Authors: Hans-Ake Lilja
My great regret is that we were not able to have my wife, Cynthia, play David’s mother. It just couldn’t work out.
Lilja:
Why do you think ABC agreed to let you do it so violent and graphic? Don’t they usually censor movies like
Desperation
?
Mick Garris:
Well, with the success they have with the King adaptations, they feel the audience knows what they’re in for. I honestly believe that had they been released theatrically,
The Stand
,
The Shining
miniseries, and
Desperation
would all have been rated R in the States.
We really pushed the envelope with all the King adaptations on ABC. One of the edicts from the network on
The Stand
was “no corpses with open eyes.” Well, in the very opening credits, the camera moves right into an extreme closeup of a dead woman’s clouded over eyes. And the last hour of
The Shining
broke all the rules ever made for network TV.
Lilja:
It’s extremely true to the book. Was that a goal for you?
Mick Garris:
Absolutely…as long as the story is well-told. I know as well as anyone that books and movies aren’t the same thing, and shouldn’t necessarily be. Movies are external, and books are internal. My work has been to try to externalize the internal in a cinematic way.
Riding the Bullet
was a real experiment in that direction. But King’s stories are very visual, cinematic, visceral. There are a few things missing from the book—how could there not be?—but I think only the most anal retentive of the readers will really notice.
Lilja:
It also has a very strong religious theme. What are your thoughts on that? Was it hard to translate to the TV screen?
Mick Garris:
It was difficult for me in a number of ways: one, I didn’t want David to come off too pious and holier-than-thou. Secondly, I am not a religious man at all. But, as in
The Stand
, my job was to tell the story as if it were the truth. You know, there aren’t ancient, half-cat, half-human
Sleepwalkers
, but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell their story.
Lilja:
As I said earlier, the movie is very graphic. Was there a specific scene that was difficult to shoot?
Mick Garris:
Honestly, there wasn’t a day that wasn’t difficult on this film. Everything that’s difficult about filmmaking, in a technical sense, is represented here in spades: children, animals, driving scenes, makeup effects, physical effects, special effects, uncomfortable locations and extremely uncooperative weather. This was every single day. And on top of that, we had to shoot six-day weeks, which, I have since found, almost nobody does anymore.
Lilja:
You also had a fire on the set of
Desperation
. Do you know what started it, and how did it affect the shooting?
Mick Garris:
Yes, there was an unfortunate accident on the set of the Rattlesnake Mine, which we built on temporary soundstages we constructed at the Tucson Convention Center. There were about thirty extras in the enclosed set, and a couple of stuntmen. During a cave-in that we staged, a light was broken, either by the fake falling rock or by someone accidentally kicking it. Apparently, that caused the dust to ignite, and made for a fireball. The scariest thing by far that I’ve ever been through. Two stuntmen received some burns, but no one was seriously hurt. It happened about twenty-five feet in front of me, and we were all shaking for days afterward.
Lilja:
You have had
Desperation
done for quite some time. Has it been frustrating that it’s taken so long for it to air?
Mick Garris:
Actually, they were always planning it for the May sweeps. May is the most important sweeps period, as it’s when the local stations around the company set their advertising rates. We thought they might want to accelerate post-production to get it on last May (we ultimately finished it in June), but that would have been a disaster, as the network had blown all of the year’s promotional budget launching
Lost
and
Desperate Housewives
in the preceding January. For a while, they talked about putting it on for February or November sweeps, but all of the other King films I’ve done for ABC have run in May. It’s flattering that they wanted to save it for the most important period.
Lilja:
Now that
Desperation
is done, do you want to continue with
The Regulators
, maybe with the same cast? Anything connected to King in your future?
Mick Garris:
We’re talking about some other possibilities, but
The Regulators
is not one of them. I think
Desperation
is the far more cinematic novel of the two, ironically, since
The Regulators
began life as a script years ago for Sam Peckinpah. As much as I like
The Regulators
, the movie within it is not as apparent to me. Again, not all books are movies.
Lilja:
Any last words before the fans watch your movie tomorrow?
Mick Garris:
Only that I hope they have a good time with it. Nobody respects King’s work more than the people who worked on this, and it’s something we’re all very proud of.
****
Brandon Kihl
Posted: May 24, 2006
Lilja:
Tell me a bit about yourself. Who are you and what have you done?
Brandon Kihl:
I am a self-trained sculptor and design artist currently living in Arizona (U.S.A.). I’ve only been involved in the film industry since 2004.
Desperation
was the first television movie production I’ve worked on, and it was a great experience. I’ve also contributed prop designs and creature character design concepts to other film and entertainment projects. Recent projects include foam carved props for the film
Roadhouse 2: Last Call
, and a fantasy sculpture of the Loch Ness Monster skull used as a promotional prop on the book tour for Steve Alten’s novel
The Loch
, published by Tsunami books.
Lilja:
How did you get to work on
Desperation
?
Brandon Kihl:
Mistaken identity. I was in the right place at the right time. I was mistaken for a crew member while shopping at a local hardware store in Bisbee, Arizona. Apparently, the crew had just moved into town and was setting up offices, but this was the first I had heard about the project. I left the store and drove to my brother’s house to get my portfolio, since I had only arrived in town the previous night. Later that day, I met with the local construction coordinator, Terry Kempf, who scheduled a subsequent meeting one week later with the art director Jason Weil and the production designer Phil Dagort.
Initially, I was asked to sculpt one of the small Can Tah figures using only a few reference photos which they provided. The next day I drove to the art department and showed them my version of the “Little God” figure. They liked my concept and decided to have me sculpt all six designs to be used in the film.
Within a few weeks the production designer offered me the opportunity to sculpt figures for the Pirin Moh cave set. During that process, I also became involved with producing other assorted props such as the detailed human skull replicas, railway spikes, rock props and decorative-relief foam carvings. All together, I worked on the project for over two months. It was a great opportunity to observe some of the filming on the various sets, and to meet the actors and crew.
Lilja:
What did you know about
Desperation
and Stephen King before this? Were you a fan?
Brandon Kihl:
I’ve been a fan of Stephen King for many years, but I had never read
Desperation
until the week I was hired to work on the film. For my second meeting in the art department I had the background information from the story to work up further concepts for the prop sculpture designs. It was fun being able to read the script after having just read the book, now knowing the actors who would be portraying the characters on screen.
Lilja:
How much freedom did you get in creating the Can Tah and the other stuff? Was it up to you or were you given strict guidelines?
Brandon Kihl:
The production designer and the art director actually gave me a lot of freedom to design the sculptures based on reference materials from the story, and photos of various animals and primitive artifacts. Mick Garris had the final say in the look of the first Can Tah figure, which set the design tone for the other figures. I sculpted three versions of the first design, two versions of the second, and one version for each of the remaining four designs. Afterwards, I was given a lot of freedom in designing the main set sculptures including the large pillar creatures on the Pirin Moh shrine.
Lilja:
Out of all the things you made for
Desperation
, what are you most proud of?
Brandon Kihl:
That would have to be the large doglike pillar creatures on the Pirin Moh set. Each figure was individually carved in foam and measured over four-and-a-half feet tall. They are actually enlarged versions of the Can Tah figure concepts and have a snake tongue protruding from a snarling creature’s mouth. The guys in the art department agreed that they wanted something large, doglike and scary. I sketched a couple of line drawings of a bear/wolf and snake tongue combination, and they liked the idea. I spent the next two weeks carving each figure in foam.
Lilja:
What was the most difficult?
Brandon Kihl:
That would also be the large pillar creatures. There was so much foam carving and detailing involved so the figures would match as close as possible without building a mold and making an exact replica. The small handheld Can Tah figures were also very involved because each of the six different designs were sculpted, molded and cast to produce twenty replicas of each design. The human skulls were cast hydrostone replicas of a real human skull which I had molded a couple of years earlier. They looked incredibly authentic after creating the assorted damage, missing teeth and aged bone effects.
Lilja:
The China Pit is very impressive. Was it complicated to do?
Brandon Kihl:
The mineshaft and demon’s lair in the cave were actually a combination of several different set sections and the result of many people contributing to the overall construction. I worked specifically on the shrine details, including the wall-carved faces, vulture head, and large pillar creatures. A sculptor friend assisted on the foam carving of the calcite rock-flow in the shrine archway. The construction crew built huge sections of moveable walls, and the crystal pit was done in three sections, each filmed separately. The scenic painters did a great job painting all of the sets and integrating the foam carvings.
Lilja:
So, what’s up next for you? More movies?
Brandon Kihl:
I am currently working on a feature film titled
The Kingdom
, for Universal Studios, which is filming here in the desert outside of Phoenix, Arizona. This one is a war movie, so there won’t be any creatures or monsters.
I hope to get involved with some sci-fi and horror films because it means more creature designing, sculpting and assorted prop building. I often enjoy the behind-the-scenes documentaries of film productions more than the movie itself, because you get to see all of the work that goes into creating the props, sets and special effects that people only see as the final product on screen. Most people have no idea how much work and how many people are involved in producing a movie. Each project is a completely different experience and you get to meet some incredibly talented people.
****
Steven Weber
Posted: May 26, 2006
Lilja:
You are one of the actors who has done many Stephen King movies and TV series. Is this something you think about? Do you seek out King projects?
Steven Weber:
I don’t seek them out. But they seem to be made with a certain frequency and by people who share my enthusiasm for King, so it is simply the law of averages.
Lilja:
Are you a fan of King’s work?
Steven Weber
: I do love King’s work, although I confess to not having devoured all of his books and stories.
Lilja:
When the TV version of
The Shining
was being made there was some talk about Kubrick’s version and King’s feelings about that version. What are your thoughts about the differences between Kubrick’s version and yours?
Steven Weber:
I don’t think I am betraying too much by saying that Stephen was never really satisfied with Kubrick’s version, however, liking it on its own merits. Basically, (in my opinion) Kubrick bowdlerized it, removing many of the elements that lent the story its depth and wide appeal, instead making an effective vehicle for his own style and for Jack Nicholson. Clearly, Mick Garris’s version is the book, to the last letter, which is how any author would want his or her work to be transcribed. Kubrick’s version has some amazing, iconic images that define modern horror movies. The miniseries version very much focuses on the human story elements, the marriage and the alcoholism.
Lilja:
Your latest movie is
Desperation
. How did you get the role as Steve Ames? Were you asked to do it or did you audition for the role?
Steven Weber:
For
Desperation
, I was offered the role of Steve Ames. An easy decision to make when the director is Mick Garris and the writer is Stephen King!
Lilja:
You have worked with Mick Garris on several movies. How is he as a director?
Steven Weber:
Mick is a true movie aficionado. Even a bit of a geek. But only when it comes to his love of film. He and I share a love of horror movies and get on very well, which is an asset for an actor/director relationship. He is easygoing but precise, and respects everyone on the set. In my opinion, in spite of the long list of great films he has helmed, his greatest one is yet to come.
Lilja:
Desperation
has been finished for quite some time. Has it been frustrating that it’s taken so long for it to air?
Steven Weber:
Luckily, I have been working since that movie wrapped. The real frustration is not the wait but the fact that I distrust the business and those who might be deciding the film’s fate. Once it’s made, a film is out of the filmmaker’s hands. It’s like having your child taken from you and you can only hope it’s in good hands.
Lilja:
Desperation
has a very strong religious theme. What are your thoughts on that?
Steven Weber:
The religion portrayed in the movie is, for many reasons, not as heavy as it is in the book. In America, religion has become a sticky subject, and although King handles it deftly in his book, presented on television for a mass audience was probably tricky. Clearly, it is essential to the story, to the understanding of the characters and their fates. But like much of what I believe of Christianity, its teachings are in the form of parables, and faith is strongest when it is not blind but when it is informed. That is what I believe is imparted in
Desperation
. For the story’s purpose there is a degree of supernatural activity to illustrate the religious or spiritual text, much as there is in the Bible. But the messages are not to be taken literally. If they were, their power and relevance would be utterly diminished.
Lilja:
Which of the four (
Revelations of Becka Paulson
,
The Shining
,
Desperation
or
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
) King adaptations you have done so far are you most satisfied with, and why?
Steven Weber:
Each of them has been satisfying for one reason or another. I did love
Revelations of Becka Paulson
because I wrote the adaptation and directed it and had an amazing time doing both. The actors were a joy to watch and, even though several elements I loved were ultimately edited out by the producer in his final cut, I was satisfied with the overall effect.
Lilja:
Next you have a role in the episode
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band
in TNT’s series
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
. Can you tell me a bit about that?
Steven Weber:
The TNT episode was adapted and directed by Mike Robe and stars Kim Delaney and myself as a “normal” everyday couple out on their holiday, driving around, seeing the country. They get lost and find their way into a town called Rock and Roll Heaven. Being a Stephen King story, I’ll let you guess what happens.
Lilja:
What’s up next for you? More King adaptations?
Steven Weber:
Right now I am busy working on a new series written and produced by Aaron Sorkin (
West Wing
) called
Studio 60
for NBC, a very much anticipated and very expensive show. As for more King stories…bring ’em on, big guy!
****
Mark Stutzman
Posted: October 21, 2006
Mark Stutzman has done the covers for most of King’s recent books. I thought it would be interesting to hear how a cover came to life, so I contacted Mark, who was kind enough to let me interview him. He also agreed to show me some of his early versions of some King covers. These have never been seen publicly before, so enjoy!
Lilja:
Tell me a bit about yourself. How did you become an illustrator?
Mark Stutzman:
I was always interested in art, but never knew much about commercial art until my junior year in high school. We had a student teacher visit my art class and she talked about careers in art. I was taken by the idea that I could create artwork for hire rather than conjuring images on my own in hopes of selling them. I enjoy the process of solving problems visually, so it’s a perfect fit for me. Often times art directors will come to me with their own ideas and it’s up to me to make them work. That can get me thinking differently and explore new kinds of imagery.
Lilja:
How did you get hired to do King’s book covers?
Mark Stutzman:
When my first King cover came in, I was already in a regular working relationship with the art director, John Fulbrook, at Simon and Schuster. We worked well together and had probably about six covers behind us when
From a Buick 8
came out. I think John picked me because we were accustomed to batting ideas around with each other. I have great respect for his opinion and trust that he’s guiding me in the right direction. Sometimes I can get too hung up on images and not think about how it will actually work as a cover.
Lilja:
How do you work when you do the cover? Do you read the book, a draft, a summary, or is someone telling you how the art should look?
Mark Stutzman:
Often times a summary is enough when doing a book cover. Sometimes author’s notes or the publisher’s suggestions will work. In the case of the King covers, I’ve always read the books. It’s to my benefit since the books are rich with imagery. In fact, it’s sometimes hard to focus in on just one idea since the books have so much visual content.
Lilja:
Do you get a lot of freedom when you do the covers?
Mark Stutzman:
Initially, I’m given full freedom to explore ideas. I will come up with a dozen or so thumbnail sketches to show the art director. I like to show a lot of different directions to inspire new ideas from the art director. It’s a rare case that an original sketch is followed through on verbatim. Sometimes ideas are combined to make a better new idea. When we worked on
From a Buick 8
, the only stipulation John had was that he didn’t want a dark macabre cover. He wanted it to be different from the usual solution and have an eerie feeling without the typical look.
Lilja:
What is the process of making a cover, from the time you get the offer to do it to when you hand in the finished cover art?
Mark Stutzman:
The process begins with reading the manuscript. I take notes and draw little pictures here and there to keep a running list of ideas. Then I work up a bunch of thumbnail sketches to email off to the art director. We’ll hash out the good from the bad and figure out which ones have the most potential. Then I’ll work up some tighter versions of the thumbnails, say three or four, to see if they work at a slightly more refined stage. We’ll discuss these further and start to talk about color, type placement, whether the image will wrap around or just be a cover, etc. I then will do tighter versions of what the art director feels are the best ideas. At this stage we usually have our favorite and will push for that one, but we’ll still provide some options. These are often shown to the author, or at least the editor, for input. Stephen has always been great with reviewing sketches. He’s enthusiastic, but still invests the time to put in his two cents. On
From a Buick 8
he broke the news to me that I had chosen an antique car from the wrong year according to the manuscript. Because he liked the car grill so much, instead of making me change it, he changed it in the book to match the art. How cool is that? On
Everything’s Eventual
, he came up with the idea to put “Oh God please help us” on the napkin, and for
Cell
he suggested adding the baby shoe to the spine, an image that got lost in the shuffle of ideas.
Once all the input is taken in I work up a final tight pencil. To do this it generally requires shooting photographic reference, or visiting junkyards as I did for
From a Buick 8
. For
Everything’s Eventual
I set up an entire dining room complete with blood. For
Cell
I mixed up a bloody concoction and poured it on a downtown sidewalk to reference the effect. The stain lasted for weeks and I was concerned I might get fined for destruction of public property. The art director and editor will look at the tight pencil once more and make any final comments before I go to color. The author may or may not be involved at this stage.
Finally, I begin to paint in watercolor and do the finishing touches with airbrush and gouache, opaque watercolor. The airbrush layer is used to refine and enrich the colors to give it more of an oil-painting look.
Lilja:
How much time are we talking about from idea to finished art?
Mark Stutzman:
This can vary greatly with approval times and deadlines. I have a cover I’ve had on hold for about a year now. The King covers usually happen in a couple of months since the publication dates are rather strict.
Lilja:
You did the cover for
From a Buick 8
,
Everything’s Eventual
,
Cell
and now lately the cover for
Lisey’s Story
. Do you have a favorite?
Mark Stutzman:
I think
Everything’s Eventual
is my favorite. I like the contrast of the pristine environment with the chaotic back cover. The single drop of blood in the water glass was the art director’s idea. The drop of blood was stolen, literally, and used on another book cover, only in a milk bottle. I guess that means it was a good idea.
Lilja:
Is it frustrating to do an illustration like the one for
Lisey’s Story
and then see that they have only used a very small part of it for the finished cover?
Mark Stutzman:
It was a hell of a lot of work, but I knew going into it what the plan was. The art director wanted the book to have more of a packaging feel, and I think it was brilliant on his part. It gives the book a presence and plays well with the story, if you’ve read it. Part of the thinking with the cover was that people often read books in public places, so the art director didn’t want the cover to be too wicked. What could look more innocent than a bunch of flowers?