Superman Returns Singer Interview: Editing Returns & Sequel

[DogofKrypton]

Dogs,

It's opinion and all but he doesn't come off arrogant or smug. He's very confident in the decisions he's made. I agree partly with what he's done because I understand what he had to do to get the film ready for the cinema. I'm completely positive that he feels Superman Returns works better in its long form.

But, he had to do what was right for the theatrical experience. In script form, Superman Returns had a lot of story and theme that all gelled together as one at the end. He just focused on one or two more than the other.

With film such as this, telling alot of story, it does happen in the editing room alot...focusing on one aspect of the story more than the other knowing that you might hurt the film.

He DOES come across as smug. You choose not to see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.

And his decision making skills need to be called into question if he feels his cuts IMPROVED the film. I can only imagine the disaster it was if what we got was "better".

 

[Showtime]

But Singer is right, if you've read the entire screenplay. The beginning of the film is very front heavy, even in written form.

He could've pulled a Batman Begins and waited a full hour before Superman actually had an action sequence but the difference is between that film and this film is that Singer had more story to tell after Superman's plane rescue sequence than the rest of Batman Begins.

There is a way to include the Return of Krypton and the rest of the Smallville scenes but he would have to edit somethings at the very beginning and at the very end to make it work....and one of those things would have to be the opening credits that everyone loves so much.

But, the sign of a good director is the fact that, late in the game, he can look at his work that he feels is completely finished and make even more edits to make it work for the theatrical experience and that's all he did.

Superman Returns, more than likely, works better in its longer form and I'm sure he knows that. But that interview shows that he wanted to make it more accessable to the entire audience and to him that meant cutting down more.

His "returning" is still apart of the film but not as much as it would have been had the Return of Krypton and the rest of the Smallville scenes been included as well.

It makes sense what he says if you can get pass bias opinions about the film and the director.

As I have posted many times before, they could have shown the Laura, Jorel, and Baby Kal-El Footage along with the Return to Krypton footage right in and through the opening credits instead of the flight through the planets.

They also could have cut certain sequences that weren't really needed, such as the small piece of dialogue between Kitty and Superman at the hospital. With this they could have included the Smallville scene.

The script is not front heavy at all, it flows better than the movie in alot of areas.

 

[J.Howlett]

Showtime,

True, there are moments within the film now that he could have cut to add in the sequences many want. But even with that, the film would've still been longer than it is now.

This is what happens in the editing room. You try to put the film together in the best way you can before the film is literally ripped from your arms (the release date).

He made some great decisions. He made some decisions that can be called into question. Either way, all directors go through something like this when they get into the post production process.

And Dogs, we'll agree to disagree on the "smug/arrogant issue." There's no point in discussing it anymore.

 

[The Kid]

But Singer is right, if you've read the entire screenplay. The beginning of the film is very front heavy, even in written form.

And still is. they need to chop off that whole scene with the baseball and flashback to childhood. It all seems too much like self indulgent eyecandy.

He could've pulled a Batman Begins and waited a full hour before Superman actually had an action sequence but the difference is between that film and this film is that Singer had more story to tell after Superman's plane rescue sequence than the rest of Batman Begins.

huh?

There is a way to include the Return of Krypton and the rest of the Smallville scenes but he would have to edit somethings at the very beginning and at the very end to make it work....and one of those things would have to be the opening credits that everyone loves so much.

I personally don't care about the opening credits, begins worked fine without them, or the flashback or the long modeling shots of routh wandering around the farm chucking baseballs. No big loss if that's gone.

But, the sign of a good director is the fact that, late in the game, he can look at his work that he feels is completely finished and make even more edits to make it work for the theatrical experience and that's all he did.

Dangerously close to OCD... but, that must be all directors then.

Superman Returns, more than likely, works better in its longer form and I'm sure he knows that. But that interview shows that he wanted to make it more accessable to the entire audience and to him that meant cutting down more.

He said he wanted to save new krypton for 3d imax and removed scenes because his family and friends thought it was front heavy. He made it more accessable to his loving family and friends, yes. to the audience, I seriously doubt it. I was nodding off even after he cut it down. If he was trying to make it more accessable to an entire audience he failed for making it overlong and a little too dark and dull overall.

His "returning" is still apart of the film but not as much as it would have been had the Return of Krypton and the rest of the Smallville scenes been included as well.

It's greatly missed. The reading of old news papers in the barn about disasters he failed to prevent while away is a aspect that could have been explored, the whole world moving on thing...

It makes sense what he says if you can get pass bias opinions about the film and the director.

You're as biased as anybody now, come on.

What do you think of this posting style. It's not Guard-esque but I like it better than doing the quotes thing.

 

[GreenKToo]

I'm not a big fan of singer,and I would prefer a new director for the sequel,but to be honest, I dont see that interview coming off as arrogant.

 

[J.Howlett]

Wesyeed,

Clark watching the TV news clips gets the exact same point across, visually, than him just reading the newspaper about the disasters he could've prevented. It's the exact same idea, expressed differently.

 

[The Kid]

Wesyeed,

Clark watching the TV news clips gets the exact same point across, visually, than him just reading the newspaper about the disasters he could've prevented. It's the exact same idea, expressed differently.

Not exactly. Those are events happening live on tv. He could do something about those. Honestly he seemed very superdickerish during that scene when he just switches channels. Watching him read about 9/11 with some regret would have been better and clearer to the audience that he's sorry he let the world down again.

 

[dark_b]

Wesyeed,

Clark watching the TV news clips gets the exact same point across, visually, than him just reading the newspaper about the disasters he could've prevented. It's the exact same idea, expressed differently.

i agree.but it was more than that in that scene. it was mean to go from young clark to adult clark. young clark would find out the ship. and than we would go to adult clark looking at the ship and than he would see the old newspapers. IMO it would be so good to see this.

this movie was so much more than the theatrical realese.

 

[Steelsheen]

MB> How is the film being received overseas?
BS> It’s playing huge, unexpectedly. We’ve only opened in 65% of our territories outside of the United States, and we’ve already crossed the $100 million mark. We had one of the largest openings in China. It’s a phenomenon in countries in Europe and Asia. We did not expect that, and that’s been exciting. It broke records and made history with $19,000 at the IMAX theater in China, in one day. They ran it around the clock.

he keeps saying this. did they really expect that Superman wont be as big WW as he should be domestic? what decade is Singer living in?
isnt this the same guy who keeps saying earlier that Superman is the ultimate immigrant and that he has transcended his American roots to the point that he is now a global superhero? if you have to lie, geez keep your stories consistent

MB> Were you told to cut the scene where Clark Kent returns to his home world of Krypton?
BS> I was never forced to cut out anything. Everything I cut and added was my own choice, in terms of editing. I’m afforded that kind of freedom now, for better or worse. I had the sequence where Clark returns to the shattered remains of his home world. There were some symbolic moments in it. It’s a very majestic sequence that somehow, in stepping back from it and seeing it in the context of the whole film, as wonderful and neat as it was, it felt like it belonged in some kind of 3-D IMAX incarnation of the movie.

is Singer aware that SR did come out in IMAX? is this the classic WB ploy of getting peopl to spend twice for their products, instead of just the DVD do it for the big screen? in any case what is his assurance that SR will be re-released in IMAX anyhow?

MB> And idea when Superman 2 might come out?
BS> It will be released sometime in 2009.

can we take this as a confirmation that we are getting a sequel?

 

[J.Howlett]

dark b,

I agree with you. All of that stuff in the beginning does work (if filmed correctly) But, like Singer said, it's frontloaded as hell if you understand the fact that we haven't even got to the Lois theme that practically dominates the rest of them in conjunction with Lex's plot.

Directors and editors have to make tough, tough decisions...for better or worse. The film works very well for me, eventhough I know that all the themes work even better in its longer form. He just concentrated on one theme more than the others. But, they are all present still.

 

[TrailerCues]

You choose not to see it, doesn't mean it isn't there

Like you said its an opinion.

 

[The Sage]

Wow, Singer cut way too much. The Krypton, Martha, and Stanford scenes would've greatly benefitted the movie and fleshed it out the story of Superman's loss and isolation even more. It would've made the movie more about him instead of the romance with Lois. I wish he hadn't second-guessed himself on that. As for underestimating the audience, I can't really blame him, considering the ADD generation we live in right now. Some people just don't have the patience to sit through a three hour movie.

Still, SR was a great movie. But dang, those cut scenes....ahhhh!

 

[The Sage]

As I have posted many times before, they could have shown the Laura, Jorel, and Baby Kal-El Footage along with the Return to Krypton footage right in and through the opening credits instead of the flight through the planets.

They also could have cut certain sequences that weren't really needed, such as the small piece of dialogue between Kitty and Superman at the hospital. With this they could have included the Smallville scene.

The script is not front heavy at all, it flows better than the movie in alot of areas.

That it did.

 

[J.Howlett]

"As for underestimating the audience, I can't really blame him, considering the ADD generation we live in right now. Some people just don't have the patience to sit through a three hour movie."

Bingo. That's the problem right there, especially during the summer. The real version of Superman Returns never would've worked as a summer film with the audience today.

 

[The Sage]

Bingo. That's the problem right there, especially during the summer. The real version of Superman Returns never would've worked as a summer film with the audience today.

I would've sat through it. It nearly costs a pint of blood to get a ticket and food from the concession stands, so a three-hour movie would be my money's worth.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

See, I don't get this. Why exactly does everyone who feels that way about BS have to justify it to you? Obviously more people share their opinion than yours, so maybe YOU need to justify why you feel the need to "Defend" him everytime someone posts their opinion of the guy?

And as for the interview, there comes across a very "smug-like" quality to it. And keep alluding to Zod, BS. You'll "convert" EVERYONE with another weak re-tread.

WTF is your problem? I asked a general question to the people who thought he sounded overconfident, no malice what so ever in my post, just a questions.

I thought i could smell something, its YOUR ATTITUDE.

 

[J.Howlett]

Sage,

I'm with you but I can understand Singer cutting it down. With today's audiences, they wouldn't have understood why Superman's return needed to be three hours.

It's not like Lord of the Rings. Anyone who knows anything about that novel knows that you can't tell that story under a three hour time limit. It's impossible to do it justice.

Superman is a different story.

 

[The Kid]

"As for underestimating the audience, I can't really blame him, considering the ADD generation we live in right now. Some people just don't have the patience to sit through a three hour movie."

Bingo. That's the problem right there, especially during the summer. The real version of Superman Returns never would've worked as a summer film with the audience today.

ever see a movie called napoleon dynamite? It's 1 hour and 26 minutes but it felt longer than king kong and Return of the king combined. I doubt it's length people can't handle, it's dull, plodding stories.

 

[The Sage]

ever see a movie called napoleon dynamite? It's 1 hour and 26 minutes but it felt longer than king kong and Return of the king combined. I doubt it's length people can't handle, it's dull, plodding stories.

I thought people liked Return of the King?

 

[J.Howlett]

Sage,

Most do like Return of the King. But, it doesn't need to be as long as it was in its extended form. The theatrical version doesn't work completely either. But, it's still very good.

 

[The Kid]

I thought people liked Return of the King?

Who said they didn't?

 

[The Sage]

Who said they didn't?

Oh, sorry. Maybe I meant Napoleon Dynamite.

 

[The Kid]

Oh, sorry. Maybe I meant Napoleon Dynamite.

I hate that movie but my sister loves it for some reason. she's crazy.

 

[The Sage]

I hate that movie but my sister loves it for some reason. she's crazy.

I never saw it. Apparently it's a cult hit.

 

[Showtime]

Showtime,

True, there are moments within the film now that he could have cut to add in the sequences many want. But even with that, the film would've still been longer than it is now.

This is what happens in the editing room. You try to put the film together in the best way you can before the film is literally ripped from your arms (the release date).

He made some great decisions. He made some decisions that can be called into question. Either way, all directors go through something like this when they get into the post production process.

And Dogs, we'll agree to disagree on the "smug/arrogant issue." There's no point in discussing it anymore.

I enjoyed Returns, I liked it. It had flaws but I liked the movie, but this isn't what happens in the editing room, it's what happened in THIS editing room. Movies get cut at the last minute all the time and flow like a waterfall. This movie didn't. Did it cost box office? No. Did it ruin the movie. Depends who yout talk to.

The beginning was edited in a choppy manner, in my opinion. Doesn't mean I don't like the movie, or think Singer did a bad job overall, but I don't understand the editing.