I was just about to go drown myself in Pabst and orange juice when a tipster sent me an email with the words “Hunter, What Do You Think?” and a link to the following vid. I can’t believe what I just watched. It appears to be a clip from Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are, and while the visual effects for the Wild Thing’s face are off, as is the voice work (think Showbiz Pizza: The Movie), this would go along with the reasons we’ve heard for the film being pushed back to 2009. As for the child actor playing the character of Max in the clip, is this the same young actor, Max Records (real name), that we’ve seen in the official still from the film? It’s hard to say, but my gang of Gchatters from coast to coast, including Peter, say it doesn’t look like him. I agree.
So, is the clip a fake? And if so, who would make such a precise fake, clearly as an inside joke, as there is little doubt that most of this was shot on film? A friend in New York says he heard last night that The Kid America Club, a ragtag group of New York hipster party animals who utilize similar wild thing-ish costumes and have considerable resources, may be behind this. What the hell? I don’t buy it, but if it’s fake, those maniacal hipsters are prime suspects as they knowingly operate in the same concentric circles as Jonze (and purportedly had talks with Showtime for their own show a few years ago).
The clip has a voyeuristic, sun-spotted quality and there is an inherent weirdness present that would go along with what sneak preview audiences have reported. The first few seconds even contain music that sounds like it’s taken from Beck’s Odelay, another Jonze bud. I am at once bothered by how unfinished this is and totally digging it. Throw some Karen O on the creative pyre, and I’m beginning to think that Jonze and Dave Eggers, who wrote the screenplay, may have quite a bit of deranged magic in store for us, much to Hollywood’s chagrin. And after There Will Be Blood, this is the only children’s movie suitable for Paul Dano.
But if this clip is ersatz: Greatest Hipster Prank of All Time!
February 16th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
All I know is that when we put the clip up last night, Warners called us 10 minutes later asking us to take it down (so expect the same reaction). I asked where it came from and they had no idea. They did not say it was a fake, only that it was not an “approved clip.”
However, when Buzznet took the clip down, they claimed it was user generated. Also, this scene is nowhere in the book (though that doesn’t mean all that much).
And that kid looks a lot chubbier than the version of Max we’ve previously seen.
Conclusion: Probably a fake. But a damn good one.
February 16th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I swear, that’s the trippiest thing I’ve seen in ages. It’s out there man.
If the whole movie is like this…Wah? Most off beat editing I’ve ever seen.
If it’s a prank. They win. They win big.
February 16th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Either way, it is a beautiful clip.
I was a Children’s Lit major at University and this book is the reason why. I have the wild rumpus tattooed around my left thigh. I hope to God this movie DOES NOT go into studio-locked hell.
These costumes and the cast list are amazing. I can’t wait to see what Catherine O’Hara does for one of the Wild Things!!!
And, yes, Erik Davis, I imagine there will be a lot in the film that isn’t directly from the book. The book is short and vague in it’s content and the bulk of it is purely art. What the content of the film is is completely up to Jonze and his team.
February 16th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Definitely a fake, but WOW! I wonder if they filmed the entire movie.
February 16th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
If Warner’s had them take it down it is probably there property. Could be a camera or costume test. Maybe a facial animation test. Who knows.
I would hope that this isnt an actual scene from the film though..
February 16th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Yeah, It’s Beck’s “Jackass” that opens the clip. While the clip is pretty awesome, i was expecting a little more from Jonze, which leads to me beleive, or hope, that it is a fake. The 2 stills have a haunting, magical quality about them, and Id hope our first teaser would have he same effect.
February 16th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
i’m stumped, but the real movie - if its as dark as we’re hearing - will be remarkable.
February 16th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Gotta be fake (or as previous poster suggested, a test) You can clearly see the Griffith Observatory on the mountaintop in one of the shots - not likely that would make it into a movie.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
The sound is off (very echo-y), and the guy seems unsure of his lines or something, cause the dialogue is weird. Probably a test.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Fake. Whatever points they get for special effects are instantly taken back for writing and editing. Stay in film school, kids.
also, per Hunter’s rant………hipsters suck. Just throwing that out there.
February 16th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
The voice-work is very primitive and unpolished, if this is an official clip it must have been released before the sound work had been finished. Although, why would a clip be released with unfinished sound work? It all doesn’t make sense.
However, I am loving the visual style of the clip. Wild Thing looks a bit off but I still think he looks rather cool. Hopefully we hear confirmation on whether or not this is the real deal.
Cheers,
-Larry_Chimp_Man from MediaZEALOT
February 16th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
I’d like to assume that this is some sort of a test. Either way, I cannot wait to see this movie.
February 16th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
My bet is on this thing being a test for animation and the likes (a lot of brilliant things are going on there and the characters look amazing) and not some Jonze scheme or elaborate fake.
It’s weird, but you can feel the vibe of the movie from this single clip– the ending is, for whatever reason, pretty haunting and beautiful. Never once did I think I’d get that stirred up by the line ‘yeah, robots are the best.’
February 17th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Well, if that is a real line from the film, I think it’s great. “Yeah, robots are best”. It’s almost like Max is reaffirming to the Wild Thing why imagination is dying. I think what Jonze might interpret from the book is that the Wild Things are imagination. Pure Imagination. Max’s Imagination. The wild thing turning and leaving after Max’s comment is beautiful. Then the Wild Thing reaffirming Max’s statement is powerful.
In my imagination Wild Things are best. Not robots.
February 17th, 2008 at 12:55 am
I would bet my left nut that this is a) directed by Spike Jonze, and b) scored by Carter Burwell. This is genuine.
February 17th, 2008 at 5:17 am
***SPOILER ALERT***
Okay, I’ve seen this movie. I can tell you that this clip was NOT in the cut I saw. And that isn’t Max (at least I’m 95% certain it’s not)
However…
That IS one of the monsters from the movie, so it’s possible that this is a deleted scene, or a sequence that is not in the movie (I heard they were doing reshoots). The monster’s name is Carol and he’s voiced by a very famous, very recognizable actor (sound is a little wonky on my computer right now so I can’t tell if its him in this clip or not).
The lighting, pace, tone and overall style of this clip is dead on from the cut I’ve seen. Except no Beck– they were using mostly Arcade Fire songs (please God let them use “Rebellion” for the final cut) and an acoustic Yeah Yeah Yeah’s song for the temp score.
Were I to guess, I’d say this was a test clip– not something from the finished film, but probably made by the same people.
I hope to God that the studio doesn’t fuck this one up. The rough cut I saw with almost no finished visual effects, a temp, score, and actor’s lines being only partially replaced by a new actor was still one of my picks for movie of the year.
February 17th, 2008 at 5:27 am
Okay, I’m an idiot and it’s really late and I’m tired. Upon a second viewing I realize that the kid calls the monster by name, so I can’t use that tidbit to legitimize my claim.
But yeah, that’s the Griffith Park Observatory all right (and I believe the movie was shot in Australia).
I’m going with special effects test on this one. Carol is too perfect to be a fake unless it’s like that short film where the guy got the actual Alien and Predator costumes and used them in his short batman film with the guy who played Boner on family ties as the joker (can someone name that tune for me?)
February 17th, 2008 at 7:51 am
@Cinemaniac1979-
that’d be Batman Dead End.. it’s on YouTube… my friend did the original soundtrack (that replaced the one using copyrighted tracks)
February 17th, 2008 at 9:29 am
The kid didn’t have on his crown…. in the book don’t they immediately make him king of the monsters?
February 17th, 2008 at 10:49 am
But isn’t that Benicio Del Toro’s voice?
February 17th, 2008 at 11:17 am
I think it’s a screen test
February 17th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Fake or not. I think it looked pretty dang good. If they changed that voice it would be way better. I was digging that clip though.
February 17th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Screen Test! that’s the phrase I was looking for!
It might be, but that’s not who voices him in the movie.
February 17th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I’m betting it’s a screen test
February 17th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Someone on another site suggested that this was an FX test (different from a screen test).
Yet another person said Carol sounded like Sean Penn…
February 17th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Has it been removed? I can’t get it started…
February 17th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
The sound reminded me of those “DVD Extras” : deleted scenes that didn’t make it through the full production process before being cut. This looks like an official animation test, especially with the fade at the end.
February 17th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Yeah, Screen test for costuming, FX and Voice work, I bet. That’s why the acting is bad and the VO is choppy and inconsistent. If you’re doing an FX test for something like an animated face you want a range of inflection and breaks to accurately test ALL the facial motions. This Wild Thing goes from playful to sad and despondent in a few lines. Perfect for a camera/screen/FX/animation/costume test.
February 18th, 2008 at 3:45 am
“concentric circles”????
Hunter, take your head out of your ass because you sound like a pseudo intellectual wet fart.
If you did your homework, you would know that the studio has been holding a number of test screenings. As a result of said screenings, it is common knowledge that the cg faces you see in the clip were exactly that - tests. Test screenings are to “test” the audience reaction to any number of things, in this case the cg faces…as well as the intellect of lazy fanboy “journalists”.
“Greatest Hipster Prank of All Time!”
Hunter…are you serious?
February 18th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Jaywalker you’re such a dick. Never mind the studio saying they had no idea where the clip came from, and then telling Buzznet that it was probably user generated, because dicks know more than the source. Now heres a stretch, this Chef Boyardee commercial- http://youtube.com/watch?v=6rTzaDEk9Bo Looks like Goat Boy amirite? He seems to fit the dimensions of the smallest wild thing. And what’re the odds of them using a big ass animatronic goat-man to portray the part of the beast? Could this be an early attempt by Warner to familiarize kids with the Wild Things and maybe temper the fear factor that goes along with the story?
February 18th, 2008 at 9:03 am
If I did my homework? Do you not see where I mention those very test screenings above and the film’s release delay until 2009 due to unfinished CGI?
As of right now, the clip still hasn’t been officially confirmed and at the time we received it (Saturday night), nobody on the Nets knew if it was real or not. The child actor in the clip is not the same actor in the movie, and the voice work is still being nitpicked (Sean Penn? Del Toro? Random stoner?) Even Moriarity at AICN, who has seen the entire movie, called the clip “odd.”
But yeah, it now appears to be a strange bit of test footage for Jonze’s flick. Like I said before, if it was fake, who could pull it off? I thought it was connected to the film from the get-go, as did Peter, even when many had serious doubts.
And no, I’m not so serious.
February 18th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Chef Boyardee??? Hunter, please tell me you’re kidding.
Look, all insults aside, Jonze made the decision to shoot everything live action save for the faces and the word on the street is that may not have been the best way to go. It’s rumored that the studio called in vfx designers from ILM, Weta, etc. and everyone said the same thing - why didn’t you do the creatures all cg to begin with?
Turns out that it’s much more difficult than Jonze or his vfx designer/supervisor anticipated. Remember, they didn’t do MOCAP, this was all live action with the idea of replacing the faces on the creatures in post. This sounds simple enough but in fact, is not. It’s incredibly time consuming and expensive as you gotta create multiple photorealistic cg faces with Gollum like emotion / expression before the grunts can even begin to composite, track and rotoscope the faces, all the while matching the natural lighting conditions the creatures were shot in. The last time something close to this was done, they gave the guy a bunch of Oscars (LOTR) so you know it’s no easy task.
All the tests (like the one we’re arguing) thus far have been rejected by Jonze and the studio and I imagine we’re seeing this latest clip as a way to gauge the temperature of the fanboy body. I’ll bet a burger they shot this scene well after the fact, perhaps recently, making it just “off” enough that should it be rejected by geekdom, they can simply deny ownership. Just a theory…
Anyway, Jonze is Jonze and it may take more work than expected but if anyone can come out of this looking like a genius, it’s him.
And yes Hunter, I am a dick.
February 18th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
i think when ppl said “screen test” they meant it differently than when they screen films for audiences to gauge their reaction. this looks like it’s simply a proof-of-concept fx segment to see if the fx are acceptable to director/studio/stake holders…
hey jaywalker, where did you read about the backstory of how jonze filmed the movie? sounds really interesting. mocap and other tracking methodologies would have made it infinitely easier, but fx technology is getting so good i think digital shops would be able to find some points on the puppet to track for movement and lighting… probably comes down to a question of cost and the project going over budget. ILM was able to create all those under sea pirate effects by mainly tracking eyes in the actors so having the actual puppets there should provide something trackable. I didn’t have a problem with the effects to be honest (might take that back if i saw a theatrical resolution version). what seems to be tripping up the fx shops (IMO) might be the exact balance between realism and surrealism due to the fact that the monster’s head and facial anatomy don’t lend themselves to much realism. oh well.
February 18th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
@ jaywalker
I watched the YouTube clip. I don’t see the conec b/t that commercial and the WTWTA clip above.
Right, everything you’ve just said aligns with what’s been reported from the test screenings and inside reports thus far. And…
Never called you a dick. “T Hunter” is not me, and I have no idea who the person is.
February 18th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
i don’t think that’s beck’s ‘jackass’ it sounds more like the original song he sampled which was van morrison ‘it’s all over now baby blue’.
February 19th, 2008 at 1:52 am
all real/fake arguments aside.. this video made my heart explode (in a good way)
February 19th, 2008 at 8:39 am
soo——
anyone think this is oddly close to a jackass gag? hit me as hard as you can?
also as for the observatory and the dialogue- there are a lot of CGI fx that we dont usually think of which can involve removing small features such as background details like that. as for dialogue- alot of times films requiring “looping” sessions in which actors can substitute in their voices for clearer dialogue- like in a club or in a noisy street. that and if its a test it prob didnt0 go through a proper mix.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:20 am
If the problem is that the Max isn’t the same that everybody is claiming - less chubby, I think I’ve read - then that can also be explained by the screen test. The observatory as well. If they were testing the look of the costumes/FX, it could have been done well before actual production, with the use of anonymous extras/children/monsters just to get the feel of things. Likewise for location - they probably just needed woods.
I’m not sure about the clip proper, but I’m reasonably certain that this has potential to be something pretty great. Just because it’s Jonze, though.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Uhh, Hunter Stephenson, it’s pretty obvious that Jaywalker knows you didn’t call him a dick. His entire reply is clearly aimed at T. Hunter who addressed him above you. Now, pay attention, this is important: Note Jaywalker’s mention of the Chef Boyardee clip. Did you mention this? No, T. Hunter mentioned this. You know this. Jaywalker also knows this. It just irritates me that you completely fumbled the proverbial ball not once, but twice– first by incorrectly replying to Jay as if he was the one who gave the link to the Chef Boyardee clip (that would be T. Hunter), then moments later AGAIN by simultaneously having the mental dexterity to aknowledge the presence of the ‘other’ Hunter (T. Hunter), yet failing to process that perhaps Jay was responding to him/her rather than yourself (which he was). I dunno–I’m just utterly boggled at how one could slip up and get confused over something so utterly simply. It literally angers me, despite my not knowing anything about you. Indeed, what a horrible asshat you became during the fleeting moments in which you wrote that unneccessary explanatory bit to Jaywalker at the end of your last reply regarding how it wan’t you who called him a dick. Well, no shit Sherlock. Appy polly loggies–I just felt this was something that really, really needed to be aknowledged in an awkwardly lengthy paragraph. Kudos for posting this clip, as it is bizarre but in a favorable way.
February 21st, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I’m saying this is probably a clip that someone was editing the movie (Lack of music, voices aren’t ditgalzied,etc), and was told by the studio that this needed to be clip, and the editor sent it to a friend, who sent it to a friend, repeat 500 times.
If they do re-shoot the entire film, someone save this to your desktop cause in 10 years, Warner when asked about this cut will be ‘What Spike Jonze cut’
I’m gonna keep repeating the line ‘Robots are the best…’
I think this film will also ask like, ‘Where the imagination of our youth gone???’
February 21st, 2008 at 8:59 pm
that clip was a test clip wayback in 2005. haven’t seen the real clip and would like to see it.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:30 am
This was a screen test shot in June 2005 in Griffth Park. The two actors are Sean Penn as Karol and Griffin Armstorff as Max. It was shot by Spike Jonze. The scene was all improv by both actors.
February 24th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
It’s definitely Benicio Del Toro as Carol. You can hear his accent.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:29 am
if it’s a fake, and it’s not a scene in the book, please put it up again, warners cant do anything.
May 17th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
height. natural And grapes, scissors are all a scientist. become things. could reach. even attempt. huge tree