Par Dumps Fincher's 'Heavy Metal' Remake

+++ UPDATED 07/12/2008 +++
Unfortunately it doesn't have to do much with the article. But do take a look at the comments section, where Jenna (thanks!) has posted an incredibly hilarious short film. Funny -- and at least partly true!

For anyone who's been holding their breath to catch a look at a David Fincher directed animated film (or short for that matter): you better relax. It might be a while! As Hollywood Insider reports Paramount's new execs declined the project. And Fincher is shopping it around now.

Being a collection of furiously erotic and violent stories from some well known sci-fi scribes, and produced as a series of short films each to be helmed by a different director (including David Fincher), the production overall felt "too risque for mainstream audiences" for Paramount staffers.

The project will be on hold until another studio will pick it up. But according to the article, Fincher is still confident to get it made. Tim Miller of Blur Studios says, "it's just a matter of time".

Then let's hope that's not a "Rendezvous With Rama" matter of time.

Thanks to Thiago for reporting the original source:
Hollywood Insider: "Heavy Metal" remake a no-go at Paramount

6 comments:

  1. To kevin, fincherfanatic and maybe thiago:
    check this out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj87md353hI

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  2. To other prospective or current film students as well, of course. Here's the second part:
    http://www.spike.com/video/2474663

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  3. @Jenna

    I will check out the film on tuesday when I am back with faster internet connection in Nairobi.

    Did you see my response to you question about Stlye and content.

    I will check out your video as soon as I can.

    How are you liking NYU by the way

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  4. Hey Kevin,

    yes I've read your comment on style of directors, it was an interesting read and I agree with you. One question though: how can you tell which lens they used just by watching the film? And how can you tell a that Fincher used a zoom lens in Zodiac?

    NYU is ok, I guess. Too expensive for what it gives you though, as film school doesn't seem to help graduates get good jobs in the film industry (what do you think?). And the people here are overall very arrogant, elitist and snobbish; they think they're something better because of NYU's reputation. Also, most of the teachers are the sort of type that remind me of the saying "Those who can't do, teach", meaning they teach as a plan b, and are more interested in their success than their students'.

    I read about a statistic that said only 3 percent of film directing graduates get to direct a big budget film, which is kind of discouraging.

    What's your experience with film school and becoming a film director?

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  5. @Jenna

    Tooooooooooo FUNNY and way toooooooo TRUE.

    As Far a lenses go, I don't know quite how to explain this but the main difference between a long lens and a short lens is how much they compress the world. In 35mm a normal lens is a 25mm (this is approximately how the human eye sees and this changes in Video or Larger format film) the further down you go or the shorter the lens

    A) the more of the surrounding world you can see until finally the edges of the frame begins to distort and barrel.

    B) The next thing is that your minimum focal distance increase with a shorter lens. Things tend to be sharper and more in focus over greater distances.

    The longer the lens the more rapidly things begin to fall out of focus.

    That said you can take a long lens or a 50mm or a 75mm or a 120mm lens and with enough light stop your lens down to a T46 or something crazy like a T128 and get far more sharpness and less compression out of the lens.

    But such things are not common and people tend to use the lenses in their normal ranges.

    Movement is another factor. On a short lens things move over greater distances more rapidly.

    There is a famous Taxi Driver shot where Travis is walking in the crowd to meet betsy and it would appear that he isn't really moving.

    This happens because Long Lenses Compress space and slows our ablitlity to procieve movement.

    There is another scene where Travis and Betsy are coming out of the movie theater and they are arguing and the scene was shot on a short lens dollying back. When they move past camera and the camera Pans around to keep them in frame, the speed is vastly exaggerated made more VIOLENT.

    Now Zooms??

    Zooms used to hurt my eyes. I used to look away from the screen when I saw a Zoom (I am not kidding) I've come to learn to appricate them and have spent some time thinking about new ways to use them. I was planning to use them in my thesis film but never did. I am thinking about using post digital Zooms because they're the closest I can come to machine controlled Zoom. There are far too many constraints when working with a small budget so the compramises begin right away.

    I used post Zooms on a music video once and really kind of like the look at least for what the video was about it was appropriate.

    But I digress.

    Zoom lenses do a VERY unnatural thing. They allow you to move closer to an object with out any perspective shifts. They flatten out forward movement.

    But a Zoom like anything else in a filmmakers tool kit can express any number of things.

    A push is used usually to say to the audience "HERE focus HERE"

    In Zodiac Fincher uses a pretty pregnant Zoom when Z kills Paul Stein.

    The Zoom feels like it's expressing Z's cold calulating manner. The Zoom is dead steady (it was most certainly a machine controlled Zoom) and it play for the entire scene as we hear the paniced voice of the little girl on the phone.

    The Zoom also allows the crime to move from Specific to General. It goes from it being Zodiac's crime to being a crime that ANYBODY could have committed.

    The zoom out allows Zodiac to get "LOST" to just fade into the night.

    As for Filmmschool when I first began 5 year ago Columbia only took older people. Though I was one of 4 who was 23 or younger.

    Back then the class was very neurotic and hard working. Only one major ego case in the class.

    Now the kids are younger and won't watch Black and White movies if they watch movies at all.

    It seems to me that most kids going to filmschool now have a really really bad idea about what filmmaking is.

    It's hard it's painful but you gotta love it. Too many self proclaimed geniuses are there now who don't know shit from shit.

    The faculty at CU are great SOME of them not all. But they too have NO interest in seeing you become
    more successful than they are.

    They want you to know film and LOVE Film but no one will introduce you to their agent or pass your script to a financier.

    The sooner you know this the better; "The moment you leave film school is the moment you become your teacher's COMPETITOR.

    You are vying for same cash and attention they are vying for.

    The road to becoming a Filmmaker is tough and long but hey if you love it. then fuck it give it all you got.

    I think it's very important to fall in love with the materials and the tools of filmmaking. When you fall in love with these things it becomes like a lover or a best friend. It makes the battles you have to fight worth it

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  6. did u see the teaser poster for Fincher's animated adaptation of THE GOON?

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