Comicbookmovie interviews Pete Ploszek, Jeremy Howard, & Noel Fisher about TMNT.

[TigerClaw]

Comicbookmovie.com managed to get an interview with 3 of the TMNT actors about the movie.
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/KingPatel/news/?a=112662
Rohan (CBM): Hey guys, hope you're all doing well. It's great to speak with you. Just wanted to start off by saying congratulations on the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, opened in a tough spot, the weekend after Guardians of the Galaxy, but managed to really carve its own path and hold its own.

All 3: Thank you. Appreciate it.

Rohan (CBM): Yeah, no problem, it was a fun time. Personally, I really enjoyed the chemistry between the four of you turtles. You guys were all great and really came across like brothers. Could you take me through the process of how you built that chemistry? Was it difficult to build a rapport, to form that sort of camraderie? Or did you all just click from the get go?

Noel: We all really hate each other.

*Everyone laughs*

Pete: I think sort of the beauty of the process in coming together was that in casting they tried out a number of combinations, a sort of round robin set up, that they would use to sort of mix and match and swap in and out actors till they found camaraderie and kind of found that brotherhood, so really by the end of that audtion process, we felt like we were really clicking, and firing on all cylinders and so once we were cast, it really happened fast, we were really hitting the ground running at that point and so taking that to set was pretty seamless.

Rohan (CBM): You guys have starred in a variety of different things, primarily comedies from Pete's work on Parks & Recreation to Jeremy's work on Accepted & Scrubs to Noel's work on Shameless & Final Destination 2. Was it a difficult transition from these smaller comedies to such a huge film like TMNT?

Jeremy: Yeah, I think, and to go back to answer your first question as well, along with the transitional aspect of things, anytime your doing a giant big-budget movie like this, it’s different than anything small that you’re doing. On a film like Accepted or a show like Parks & Rec that Pete was on, a show like Shameless that Noel does, I work on a show called Mighty Med during the year most of the time and it’s very different. Everything takes a lot longer, you’re waiting around a lot more, the scope of what you’re doing, there are so many more people that care about a movie like Turtles than some of these smaller projects that we’re on and you definitely feel that weight, you feel pretty responsible to get it right and I think the filmmakers certainly felt that, but we as actors felt that as well.

I think coming into this film, it was the first day of rolling, all four of us really had a great camaraderie already, because we got together and had gotten to know each other, and were already able to pal and kid around like crazy. By the time they called action, we were really brothers, after that it only grew stronger, as time went on and through the whole process of the film coming out, we all were with each other, spent more time together and hopefully the sequel, we’re able to tell more stories with that bond that we all have and I think it really shows on screen like you said. We’re pretty proud of that.

Noel: I think the biggest change for me, the biggest difference between, well there’s a billion differences between doing a TV show like Shameless or any of the other things Jeremy mentioned versus something like Ninja Turtles, but the biggest thing that pops out to me more so than the vibe or the comedy kind of element, which I feel the brothers all had, and we all had together as actors and as friends. That all happened kind of naturally.

The biggest single difference I can think of is the learning curve that was involved with just learning to shoot with this technology and the whole motion capture experience. That was the biggest difference for me cause that takes a little getting used to. Laugh. That was one of the greatest parts too cause it was kind of trial by fire for all of us. We all either figured it out together or we all crashed and burned. And there’s too much pressure to get this right. That really just helped bond the four of us more, we were just leaning on each other to crack this technology, just to figure it out.

Rohan (CBM): Nice. So, of course this is a big budget action film and with that comes the need for some impressive action sequences. Your film certainly didn't disappoint in that department as there were more than a few impressive fight sequences including the snow chase scene, the fights with Shredder, etc. Was there anything from the script that you guys were looking forward to shooting or actually did shoot, but for whatever reason didn't actually make the final cut?

Jeremy: I say, some of the most exciting things that the incredible stunt team came up with, obviously there’s a lot of great action in the film, but there’s some sequences that we rehearsed, and they had choreographed stuff done, scenes that they shot even and it didn’t make it into the movie, these stunt guys were incredible, and I was certainly disappointed that a lot of their amazing work did not end up on screen, but certainly a lot of it did, which is awesome, but as far as that goes, there was quite a bit that they did that the public will never end up seeing sadly, but again there’s room for more stories in the coming years hopefully.

Noel: Yeah, I think that’s one of things I’m really looking forward to in the sequels hopefully is just the opportunity to get to work with 8711 again. That was the stunt crew that did this movie and they really are the best. Pete was talking about being able to lean on each other and that’s kind of another unique aspect of motion capture is that you’re leaning on people, like those guys to do their thing and they’re basically real-life ninjas and cause you really want to be able to bring that element to the turtles cause that’s such a huge part of who they are and man, those guys brought it in spades. A lot of the stuff did end up on the cutting room floor, as I think with most movies that happens, but yeah I mean you know that would be a whole other thing to be able to watch just all the stuff that they’re able to come up with on the spot. They’re absolutely incredible.

[TigerClaw]

Here's the rest
Rohan (CBM): Yeah, I was able to check out a few of the special features, the stunt crew looked amazing. So, how good did you guys actually get with your respective weapons? Leo's katanas, Mikey's nunchucks, Donny's bö staff, and Raph's sais?

Pete: We spent a month working with 8711 and essentially having private individual training sessions with each of our weapons and learning them. You really get a feel for it and I think what’s most important for us as actors because 8711 was going to be handling the bulk of the fight sequences, what was important for me was learning mannerisms, learning postures, you know how do you handle katanas, how do you holster katanas, how do you strike a stance or open a fight, how do you close a fight, those sorts of things and they were great with that and so much of the training with katanas, it forms Leo as the most disciplined of the group, as the rule follower, even in his own fighting style, so that was really exciting to see. I wouldn’t trust myself with real live ones now, but I got a head start, I’d like to think.

Noel: Dude, I go out all the time on the town and I just get in fights with my nunchucks.

Pete: I believe it. I tell you man, Mikey.. Noel got pretty damn good if I’m not mistaken. *Laughs*

Noel: I’ll fight you Pete! I’ll fight you! Let’s meet up somewhere and I will fight you for real!

Pete: Oh no! *Laughs*

Jeremy: Speaking of fighting, we all, the three of us found it funny that Alan Ritchson thought, that in a battle of all of our weapons, that he would win with his twin sais.

Pete: *Laughs* There’s no way, we beat that one back pretty quickly.

Rohan (CBM): When you were cast, did you find that you were similar to your respective character or did you find that you were considerably different?

Noel: I think that we all have aspects that we get to bring out of our own personalities that are really similar. The first thing that pops out to me is that Jeremy is like incredibly smart.

Pete: Genius, a damn genius.

Noel: He’s basically a genius, so those aspects of each other, of these characters really kind of gets to filter out into and gets brought out a lot in the characters. You can give a big shoutout to the casting director Debbie Zane, who did a really good job of finding people that could really bring out those very individual, very unique kind of flavors that all the turtles have.

Jeremy: Yeah, I agree. I think Noel’s a very much a fun-loving guy and obviously when you’re playing a character, characters like these, specifically in his circumstance, he’s taking that to the next level. I mean Noel’s a joker, but he’s not Michelangelo-level, no one is. *Noel laughs* Same way as Donatello is a million times smarter than me, I didn’t know any of that computer technical jargon, but I’m great with an iPhone, you know, *Laughs* but you know everything, the faces, the building blocks are all there.

I think certainly Pete really brings that strong leadership quality in his life, you get a great sense that he has a lot self-respect, he’s great at making decisions, same with Alan, Alan can be a little bit hot, hot-headed, not badly, but just in terms of, you know he’ll put his foot down if he feels strongly about something, the same with Raphael would. But at the same time, all four of us have a great sense of humor and I think all of that kind of comes together and then we kind of push those aspects to the 100-fold to bring these characters to life and really bring out their uniqueness, but they come from a really real place.

Noel: Pete is super, super.. *Phone breaks up*

Pete: Oh, what’s that Noel? You broke up, can you repeat that buddy? *Laughs*

I think that dynamic really came together in the elevator scene and I think because that was born out of all of the play and all of the nonsense that we were getting into on-set, off-camera to kill downtime and I watch that and I think about just how lucky we are, for Pablo (Helman) to have captured all that and for Liebesman to allow that to get in the movie, because that just came out of us being us around each other and then you step back and look at it and you realize that we’re a lot closer to these characters than we ever thought we were.

*Final Question Warning*

Rohan (CBM): Well, I guess we can just move on to talk of the sequel. We've heard a few rumors so far from Earth to Echo director Dave Green possibly directing to possible appearances from Casey Jones, Bebop & Rocksteady, Krang, etc. What can you guys think of all this and is there anything about the sequel that you already know and can share?

Jeremy: Are you sure you don’t want to ask another question for your last question? Cause I’ll tell you something, we know absolutely zero.

*Everyone laughs*

Pete: We know nothing!

Jeremy: Literally we haven’t even gotten a phone call, we’re reading online all the stuff you are.

Rohan (CBM): Oh okay, well then, let's finish on this, are there any current superhero roles out there that interest you? Marvel? DC? Power Rangers?

Pete: Man..

Noel: I’m a big nerd when it comes to all that stuff. Pretty much any superhero, I love the superhero kind of vibe.. or supervillain! Maybe a supervillain! Jeremy, you need to play a supervillain for sure. You could be dynamite.

*Jeremy laughs*

Noel: Marvel, Marvel you listening? Jeremy Howard.

Pete: I do love all the mash-ups that we’re starting to see. And all the generations of comic book characters coming and clashing and overlapping. I just saw that there’s a Turtles comic book series out with the Ghostbusters now

*Noel laughs*

Jeremy: Whaatt!

Pete: Yeah I’m serious, nothing’s off-limits anymore, I think that’s pretty exciting. I think people are going to be able to do a lot with that, with that sort of stuff.

Noel: Okay, so you’re saying like a Ninja Turtle-Hello Kitty crossover?

*Jeremy laughs*

Pete: *Laughs* Easy, easy Noel, easy.

Jeremy: I love all of them too, I’m with Noel, Marvel, DC, I see all those films, I love them.

Rohan (CBM): But, if you had to pick one hero

Jeremy: I would make a great Superman, if the offer came in, I would say yes to playing Batman. Let’s just throw that out there. I think that answers your question, right? *Laughs*

Pete: I love the stuff they’re doing with all the teams, with the Suicide Squad and the Sinister Six. I think that’s exciting stuff.

Jeremy: Yeah, that’s awesome. It’s pretty cool, all the Avengers stuff, it’s crazy they’re able to do that and obviously they feel like they have the budgets for all that cause the movies are so freaking successful. Cause obviously that takes a lot to bring those big stars together and all the effects work alone.

Rohan (CBM): Yeah, feels like everyone wants to build something after all of Marvel's success, Spider-Man's working on stuff, the X-Men, etc.

Noel: Yeah, think I just read something about the Fantastic Four and the X-Men now, teaming up, spin-off

Jeremy: Wowww. Wow.

Pete: I think there should just be a WWE royal rumble where it’s just two hours of them fighting and there can only be one that lives.

*Everyone laughs*

Jeremy: And that’s going to be starring the three of us, so for the record, we’re already involved in that project

Noel: We’ll be playing all of the characters

Rohan (CBM): Sounds good to me.

Pete: None of its motion capture though.

*Big laugh from all 3*

Rohan (CBM): Well, thank you everyone, it's been a real pleasure. Hope you guys have a great holiday! Looking forward to the sequel.

All 3: Thanks Rohan! Have a good one.

[Candy Kappa]

It's a nice interview.

[IndigoErth]

Great interview, definitely the people I like hearing more about/from, since others have gotten more attention for playing the human star or for their film making style. However many movies this thing ends up with, for better or worse, hope they are at least able stick with this foursome playing the guys.

[Gunpowder]

Awesome. Very well-spoken group of guys, always good to hear from them.

Too bad Alan couldn't make it...I thought he was the best out of the four.

[B-Man]

These are the guys I wanted to hear more from during the publicity tour, not Fox & Arnett saying the same thing over & over. They're obviously really good dudes. Them not hearing anything about the new movie worries me, though. Hope they're brought back.

[Shark_Blade]

I love them as much as I love pizza. :tlove:

[IndigoErth]

I love them as much as I love pizza. :tlove:

http://www.thestand.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/holy-grail-run-away.jpg

[samxsteal]

these guys are they the main reason why i loved this movie so much they are perfect

[Purse Grabbin Puke]

I kind of skimmed through it, but it doesn't look like they addressed Pete's voice not being used? I get the feeling he was signed as mo-cap only, they probably knew they were getting a big name for the voice from the beginning. I got the Bluray, and he is in it a fair amount, I have to say, his voice was good for maybe a cartoon Leo, but I think he wouldn't have stood out in the movie. Who knows though.

[Powder]

Considering there are bits of footage that exist with his voice in place, I'd say you're wrong.

[TrickOrTreater]

Considering there are bits of footage that exist with his voice in place, I'd say you're wrong.

Seriously. It was a panic move that was sprung on the actors last minute.

Look at Danny Woodburn's reaction to it for proof of this.

[Purse Grabbin Puke]

Considering there are bits of footage that exist with his voice in place, I'd say you're wrong.

Where are these bits of footage?

[samxsteal]

I love these guys so much I can't wait to see them in the sequel lol they were great

[DevilSpooky]

Considering there are bits of footage that exist with his voice in place, I'd say you're wrong.

It's not unheard of the actors delivering their lines on set and being dubbed over during post production, for example Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars) had spoken lines in english during filming and where later replaced by growls and grunts. The same with David Prowse being replaced with James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. They do it as a guiding line for the other actors.

[TigerClaw]

It's not unheard of the actors delivering their lines on set and being dubbed over during post production, for example Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars) had spoken lines in english during filming and where later replaced by growls and grunts. The same with David Prowse being replaced with James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. They do it as a guiding line for the other actors.
They even replaces the voices of the one of the actors in Empire Strikes Back and in The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul's voice was replaced as well.

[The Boston Ninja Turtle]

Prowse didnt know till he watched the movie though



its could be legal reasons no one has really heard Pete as Leo

[TrickOrTreater]

It's not unheard of the actors delivering their lines on set and being dubbed over during post production, for example Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars) had spoken lines in english during filming and where later replaced by growls and grunts. The same with David Prowse being replaced with James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. They do it as a guiding line for the other actors.

The issue isn't whether voices are replaced or not. They clearly are.

The issue is some people claiming it was the plan all along.

When, based on Danny Woodburn's reaction to the news of Tony Shalhoub voicing Splinter instead of Danny himself(which he was clearly led to believe), in actuality it wasn't planned at all.

[Leo656]

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/540784/193937240/stock-photo-hay-pile-isolated-on-a-white-background-as-an-agriculture-farm-and-farming-symbol-of-harvest-time-193937240.jpg

((^^^ All the straws people have grasped at and dropped this year in trying to explain/defend things about the movie that have already been proven/disproven at various points by the filmmakers themselves))
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It's neat these guys are so into their work and have so much enthusiasm. That's refreshing when so many actors are all, "It's a role, it's a job, I got paid." I have no problem with them, but all their hard work and enthusiasm deserves to be in a better movie. It's like they put a lot of effort in and not all of it comes through in the final product, since they're not the main characters in their own movie. :ohwell:

[IndigoErth]

Yeah I thought it was already known months ago that is was supposedly in their contracts (or something...) that they were not guaranteed not to be dubbed over. But not planned that it would necessarily happen. Either way Pete did some fine physical acting, and fingers crossed maybe he'll verbally get his chance.

I mean from that interview it sounds like casting put a lot of thought and effort into finding just the right group who really fit together as actors and as the Turtles. They also clearly chose well for good voices/voice acting if the other three were kept. Possible Pete may have been a good fit as well, but a big name was able to be grabbed... Who ever was in charge of casting these guys is another person who did well for the film. (Minus the 11th hour Knoxville choice, but somehow I have a feeling it may not have been the same person doing that choosing. Careful casting vs thoughtless celebrity name inclusion. :roll:)

[DevilSpooky]

The issue isn't whether voices are replaced or not. They clearly are.

The issue is some people claiming it was the plan all along.

When, based on Danny Woodburn's reaction to the news of Tony Shalhoub voicing Splinter instead of Danny himself(which he was clearly led to believe), in actuality it wasn't planned at all.

I'm not saying it was the plan from the beginning (I have no doubt they did that late in production), was just pointing out that the fact that there are behind the scenes recorded with Pete's voice doesn't mean replacing him was an afterthought, just that it's something common in this industry having someone else dubbing over the actors that are actually there on set.

[IndigoErth]

Sticking this article here since it's another one talking to one of the actors.

I appreciate he seems to share some of the same sentiments as many fans, especially the last paragraph/question answer. If the actors, the guys who are there playing the Turtles themselves, feel that way, gives me slight more hope the new director might consider these things a little more. (As in vain as those hopes may be.)


http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=58684

Jeremy Howard on Donatello's Relationship with April O'Neil, "TMNT 2" Expectations

There's no denying the reality of Turtle Power. Last summer, the live-action "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film defied expectations by raking in over $475 million worldwide. The movie found the famous amphibious anthropomorphs -- Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael and Michaelangelo -- venturing outside of their sewer lair to save news reporter April O'Neil and the rest of the world from the evil Shredder and his minions, the Foot Clan.

Genre veteran Jeremy Howard brought the tech-savvy Donatello for the Michael Bay produced reboot. In advance of his appearance at The Hollywood Show in Los Angeles Jan. 23-25, Howard spoke with CBR News about his love of the Turtles, the movie's elaborate action sequences, what didn't make the cut and his hopes for the sequel.

Story continues below

CBR News: Were you into "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" growing up?

Jeremy Howard: The property meant a huge deal to me. When I was 9, we went to see the original film that came out with my family. It blew my mind, seeing those Turtles come to life at that age. I wasn't into the Turtles at all before that. I didn't really know who they were. After that, I watched the cartoon religiously, every Saturday. I got all the action figures and extensive amounts of toys. There were lunch boxes, backpacks and Halloween costumes. To see this all come back and to be playing Donatello is a dream come true. All of a sudden, all those kid feelings reawaken. It still feels amazing to go back and feel like a kid again. I have no problem with that.

What makes Donatello unique compared to his fellow Turtles?

They all have their quirks. Donny stands out pretty dramatically from the rest just because he's so darn tech geeky. In order to work as a team, each one has to have their strength. Donny's strength is that technological sense that none of the other Turtles have. If there is any strategy or logistics involved in anything they are doing, all that rests on Donny's shoulders. He's a very important part of the team.

How crazy was the audition process for a role like this?

The audition process was much smoother than you would think for something of this scope. Debra Zane, who had cast me in a couple of films before, called me in. I'm now three for three with her, so she's a good casting director.

There was a very short page or two of dialogue. It was written very strangely. It wasn't a real script. They had obviously taken some dialogue and changed the names so that if it ever leaked online, nobody would know what it was. It was a simple recon scene from the top of a building where we were trying to rescue somebody, or something like that. I did a pretty good job of that and got called in to meet with the director the next day.

Then, I didn't hear from anybody for a long time. But when I was in with the director, he showed me a rendering of Donatello. It was a very close-up rendering, but all it showed was Donny wearing glasses. I could see right away that they were taking this franchise to the next level in a way we hadn't seen before, visually. I didn't hear anything for a couple of weeks, then we got called for a chemistry read for a screen test, just to see who got on the best. The four of us were the second group to go in. We were there for a couple of hours. After our group went in, we were told the casting director and director looked at each other and said, "Those are our Turtles."

This movie doesn't shy away from action. How intense was the training?

Pretty intense. We got to New York in April, and we didn't start shooting until May, so we had a month for training. We went in five days a week to learn karate, and then individual training with our weapons. By the time filming rolled around, we knew what we were doing. At the same time, they had such an amazing stunt team that was training us and they knew everything far better than we did. When it came time for the action, they wouldn't let us do a whole lot. Not that we could do a lot, but the stunt team was amazing. As an actor, it was great to know how they did all those things they did.

As far as the action scenes in the movie, there were so many sequences that were filmed that ended up on the cutting-room floor. These characters are so expensive to animate that they just didn't have the budget in the end. There was so much more backstory. There was so much more cool stuff that nobody got to see because they just didn't have the funds to animate the Turtles. The upside of it being, because it was so successful, now we have the chance to flesh them out.

Which sequence was the most challenging to pull off?

The snow sequence was challenging because of the technical aspects that went into it. We were never on the side of a mountain. We were never in the snow. We were on foam shells on our backs on a motion-capture stage. Picture a quiet, padded stage where you can hear a pin drop, and we have to pretend there's all this noise. We have to pretend we are underneath a truck, sliding down a mountain with guns going off and we're yelling things. It just seems so strange, but that's a big part of acting. That's a big part of this film in particular. When you are on a motion stage, it's all about how you play make-believe and pretend in your mind. For a scene that was that intense, to be on such a calm set and then they call "Action!" -- you have to be in that mindset of, "I have to be in a completely different world." That scene was tough. And it wasn't like we shot that scene from beginning to end. We shot it over months, coming back in and tweaking it and adding bits here and there.

The other big one was the lair fight between Splinter and Shredder. When that's going on, you're not sure what the Turtles are doing for a lot of it. There was so much fighting that we filmed that didn't end up in the movie. There were a lot of challenging aspects for that lair fight that people won't see, unfortunately.

It's too bad that stuff didn't make it onto the DVD or Blu-ray as an extra.

I know. I wish it did, too. I think the consensus was they didn't want the un-animated footage going out there. I'm sure it would break the illusion for a lot of kids, at least in my mind.

Donatello didn't fawn over April as much as in the cartoons. How did you approach their relationship?

Going into this, because of the history of the comics and the other renditions that are out there, I thought that Donny might have some kind of crush on April. The only one who really voiced his crush was Michaelangelo. I think Donny has affection for April and because she's the first human that he's ever gotten closed to, he's always fascinated by her from a physical, medical and ecological standpoint.

A "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" sequel has been announced. What are you hoping they will expand on for the second installment?

We've heard they are going to bring new characters in, like Bebop and Rocksteady. I'd love to see more interaction with the Turtles, more quiet moments where we get to see how they think and what makes them tick. At the same time, I'd like to see more ninja artistry on screen. There's a lot more skill we could see in the action sequences. Everybody has such a specific skill with their weapons. I don't think we saw that come out as much as we had hoped with all the training we did. Again, it comes down to time and budget. I think we have the opportunity to slow things down and get specific with their skills and the way they think.

[Xav]

Don had a crush on April in the comics?

[B-Man]

I literally said like a month ago that the reason the fight scenes were so bare-minimum was most likely down to money. Others fought me on it. And it's just been confirmed by Donatello himself :tcool:
In that case, I hope they ramp up the budget like crazy for the sequel. We'd all love to see the full-extent of what the four actors & four stunt doubles are capable of. He's right about the "quiet moments" too. Absolutely necessary in making these Turtles fleshed-out characters & not just visual effects that punch people.

[Commenter 42]

Because throwing money at a problem always works.8)

Green Lantern...

GI Joe: Retalliation...

Waterworld...

How I read the article:

"They ran out of money because we had to scrap the first script, and rewrite, so all the elements of pre production we had up until that point had to be revised. Next we moved our release date 3 times as no one could figure out what this movie was supposed to be. The script was leaked, and the studio freaked at the negative response. We were constantly redesigning the turtles, which meant re-doing the VFX for every shot the Turtles were in. In the end, we had to cut VFX budget, because it had been eaten up by production's re shoots, and numerous revisions to existing shots.

We can say, that we haven't learned any lessons, and simply blame the nerds for being whiney babies who can just **** off. This isn't a movie for them, it's for the kids. You can tell by the lack of Plot and sexual innuendos. Next time, we'll just stick to our guns, make the movie we want. Oh and as for the leaked script? That won't happen ever again. How can we be so sure?

This time, there is no script."



Tell me I'm wrong.

[B-Man]

You're wrong :P Where's that fan casting at??

[pennydreadful]

The "minimal Turtles because the budget wouldn't cover the CG" just can't be excused, to me. Like, it's down to the producers and the studio to manage that sh*t. If you can't afford to animate the title characters of the f*cking movie... then maybe you need to go back to the drawing board and consider:

a) adding in some practical Turtle fx
b) reviewing your script - because not for nothing, but the 1990 film didn't need to have big expensive action sequences with trucks to be exciting, or
c) not focusing on hiring 'named' actors in the hopes of having some sort of box office draw (not to mention double-dipping by forking out twice for both Leo and Splinter's acting).

Why waste the money on having the actors take karate lessons when the stunt doubles do most of the work?

This whole thing just reeks of poor management, bad planning and abysmal production. I'm not even mad on a personal level at anybody on this team - I just can't tolerate sloppy work and piss-weak excuses being used in an attempt to cover it.

It's just so obvious that they were more interested in getting the product out there without additional delays so that they could get to the pay-off, rather than taking the time to do the best job they could do.

It's very disappointing that a Turtles movie ended up in the hands of people who seem like they couldn't organize a fart in a chili eating contest.

[Commenter 42]

You're wrong :P Where's that fan casting at??

Oh don't you worry, it's-a-coming. I'll put up dollars that you hate it, but then again, that's the fun.
8)

[Bry]

The "minimal Turtles because the budget wouldn't cover the CG" just can't be excused, to me. Like, it's down to the producers and the studio to manage that sh*t.

Like... as much crap at The Amazing Spider-Man 2 gets (and for some valid reasons!) they didn't have Andrew Garfield in interviews saying, "We wanted to have more scenes of Spidey web-swinging and climbing walls and fighting, but the special effects were too expensive, so that's why most of the movie's about Aunt May investigating why red and blue dye keeps bleeding in the laundry."

a) adding in some practical Turtle fx
b) reviewing your script - because not for nothing, but the 1990 film didn't need to have big expensive action sequences with trucks to be exciting, or
c) not focusing on hiring 'named' actors in the hopes of having some sort of box office draw (not to mention double-dipping by forking out twice for both Leo and Splinter's acting).

Ding ding ding.

The 1990 movie pulled off a very satisfying TMNT movie on 1/5th the budget (adjusted for inflation). There are no excuses for this at all. They misjudged their script(s) and their budget as much as they misjudged the property.

It's very disappointing that a Turtles movie ended up in the hands of people who seem like they couldn't organize a fart in a chili eating contest.

http://media.giphy.com/media/4wycNsucv3ofC/giphy.gif

[TigerClaw]

I thought this part of the interview where he talks about the TMNT sequel was the most interesting.

A "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" sequel has been announced. What are you hoping they will expand on for the second installment?

We've heard they are going to bring new characters in, like Bebop and Rocksteady. I'd love to see more interaction with the Turtles, more quiet moments where we get to see how they think and what makes them tick. At the same time, I'd like to see more ninja artistry on screen. There's a lot more skill we could see in the action sequences. Everybody has such a specific skill with their weapons. I don't think we saw that come out as much as we had hoped with all the training we did. Again, it comes down to time and budget. I think we have the opportunity to slow things down and get specific with their skills and the way they think.

I would like to see more character development in the sequel, I'm pretty sure every else does, Give each Turtle there moment to shine.

[TrickOrTreater]

The "minimal Turtles because the budget wouldn't cover the CG" just can't be excused, to me. Like, it's down to the producers and the studio to manage that sh*t. If you can't afford to animate the title characters of the f*cking movie... then maybe you need to go back to the drawing board and consider:

a) adding in some practical Turtle fx
b) reviewing your script - because not for nothing, but the 1990 film didn't need to have big expensive action sequences with trucks to be exciting, or
c) not focusing on hiring 'named' actors in the hopes of having some sort of box office draw (not to mention double-dipping by forking out twice for both Leo and Splinter's acting).

Why waste the money on having the actors take karate lessons when the stunt doubles do most of the work?

This whole thing just reeks of poor management, bad planning and abysmal production. I'm not even mad on a personal level at anybody on this team - I just can't tolerate sloppy work and piss-weak excuses being used in an attempt to cover it.

It's just so obvious that they were more interested in getting the product out there without additional delays so that they could get to the pay-off, rather than taking the time to do the best job they could do.

It's very disappointing that a Turtles movie ended up in the hands of people who seem like they couldn't organize a fart in a chili eating contest.

And people actually defend it.

[syk_skillz]

I wonder what was cut out from the back story because we still don't know how Splinter knew who shredder was and the lack of Yoshi gives no reason for a rivalry. Also hope in sequel Splinter mentions he also learned ninjitsu also from watching found DVDs or something also because learning and teaching from book is ridiculous.

[Bry]

I just think it's funny that Howard, the same guy who moped in early interviews about how fans didn't like the designs, seems to be more critical of how aspects the movie turned out now that it's been released for a while.

It's one of those typical Hollywood situations - everyone involved is gonna fall over backwards fiercely talking up or defending the thing before it's out, but once every dollar's been counted they get a bit more honest. (Especially if they actually get an interviewer who's asking genuine questions and not just doing a puff piece.)

[IndigoErth]

c) not focusing on hiring 'named' actors in the hopes of having some sort of box office draw (not to mention double-dipping by forking out twice for both Leo and Splinter's acting).

Why waste the money on having the actors take karate lessons when the stunt doubles do most of the work?

This whole thing just reeks of poor management, bad planning and abysmal production.
Wouldn't have hurt either to look for an unknown that was a good fit for April, rather than paying for a name but an ill fit. :roll: (Bet Fox got paid more for her name than the Turtles actors got for all their hard work...)

Think Bay & Co. and/or whoever should seriously start considering hiring some people to specifically keep an eye on and manage all the nonsense and keep the costs, poor choices, and general stupidness under better control. You guys see that thing with Project Almanac and the plane crash footage that's being removed? *facepalm* This company just doesn't think ahead. At all.

I just think it's funny that Howard, the same guy who moped in early interviews about how fans didn't like the designs, seems to be more critical of how aspects the movie turned out now that it's been released for a while.
Was thinking the saaaaaame thing.

Was rather put off by him, and unfortunately Donnie a bit as a result, after he jumped on the "bitch at the fans" train along with Fox and Bay. But if he's sharing some of these same sentiments now, then it's maybe won me back over a bit. I hope he and the other three have at least realized that most fans have supported them quite a bit, even if not always other aspects of the film.

[TrickOrTreater]

I wonder what was cut out from the back story because we still don't know how Splinter knew who shredder was and the lack of Yoshi gives no reason for a rivalry.

Yoshi doesn't exist in this universe. The director said the Yoshi story was too complicated for them to tell.

So yes, huge plot holes galore.

I just think it's funny that Howard, the same guy who moped in early interviews about how fans didn't like the designs, seems to be more critical of how aspects the movie turned out now that it's been released for a while.

It's one of those typical Hollywood situations - everyone involved is gonna fall over backwards fiercely talking up or defending the thing before it's out, but once every dollar's been counted they get a bit more honest. (Especially if they actually get an interviewer who's asking genuine questions and not just doing a puff piece.)

Exactly it. But he won't speak too loud because I'm sure he wants to be in the sequel.

[Candy Kappa]

I wonder what was cut out from the back story because we still don't know how Splinter knew who shredder was and the lack of Yoshi gives no reason for a rivalry. Also hope in sequel Splinter mentions he also learned ninjitsu also from watching found DVDs or something also because learning and teaching from book is ridiculous.

Sacks was meant to be Shredder in the "final" script, hence why Splinter knows about Shredder. But with the re-write of making Shredder a separate character, they didn't extend the re-writing enough to explain how Splinter knew who Shredder was.

Or Splinter deliberately held back vital information from his sons... Something I wouldn't hold agains a guy who choke holds his kid for sneaking out...

[syk_skillz]

That's so stupid, they could have made it where Yoshi was April's dad and Splinter same him as a father figure because he was also taken care by him. Dumb idea I know but better then no Yoshi as it is now I guess.

[Powder]

That would have been even worse. The last thing we need is more coincidences.

[IndigoErth]

Why does the universe ignore me. :P

Yoshi. Lab worker of Japanese decent. Skilled martial artist on the side. Finds out plan. Destroys lab. His DNA accidentally involved with the lab animals or mutagen mishap in the process of destroying the lab and becomes Splinter. Sacks and Shredder angry. Screw the April hogosha punchline storyline.

[pennydreadful]

Wouldn't have hurt either to look for an unknown that was a good fit for April, rather than paying for a name but an ill fit. :roll: (Bet Fox got paid more for her name than the Turtles actors got for all their hard work...)

Exactly this. They focused on putting names like Megan Fox, Whoopi Goldberg and Johnny Knoxville into the film in order to draw a crowd. But the thing is, there was no need for it.

#1 - If a movie is good, people will see it, even if they don't know who the actors are. Exhibit A: the 1990 movie.
#2 - It wasn't necessary to have big names to draw attention to the movie. TMNT is a well-known property which has undergone a successful revival and is already in the forefront of everybody's minds thanks to the Nick show.

People didn't need to be coaxed into seeing this movie by having Megan Fox waved at them. Burne/Burnadette Thompson could have been played by any actor - particularly considering that they were in the film for maybe two - 3 minutes tops.

I'm not going to say that nobody involved in this project gives a sh*t - going by some of the interviews I've read, the actors at least seem to. But it really doesn't matter, because the people calling the shots don't care - and they're the ones who have all the say in how the film is executed.

Of course studios only make movies to make money. That's the point of the industry. But you can still care about making a decent product, instead of taking the easiest, most convenient route from point A to point B without caring about the journey.

It really does just feel like the powers that be sat down, had a list of things (including an action scene that they knew they wanted in the movie and an available Megan Fox), and then said "Ok, how can we build around this to turn it into a Ninja Turtles movie?"

You could take the Turtles out of this movie and replace them with pretty much anything - robots, humans, seven foot tall chickens - and the tone of the movie wouldn't be altered in any way. This isn't a Turtles movie - it's a generic action flick that just happened to have the Turtles in it. As I said, it's disappointing - there was so much potential for great stories to be told, for mindblowing fight scenes... and instead we got this.

It's like a school student handing in a half-assed essay that they wrote the night before, when you know that they're capable of better.

[syk_skillz]

That would have been even worse. The last thing we need is more coincidences.

I know, that why i said it was dumb, I just said something that come off the top of my head while working within the script they had. Alternate version of it could have been that he saved turtles and Splinter before being chased and caught while dropping glass where turtles and Splinter fall in sewer(to reference the original orgin) and murdered with Splinter hearing Yoshi screaming from pain.

[Galactus]

I empathize somewhat with an actor who signs on in good faith then comes to realize that what he was cast in isn't exactly all he thought it would be.

Based on what he and some of the others have said it's clear there was more to this movie in many aspects. I mean they all made a point to say about the turtles feel cut off and rejected from society and obviously we saw that they were trying to maintain some martial arts but all that ended up on the cutting room floor for whatever reason.

Where my sympathy grows short is that the whole situation was avoidable. As people have said before their insistence on going the most expensive rout to bring the characters to life when they didn't exactly have the money to do an adequate job when there was better methods to use is annoying. Anyone could see they bit off way more than they could chew. Not only that but while this movie didn't exactly have a Transformers-size budget it wasn't exactly peanuts they were playing with, especially if it's true they upped the budget for the re-shoots. You have to wonder how much they needlessly pissed away by not having a solid plan but this is how Bay has been known to work and several of the actors including Masamune who otherwise I thought has some good insights into the movie have praised it as a good thing that they can film so many different versions and sort it all out in the edit.

I also find Howard and Masamune's belief things will be better in the sequel to be even more naive than the fans who seem hell bent they'll fix all the mistakes of the first. I have doubts that the budget will be much more than the 2014 movie and any extra will go towards the extra two motion captured characters they've promised and possibly Casey Jones and even bigger action set pieces do we really think they'll have money to spare for scenes giving the turtles and their story depth?

That's even assuming the budget does get increased. I don't think this movie has had the commercial and (especially) audience reception that should make Paramount eager to throw more money at a sequel. The hiring of Dave Green who will no doubt come with a cheaper paycheck and is really only known for shooting neat visuals on a tight budget might suggest they are throwing less money at the next. At very least certain aspects will have cut corners.

I wonder what was cut out from the back story because we still don't know how Splinter knew who shredder was and the lack of Yoshi gives no reason for a rivalry. Also hope in sequel Splinter mentions he also learned ninjitsu also from watching found DVDs or something also because learning and teaching from book is ridiculous.

I'm pretty sure in one interview Leibesman regretted that he couldn't put more toddler turtles stuff into the movie as he planned. If I remember correctly he wanted to show one or more getting into some kind of accident or trouble and that being the basis for Splinter teaching them ninjitsu.

Sacks was meant to be Shredder in the "final" script, hence why Splinter knows about Shredder. But with the re-write of making Shredder a separate character, they didn't extend the re-writing enough to explain how Splinter knew who Shredder was.

Or Splinter deliberately held back vital information from his sons... Something I wouldn't hold agains a guy who choke holds his kid for sneaking out...

I still think Splinter picking up more than very basic information about The Foot while he was in the lab is sketchy. Just how in depth were those conversations be? In fact we only know he overheard one and that was in midst of a fire regardless of whethr Sacks was Shredder or simply Shredder's son.

[Bry]

You have to wonder how much they needlessly pissed away by not having a solid plan but this is how Bay has been known to work and several of the actors including Masamune who otherwise I thought has some good insights into the movie making have praised it as a good thing that they can film so many different versions and sort it all out in the edit.

Thing is (as I'm sure we all know after seeing this movie) that method means you don't really have a story at all; you have a bunch of pieces you're cobbling together and hoping nobody notices they don't really fit. There's a certain amount of editing and re-working that even great stories will have as a part of the process, but that's not what this was - this was a non-story where you could replace and swap out entire characters without effecting the overall plot. Any kind of story that has that many disposable or interchangeable elements can't even be called a "story".

[Galactus]

Thing is (as I'm sure we all know after seeing this movie) that method means you don't really have a story at all; you have a bunch of pieces you're cobbling together and hoping nobody notices they don't really fit. There's a certain amount of editing and re-working that even great stories will have as a part of the process, but that's not what this was - this was a non-story where you could replace and swap out entire characters without effecting the overall plot. Any kind of story that has that many disposable or interchangeable elements can't even be called a "story".

Oh I know.

It's kinda an irony that the some actors have flat out said that they're disappointed certain things didn't make it in the finished picture over others while still praising a Michael Bay's methods of acquiring so much money to try so many differing takes. Do they not realize that this is prime reason why things where a bit a mess or they didn't have enough money to include certain things.

[Xav]

The "minimal Turtles because the budget wouldn't cover the CG" just can't be excused, to me. Like, it's down to the producers and the studio to manage that sh*t. If you can't afford to animate the title characters of the f*cking movie... then maybe you need to go back to the drawing board and consider:

a) adding in some practical Turtle fx
b) reviewing your script - because not for nothing, but the 1990 film didn't need to have big expensive action sequences with trucks to be exciting, or
c) not focusing on hiring 'named' actors in the hopes of having some sort of box office draw (not to mention double-dipping by forking out twice for both Leo and Splinter's acting).Or you know, not wasting money CGI'ing a character who is supposed to be a human ninja,

[#MechaFresh]

Or you know, not wasting money CGI'ing a character who is supposed to be a human ninja,

Very good point.

I thought Robo-Shredder was a bit too much :tlol: