megustajake:This is an amazing opportunity! Thank you WB and Joel Schumacher!
1. I have heard from several of the cast member's interviews that you have taken the character's storylines farther. How did you go about doing this and to what extent did you draw their personalities and backgrounds out?
2. What was your favorite scene to film and why? Was it a romantic, sexy moment like "Music of the Night" or "Point of No Return"? Or an epic one like "Masquerade" or the "Prologue"?
3. What did you feel you could enhance about the story, that couldn't be done before given the limitations of stage? What changes did you make to improve the storyline and make it more cinematic for movie-going audiences?
Joel Schumacher:
1. I think it was important that you all understood how the Phantom came to live at the Opera House, what his childhood was like. Came to understand his strange connection with Miranda Richardson's character, Madame Giry. Who Christine and Raoul are and what forces in their lives bring them all together.
2. There are so many exciting scenes that it is hard to choose one. Certainly the ones you've mentioned were thrilling for me and unlike anything I've done before. The spectacle of the film is electrifying but it's the passion and emotion that come from Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler and Patrick Wilson that really is the heart and soul of the film.
3. I appreciate this question but it would be so incredibly complicated to explain the entire vision of the film and every cinematic detail. I feel the true answer to your question is for you to actually see the film itself.
fishythegoldfish:
Another question, if this is true: Why was the Phantom's deformity downsized for the movie? I don't mean the obvious way -- I know that the stage makeup must be a lot heavier and more dramatic since it must be seen from the stage. But making the Phantom hideous to the point of horror is vital to the meaning of the story -- what gives? The Phantom is supposed to be sexy, but not a "hottie."
Joel Schumacher:
Even though the make-up in the stage show is grotesque, and very much a copy of the Lon Chaney make-up, I felt the audience is smarter than a lot of obvious prosthetics. The Phantom is very disfigured and the right side of his face is quite tragic. Christine, however, always looks past that and views him with compassion. As she sings, "This haunted face holds no horror for me now / It's in your soul that the true distortion lies." I did not want to bring you "Freddy Krueger Goes to the Opera!"
phoenix247:
Wow, this is an awesome opportunity! Was it hard to capture the raw emotion that The Phantom of the Opera is so well known for?
Joel Schumacher:
We have a very exciting young cast that brings very unique passion to the film version.
laluna579:
Hello! What aspect of this movie do you feel will be most successful in winning over a new generation of people? Thanks for answering our questions!
Joel Schumacher:
I feel Andrew's music is timeless and hopefully this tragic young love story will be meaningful to people of all ages.
phantomrose:
This is such a privilege, to be speaking to one of the most innovative directors around!
What made you accept The Phantom of the Opera as a project? Usually directors are very choosy when it comes to selecting projects, and I would like to know your reasons for it, or rather what drew you to it?
Joel Schumacher:
Andrew Lloyd Webber asked me to do this in 1988 after he saw The Lost Boys and it is still an honor and a privilege to have been asked. I always thought the sweeping drama and glamour of the piece would be very cinematic, but as a storyteller I really chose it because of the tragic romance between Christine and the Phantom.
brighteyesm asks:
Dear Mr. Schumacher,
Upon reviewing your long list of screen credits, I would like to ask you exactly how did you get involved in directing? And what do you find the most fascinating part of your job? Thank you.
Sincerely,
Melinda
(an aspiring wanna-be director, even if only for stage shows in a small town)
Joel Schumacher:
I find every moment and every detail of filmmaking fascinating, Melinda. I started in the film industry as a $200/week costume designer and after doing several films, I started doing sets, art direction and production design. Eventually, I started writing and through a wonderful woman at NBC, got the opportunity to direct my first television movie. I wanted to be a director since I was 7, so I got my dream and got it much bigger than I ever dreamed it could be. As Woody Allen once told me, "If I can do it, you can do it and you can do it better!"
garnetstar:
Hi Joel. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
I'm really glad that finally there is a screen adaptation of this great musical. I've heard in some of your interviews that you have made this an unabashedly romantic movie. On behalf of unabashed romantic film lovers everywhere THANK YOU.
I know that in the beginning there was a lot of speculation about the choice of the leads in the movie (I've heard the whole soundtrack and I love everyone) What was the casting process like and how far and wide did you have to search before you found your leads?
Joel Schumacher:
In analyzing the story, I realized that Christine must be very young, which meant the Phantom and Raoul had to be relatively young, as well. Over a six month period dozens were considered, met with, and auditioned. Patrick was the first to be cast as the dashing Raoul and Andrew was thrilled with his lyric tenor voice. Gerry was next. I knew he would make a stunning Phantom and Andrew loved the coarser, almost Rock & Roll timbre of his voice. Many, many young ladies -- known and unknown -- wanted the role of Christine. Emmy came in at the last second and her beauty, acting talent and superb singing voice left no doubt in our minds that she was the one and only Christine Daae.
shadowgirl17:
Hello, Mr. Schumacher. Judging by the trailer, photos, magazine articles, and sound clips, you've done an awesome job with this movie. I can't wait to see it!
I was wondering, you and Andrew Lloyd Webber are credited with the screenplay. Were there any scenes or dialogue that the both of you disagreed on? If so, how did you compromise?
Joel Schumacher:
Screenwriting with a partner is a very collaborative art, so there are many little disagreements -- as well as magical moments when you realize you've made an important discovery -- on the path to crafting a script that can actually be translated into a film. To be honest with you, Andrew and I wrote the screenplay for Phantom in the south of France in 1989, when I was first involved with the film, so I can't recall what little disagreements we may have had at that time. But, the important thing is that we completed a script we were both so proud of, that we felt was much more than just a record of the stage show. When I agreed to do the movie in December of 2002, I dusted off my old script and was impressed by how ready it was to shoot! With some minor tweakings, that's basically the movie you'll see up on the screen.
veneficaspirit89:
What do you think of all the self-proclaimed "phans"? Do you worry about what they'll think? Do you think about them at all?
Joel Schumacher:
80 million people have seen the show all over the world and I hope if they choose to see the film they will enjoy our version. But, I also made a Phantom for people who've never seen the show. Andrew asked me to follow my vision and to use my instincts in putting his "most personal work" on film. My role was to be true to the story and the legendary music and I deeply hope that what we've all worked so hard to put on the screen will sweep you all away to a Paris of long, long ago -- a world of candlelight and shadow, of beautiful women, romance and tragedy.
