lights so that the rain vanished into the black of night.


We constructed a tent over the scene to keep everyone dry as we worked, every 15 minutes or so we would have to tip it to stop the collecting rain from splitting the fabric.


For some reason still unknown, around 3am, the wolf pack stood exactly in the way of several gallons of rainwater as it was being cleared. Being the wolf pack, they just laughed it off as they stood there soaked to the bone.


We worked through the mud and the rain all night, until we had the scene perfected.


As we left, dawn was now cracking and in the dim light I passed a small army of fans who had braved the weather for the entire night, still standing there, holding drenched flowers and waiting to get a glimpse of our actors.


So, to those of you who stood behind our security, who waited in line at theatres overnight, to those of you who just love these stories, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is a love letter to you.


Each day I felt the weight of your favourite scenes, your favourite lines, your dreams and your imagination.


It has been an unforgettable journey, and now as I finalise the last prints to ready the film for your local theaters, I cannot wait for you to see it."


Sincerest Regards,


DAVID SLADE

Dear David, 

Thanks for being so cool & giving us this letter! I can't wait to see it either! Thanks for listening to us about our favorite lines & scenes! I can't wait to see them happen! 

via Eclipse Movie

Key 'Eclipse' Scenes Need Reshot? With Another Director?

Lainey Gossip is reporting that some major scenes in Eclipse need to be reshot....and that David Slade may not be the man to do it:


"Multiple sources have confirmed to me that some key scenes need to be reshot including footage between “Bella” and “Edward” in the meadow and a few fight sequences. They’ve been waiting for weeks to confirm dates but have had to work around Robert Pattinson’s schedule. Originally they needed 7 days but now, due to his other commitments, it’s been proposed that they work for 3 days with the crew putting in 18 hours each day. This should happen in Vancouver in the new few weeks.


What’s more interesting is WHO would actually direct the reshoot. David Slade is the director for Eclipse. But I’m told that apparently David Slade’s relationship with Summit has been… not great. Creative differences. At one point things had supposedly deteriorated to the point that they were actually considering hiring someone else to reshoot in Vancouver. Some of the names tossed around? Chris Weitz and Catherine Hardwicke. Hardwicke is in Vancouver working on another new film to go in the summer. They’re looking at delaying that project and Hardwicke has been spotted undercover checking out studio and location space for the Eclipse reshoot.


Having said that, Slade and Summit are now communicating on better terms. And there is still a good possibility he could come back to Vancouver to complete his film. As of Monday, no final decision about a director had been made. Will keep you posted."

WOW! What do you think? I vote for a Chris Weitz re shoot myself...

Lainey Gossip via Eclipse Movie

David Slade Tweets {then deletes} About NEW Eclipse Trailer!

WOW! I cannot WAIT to see this one! (apparently he then deleted this tweet! HA!)

via Eclipse Movie

David Slade Tweets Eclipse Deets: Adding More Edward!

Though this does excite me...I mean I always want more Edward...I am starting to get impatient...if we can't have a trailer yet, how about a measly picture... *humph*

via Eclipse Movie

David Slade Tweets About 'Eclipse' Trailer

David Slade Tweeted today that he recognizes we all want NEED an 'Eclipse' trailer...and even though we don't have one yet, I feel better that he knows...and agrees! :)

Here are some more updates from David:

It is always fun to get these little updates! :) Don't you think??

screencap via Twilighters Anon

David Slade's New Years Gift A No Go! :(

Well isn't that just a bummer?! I was really hoping for an 'Eclipse' sneak peak! *pouting*

screencap via TwiCrack

David Slade is Planning A New Year's Gift!

David Slade tweeted last night that he is planning a New Year's gift...

I am pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say we are all hoping for the same thing: AN 'ECLIPSE' TRAILER!

Screencap via Twifans

Still No Date For First 'Eclipse' Trailer

Well, at least they know we are (im)patiently waiting....*sigh* Here's to hoping the New Year brings us some Eclipse goodness! ;)

screen cap via TwiCrack

David Slade Tweets Eclipse Details!

DAVID_A_SLADE


See....the day I have to work & have NO TWITTER access...he gives some details...OK I'm done crying now!

But SERIOUSLY glad to hear the words "intensity of the love story" and "rivalry between Jacob" ! I was worried about David not hitting on that and focusing too much on the fighting.... *wipes brow*

200 MORE DAYS!!!!! ****SQUEE****

via Eclipse Movie

David Slade Tweets Eclipse Wrap Deets

If you are not already, you can follow David Slade HERE, he has promised to keep us updated even though Eclipse has wrapped.

Screencap via Thinking of Rob

David Slade Tweets Eclipse Deets: Battles & Parties!

Again, I heart that David tweets these little updates! :)

Screencap via Eclipse Movie