RP Red Carpet Premiere: Yui's Gamble

[Yoerik]

Cosmos Theatre, Riverside, Kyoto
" This is Today Galactic Entertainment & Culture, with Okuma Rea."

" Welcome, viewers, to this night's main event: the premiere of what has been called the biggest film to come out this year, 'Yui's Gamble'. During this evening, the film main cast and crew will come over at this majestic venue to view their film in public for the first time, along with many notable critics and film prominent people. We will be giving you their opinions this night, the cast's experiences on set, and hopefully, some 'behind-the-scenes' knowledge that even we haven't heard before."

The Cosmos Theatre, the venue for the premiere, was packed full with reporters, photographers, and security to keep them of the carpet. Today Galactic, as the foremost news broadcast, was given a table near the entrance, to interview the stars. The first to arrive was the film's director, David Carter. "The first guests are arriving. It seems director David Carter is coming by soon, let's see if we can get some time with him." After Carter had posed before the endless horde of photographers, he went to Okuma for his interview.

" Good evening, Mr. Carter. How are you?"
" I'm good, Okuma. Really looking forward to everyone seeing the feature."
" So, David, can you tell anything substantial yet?"
" Haha. I wish I could. But I'm afraid I'm bound to secrecy until everyone here has seen it."
" Confirmed that, then. Okay, can you tell how the idea came to be?"
" To be true, Okuma, the story had been in my head for a long time, ever since the end of the war. It's been sitting on my shelf for a long time, and I didn't have the means, until a very talented came along. It's truly thanks to Yojo that the screenplay came into fruition."
" Off course you have worked with Yojo before. How important was he for the development process?"
" He essentially was the first one who took the stories that I collected and made it into a workable screenplay. He knew best how to bring these character, these real people who experienced this event, to live. And then there was of course Victor Strauss. He took my stories, and Yojo's screenplay, and he knew exactly how to portray those scenes on film."
" You mentioned Victor Strauss. He, of course, has been making movies for so many years. Now, if you look at this film, there's a lot of things that have the name of Strauss pinned to it. What did that mean to you?"
" Victor was amazing. He did so many things on this film. He produced it, he co-wrote it with me and Yojo, and he did a fantastic job behind the camera. He took the storyboard Yojo created, he took my directing, and he made the film move forward. He had this idea in his head of how I wanted to do it, and he ran with it. I couldn't have done it without him. And of course Henry Marcus, who did an elegant job of making such a good production design. They both took the weight of my shoulders, but the also did justice to the whole production."
" High praise indeed, Mr. Carter. Now the first thing that comes to mind at a film like this is how the actors portray these historical characters. You have experience in films like this, and with actors. How was it to create the ensemble that made up the cast?"
" I honestly had little to do with the casting process. George (Leward, casting director, red) had a general idea of the actors we wanted for the film from both the screenplay and Yojo's storyboard. And me and Victor both had the sense that we needed to blend in both veteran and new actors. George did a great job in that, but most of it came down to when we first met the cast."
" Do you have any particular people in the cast you enjoyed most directing?"
" Definitely Lucie Trondor. She has such a energy to bring to her character, and she had such a way with the crew on the set. She listened to my directing, but she was also determined to give it her own spin. I hope you'll enjoy her later."
" We certainly will. Unfortunately, our time is up for now. Mr. Carter, thank you for your time. Enjoy the evening and congratulations on your film."
" Thank you Okuma. I see you won't have a long pause, I think Strauss is just arriving. Enjoy your evening, too."

On the red carpet was Victor Strauss and his wife Mary. After the long pose on the carpet, he too approached the table.

" Good evening, Mr. Strauss. I just heard from David that you can't say anything plot related, but how was your experience in the film?"
" It was great, Okuma. Busy work, both producing and shooting, but it was great work."
" Now, Mr. Strauss, you've been working in this industry for so many years. What made this film stand out?"
" I have to say, most of all, the energy. David brought with him such an experienced way of directing, he knew what he wanted, and he really sent us all in motion."
" Now, this film is set around a historical event. How did you approach this feeling of authenticity behind the camera, in the way of shooting the scenes?"
" I think the best way to portray something like this comes from the actors, and the scenes they perform in. I think that for the most part, my job as cinematographer came from the idea that David wanted to tell the story through the characters, and so my focus was to bring those characters to live through the camera work. I also have to thank Freddy Grant, and Lucas Magall, our two camera operators. They really understood the way I wanted to shoot, and they really pushed the limit of their camera's and their crew. Really great work from them."
" Now, you've worked with Carter before. Was his direction any different from other films."
" In terms of his work, I don't think so. He has this clear idea, he relays it to the cast and crew, and we all get to work to get that idea on the screen. I think the one difference was that Carter was much more involved in the editing than he was before."
" Okay, Mr. Strauss, one final question: did anything go wrong on set?"
" Haha, now I don't know if I should tell this, because maybe Trondor will get mad, but we had to reshoot a scene for her with a stand-in wearing a wig."
" Thank you for this information. I think that's all the time we have with you, for now. Please, Mr. Strauss, go join the others, and enjoy your evening. Thank you."
" Thanks."

" The theatre is getting fuller. It seems more and more of the cast and crew are arriving. We will be back in a short term, after these messages."

(OOC: This thread is a RP-ing event related to this article: "Yui's Gamble". If anyone wishes to RP one of the cast or crew, or even a visiting critic, feel free to PM me.)

 

[Yoerik]

As the theatre was getting fuller, more and more of the cast and crew came to the table. The next one was Hansel Stammer, the composer.

" Welcome, Mr. Stammer. How nice of you to join us. How does it feel to have your name on a project like this?"
" Honestly, Okuma. I feel like I'm the new kid here. These people were involved for over three years. I just got here three months before opening."
" Now, Mr. Stammer, can you tell us about how you first perceived the soundtrack?"
" I think most of it initially came from the script. David had this idea of centring the story on these characters and their situation. I think my first idea was to create this sound that mimics that of the screenplay. I have to thank Edward Keaton, our editor. During our 'spotting session', as it's called, he really made me get the sense of how I had to construct the score."
" We've heard some of the soundtrack from promotional material and the soundtrack will be out tomorrow. How does the soundtrack fit into the visuals on screen?"
" The first thing that I created was this sense of repetition. This endless droning of sound. It works because it really symbolises this increasing intensity throughout the film, that only opens up the moment that the battle is won. Oh, spoilers. Well, it's a historical film, you would have seen it coming."
" I believe we did not know that yet. But oh, well. Anyway. Mr. Stammer. You've worked with so many directors and film-makers before. How was it working with David Carter?"
" David really was the mastermind behind it all. He first created the story, he got Victor to get it going, and he directed with such energy. Even in post-production. He was the one who essentially made me say 'yes' to this project. He was present for nearly all the recording sessions, giving me a sense of things I could do better. He really was directing me, even after shooting."
" That is good to know. I'm afraid that's all the time we have from Mr. Stammer. Thank you very much for this insight into your process. Enjoy your evening, and perhaps we will speak more later."
" Thank you Okuma. Now I believe Lucie is anxiously waiting to get her story to you. Best not keep her waiting."

" Our next invitee is one of the stars of the film, and she also took on producing duties. Ms. Lucie Trondor. Welcome. How has the evening been so far?"
" It's been absolutely fabulous, Okuma. The fans are so enthusiastic, the people are all excited. It's been great."
" Now, Ms. Trondor..."
" Please call me Lucie. I feel old otherwise. I'm not like these crew people."
" Very well. Lucie. How did you first get involved in this project?"
" I believe I was first called by George Leward who offered me a job in the film. I had little sense about what it was about. But when I got to the casting, I really felt that this film was an opportunity for me to tell a story through my character. And then I heard I had to play Ketsurui Yui."
" And was that an obstacle for you?"
" Not at all. In fact, Yui became an associate producer. She really focused on my performance, in order to make me as closely resembling to her as possible. She really guided me in my acting. That gave me much hope. Even though I've an actor nearly 20 years, each role still requires the same amount of effort."
" So how was the experience on set? We've heard from Carter that you were one of the most energetic ones."
" Really? That all comes down to David and Victor, seriously. David had such an enthusiastic sense to bring on set. He really knew what he wanted, but he also left us with a lot of imagination to fill our role with our own interpretation. And Victor had really a good sense of how to shoot the actors in a way that they were both exposed and vulnerable. His camerawork was real shaky at one point, and really stern in another."
" Now, Lucie, apart from acting, you were also part of producing, for the first time. How was your first experience in that?"
" Well, associated merely. But my work basically boiled down to assisting Lucas Hawthorne, and with scheduling shooting. It meant being on every set, even after my scenes were done. It really gave me an insight in seeing how the film cam together, from David's directing to Sarah's make-up between shoots."
" You mention Sarah Casbye. How did her make-up, as well as Julliette Haker's costumes, influence your acting?"
" They both did a great job creating a look that made the character believable. They really took away my feeling of unease, the thoughts of not looking like your character enough. Haker really had the job of meticulously recreating these historical costumes. But they felt great. I would be wearing one tonight if it was still intact."
" Well, Lucie, you look fabulous enough in this dress. Thank you for your words. Enjoy the evening, and we can't wait to see you on screen."
" Thank you. Had fun."

The theatre continued to fill up, but most crew were inside, casually talking to each other. " It seems that more and more people are getting inside. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Henry Marcus, producer and designer. We will be right back, and we have a short video of some behind-the-scenes footage, shot by unit videographer Amy Haines."

 

[Yoerik]

More and more people were joining in the theatre, with cast and crew mingling before the screening hall, eagerly awaiting their hard work on the big screen. As the behind-the-scenes footage concluded, Okuma came back into view.

" Welcome back, viewers. As you can see the hall is getting quite full, as more and more cast and crew are coming in. We are still awaiting Henry Marcus' arrival, but until then, we are now joined by Sound Designer Lighathe Nemro. Good evening Nemro."
" Good evening Okuma. Wonderful to see everyone here tonight."
" It sure is. Now, tell me, Lighathe, how was it like to design the sounds for a movie of this size?"
" It was a fun challenge, in short. But to tell the whole story, I was asked by Carter and actually especially Marcus to create a distinct pallete of sounds that made the film complete. I have to thank Frank Jonas for his editing work. He really had a massive job editing all my work and that of the set together."
" And what was the difference with your other work?"
" I think the scale was more important here. It is this vast screen of everything happening around you, and I had to carefully place every single sound at exactly the right place. And at the same time, I had to make sure not to overwhelm Hansel's work, which is also great. From a sound standpoint, I think it was most about integrating my design with his score, and Frank's recordings."
" And how did Victor's photography and Marcus' design work with that?"
" Oh Victor was great. He knew exactly what he shot, were he wanted the most sound, and what he wanted it to sound like, even more so than David. Luckily it was Marcus who knew the physical limitations of the set designs and special effects."
" Thank you for this interview, mister Nemro. We hear you seldom give interviews, is that true?"
" I'm not sure, Okuma. I think people just don't know my work very well, until they hear it."
" That certainly is true, and we have heard your work on so many works already. Not just this one, but also on The Cabinet trilogy, Uesu, and Galactic Conflict. What is your secret of doing it all these years?"
" I think it's the same as David and Victor; there is always a challenge in every film. It's always something different in every new film project we do. Every film brings something new to try out. That's the most fun: to try something new and see if it works."
" I am sure you had lots of fun in your work, and we'll carfeully listen to how it has come out. Thank you very much, mister Nemro. Have a nice evening and enjoy."
" Thank you, you too."

" Now there you have it, people. A rare meeting with Lighathe Nemro. It seems the halls are almost filled with the cast and crew. We are awaiting the final guests for this evening. And it appears Henry Marcus is now entering the theatre. Mister Marcus, good evening."
" And good evening to you, Okuma. What a wonderful night it has been so far."
" Now, we've heard from the others that we can't ask anything about the story, but can you at least tell how you developed the production with this story in mind?"
" Oh, yes, I think I can. The very first thing that came to mind from the script was how it was so centric. It was really about the characters, and not about everything happening around them. I think my first intentions were to create a design that reflected the real event, but not distract from the actors. I truly have to thank Carter for his guidance. He knew what he wanted from the set. Ikama Yojo was great in creating the storyboards. He really visualised what the design had to be to me."
" And how was working with David and Victor?"
" I have been working with them for only a short time; my father Chris had known them since the founding of NDE. I think they believe me to be my father's son. At least I have been trying to for a while. But anyway; David was a great boss. He knew us and the cast so well, he really wanted everyone's vision on it. He trusted me with the production design, because he wanted my expertise. As for Victor, he really had a way of bringing the sets to live with his shooting. He really brought my design to a whole new level."
" Now, Henry. You have been known for your cameos in both The Cabinet and Galactic Conflict. Do you have any role in this picture?"
" I can honestly say that I have an unspoken cameo as one of the bystanders. But I think I will be near inpossible to spot, as is Victor who's in the very next shot after me."
" We will have something to look for, then. Thank you Henry, and I believe you were one of the last entrants. Enjoy your picture, i am certain we will too."
" Thank you, I look forward to it."

" That is all for now. We will be back in about two hours, when we will hear the cast and crew's reaction, as well as some critics. For now, enjoy this week's episode of 'Quiz is it?', and we will be back afterwards."

The doors to the screening hall was opened, and the lobby slowly emptied. The press on the carpet would have to wait a while for the attendants to come out.