Interview with Michael J. Bassett and Adelaide Clemens (Forbes)Date published: 2012.10.26 What’s a favorite video game memory from your gaming days? Bassett: The single best gaming experience for me I played the first Unreal, the first person shooter. There’s a moment when the Skaarj warrior appears for the first time and I went, “Games can be like movies. I can get that kind of visceral experience. It’s true. It’s true.” What games did you play? Bassett: I was a PC gamer rather than a console gamer. Alone in the Dark scared the crap out of me. But when it was just still like pixels moving around, The 7th Guest, The 11th Hour, those were good. Now more recently I think Heavy Rain is a really, really good game. I like God of War. I’d like to make that movie actually. If anyone’s watching, could I make God of War, please? I’m playing Silent Hill Downpour at the moment because I have no time. I’ve been away shooting. So I finally got the new Silent Hill game as well. How did you work with the game developers on this film? Bassett: We didn’t develop it with them, but what we did is when we first decided to make this movie, we talked with Konami and the games guys. We said we’re going to take your world and develop it and make something of it. I went to the Czech Republic, where they did the new game, to meet them and talk with them explain my idea about the film. We all figured it was the same world we were creating. So they said great and we went off and did our thing. They did their game. I did my movie. Where does this fit into the whole mythology on the gaming side? Bassett: This is a sequel to the movie, but it’s also an adaptation of game 3. We skip over game 2 and go to game 3 and we continue Health Mason and Sharon Da Silva’s story. We find out who she is and where she came from. She becomes a really feisty young heroine and we throw her into the action and have her kick some ass. What are your thoughts on the strong female protagonists video games bring to Hollywood? Clemens: As an actress it’s so exciting to see that. I think this is the most physical role I’ve ever played and you have to be so aware. What’s really amazing about how we shot the film is that a lot of the shots were constructed, so as an actor I felt like I was a gamer and you make a decision about where you’re going. You have to have that thought process that a lot of people have when they’re sitting at their game console. The physical challenge was the most exciting. Bassett: Sorry for that. Run again. Fall over again. Run again. Clemens: Just do it again! Yeah. And really getting in touch with my physical side. Bassett: Yeah. Put the costume on, put a gun in her hand, and there’s a monster. Go kick his ass. What are some of the most twisted monsters you had to face off with in this movie? Clemens: Red Pyramid was amazing. Claudia Wolf and I had the most incredible sequences. In this one we also had a mannequin monster. Bassett: Oh, yeah the mannequin monster is pretty cool. I like the brain monster myself. Clemens: Oh, my gosh. Bassett: Yeah. The guy with like his skull opened up and all the skin and the brains exposed. Oh, that’s good stuff. That’s good stuff. Clemens: You know that was just disgusting. Bassett: There are lots of monsters. Go see the movie! |