Disclaimer: Please bear in mind, that these answers are based on my own personal experience, and by no means am i saying that they will or wont be applicable to other people.






Hey everyone,

So here it is, the 'ten answers' to the questions that you guys have left on my comment section!!! I apologize in advance if your questions weren't picked, but there were so many, and I had to cherry-pick my favourites! Some of the questions were similar so I grouped them together....

I had so much fun answering them...though it was a nightmare sorting and compiling the questions! lol.

Thank you so much for all your responses.

love and respect,
me


Q and A:

-What did you wanna be when you grew up? – from Scream Queen
When I was a little kid, I wanted to be one of two things. A magician or a ninja. Hmmm, yes. I was young.
Now that I'm a film-maker, it's like being a magician. I create illusions and fantasies on the screen. Maybe I'll make a movie about ninjas and I'll complete my childhood fantasy!


-How was it working with such a great actor as Kevin…? - from MAC
-My question is pretty simple. How was it like to work with Kevin Bacon? Was he your first casting choice? – from Simon Vandelay
Now a lot of people in this business give the standard PR answer about how well they get along and how much they enjoy each other's company, and usually, that isn't the case.
However, on Death Sentence, that is truly the case. As much as I would like to bitch about them, I couldn't. The cast of this movie are some of the best I've worked with. From Garrett Hedlund to Kelly Preston to John Goodman, and of course, Mr. Kevin Bacon himself. He was so professional, down-to-earth and truly collaborative. I learned a lot about the biz by working with him. He, indirectly, taught me how to navigate the treacherous waters of Hollywood and not to lose myself in it.
Myself and all the younger actors (ie. the gang members) really looked up to him. He was like the wise, older brother!
Kevin was in my top three choices and I'm so glad that I got him. People are going to be reminded again as to why he's one of the finest actors out there.


-How have you personally approached working with your actors on each of your films? – from Adam Barnick
As a director, I've found that I have to approach each actor differently. Everyone has a different temperament and sensibility. It's important for me to collaborate with my actors and find out what works best for them. This helps me to extract what I want out of them.


-Question: did you ever thought about the effect SAW1 could have on people before it was released? not just that it became a "good horror" but a movie that indeed saved people from self-destruction? – from deserted soul
I'm surprised and amazed at how much of this I hear from young people. I think the film has connected with the younger generation in a bigger way than I could ever imagine.


-OK this is a question about a director's influence in the marketing department (since this whole Q&A is about PR). Do directors have any real power or need in the marketing of their movie? Or is it all ultimately up to the studio? – from Jared
It is ultimately up to the studio…unless you're Ridley Scott or someone big like that. But usually the marketing department love to hear your ideas, since after all, you're the film-maker and has the best take on the material. Though, just because they listen to you, doesn't mean they'll do it. LOL.
Fox Atomic has been very collaborative and I love the stuff that they're coming up with for this film.


-Is Death Sentence written by you or are you directing from other material? – from Ms. 357
-Seeing as how Death Sentence seems to be so different from both SAW and Dead Silence (like, genre-wise and whatnot), what drew you to go for directing Death Sentence?- from allana
-why did you decide to make death sentence an action flick instead of a horror flick? – from Lonnie
-What was it like stepping out of a genre you seem so natural with and taking on a completely different kind of movie? – from Anonymous Henchman
For me as a director, I think it's important to mix things up. Been pigeon-holed as a 'one-genre filmmaker' is very limiting. I'm a fan of all kinds of movies. One day, I hope to make my romantic comedy…but that's a different story ?
So naturally, when the script for Death Sentence came across my desk, I was intrigued. I love the revenge sub-genre and thought that this might be a good segue out of horror and into the action genre…but yet, still retain that kind of intense film-making I love. When I read the script, I thought the screenwriter, Ian Jeffers, did such a great job at making Death Sentence a taut thriller but yet a character-driven movie. His adaptation of Brian Garfield's novel of the same name was what Kevin Bacon and I fell in love with. I think people are going to be surprised that this isn't just a throw-away exploitation movie.
Having said that, Kevin and I both really wanted to make a kick-ass action thriller too! In this age of over-done CGI action movies, I wanted to hark back to old-school, in-your-face action with crazy stunts! Kevin and Garrett Hedlund did a lot of their own stunts.
I'm very proud of this film and I don't usually feel that way about any of my work. I think Death Sentence is the best thing I've done as a director so far.



-Hey James, my question is about Death Sentence. I was wondering if you are going to reference any other of your films in this project. - from David
-Will Billy have a cameo in this film? – from nick
Hell yes!!! Billy the ventriloquist dummy from the first SAW film makes another cameo in this one. He's my 'Hitchcock cameo' instead of myself. I'm not gonna spoil the fun by telling you guys where he is…you have to spot him for yourself :)


-Hey James, Here's my question: I'm an amateur filmmaker, and of course my dream is to be a successful director such as yourself. Do you have any advice? …I'm sure this question can apply to many like me who are looking for a big break. – from Mark
-Q: Can you talk about your earlier years... about your transition from Saw the short film, into Saw the feature...how did you "get your break" as we say? – from Brett
-My question: Do you have any advice for young filmmakers, especially for those who are interested in working the horror genre? – from kim
Ok, so I think this is the one question that I constantly get all the time. I'm going to take this opportunity to answer it here. It's very difficult to give one umbrella-advice, because we're all in individual situations. The best way for me is to talk about it from my own experience and see if it's applicable for you.
Leigh Whannell likes to describe 'Saw' as an accidental horror film. When Leigh and I first met in film school in Melbourne, all we wanted to do was make a film. Not a horror film. Not an action film. Just a film. It didn't matter what genre it was. We would get together regularly and talk about the movie we were eventually going to make, and in doing so we became best friends and kept hanging out long after film school was finished. Leigh had a pretty cool job on a TV show in Australia, and I worked at a small production company – but neither of us wanted to do it forever. We just wanted to make a film.
Out of frustration, we came up with the idea for 'Saw' and had decided that the only way we were ever going to make a film was if we paid for it ourselves. We sat around trying to come up with the cheapest idea possible, and finally hit upon the story of two guys stuck in a toilet for ninety minutes. It suited our budgetary limitations perfectly. We decided it was going to be a taut, Panic Room-style thriller. We didn't want to come up with a 'big budget story' that was out-of-our-reach and unrealistic…we knew we were only capable of making a small movie, but we wanted it to be really good.
So we spent a long time, almost two years, honing the script…because we knew the script was the most important weapon in an indie film-maker's arsenal. We didn't settle for anything less than what we thought was the best.
Now, the irony was, because we had spent so much time and effort in crafting the script, it started to get the attention of a lot people.
Leigh and I then did something to help propelled our project above all the thousands of indie scripts out there- we short a scene from the script, and used it as a tool to help sell me as the director and Leigh as an actor. It became somewhat of a calling-card. This, along with the script, clinched the deal. Producers at Twisted Pictures saw the short, read the script and realized our vision for the project, decided to take a chance on us.
Now, Leigh and I have always said, 'we haven't done that many smart things in our lives, but shooting that short was one of the smartest things we've ever done.'
And thus, SAW was born.
(Now, I'm not saying that any of this will work for anyone, but it did for us.)


Oooh - I missed the "juicy gossip questions" part of your blog entry, hehe...so in saying THAT... Be honest - did you ever tell Shawnee Smith the REAL reason why you picked her to play Amanda? ;) And hey - I don't blame you either...she is a sweetie!! :) – from Matt K.
LOL. I think Shawnee found out that I had a school-boy crush on her when she listened to the audio commentary (on the first SAW DVD) where Leigh and I talked about it.
Shawnee left a message on my phone, teasing me about this…needless to say, I was too embarrassed to call her back :)


-James, are you a boxer man or are you into briefs? – from Mike Mendez
Lastly, the most important question… Mike, I'm a briefs man. No sagging balls here!



Thanks all :D