The Making of New Moon

With the success of Twilight last year, the pressure was on to deliver a better movie for New Moon. Fans cried foul early with the news that Chris Weitz will be taking over as the new director. This has put more pressure for the film makers as new characters are introduced and of course more CGI are needed for the coming wolves.

According to producer Wyck Godfrey,

“The challenge was to not simply repeat what the first movie delivered,” says Godfrey. “As the story progresses, the world opens up.

“Chris has a history of helming fantasy films with complex effects as well as intimate character studies, and he works well with young actors. But it is his appreciation of Stephenie Meyer’s books andcharacters that made him the perfect director for The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

“It was vital for us to really honor Stephenie’s creation and the fans that love the Twilight series,” Godfrey adds. “What we didn’t want to do was take her books and try to reinvent them. Chris fell in love with the books and he knew how to bring the story to life and keep it rooted in 4 reality. That was essential. Even though these are fantasy creatures, the story feels like our world all the time.” Although Weitz was initially unfamiliar with the novels, he quickly became a fan. “I read the books,” the director says. “Then I went to see the first film with an audience, and I was so jazzed by the extraordinarily deep emotional reaction I saw. When I watch a film, I look for an overwhelming sense of being immersed in a universe, and this was a chance to do that. It’s a bit different from what I’ve done before, but it also draws on some of my experience.” Weitz realized his foremost responsibility was to be faithful to the books. “I worked very, very hard at making sure things were just right in that sense,” he says. “The first film was such a phenomenon.

Director Chris Weitz agree and he consulted with the expert one of them all, Twilight author Stephenie Meyer.

Having the author available was invaluable to Weitz. “With Lord of the Rings, no one could ask Tolkien what he originally had in mind,” says the director. “I could email Stephenie and ask practical questions like, ‘Do Jasper’s powers actually work on Bella?’ as well as larger metaphysical questions. It allowed me to make sure that at all points that we were keeping consistent with the books.” Meyer appreciates Weitz’s diligence, saying, “He really listens. He’s very quiet and at the same time it’s very clear what he’s looking for. I felt my material was in good hands with him.” For Meyer, writingNew Moon was a completely different experience from writing the earlier book. “It was probably the most difficult book I’ve ever written because for the first time, I knew for sure people were going to be reading what I wrote. When I wrote Twilight, it was just for me. All of a sudden, I felt like people were looking over my shoulders. I had a lot of stage fright. “New Moon was such a different book and it wasn’t what the fans were expecting necessarily,” she goes on.

“The first book was about true love. The natural consequence of that, especially when you’re that young, is that you’re going to have your heart broken, and the more you love someone, the harder that’s going to be. 5 “Edward thinks he’s protecting Bella by ending the relationship,” explains Meyer. “He doesn’t expect the torment and the angst of being broken apart, which is a universal experience common to any male or female member of the audience. By the end, both of them have learned a lot about exactly how important they are to each other. Bella grows up quite a bit, and Edward has to realize that he doesn’t know everything.” Also central to the story is the friendship that develops between Bella andJacob Black, a werewolf and natural enemy of the vampires . “The stakes are higher,” says Weitz. “Now it’s not just Bella’s existence that’s in danger, but Edward’s existence as well. In terms of the story’s world, we get a look at new areas and corners of the mythology, and as the mythology expands, so does themovie. “Sure, we’re telling a story about vampires and werewolves and the supernatural,” the director continues.

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