Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Production!!

[neiljohnson]

Wow, with all the tv spots and previews, and now these scenes on YouTube -- I think the entire movie is gonna be released in bits and pieces before the premiere.  LOL.   Seriously, haven't some other films been critisized for this type of promotion? Where most of the good stuff is released, sorta making the film anti-climactic? 

[michael c]

i forgot to mention this...

my good friend laura vogel is the beauty editor at 'GLO.com' a women's site.

this past week she did an email interview for the site with lizzie yianni-georgiou the principle makeup artist on the film for a DS-themed beauty piece. unfortunately the interview is not being run although the site gives a plug to the nailpolish and other cosmetics tied into the film.

still she sent me a copy of the interview and although it's not tremendously interesting some highlights are...

many intital makeup tests are done to develop each character and a pallet was already in place before the makeup department came onboard. each character was carefully developed in the chair and photographed, discussed and polished before the actual shooting started. some characters take as long as 2-3 hours to makeup. some CGI elements were used to help create "depth" but worked alongside, not instead of, traditional makeup techniques. she concluded that it had been an "amazing" experience and that she was "proud of her departments achievements".

it's too bad the piece didn't get in.

[madscntst]

Wow, with all the tv spots and previews, and now these scenes on YouTube -- I think the entire movie is gonna be released in bits and pieces before the premiere.  LOL.   Seriously, haven't some other films been critisized for this type of promotion? Where most of the good stuff is released, sorta making the film anti-climactic?

Yeah, I agree to an extent, which is why I mentioned the other day that while I don't mind hearing a spoiler or two, I would rather "tread lightly" on them at this point.  I think what I really meant to say was that I just don't like to see too much of the movie before actually seeing the movie!  Of course I love to see bits and pieces- a trailer, some TV spots, some stills, but when it gets to be TOO much, I find myself instinctively pulling back a little bit.  It's a fine line!  So I think that I will defer on watching those YouTubes, as tempting as they are, until after I see the film, but thanks so much Sara for posting the links!  I know that I will want to go check them out after I've seen it!  And thanks also for the DVD release info- we have a ways to go until then, but the timing sounds just about right so I'll bet Sept. 26 will end up being right!

[michael c]

it's funny just about two months ago we were complaining that there was NO promotional material out there. i even recall speculation that the film's release date was being pushed back.

now we're inundated. i agree that there has been WAY too much spoilerish material released. especially for a film that's supposed to have an element of mystery. still i'm the one who's guilty for checking it all out.

that said these particular clips are not that spoilerish. not much is given away. we've seen more elsewhere. they're more little character sketches. and the "he's a vampire!" scene with julia and liz is really divine.

[Gothick]

Well, I for one enjoyed watching the clips.  They make the movie seem about five times more interesting to this viewer than ANY of the trailers which I have mostly found repellent.  But then, as a going-on-54 gay male eccentric who lives in a book-lined batcave, I'm hardly this movie's target audience.

The clips actually have me excited to see the movie now.  I had figured it would mostly be an exercise in masochism but I am seeing enough here to beguile me in between the kitsch and the inevitable toilet humor.

Reality check for anyone who cares:  NOBODY in the 1770s spoke the way the Barnabas character in this movie does--on stage or off.  I've read enough plays, letters, and memoirs of the period to be pretty confident in saying that.  I have no idea where SGS or whoever composed the dialogue came up with Barn's goofball way with words here, but Depp pulls it off.

One thing that fascinates me: [spoiler] Around 15 years ago in an issue of Dale Clark's zine Inside the Old House, I read an article by a fan who theorized that Liz in 1967, in our OS reality, *knew* when Barnabas arrived at Collinwood that he was a vampire.  The scenario was laid out with great care and attention to detail, and the person had studied the episodes really carefully.  I think the decision to make this factor an explicit part of the story this time around WAS a very clever twist on the original narrative, and Pfeiffer plays it much more brilliantly than I would have expected.  To be truthful, I had no thoughts one way or the other about Pfeiffer's casting.  From what I've seen to date, she may well be the best thing about this version of the story. [/spoiler]

Best,

G.

[Taeylor Collins]

I have to say as tempting as it is I am staying away.  I went to Spoilers Anonymous during Season Five of Charmed in 2002 and was cured.  I find it so much more fun to watch TVs, movies, etc without knowing what is going to happen. I know the general synopsis and have saw behind the scenes and pictures but that is far as I go.

However, I think it is great for those who were maybe on the fence.  For example it seems as if the clips are making more people happy on FB and on here! I just can't watch. I want to be surprised. But to those who watch out of curiosity and those who weren't sold on the movie I think it's great for them! 

[borgosi]

I love the clips. I heard both Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath. Those clips do more for me than any of the trailers. Thanks for posting them.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wow - so much to catch up on.

First off, thanks jimbo for the links. 

Secondly, we had not been alerted to the Coming Soon photo archive, and thanks so much for pointing us there, madscntst.    Several of the photos were new to me - but even when it came to many of the ones that weren't, I hadn't ever come across high resolutions versions of them, so it was a definite treat to find/download them. The archive is an invaluable source.

Thirdly, and unfortunately, I don't have any of the channels that borgosi shared will be having upcoming features on DS. And I'm pretty sure that I don't know anyone who has them, either. But I'll have my friends ask around their circle of friends and co-workers and perhaps we'll see. But if not, perhaps something of them will show up on YouTube or even on the DVD/Blu-ray. Though even if we may never see them, thanks so much for alerting us to them, borgosi. 

And speaking of the DVD/Blu-ray, fourthly, thanks for sharing the potential release date, Sara Monster. 

Fifthly, it's interesting that others have been feeling almost inundated with not just footage but spoilery footage because I've been feeling the same. (Even though I'm thrilled by it, I was really shocked by the inclusion of that major revelation in the featurette!) I love seeing new stuff in the TV spots, but it's getting to the point where I'm thinking enough already, save something for the film. So in that spirit, like madscntst and Taeylor Collins, I think I'll skip watching the new YouTube clips. (Though I will download them lest they disappear because they don't seem to have been uploaded by Warner Brothers, so who knows if they'll even allow them to remain on YouTube. But after I've seen the film and I'll probably be dying for the DVD/Blu-ray release, they'll no doubt come in handy to satisfy some of my craving.  So, thanks very much for providing the links, Sara Monster.  )

And finally, thanks for the link to that interview with Seth Grahame-Smith, Cousin_Barnabas.   Though I do continue to find it very odd that he keeps giving the impression that there was no humor in John August's script when three months before he came on board Richard Zanuck had already described August's script as "very funny." Though perhaps Zanuck's idea of very funny and Grahame-Smith's idea of it are very different.    But be that as it may, I do have to say that the more I hear from Grahame-Smith in his own voice, the more I like him. And I found many of the things he explained about his writing process to be very reassuring. I suppose we'll see...

12 days 12 hours 1 minutes 14 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

And that means less than two weeks to go!! 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

While downloading the other 7, I noticed that these 2 have also been uploaded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GxZTOlIDIs&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y8taaE4Lyo&feature=relmfu

12 days 11 hours 35 minutes 7 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[RachelDrummand]

Well this confirms it for me. *shakes head* It's a comedy and not a funny one at that. Awful...just friggin awful. Depp is trying to be more like Bela Lougosi than Barnabas and he fails at that too. With the exception of Michelle Pfiefer, I think everyone is miscast. The music is nice but it just off-sets the bad comedy and was never proof this was going to be a richly dark, Gothic movie that paid homage to the original/revival series. And the first clip is just a rip-off of Dracula: Dead and Loving it. *rolls eyes*

[madscntst]

I think I'll skip watching the new YouTube clips. (Though I will download them lest they disappear because they don't seem to have been uploaded by Warner Brothers, so who knows if they'll even allow them to remain on YouTube.

Egad, I hadn't thought of that!  I think I may do the same, in that case.  Just because I am beginning to feel a bit of overexposure- not necessarily for spoilers per se, but just in general- doesn't mean that I'm not greedy!    So yeah, download now, watch later- sounds like a plan!

[Cousin_Barnabas]

I have only one thought at this time:  Michelle Pfeiffer is this film's saving grace.  Is she going to be enough to salvage it from the nonsense lines about "balls," though? 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

From the TV spots I honestly get the impression that Barnabas is completely oblivious to what he said. And so long as the reactions of the others in the room aren't overplayed, meaning maybe a few smirks or some sort of Rogeresque remark from him, the scene will play perfectly fine. It would only be if they call undue attention to Barnabas' remark, like outright laughing and/or Barnabas embarrassment, that I would have a problem with it because then they'd be slamming the audience over the head with the notion that the remark is supposed to be a joke so get laughing. So long as it's underplayed and Barn remains oblivious, I say bring it on - partcularly if indeed we do get some sort of Rogeresque remark from him - and especially if Liz directs that piercing stare from the TV spot at him afterward. I would love that!

12 days 9 hours 25 minutes 22 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

[DarkLady]

Regarding that "Look into my eyes" clip, JF would never, ever have needed that silly, overdone hand gesture. And JD's Barnabas is sadly lacking in the fastidiousness of JF's. I'm waiting till I can watch this movie for free, and even then I might give it a miss.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

If the original series' directors had told him to do it, chances are Frid would have done it. But apparently they didn't think of it, which is actually surprising considering much of the other stuff they came up with...

And I'd say that the way Depp's Barn dresses would certainly seem to show that he has the fastidiousness of Barn on the original series...