'New Moon' Actor Jamie Campbell Bower Gets 'Crazy' With Caius

While at Comic-Con this past week, we were privileged to get a visit from the "Twilight" saga's sexiest new star, British heartthrob Jamie Campbell Bower. The 21-year-old actor was in town to promote three huge upcoming projects: TV's "The Prisoner," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and "New Moon." Every bit as funny, charming and self-deprecating as his good friend Rob Pattinson, Jamie was eager to talk about his new place in the "Twilight" universe. And when it comes to Stephenie Meyer's vampire series, who doesn't love some fresh blood?

MTV: Welcome to Comic-Con and to "Twilight," Jamie. How does it feel to be here?

Jamie Campbell Bower: Pretty good, man. I got off a plane at 5:30 last night and went straight to the Gaslamp theater and did hellos [to the Twilighters]. It was nuts. It was craziness.

MTV: Did you get to introduce the movie to the fans?

Bower: Yeah, we did all together. It was the entire cast. We went around to say hello to everyone who was watching, because they were doing a screening of "Twilight," and so we all went in. ... I swear to God, I saw, like, four people have a heart attack.

MTV: How does it feel to know that you are now a member of the "Twilight" saga group and have the power to make people lose it?

Bower: It's good. I think I might use that, in a bad way.

MTV: Tell us about your character in "New Moon."

Bower: I play Caius, who is the leader of the Volturi. They are a coven and effectively run the vampire community. They make the laws up. It's me, Michael Sheen who plays Aro, and a guy called Christopher Heyerdahl who plays Marcus. We try to kill Bella and convince Edward to come and live with us — because Peter's character [Carlisle Cullen] had come and lived with us before — and we love the Cullens deeply.

MTV: Director Chris Weitz is new to most of these guys, but so are you. What kind of discussions did you two newbies have before filming began?

Bower: He gave us a lot of freedom. We sat down prior to it and just bounced ideas around. The backstory for Caius is already there, as it is for the Volturi. It's all fairly self-explanatory. We sat down and I said, "I think he's got this deep-rooted anger. He doesn't have a power, and he's pretty pissed off about that, because the rest of them have powers." And then, once we got on set, he was just like, "Go for it." We'd do a couple of takes of the same thing, and then we'd change it up and I'd do something crazy.

MTV: Give us an example of one of the crazy takes.

Bower: We'd do different accents, different styles. There would be one that would be very introverted, and then there would be another one that would be completely theatrical. It was good fun.

MTV: Unfortunately, we don't see you in the "New Moon" trailer. So maybe you could give us a sneak peek at Caius? Look into the camera and give us your favorite line, in-character.

Bower: [Gets into character] "We don't offer second chances. I would advise that you follow through on your promise soon."

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THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON Interview with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner

Following a very enthusiastic Comic-Con panel for Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: New Moon, co-stars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner sat down to talk about what fans can expect from the next installment in the story, and how much better prepared they are for all of the attention and adoration, this time around.

Q: So, how's your Comic-Con experience been?

Taylor: It's very similar to last year. It's just that we were expecting it, this time. Last year, we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. This time, we brought ear plugs.

Q: How does it feel to be working on such a popular film with such a huge fan base?

Kristen: It feels good. There's nothing bad. Trying to describe what it feels like is so funny. Everyone feels like we're nervous about the pressure and having approval, but this art form is so subjective, anyway. People say, "I love this book. I'm obsessed with it." And, we can say, "Well yeah, me too.' Everything is better, if you're on some sort of common ground. It's like fire. There's nothing better than sharing passion. This is so far out of our scope of what's going on in our head, when we're shooting a movie. It was strange having fans so close, but like Chris Weisz said, it's like doing theater when they stand up and clap after every take, and sit there very quietly organized, in little rows, and try not to disturb us while we're all in character. It's a little bit more pressure, but at the same time it was motivating.

Taylor: It was encouraging.

Kristen: Yes, it was very encouraging.

Taylor: It was kind of cool to see you have this fan base behind you.

Q: How was it shooting in Italy?

Kristen: I had never spent more than a couple of days there. We went to Rome, for the first Twilight tour. It was so fleeting. I was only there for two seconds. It was so overwhelming to sit on the countryside for hours and just do nothing. It's a completely different world. I would love to spend more time there. We shot in this little town that was gorgeous.

Q: Do you enjoy working on different films, in between filming each of these installments of the saga?

Kristen: Yeah, if it was Twilight all the time and I did nothing in between, I would go a little batty. For me, I'd say it definitely alleviates pressure.

Q: How's The Runaways going?

Kristen: Really good. It's hard to talk about now because I still have four days of shooting left. I feel that what we're doing is really important. I feel like what The Runaways did was really important, so trying to convey that is really awesome. It's daunting, to say the least.

Q: What do you think the New Moon fans are not expecting from this film?

Taylor: Giant fuzzy werewolves.

Kristen: No, I think they expected those.

Taylor: I honestly don't think they're expecting to be as heartbroken as I think they will be. I know when I read New Moon, I really felt bad for Jacob's character and Bella, just because Jacob can't have her and he's trying to get her, and everything that's going on, and her being torn and confused. I felt really bad, but actually, when I lived the experience with Kristen, it was much worse, and I just can't imagine what the fans are going to think when they watch that.

Kristen: He feels bad for himself.

Taylor: I don't feel bad for myself. I feel bad for Jacob and I feel bad for you.

Q: What do you think the fans are going to enjoy the most about New Moon?

Taylor: Somebody like me would enjoy the action because I love action movies and New Moon takes that to another level than Twilight was. And, it's a lot more complicated, this time around. It takes what Bella and Edward developed in Twilight, and it smashes that at the beginning, and then it becomes complicated until the end of the movie.

Kristen: Yeah, it's not an easy story. Not that Twilight was, but Twilight was about two people who were already conflicted internally, throwing themselves against each other, mindlessly. It was just very impulsive. And, in this case, we had to think a lot more about what we were doing because it wasn't instinctual, like a chemistry love thing. Everything in these movies is heightened. If you get sad, you don't just get sad. It's like you'd rather just be dead. I guess people experience that in real life, but in our movie, it's more than that. So, it was just harder.

Q: Does something like that take the challenge for you, as an actor, to another level?

Kristen: Yeah, it's hard because you have no reference. I don't know what it's like to be shattered by somebody who physiologically completes you, and then you have that taken away, and what that feels like. I don't know because, for me, it doesn't exist. So, yeah, it's hard.

Q: Was there a moment in time when you realized Twilight was going to become this phenomenon?

Kristen: I think at Comic-Con last year.

Taylor: For sure, definitely. When we were filming, it had no attention as it does, this time around. The first big thing for us was Comic-Con. Just to walk out on that stage and hear the screams of the 6,000 fans was really different and I don't think any of us were expecting it. So, that was the huge eye-opener for us, the first time around.

Q: When the Twilight saga is done, how will you feel about getting your life back?

Taylor: I'm so thankful to be a part of this, and I'm having a lot of fun doing it. I've made a lot of great friendships with everybody that I've worked with, and we've got a while left. I haven't really started thinking about that yet because it's my main focus right now.

Kristen: Yeah, which is good, I guess. I can't wait to be finished because, when I start a movie initially, I'm dying to get it done. I'm thinking about something all the time and I want to go through the experience. I want to do the scenes and I want to make sure that we do them right. And, in this case, I have so much ahead of me. Usually, I have six weeks and, at the end of the six weeks, we will have made our product. We will have gone through everything that we wanted to. But, in this case, I have to wait, literally, years. So, I'm waiting to get it done. I want it to be done.

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Tinsel Korey Interview

Tinsel Korey, who plays Emily in New Moon gave an interview to the Lexicon about her role, audition with director Chris Weitz and the Twilight cast.

Have you read the Twilight Saga books? If yes, which book is your favorite and why?
I have read New Moon, and I’m reading Eclipse right now. I also own Breaking Dawn. I’ll have to get back to you on which one is my favorite.

What was the audition process like for you?
I auditioned in L.A. with the director Chris Weitz and casting directors Rene Haynes and Joseph Middleton. Filming was great, Chris is a very warm and talented director. I can’t wait to see his vision of New Moon come to life.

Did you, along with the other cast members who were also in the Quileuete roles, spend any time building back-stories or relationships?
I built my back-story before I met the boys, I already had an idea of who Emily was. Meeting and hanging out with the boys only helped build upon what my prior thoughts already were. I think when we all hung out the back-story just was there in who we were. Most of us are pretty similar to our characters.

How long is the process of getting into makeup and costume for Emily and can you describe it?
It takes hours to perfect the make-up and you’ll have to wait for the movie to see the magic that the makeup/SPX department created :)

Your MySpace has pictures and videos of you performing traditional music and dance. What art form do you prefer: acting, music, or dance?
I don’t really prefer one over the other, they’re all just different aspects of my artistry: I love them equally.

You seem to gravitate toward roles where you play strong women with interesting pasts. What types of things excite you when considering a role?
I never really realized that I did gravitated towards that till you mentioned it, then I thought about it, and I guess I do. Lol. Material that I get excited about, are the ones that give me an opportunity to break stereotypes.

Can you describe what working with Chris Weitz is like?
He’s an actor’s director, he gets us probably because he is an actor. He’s a very attentive and warm man; I hope I get the pleasure to work with him again in the future.

There are some major, powerhouse actors in the New Moon cast. Did you ever find yourself getting a little star-struck or tongue tied around any of them?
Nope. They’re just normal people.

How would you describe your vision of Emily Young?
Oh god, I don’t think I’m allowed to right a novel for this interview. Lol. So let me summarize in one sentence. She’s a survivor, the heart and soul of the team, when they’re down she brings them up. She’s the one you want to have in your corner.

Do you have anything more that you’d like to share with Twilight fans?
I’d like to thank them for all the support I’ve received and I’m glad I get to be on this journey with them. HUGZ.

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THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON Interview with Ashley Greene and Director Chris Weitz

At San Diego Comic-Con to hype up The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the next installment in the much-beloved vampire series, actress Ashley Greene (best known as Alice Cullen) and director Chris Weitz talked about what it was like to film with so many fans wanting to catch a glimpse of the beloved stars, everywhere they were on location, even as far away as Italy.

Q: Chris, what was challenging about taking over the helm for New Moon?

Chris: In fact, when I weigh it all, I had tremendous benefits. There was an established hit. There was a wonderful cast in place. There really weren't many challenges. The people I was working with weren't challenging. They were lovely. People want to go see it. The hardest thing, when you're making a movie, is hoping that someone's going to go see it. There's always the fear of letting down the fans, but the mantra for me was to be honest to the book. That's not always the case when you're making a film for a studio because sometimes they think that they know better what fans are going to like, than what's in the book. But, Summit understands about this.

Q: Did you have to fight for that?

Chris: No. They understand that if you disappoint the fans of the book, you're in big trouble. So, as long as you keep to that, you're in great shape. That's the only challenge, really.

Q: Were there any surprises in directing this?

Chris: I think the surprise for me was the tremendous infusion of oxygen that came when the cast showed up. You've got a script, and you've got that all squared away. You search for your locations, and that's enormously tedious. I feel like I saw every tree in British Columbia. And then, these wonderful people show up, whose job it is to impersonate other people and creatures, and that brings this delightful element to it. That's when I really, really started to enjoy the process.

Q: How hard was it to shoot, now that the cast is so much more popular? Did you have to have extra security?

Chris: It was with Rob and Kristen, and all of the cast. It's not just Rob. It's really anybody who embodies, for these fans, the characters that they love. In the very best way, they have a hard time distinguishing between the love that they feel for the characters and the love that they feel for people they don't know, who are the actors. So, yeah, you need security and you need people to protect them from the love of the fans, which is different from being the bodyguard for someone that someone is trying to assassinate. It's a good thing, but sometimes you do worry about people getting crushed.

Q: Did the fans try to sneak into a lot of the shooting locations?

Chris: Yeah, they tried to find their way to wherever they thought we were going to be. In a rather naughty way, we would sometimes give out fake information, as to where we were going to be shooting the next day.

Ashley: They'd get so mad!

Chris: But, it was just so that we could get our work done because otherwise we'd spend all our time saying, "Oh, that girl is in the back of the shot, please ask her to leave." There was quite a bit of that.

Q: Ashley, how were the relationships with the cast, this time around?

Ashley: With any relationship, the longer you know someone, the closer you can become with them. But, the amount of attention that's on this project and the amount of insanity surrounding it has changed all of our lives, but it's happened to us together. I think it's definitely had an impact on how close we've gotten and how quickly we've gotten that close because there's a bond formed in that. Who else are you going to ask about something like this? Nobody else is going through it. So, with the second film, I became a lot closer with a few people.

Q: Did anything happen with this film that you weren't expecting?

Chris: Yeah. It was in Italy, where each day, we gradually realized there were more and more Twilight fans showing up in this small town in Montepulciano. It became harder and hard to get to set, and it became harder and harder for me, and I'm used to going unnoticed, to get anywhere from the production office to the set, without heads looking up and people wanting to take photographs. Eventually, entire roads were jammed, so that we couldn't get from one location to another.

Q: What did you do?

Chris: We decided to work around it. We decided that it was a good thing and, karmically, it was best to just thank them for being there, ask them to be quiet when we were shooting, and just try to find work-arounds to still get what we wanted to.

Q: Is there anything that you can do to keep that from happening?

Ashley: Anywhere we go, they'll eventually find us. We took proper precautions on the film. It's just that, if they want to see you, they'll find a way.

Q: Does it help that these films are being done pretty close together?

Chris: When David Slade came on as director of Eclipse, he came and visited me and I showed him everything I could to help get him acclimatized. I think that it's great that Melissa Rosenberg is doing all of the scripts because there's a coherence from one script to the next, and she knows all the characters so well, by now.

Q: How is it for the cast?

Ashley: The funny thing about it is that we're not filming, but we're still traveling, doing press and doing Comic-Con, so we're not really getting a break. At least we're not working 12-hour days. We get a little bit of time to rest. But, it's good that we're getting them all done because we keep the memory fresh. We're in these characters for the next two years, so I think that it helps to get them all done at once.

Q: Why do you think these books have succeeded so well as films?

Chris: I think it's the feeling that, in some way, the vision presented on the screen was not so different from what they dreamed up in their head, when they were reading it, and that's a very difficult thing to do because you're presenting a contrary image to what any reader's experience is. There's something very sacred about the experience of reading a book. There's something very extraordinary about a film, when you're in a darkened room, seeing it. And, if those two things can blend, in some good way, then that's great.

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Twilight Vamps Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, and Peter Facinelli Talks New Moon

Lee Safar Reveals EXCLUSIVE Details On Second Song Considered For 'New Moon' Soundtrack

Last week we told you Lee Safar's ethereal tune "I'm Here" was being considered for the "New Moon" soundtrack. (Listen to the song on Lee's MySpace page). Well, now the Aussie artist has revealed exclusively to MTV that she has not one, but two songs (!!) in contention for a coveted spot on the album. We spoke with Lee about her second track, "Take Me Away," how she got involved with the "Twilight" franchise and whether she's prepared for all the attention she'll no doubt receive if either song lands on the album. Check out our full interview...

HOLLYWOOD CRUSH: How did you get involved with "New Moon"? Did they approach you, or did you approach them?

LEE SAFAR: How I came to find "Twilight" is a beautiful memory for me. Stu Henshall, a recent PR grad, and I had a chance meeting in London early this year. I gave him a copy of my debut EP "Who I've Become" to listen to. He went into his room and woke up the next morning, after having listened to my CD obsessively all night, he said, "I'm going to take you to see something today. Have you seen 'Twilight'?" I told him that I hadn't even heard of it but was intrigued. We went that day and saw the movie and I was immediately obsessed.

The next day, Stu got in contact Emma Clark a very popular "Twilight" vlogger in the UK and told her about [me]. Stu was working very hard at getting the world out to the Twifans about my music. We posted a vlog telling everyone that we were really excited about having a chance at maybe getting on the soundtrack. Emma Clark saw the blog and posted it to her channel. In 24 hours it had about 4,000 hits. Stu started asking Twifans which song of mine they thought would fit "New Moon" the best. I had "I'm Here" in mind and it turns out that they did, too.

A few weeks later I headed to L.A. and met my now-L.A.-attorney, Michael Golland. While he has been working very hard to make this happen I owe so much to my fellow Twifans for their support.

HC: We already know a bit about "I'm Here," but what can you tell us about the second song under consideration?

You are the first outside of my immediate team to know about the new song "Take Me Away." On Twitter I told everyone that I had a secret. Within a few minutes I got a Tweet back from Stu asking what the secret was. That's how secret this has been. Not even my publicist in the UK knew about it. This song has only been heard by a very select few as it is due for release on my next EP later this year. It's a very dark, powerful rock song, but in a different way to "I'm Here."

HC: How do you think these songs will fit into "New Moon"? Can you envision them in specific scenes?

There are two versions of "I'm Here." The original full-band version is from the EP Who I've Become, which I think would be perfect for the scene when Bella is running towards Edward and pushes him out of the sun in Italy. There is also a newly recorded studio piano acoustic version of the song. This is a more emotionally haunting version of "I'm Here." It's up on my MySpace page and iTunes with the rest of my released songs for those who want to hear it .

The new song for consideration "Take Me Away" is more one that focuses on Jacob. It very much explores the pain that Jake feels from loving Bella while having to stand by and watch her pain and not be able to love her the way he want to love her ... but he won't let go! This song is not yet available on iTunes, but there might be a teaser going up on MySpace if enough people want to hear it!

HC: Are you a fan of the series? Which is your favorite book?

I am a massive fan. I've read the series twice and would go for a third if my schedule allowed it. My favorite book is "Breaking Dawn."

Are you prepared for all the attention that you'll no doubt receive if your songs are picked up for the soundtrack?

Can anyone really ever be ready for that kind of attention? But, bring it on I say. This will be an opportunity for me to connect one on one with people who inspire me and who I hope I inspire — my fans. I wrote my first song five years ago and to be experiencing all this this soon is an incredible blessing.

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'New Moon' Stars Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner And Kristen Stewart Hit Comic-Con

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Robert Pattinson Explains His Role In 'New Moon'

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Kristen Stewart Shows Her Feelings In 'New Moon'

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Kristen Stewart And Taylor Lautner Talk Favorite Scenes

MTV Shows

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

The Difference Between 'Twilight' And 'New Moon'

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

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New Moon Movie Clips from Comic Con

New Moon Soundtrack

After the panel at Comic Con we got this card that says the soundtrack will be in stores on Oct. 10, 2009.

“Twilight” sequel, “New Moon,” draws thousands of fangirls to Comic Con

“Twilight” sequel draws fangirls by the thousands

Most camped out overnight. Some spent two nights outside the San Diego Convention Center. They wore homemade T-shirts, made friends with fellow fans and talked about their allegiance to Team Edward or Team Jacob.

They are the “Twilight” fangirls, and they came to Comic Con by the thousands to see the movie’s stars in person at a panel Thursday for the film’s sequel.

Director Chris Weitz was joined by Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Ashley Greene.

High-pitched screams drowned out the introductions.

Those same shrill screams (of joy) also threatened to overwhelm the dialogue during the clip filmmakers showed.

The clip shows Jacob (Lautner) teaching Bella Swan (Stewart) how to ride a motorcycle, but she’s distracted by visions of the vampire Edward (Pattinson) with whom she fell in love. She crashes, and Jacob takes off his shirt to soothe her wound, provoking more fangirl screams. Lautner famously gained more than 20 pounds of muscle since for the role.

Pattinson, who was greeted with adoring screams when made his Comic Con debut with “Twilight” last year, said the event was “an eye-opener, and it’s just gotten bigger and bigger since.”

“None of us saw it coming,” Lautner added.

“It’s a little overwhelming to have so many people here,” Stewart said, “but I guess it’s a good thing.”

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New Moon Website Launches!

On Wednesday, the official website for the movie was launched delivering teasers and sneak peaks for the film set to be released on November 20. There is plenty to get excited about from new photos to sound clips (yes, you can hear dreamy Rob Pattinson as Edward Cullen!) and other fun features. Want to refresh the background on your computer screen? Get some new Twilight wall paper on the site and stare at Taylor Lautner’s chiseled abs all day. Check out Here.
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Noot Seear Goes For Blood in 'New Moon'

Noot Seear is no stranger to playing a vamp, at least where fashion folk are concerned. The 25-year-old Canadian catwalker has spent the last 12 years strutting down runways for the likes of Alexander Wang and Proenza Schouler, displaying the kind of chiseled cheekbones and perfect pout that could lure any unsuspecting fellow.

This fall, she’ll get to show off a more literal take on her man-eating side when she makes her film debut in “New Moon,” the much-anticipated second installment in the “Twilight” series, which hits theaters Nov. 20. Seear tackles the role of Heidi, a member of an elite group of vampires known as the Volturi. Her special talent is — what else? — seducing human prey.

But looks that could kill were only part of the job description, according to “New Moon” director Chris Weitz.

“We wanted someone who had an unearthly and unlikely beauty, but could also convey humor and menace,” explains Weitz, who reportedly also considered AnnaLynne McCord of “90210” before eventually settling on Seear. “It’s rare to find a stunningly attractive person who also happens to have the ability to act.”

Certainly Seear has the first part of the equation down. Discovered by a scout at 13, the model (born Renata Seear) left her native Vancouver for New York City, where she booked the Calvin Klein show within a week.

“And that was it. I wasn’t going back to Canada,” she recalls.

Twelve years later, Seear has a solid portfolio full of high-profile gigs, including print ads for Chanel and Pantene Pro-V. And while she’s probably most recognizable for posing as Mona Lisa in a 1998 Yves Saint Laurent campaign, Seear is by no means a household name. “I have this representation where they’ve never overexposed me,” she says.

Seear plans to bring that same measured approach to acting. “I’ve always been biting at the bit to get into this industry,” says the model, who has trained with famed acting coach Alan Savage for the past few years and has already had bit parts on Canadian TV shows. “Alan was always like, ‘Be patient, you’ve only got one shot at this,’” she says. (It doesn’t hurt that Seear’s New York agency, One Model Management, has helped the likes of Devon Aoki make similar career switches.)

But when the opportunity to be part of the “Twilight” juggernaut came about, she knew it was her time. “I started reading the books, and I couldn’t put them down,” she says.

She admits she was worried her modeling years would hinder her acting chops. “I was really scared because you’re not allowed to look in the camera [when filming a movie], but in the modeling world, you’re supposed to,” recalls Seear, whose problem was solved by the heavy-duty violet contacts she had to wear on-screen. “I literally couldn’t see 2 feet in front of me. They would tell me, ‘Look at Kristen [Stewart],’ and I was like, ‘OK. Where is she?’”

Seear is as excited about the film’s debut as the franchise’s cult fans. She’s already picked out her dress for the premiere (Balmain) and is anxiously awaiting her upcoming Heidi action figure.

And the model, who’s already signed up for two more “Twilight” installments, shows no signs of slowing down. “Modeling was great to me. I made a lot of money doing it,” says Seear, who plans to move to Los Angeles later this year to focus on acting. “[But] what makes acting different is that you get a voice. You’re not just a picture.”

'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' Set Visit - Day Two

After getting an up close view of the sets for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" on day one, this writer's second day on the sequel's set didn't seem much different at first.

As we made our way into the soundstage, the film's principals were once again seen on the video monitors acting out more scenes from the initial Volturi meeting. And like a proud mother watching her children, series author Stephenie Meyer was front and center taking in every moment.

Some quick book backstory for those who haven't read up on this yet -- the Volturi are ancient vampires who form the most powerful coven (organization) in the "Twilight" world. They are lead by Aro (Michael Sheen) and include Jane (Dakota Fanning), Alec (Cameron Bright) and Caius (Jamie Campbell Bower) among their sinister flock. They would like the Cullens, including our hero Edward (Robert Pattinson), to join them, but instead have become embroiled in a dramatic rift between Edward and Bella (Kristen Stewart) in the new movie. They enter the story at the end of the "New Moon" and will be key players in the third picture, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" and beyond. Oh, and did we mention they really want Bella to turn into a vampire?

The first shot we witness this morning finds Pattinson on camera in a long brown robe with tan accents on his sleeve. He races to the camera, looks up, braces in pain and then falls to the floor. The second take he has more agony in his voice as he falls and we can hear director Chris Weitz saying, "Much, much better." The third attempt finds the camera panning back to reveal Bell at his side before he lunges toward what must be one of the Volturi (Jane we later discover) and falling to the ground.

After a few minutes, they change the angle of the camera and we see Jane -- in the same scene -- inflicting pain on Edward. Yes, she's the cause and she does it with little gesturing and without speaking a word. A powerful vampire indeed.

The production has a lot to get through today, so the shot then changes to a close up on Bella who is being held by Alec stopping her from racing to Edward's side.

"Please stop," Stewart says, "Don't hurt him."

At first, during rehearsal as the camera operator sets up the shot, Stewart says the lines comically with deadpan effect causing some snickers from the crew. But when the take is ready for real, she says it with the expected dramatic resolve. The coverage also expands to find Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) being allowed to race to Edward's side. She gesture's that he's "OK."

While Weitz talks to the actors on the set about the next shot, we take time to talk to newcomer Chrisopher Heyerdahl who plays Marcus, a member of the Volturi. The role is a huge break for the struggling British actor, but he seemed to be playing it cool. Intriguingly, he also revealed a flashback scene had been shot, including his character, Aro and Dr. Carlisle Cullen ("Nurse Jackie's" Peter Facinelli) that set up the "truce" between the two parties way back in the 18th Century. To the other writers on the visit, this seemed to be a scene they didn't expect would make the movie and were pretty psyched about it being included.

Then something rather odd happened. This journalist has been to more than 30 movie sets and had never experienced what occurred next. A man who I can only assume was the Assistant Director came out from the closed 360 Volturi hall and announced, "All guests clear the set." And that didn't mean Ms. Meyer, her companions or the Summit executives in front of the monitors, that meant us -- the press. So, without complaint we walked off the soundstage to be followed by an overly genial Wyck Godfrey, the film's producer we'd spoken with the day before, who, paraphrasing, remarked, "Sometimes things like that happen on a movie set."

Uh, sure they do. Not with press around.

This writer won't speculate on what caused our removal, but it certainly was odd. And yet while we were outside we had a chance to talk to the blunt Mr. Bower, who many will recognize from his role as the lovelorn Anthony in "Sweeney Todd." Bower, who also has the luck of appearing as Gellert Grindelwald in the two part"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," smoked a cigarette and was as jovial an interview subject as could be.

"As in the book, the Volturi play a small, but necessary part in this film," Bower told us. "They come much more into play in the fourth film. I’m playing Caius very angry and agitated with the world, I suppose. Just glaring looks. You’ll see as much as you read in the books."

Casius, much to Bower's chagrin, also doesn't have a power which accounts for some of his frustration. To find out more of Bower's thoughts on joining the "Twilight" franchise, click here to read a more indepth interview from our visit.

Happily though, our whole crew was soon allowed back on the set where we returned to our positions to watch more shooting. At this point -- and with her crew and some of the publicists out of the way, Meyer made a point of coming over to talk to us. We couldn't interview her formally (her handlers are actually smart to limit her press breaks), but she couldn't not say hello to us. She'd also admitted she visited all or our sites except for HitFix, but hopefully that has changed in the weeks since. (Are you there Stephenie? Have you gotten your fix?). We also discovered these was one of her few visits to the filming of "New Moon" and she had not been there for all of the production. Meyer also said she was very happy with Weitz's direction and was blown away by the Volutri hall set that was being used the days we were there.

Back on camera, Stewart/Bella is once again the center of attention. With Pattinson still on the ground in "pain" as Edward, she receipts her lines, "Stop! Stop! Try it on me! Just don't hurt him!"

There is a pause and then smiling she goes, "[expletive]. I just lost myself a little bit."

The crew's laughter showed little tension on the stage considering what had happened less than an hour before. However, Stewart finally gets it to Weitz's satisfaction a few takes later and they move on to the next shot.

Showing acting isn't always a glamorous life, our next take finds Pattinson once again on the ground (where's been on and off for at least two hours) writhing in pain as Alice looks up and says, "He's O.K." take after take. Eventually, Edward's pain is accurately captured and Pattinson is allowed to walk back to his trailer with his bare chest visible for all the ladies in my party to swoon over.

With Edward gone, the crew continues filming reaction shots. This time? A close up on Jane who stares ominously where Edward is supposed to be. Notably, Fanning looks almost unrecognizable in her Volturi outfit. She's stunningly beautiful looking more and more like a ready to graduate senior in high school rather than the sophomore she really is. Notably though, at least on the days we were on set, Jane says nothing. And sadly, Fanning did not speak to us during our time there.

And as we soon discovered, any hope of talking to Pattinson was a pointless exercise. We didn't expect Stewart to say hello, but we held out hope that Edward would take a few minutes to answer questions. Ironically, there was no outlet amongst our group that would have treaded the celebrity-gossip ground he no doubt feared discussing, but, hey, it happens.

Before we left, however, we did get a chance to talk to Cameron Bright, who plays Jane's twin brother Alec. Bright, a striking looking British Columbian teenager, has made a name for himself with impressive performances in films such as "Birth," "Running Scared," X-Men: The Last Stand" and "Ultraviolet." He admits he'd never read the books, but made sure he watched the first film before arriving on set.

"A lot of people were saying like, it was half and half. All the guys were saying it was bad, and all the girls were saying it was good," Bright reveals. "I actually liked it, I didn’t mind it at all."

Having only begun shooting a few days before, Bright honestly couldn't answer a lot of our questions, but was looking forward to using Alec's special power to cut off people's senses -- an ability arguably more deadline than his sister's inclination to inflict pain. Bright admits it's a little "weird."

"I say, 'Ha! You’re blind!' all of a sudden," Bright says. "It's definitely a cool power. Especially Jane’s, right? She just kind of makes people feel pain all of a sudden? All I know is one of my friends is like, 'You’re of the strongest, and you’re one of the meanest.' I’m fine with that! Everybody likes the guy to hate!"

Bright will soon learn even the villains have fans among the "Twilight" faithful and he's in for a publicity roller coast ride he'll never forget. You can read more of our converstation with Bright here.

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Taylor Lautner New Photo as Jacob Black

A year ago, no one knew who the heck Taylor Lautner was, and Robert Pattinson was just some British guy from the fourth Harry Potter movie. Then thousands of fans of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight book series descended on Comic-Con for a peek at the movie, and the rest is history. This year, Lautner and Pattinson are in New Moon, directed by Chris Weitz. No word on whether the hot young stars will be at Comic-Con but new footage from the November release will be shown.

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Michael Sheen on going from Lycan to Vampire in 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon'

During our visit to the Vancouver set of "New Moon" last May, Sheen took a brief break to talk to the small cadre of journalists peeping around the soundstage including this intrepid writer. Last seen in a double bill of the Oscar-nominated "Frost/Nixon" and the genre flick "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans," Frost was in full Volturi regalia in what we discovered was only his second day of shooting. Saying it was great to be "thrown in the deep end" by arriving during the middle of production, Sheen had already shot a number of key scenes.


"The first day of filming we did the 18th century stuff and then one of the modern scenes," Sheen says. "It was a lot to deal with; the wig, and contact lenses all day and the make-up, but it was fantastic. These sets are amazing. And the look of everyone is so strong so it was great to just kind of get right into it straight away. "

Other actors purposely don't read the original source material for their big screen creations because they don't want to veer from the direction the screenwriter and director have laid out. I asked Sheen where he stood on the issue.

"Oh no, if I’m doing something that’s based on a book, then I’ll definitely read the book," Sheen says. "I look for anything that will give a little clue or something, a little help, a little hint… just things like that. Like one word that Stephenie uses in the book will kind of tee off my imagination."

Sheen has a much different approach to playing Aro than the human-friendly Cullens and credits the author for his inspiration.

"I love the thing in the books that Stephenie [Meyer] wrote about how these vampires are all – well, the Cullen family – really beautiful, and that’s what lures people into their web," Sheen admits. "And yet, Aro is not like that. She describes Aro as being not the same sort of thing. I like the idea that it’s his voice that lulls people in or his sort of demeanor rather than the way he looks, because he looks quite weird and scary. But yes, I’ve tried to go down that route [to]make him very mesmerizing to people, that his voice is gentle and soft. And yet, there’s something kind of unhinged about him."

On this day, Sheen is in the middle of a dramatic scene where he meets Bella (Kristen Stewart) for the first time. He says Stephenie told him she loved writing this moment in the book and he's personally read the passage over and over again because of the detail she provides about Aro within it.

"She describes his voice as being quite feathery – that’s what gave me the idea of making it very soft, and light. I think she describes it as being like a sigh, his voice," Sheen says. "And that he’s a bit like a concerned grandfather at times, with Edward. I like the idea of him being, even though he’s this kind of deadly, really dangerous character, there’s something quite sentimental about him, quite soft, and yet the next moment he could eat you."

Sheen is no stranger to genre pictures having made some nice bank appearing in all three "Underworld" pictures, but not as a vampire, but as a, ahem, werewolf (Lycan, whatever).

"It’s nice – now I can, you know, bring out the other side of me. The vampiric side, rather than the werewolf side. I feel a bit like a traitor, that I’ve swapped sides," Sheen jokes. "No, it’s nice. I’m glad. The vampires get to wear much cooler clothes, in 'Underworld' and in this, so now I get to have a nice bit of tailoring instead of, you know, raggedy leather. The best thing about playing a werewolf is, you don’t have to worry about getting dirty; if it’s lunchtime, I can have a lie down and it doesn’t matter, because you know, I’m supposed to look rough. But as for this, I’m supposed to look perfectly tailored and groomed and clean all the time, so I can’t sit down or do anything, because I’ve got all this white make-up on. I’m wearing black clothes. So, I’ve got to be really careful that I don’t get covered in stuff."

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Taylor Lautner finds his inner-wolf in 'Twilight Saga: New Moon'

Becoming a movie heartthrob is never easy and Taylor Lautner is handling it with as much patience and class that you could expect for a 17-year-old whose become instantly recognizable to almost every teenage girl in his peer group. So, when this writer and a number of journalists visited the set of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" in May, Lautner was kind enough to journey to the Vancouver studio during his offtime to chat about the highly-anticipated sequel. It's well documented how much work Lautner did to gain the muscle mass to play Jacob, a character that is described as physically imposing in Stephenie Meyer's books.

Lautner spoke in detail to the few reporters on hand about his training regime, meeting "Eclipse" director David Slade or the first time and how painful it is to play Jacob's unrequited love for Bella.

(Oh, and in case there was any doubt, this writer did not ask how often Lautner spends shirtless in "New Moon.")

Q: Were you doing any stunts today?

I’ve been doing a lot recently, yeah. The cool thing is, they’ve pretty much let me do most of my stunts. I got to do all the dirt bike riding, I got to do this really cool sequence that I’m actually not going to tell you about, because I want you to wait to see it. But yeah, the stunts have definitely been my favorite part so far.

Q: What physical preparation did you have to do to get ready for the stunt work?

Well, I had to put on some weight. (Laughs.) While filming 'Twilight,' I knew that Jacob’s character transforms, not only emotionally and mentally but also physically, so I immediately, the day after filming Twilight, hit the gym, started eating a lot – good food – trying to pack on pounds. And here I am, thirty pounds heavier!

Q: Was it harder or easier than you thought it would be?

The actual getting into the gym and working out process was easier, but the eating was harder. Because I had to eat, and everyone’s like 'Are you kidding me? I’d love to eat like that!' I had to eat every two hours. At one point, my trainer said, 'Put anything in your mouth. Go to McDonald’s, get the biggest shake possible, I just need to get calories in you.' Because my body fat at the time was only, like, seven and a half percent.

Q: So you were on the Michael Phelps diet?

Yeah! Seriously, I’d wake up and my trainer would say, 'You need to have six egg whites, and bacon and toast and...' It became a lot, so that was the hardest part. Especially putting something in my mouth every two hours.

Q: Are you still eating like that? You still have to maintain the regimen?

Yeah. I’ve gotten used to it, but I definitely didn’t want to show up on set – now is the most crucial time, when I’m filming – so no, I’m definitely keeping it up while I’m up here.

Q: Can you describe the new movements you had to learn for your Wolf Pack scenes?

Well, I didn’t have anything to do with the Wolf Pack, but I did go through some dirt bike training, because I really hadn’t ridden before. So I had a couple lessons, so when they threw me on the bike I didn’t die. The biggest thing with Jacob’s physicality is, pre-transformation he’s described as clumsy, he trips over his own feet, he’s a little kid. Then, as soon as he transforms, he all of a sudden becomes very agile. So, it wasn’t certain movements or specific things I had to do, it’s just all of my movements together, even as simple as walking, had to have more of a presence, definitely easier than before.

Q: Do we get to see you phase?

Um…yeah! You will. You’ve got to wait and see, but it’s definitely going to be cool.

Q: What percentage of time would you say you spend shirtless? 

I’d say the same as the books. I’m not going to give you a specific percent, but the great things about this series, and the movies , is we stay true to the books. So if you read the books, you know what the movie’s going to look like.

Q: Are you using your martial arts expertise a lot?

No – I mean, Jacob doesn’t do martial arts. It helps with the agility, yes; that’s what it does help with, but it’s not like Jacob comes out and [uses] kung fu on the vampires. (Laughs.)

Q: Have you seen any production art of what your character looks like after transformation?

Very sketchy ones. They’re literally, like, drawings, nothing in detail. So it’s really going to suck, waiting all this time – even though it’s such a quick turnaround. I mean, we’re finishing up here end of May, and it’s coming out at the end of November already. Those months in between are definitely going to be hard, because I’m really excited to see what everything’s going to look like.

Q: They said that for your Jacob the wolf scenes, they’re going to keep your eyes.

I believe so, because when Bella, all through the books, when she looks into the wolf’s face she sees Jacob’s eyes.

Q: Does that mean you’ll spend extra time in a CG studio to capture that?

I don’t know. I think it’s as simple as taking a picture of my eyes and just pasting that on the wolves. I did get body-scanned, is that what they’ll use? Gotcha. Oh yeah, my head body-scanned. Yes, yes, yes.

Q: And did you have any time to do anything between this and 'Eclipse' or are you just going to take a break?

I’m actually not sure yet. While I’m up here I want to focus as much as possible on 'New Moon.' I’m leaving everything to my team back home to work on. But yes, we’re definitely working on things. Nothing is solidified yet.

Q: Will you try to bulk up even more for 'Eclipse' and put on more weight?

Yeah, I am. Jacob continually grows throughout the series, so that means…no matter if I’m doing a film or not, I’m still going to have to put on a little bit more weight.

Q: Do you have a target weight right now?

I’m going to try and put on another…I’ll shoot for another ten. We’ll see what I can do, but I’ll be working hard.

Q: How often do you go to the gym? 

About five days a week. At one point, I realized I put on a lot of weight, and then I started losing weight dramatically and I was like, what’s going on? Why am I losing all this weight that I put on? And what I realized is that I was actually over-working myself. I was going seven days a week, I wouldn’t take a day off, and I would be in the gym for two and a half hours, and I was just burning more calories than I was putting on. That was my biggest problem. So then, I had to cut back; four or five days a week, and not be in the gym too long.

Q: That sounds like reportedly what Rob’s experience was like on the first film.

Oh, really? I’m not familiar. (Laughs.)

Q: That was your real hair, right?

No. This is! But no, the long hair is definitely a wig. I just wrapped the wig a couple of days ago; that was amazing. The whole crew gave an applause, I was so happy. They’re like, 'So, do you want to keep it?' I’m like, 'If you give it to me, I will probably burn it.' (Laughs.)

Q: What’s been the biggest difference between this shoot and the Twilight shoot?

We know what we’re making this time around. I mean, for the first film, we really had no idea we were making a big film, we just knew that we were all in love with the series and wanted to make a great movie. But we didn’t know that all the people were going to fall in love with the movie and it was going to be as big as it was. Now, we’re coming into 'New Moon,' you know, with a little bit more pressure, but we’re trying to push that behind us and not think about that, and stay focused on what we need to do.

Q: What’s the difference between working with Catherine Hardwicke and working with Chris Weitz?

They’re both so talented in different ways. What I love about Chris is the set is very calm and we’re just having a lot of fun making the movie. And then you sit back and you look at the results that are happening and it looks amazing so far. I’m so excited to see it. And you just sit back and see what’s going on, and you’re like, 'How are we having such an easygoing, relaxed time making this movie, and it’s turning out the way it is?' At the same time, the conversations with Catherine – she just related to us so well. So does Chris. They’re both talented directors, and I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to work with both of them.

Q: Have you had a chance to meet David Slade yet? Has he come to set or met anybody?

He came up here, briefly. I was in the middle of a stunt rehearsal, and he showed up with Wyck, one of our producers, and Wyck was like, 'Hey, this is David.' And at that point he wasn’t signed on to the film and I had no idea who he was. Then all of a sudden he started putting up these ‘camera hands’ in my face; 'Yeah, I think this would be a good angle right here.' And I’m just sitting there going, 'What is he doing?' Then finally, as he’s doing it, Wyck says, 'Oh, I probably should tell you who this is. This is David Slade. He’s probably going to be doing 'Eclipse.'' I was like, 'Oh, that makes sense now!'

Q: If you could give Jacob, as a werewolf, one more power, what would it be?

Oh boy, that’s a tough question. Um…I want to steal one of Edward’s powers, because I like them. But then I’d feel like I’m betraying Jacob if I said that. (Laughs.)

Q: Which one of Edward’s powers would you take?

Well, I don’t want to sparkle. Definitely, I don’t want to sparkle. We [wolves] can read minds, though, right? Each others’, but not anybody’s. Ok, well, I’d like to read Bella's.

Q: Are you liking having a Wolf Pack? You’re not the only one anymore.

Yeah, it’s fun! They’re a lot of fun, they’ve got a lot of energy, they’re fun to have around. I’m really glad that they were able to come up and have fun with us.

Q: There’s a lot of talk about the fight scene between Jacob and Paul…

The sad thing is, it’s not gonna be me. It’s gonna be a CGI wolf. But I’m sure it’s gonna look just great.

Q: How did you all develop the bonds that have to translate on screen?

We hung out, while they were up here. We went to dinner, we went to some movies. We all get along, so I definitely think you’re going to see that in the film. They’re fun guys, they’re easy to get along with.

Q: Are you all BFFs now?

I don’t know if we’re BFFs! But we’re friends.

Q: Have you wrapped, or how much more shooting do you have?

Let’s see. We’re almost done. I think we’ve got another two weeks left, and they’ve got a couple of scenes left. It’s sad, but it’s alright. We’ll be back soon.

Q: What’s been your favorite scene to film so far?

Um…I’d either say, some cool action scene I got to do, because I really do like the action, or I really like the break up scene. We call it 'the break up scene.' It’s the first time Bella sees Jacob after he’s transformed. When she comes to his house, and she sees for the first time that his hair’s cut, he’s different, what’s up…? And he tells her, 'We shouldn’t be friends.' It’s a really emotional scene.

Q: Considering how moody Jacob gets in 'New Moon' – toying with Bella’s emotions – do you feel bad at all?

I don’t feel bad one bit; I feel bad for myself! (Laughs.) No, when I was reading the books, I felt so bad for Jacob’s character. But now that I’m actually living him, I feel way worse. Bella’s toying with Jacob! I don’t care if she’s ripped between the two guys, I feel so bad for Jacob, because she confused him; one moment, she’ll want to kiss him, and the next moment, she’s ditching him for Edward. I mean, yeah, I understand where Bella’s coming from, and it’s a crappy situation for all of them. But I feel really bad for Jacob.

Q: A lot of fans are looking forward to the scene in 'Eclipse' where Jacob and Bella finally have the kiss.

Yes, so am I.

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New Moon Director Chris Weitz Spills Juicy Twilight Details

ON ECLIPSE AND DAVID SLADE

While Weitz works against the clock to finish New Moon (which will be released November 20, 2009), director David Slade (30 Days of Night) has already begun prepping the third film in the series, Eclipse. Slade even visited the Vancouver set of New Moon to get briefed by Weitz, who revealed that visual effects studio Tippett Studios will provide werewolf effects for both New Moon and Eclipse.

"David Slade came in while we were still shooting the end of New Moon and I showed him everything that I could to give him a sense of what direction we were going," Weitz explained. "He's going to take it in whatever way he wants to because he's his own guy and will have his own style and particular take on things, but just as I was inheriting certain things from Catherine Hardwicke, he's going to inherit certain things from me and make the choice as to whether he wants to keep them or alter them."

" We've had discussions," he continued. "Tippett is going to do the wolves for Eclipse so that there's a continuity in terms of the look of the werewolves, and obviously the cast is going to remain the same; so Dakota is Jane, and all the Volturi are the same people that we're familiar with."

THE BIG QUESTION: WOULD WEITZ COME BACK FOR BREAKING DAWN?

Despite the fact that only a handful of stills and a teaser trailer have debuted for New Moon, fans are already speculating on whether or not Weitz would return to direct the fourth film, Breaking Dawn. Will he consider taking the reins again?

"I think it's really charming that, not having seen New Moon, people would be enthusiastic about me wanting to do Breaking Dawn," Weitz said, partly humble, and perhaps partly remembering the tumultuous experience he had when his last would-be franchise, Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass, didn't make it to subsequent sequels. "I think the proof is in the pudding, and they should see New Moon before they decide if they want me to do anything else to do with their series. But I would hope to earn that kind of rumor."

While he passed on directing the third Twilight film out of sheer pragmatism, the possibility of Weitz directing Breaking Dawn remains open. "I haven't really spoken with Summit about that; all I knew was that I was going to be too tired to do Eclipse, and that it was better that somebody else take it over as well so that they could put their own imprint on it. Also, the way the films are being shot [in rapid succession] would have precluded it anyway."

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THE BIGGER QUESTION: IS BREAKING DAWN EVEN FILMABLE?

It's unsurprising that Breaking Dawn -- the fourth and final book in Meyer's Twilight series -- is still without a director. Although producers insist it's still in the works, Breaking Dawn is unconfirmed by the studio, and it's not difficult to guess why: with more than a few mature and controversial storylines and a potentially large dependency on expensive computer graphics, Breaking Dawn might be the most difficult Twilight installment to film and market. But Weitz is optimistic.

"It's a tough one," he admitted, mulling the thought of directing Breaking Dawn. "It's a hard one, because the series gets more and more ambitious as it goes along." Some might wonder if it could be pulled off altogether. Weitz paused for thought. "Yes, it's doable; anything is doable."

So, would he go on the record with his official interest in Breaking Dawn? "I'd certainly consider it," he confirmed.
Then again, Weitz knows that fan sentiment could easily turn against him and newer director Slade could become a popular front runner, quipping, "by the time [Eclipse] comes out they'll probably want him to direct Breaking Dawn, not me."

CHRIS WEITZ'S FAVORITE SCENE TO FILM

Like a Twilight mecca of sorts, fans visited Vancouver in droves during production to glimpse external sets like Jacob Black's house, sometimes encountering cast members still in costume. Paparazzi even followed New Moon's stars after hours and on weekends, feeding the frenzy. But North American fans stalking sidewalks and hotels in Vancouver were nothing compared to what awaited Weitz and his cast in Italy, where fans from all over Europe decamped in a fashion that Weitz compares to Beatlemania; surprisingly, he names the scenes shot in Montepulciano -- under the watchful eyes of hundreds of Twilight fans, observing (and blogging) Bella's climactic dash to stop Edward from exposing himself at high noon -- as his favorites to film.

"There were a lot of fun scenes to film, frankly," Weitz recalls. "I really did enjoy the scenes in the Volturi headquarters [filmed on Vancouver soundstages], although it was a tremendous logistical headache. In a way, it's the scenes that you dread the most, because they are so time consuming and you have to get them just right, which is like the stuff in the Volturi headquarters, or the stuff that was shot in Montepulciano."

"I suppose that has to be my favorite scene, because it is the high point of the movie, when Bella goes to try to stop Edward from killing himself. We had a thousand extras in this medieval town square in a hill town in Tuscany, in the most beautiful country on earth, and it was such an extraordinary opportunity to get to work there. It was also kind of surreal, because every Twilight fan who could make it from all over continental Europe and further, had gone by hook or by crook to Montepulciano and booked a hotel room -- sometimes at the very hotel which the cast and crew were staying."

"So there was this kind of weird Beatlemania sort of thing going on in this very small, beautiful, hill town. For five days it was this kind of bizarre festival atmosphere, and it really wasn't bothersome at all; it was incredibly gratifying. All these people would applaud after every single take, whether or not we had screwed it up - they had no idea because they weren't close enough to hear. But if you looked down any alley down which the camera wasn't pointing, you'd see hundreds of these young girls who had come to just touch a piece of what they really loved."

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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BOOK AND THE FILM

Those paying close attention to Stephenie Meyer's source novels might remember the "three-way date" that Bella goes on with friends Mike Newton and Jacob Black. While the scene was shot for New Moon, the filmmakers had to be creative with details in order to avoid potential lawsuits. Hence, the film will show Bella going to see a movie-within-a-movie entitled, simply, Face Punch. Unfortunately for fans, Face Punch will not be filmed at all.

Weitz explains how he came up with the title and concept for Face Punch: "The funny thing is, I had to come up with the name of a movie-within-a-movie, and the first one, which I think was named Cross-Hairs in the book, couldn't be cleared because it had already been used. You'd be shocked at the number of stupid action movie names that have been turned into movies. So I eventually submitted a list of ten to Summit's lawyers and they had to see which ones they could go and clear, and Face Punch was one of two out of ten that could actually be cleared. And I chose that over Kill Hunt, so now somebody can actually go make Kill Hunt, but Face Punch is ours. [Laughs] It was always a joke between me and my brother [filmmaker Paul Weitz] that there should be a movie called Face Punch, which was just about people punching each other in the face. But it's the kind of movie-within-a-movie, it's the least romantic thing that Bella can think of to go to, because her friend asks her, essentially, on a date and she wants nothing romantic to happen at all."

Weitz continued, landing upon a brilliant idea for the next wave of Twilight fan videos. "Sadly, there is no Face Punch, although maybe it should be something that the fans are left to make. You'll hear the sounds of Face Punch, which will be a lot of people being shot and hacking each other to bits. There are a few other movies that are referred to, imaginary movies, within this movie, and the way that it satirizes other genre films in a very brief and lighthearted way. And this is example of the stupidest kind of action movie imaginable."

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OK, BUT WHAT ABOUT THAT ROTTEN TOMATOES LINE?

Alas, we confirmed that Meyer's mention of Rotten Tomatoes had to be omitted for legal reasons.

"I'm afraid we didn't [include the Rotten Tomatoes line], and the reason would not be because of Rotten Tomatoes, but because Summit Entertainment [is] very careful about not quoting any existing property. And probably, if we had actually bothered to go and ask, then you guys would have said, 'Yeah that'd be really cool,' but then some lawyer would have said, 'It doesn't matter, somebody else could complain about it,' and all that sort of stuff."

"It might be because of the Tomatometer response to The Golden Compass, as well," he joked, "which lowered my overall Tomatometer quite severely."

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THE "PROPOSAL" SCENE

Speaking of changes, let's address the big fan question: The Proposal Scene. While Melissa Rosenberg's script for Twilight deviated slightly from Meyer's source novel, most agree that it remained generally faithful in story and (perhaps to a fault) in dialogue. So will New Moon's conclusion stay faithful to Meyer's "proposal scene," in which Edward makes a very specific ultimatum in response to a life-changing request from Bella?

"It hasn't been cut out, I can tell you that much," Weitz carefully shared. He paused to compose his answer, making sure not to reveal too much. "It's not going to hit them in exactly the way that they think it's going to, but I will say that -- how can I put it? --it's going to be quite special. I kind of saved all of my gusto for that moment. I don't think it will disappoint.

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Exclusive: 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' Director Chris Weitz reveals all

Having spoken with the always kind and professional Weitz about his previous film "The Golden Compass" and having worked with him way back when on the online campaign for "Down to Earth," I knew he was seriously busy if he couldn't stop to chat. And considering how frantic the shooting schedule for "New Moon" was, we took the production at their word that he'd speak to us down the road. This week, that promise came to fruition and Weitz was relaxed and open as he took a break from editing the "Twilight" sequel. The entire transcript of the interview is below, but here are some newsworthy items he revealed.

*Even Weitz was surprised with how quickly Phil Tippet's company turned around the Jacob wolf shot at the end of the first teaser trailer. The shot has gone through numerous iterations and is much more photorealistic than that version.
*He'll be submitting a director's cut of the film to Summit within the next two weeks.
*Alexandre Desplat is currently working on the movie's score. It may include hints at Carter Burwell's original "Twilight" theme, but will sound different.
*Thom Yorke and Kings of Leon are interested in contributing to the film's soundtrack.
*A couple of new scenes from the film will be shown during the "New Moon" Comic-Con panel on Thursday, July 23.
*The movie within a movie, "Facepunch," will only be heard -- not seen.
*Shooting in Italy with all of the fans that trekked across Europe to see the production was like Beatlemania.
*His vision of the Volturi is very much like the book and unlike a number of fan inspirations that have hit the web. He also sees them as having gone slightly insane after living for 2,000 years.
*He's met with David Slade and expects the filmmaker's vision for "Eclipse" to be different than what he's doing with "New Moon," but with the same actors and visual effects team.
*He's flattered that fans want him to direct "Breaking Dawn" without seeing "New Moon," but thinks the fans will want Slade to do it by the time "Eclipse" comes out.
*Weitz needs to turn the film in by Oct. 30 to strike prints or if not, they are in "big trouble" to make the release date.

Look for Day One of HitFix's journey to "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" set tomorrow and Day Two on Saturday. Additional interviews with cast members will also be posted tomorrow morning.

Thank you for being interested or pretending to be at least.

Q: The day we were on set you shooting in the headquarters of the Italian vampires.

Yes, that's a gigantic sets.

Q: Just so you know, I purposely don't read the books because I want to enjoy the franchise as a moviegoer...

Many people purposely don't read the books. They are called men. (Laughs.)

Q: Can you talk about that then? What was your interest in coming on board a franchise that predominately been more popular with women then men?

Actually, in that regard my brother and I often end up doing movies whose audiences are predominantly women or tipping point of success relies on a female audience. Even 'American Pie.' I think the thing that distinguishes it more than the gross-out humor, because there is a lot of that going on. The way we tooled it was so that girls could be interested in it as well. And, in as much as the 'Twilight' series has a great appeal to women, I think it really concentrates on the emotions of the central character and romance and I think that unfortunately that the studio system has not been very good at getting boys to be interested in. They think and maybe incorrectly, that the male gender is interested in just thing blowing up. And I don't think that's true. I certainly didn't make this movie towards only girls or women being interested in seeing it. There is a lot for diverse audiences including older audiences than the first one drew. Really, we are drawn to the cast. I thought the central cast were great and I wanted to work with them and it also employed some skills that I picked up along the way including working with special effects and working with younger actors and working on emotionally structured stories.

Q: 'Twilight' is very emotional at its core, but it also has a lot of CG elements. Would you say you are in a comfort zone? Is this familiar ground?

Right, I'm never really in a comfort zone making a movie which is a discomfort zone, because you're always working under pressured circumstances, because you don't have an unlimited amount of time or money to do these things. There were a number of things I was familiar with -- familiar enough so that I could do what I think is really important which is not to foreground the special effects for the action elements, but to make those kind of settle into the story. You never really want someone to watch a movie and go, 'Wow, those were great special effects.' You hope they won't notice the majority of what you are doing. Obviously, people are going to notice horse-sized wolves and realize on some level they are special effects, but they are photorealistic and they should be as expressive as a good actor if possible. So, in terms of kind of wrangling that sort of process it is something I am used to.

Q: In terms of the effects, I think everyone on this call was probably stunned after we'd been on set and we'd talked to the producer and he was like 'We're still working on some of the designs for the wolfpack' and I think it was like two or three weeks later we saw the first trailer and that great shot at the end. Have you ever worked in such a quick process from beginning to end?

It is. I myself was surprised Phil Tippet's company was able to turn out that wolf shot and I think they kind of did that as a matter of institutional pride that they could. Even that shot that was in the trailer has gone through 20-30 iterations since then, but they have done a really extraordinary job and Phil Tippet is a complete genius. He's responsible for the walkers in 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' and he's kind of one of the legends of the visual effects community and it pretty amazing what they have been able to do on such short notice. We are working at kind of breakneck speed at the same time as trying to achieve something really quite elegant as well. It's not just Tippet, it's Frantic/CBS (LOOK UP) which is headed up by Mike Fink who is my old friend who was the visual effects supervisor on 'Golden Compass' which won the Oscar the year it came out. So, yeah, working very fast, but we're also trying to work as beautifully as possible to make these effect kind of settle into the amazing cinematography that Javier Aguirresarobe brought us. We are kind of moving at light speed,but trying to deliver something that's really elegant and beautiful.

Q: Just to follow that up, can you tell us how far along you are to completion right now?

I am about two weeks away from showing the director's cut to the studio. I've got some wolves with fur. Some wolves are still invisible basically and some wolves are like -- you've all probably seen the claymation versions. We are still in the light RD phases of what Edward looks like when he's hit -- what the vampires look like when he's hit with light and the diamond effect. Also, the kind of hallucinatory effect Bella has when she hears Edward's voice and she imagines him there. And then we are Alexandre Desplat has just started working on his music for the film. And we are just starting to put together what acts will be on the soundtrack, so it's kind of like keeping ten plates spinning at once, but it's all good because we've got Alexander Desplat who I think is one of the greatest film composers living and because of the kind of the strength of the franchise that I inherited, a lot of bands are really interested in working on the soundtrack and we got visual effects people. And that just leaves me hopefully not dropping the ball in terms of editing together the story.

Q: Sounds like a lot.

It is a lot, and with Comic-Con on the 24th were we are going to show a couple of scenes to whoever can get in that auditorium. And yeah, it's a lot to be getting on with, but it's fun at the same time.

Q: In regards to the music, will Alexander Desplat be using Carter Burwell's theme at all?

I think, y'know, yes, because like any franchise there are certain themes that become familiar. I suspect he's going to transpose it in some manner and most of the music will be entirely new to the franchise, because his style is somewhat different from Carter Burwell's, but I think there is some value to having a familiar -- I believe the words are 'light motifs' -- running through the entire series.

Q: Really quickly on the music. The first movie probably made Paramore as a band. Were you surprised by the number of acts wanting to be on the sequel and have you had to turn anybody down?

Well, fortunately I'm not at the stage where I have to turn anybody down yet, because everything is still kind of up in the air, but I am surprised by some of the bands that have said they are interested. It's kind of great. The criteria will still be what's right for the movie at that given moment, but y'know, Thom Yorke is interested. We might, if we're very lucky, get Kings of Leon to do something. So, it's exciting to have access to this kind of talent.

Q: Can you talk about the mini-movie 'Facepunch' that plays on the three-way date?

Yeah, well, actually nobody is starring in that. The funny thing is I had to come up wit h the name of the movie, within the movie. In the first one I think was named in the book -- I think it's 'Crossfire' -- or 'Crosshairs' or something like that couldn't be cleared because it had already been used. And you'd be shocked at the number of stupid action movie names that have been turned into movies. So, I eventually turned in a list of ten to Summit's lawyers and they had to see which ones they could go and clear. "Facepunch" was actually one of two of ten they cleared. And I chose that over "Kill Hunt." I can actually go and make 'Kill Hunt'.' And it was always the joke between me and my brother that there should be a movie called 'Facepunch' which is just about people punching each other in the face. It's kind of a movie within the movie. It's the least romantic thing Bella can go to because her friend essentially asks her on a date and she wants nothing romantic to happen at all.

Q: Did Stephenie give you any thoughts on that?

Well, she gave me a T-shirt with the 'Facepunch' logo on it. She's kind of a fan of popular culture as well or the absurdity of popular culture, so I think she was kind of tickled by the name of the movie.

Q: Will it be on the DVD?

The movie itself? (Laughs.) Sadly, there is no 'Facepunch' although maybe that's something the fans should be left to make. You'll hear the sounds of 'Facepunch' which will be a lot of people being shot and hacking each other to bits. In a way there are a few other imaginary movies that are referred to within this movie in the way that is satirizes other genre films in a very brief and lighthearted way. And this is the example of the stupidest possible action movie imaginable.

Q: Chris, there is a Rotten Tomatoes mention in the book for this scene. Do you know if it stayed in the movie?

I'm afraid it didn't. I don't think the reason would be because of Rotten Tomatoes, but Summit Entertainment got in trouble for using some cards from a casino in the first movie and they are very careful about not quoting any existing property. Probably if we had bothered to go and ask you guys would have said, 'Yeah, that's really cool.' And some lawyer would have said, 'Oh, it doesn't matter' and all that sort of stuff. So, I'm afraid not. It might have been because of the Tomatometer response to 'Golden Compass' as well. (Laughs.) It lowered my overall Tomatometer score.

Q: Was there a lot of pressure in taking on a project that's become a huge cultural phenomenon?

Yeah, definitely there is. It's largely self-imposed because the fans are tremendously supportive and very kind. One of the things thats interesting about the 'Twilight' fans is that they are not like fans boys who start cynical. They actually begin from the point-of-view of being enthusiastic and wanting things to be good and done well. I do feel a tremendous amount of responsibility to the readership than to the movie franchise in a way, because I think that's the core experience you are trying to get at. Someone reading the books for the first time, but just galloping through it for the first time when one reads books when you're younger and you are completely absorbed in it. To try and provide an experience that kind of compliments that. That means keeping in very good touch with Stephenie without trying to second guess ones self. Thinking about things to a degree of loyalty to the fans.

Q: What was your favorite scene to shoot?

There were a lot of fun scenes to film frankly. I really did enjoy the sequence in the Volturi headquarters, although it's a tremendous logistical headache. In a way, it's the scenes that you dread the most because they are so time consuming and you have to get it just right which is like the stuff in the Volturi headquarters, that has to be my favorite sequence because it is kind of the high point of the movie when Bella goes to try and stop Edward from killing himself. We had 1,000 extras in this medieval town square in this little town in Tuscany in the most beautiful country on earth and it's just an extraordinary opportunity to work there. It was also kind of surreal, because every 'Twilight' fan could make it from all over continental Europe and even further and had gotten by hook or by crook to Montepulciano, [Italy] and booked a hotel room. Sometimes in the very hotel room in which the cast and crew were staying. So, there was this weird Beatlemania thing sort of going on in this very small, beautiful hill town. So, for five days it was this bizarre festival atmosphere. And it really wasn't bothersome at all. It was incredible gratifying that all these people would applaud after every take whether or not we'd screwed it up. They had no idea because they weren't close enough to hear. If you looked down any alley in which the camera wasn't pointing you'd see hundreds of these young girls who had come to touch a piece of what they really loved.

Q: Can you talk about what it was like to work with the cast after they'd already played these parts before?

Well I always go into any movie that a competent actor is going to know about as much or more about what their character is about than I will even if it isn't a franchise, because that's their job. But that's especially the case when they have already played these characters falling in love. They have kind of lived with the characters and the franchise for quite awhile. I'm mean you'd have to ask the actors if what I say is true, but my first job is to talk to them and listen to them about what they thought about the script and what they thought their characters would be up to. And to kind of work along with them. Obviously, it was going to be a different experience for them. It was going to be a different kind of movie, because in a way I'm a lot more old fashioned than Catherine Hardwicke in terms of my film tastes and in terms of the way the film was going to turn out. So, it was sort of just a balancing act between respecting everything they brought to the table and the characters and what they did and what I thought I could bring. Also, it was kind of great to be with Taylor as he went from a character that had three small scenes in the first movie and only worked three days on the first movie or something to one of the dominant characters in the movie. That was a really fun process because he's a really great guy. Actually, all of the kids as I like to call them because I'm 39 and that sort of makes me twice their age were fun to work with and clever and smart and thoughtful about it.

Q: Can you tell us about the proposal scene at the end of the book? Fans are worried that it's either been altered or cut out of the film. Can you address those concerns?

They haven't been cut out. I can tell you that much. It's not going to hit them the exact way they think it's going to, but I will say -- how can I put it? It's going to be quite special. I could have saved all of my gusto for that moment. I don't think it will disappoint.

Q: Can you tell us about your vision for the Volturi?

No matter how strange one of the characters is in a work of fantasy, I think you have to approach them as people and then so you start to think, 'Oh they've been around for 2,000 years. How would they interact with one another?' The conclusion was that after 2,000 years you'd probably be more than mildly insane. No matter how cultured or gracious you appear on the surface. And I think that's what Michael Sheen managed to portray in portraying Aro, the head of the Volturi, in that on the surface he's terribly gracious, warm, a wonderful host and at the same time he's absolutely lethal and frightening. It's also what Dakota [Fanning] conveys as Jane. She's sort of this in appearance innocent looking, harmless looking almost teenager, but she's absolutely deadly. The first thing I wanted to do was put them in a setting that wasn't Dracula's castle. I feel like that's been done. There have been so many vampire movies and werewolf movies and horror movies where everything has been dark and dreary and everything is blue or green or something like that. Instead, their headquarters is surprisingly light and crisp. And the characters that they play have a kind of a tactile reality to them in spite of how bizarre their situation is really. The whole point is not to leave kind of Forks, Washington where everything has really been quite realistic and then suddenly go to a location that completely throws you out of the movie. So, that's the difficult balance to achieve. And the set although it's huge and grand and magnificent actually kind of feels like a real place. One always has the option in these kind of situations of shooting everything in green screen and adding everything later. I've done that before, but in this case it felt really important to actually build something that surrounded the characters that they could interact with and had a real sense of existing in a real space.

Q: There is a lot of fan speculation about what the Volturi will actually look like and from what I've read or seen from photoshop manipulations people have done, they are really off the mark. Curious, will we see the Volturi in any of the upcoming trailer or publicity stills or is that secret until the movie comes out?

I think there will be some publicity stills about them coming out eventually and I'm not sure whether they will be in the trailers or not. I think essentially our aim was to make them look like what they look like in the book and not to be too fancy. I think that y'know it was very important to [Stephenie] that the werewolves transform very quickly, they look like wolves and we not have this kind of magical Lon Chaney-esque long transformations and I think the reason behind that is to give a sense of their reality. I think that was important to the Volturi as well. They are not levitating off the ground, they are not surrounded by mystical auroras, they are creatures that actually exist and they are very specific. They are very stylish, they are very elegant, they are very dangerous, but essentially it's very faithful to the book.

Q: Would you talk about these rumors or fan speculation or hopes that you might come back to direct 'Breaking Dawn'? And is there any carryover between 'New Moon,' 'Eclipse' and 'Breaking Dawn' in terms of planning?

Let me see, I think it's really charming that having not seen 'New Moon' people would be enthusiastic about me wanting to do 'Breaking Dawn.' That's really -- y'know I think the proof is in the pudding and they should see it before they decide there is anything else they want me to do. But I would hope to earn that kind of rumor. We haven't really spoken with Summit about that. All I knew is that I would be too tired to do 'Eclipse' and that somebody else take it over as well so that they could put their own imprint on it. Also, the way the films are being shot would have precluded it anyway. In terms of the planning. David Slade came in while we were still shooting 'New Moon' and I showed him everything I could to sort of give him a sense of what direction we were going. He is going to take it into whatever way he wants to, because he's his own guy and will have his own style and particular take on things. But, just as I was inheriting certain things from Catherine Hardwicke, he's going to inherit certain things from me and make the choice whether he's going to keep them or alter them. So, we have had discussions about -- Tippet is going to do the wolves for 'Eclipse' so there is a continuity for the look of the werewolves and obviously the cast is going to remain the same. Dakota is Jane and all the Volturi are the same people who you are familiar with, but other than that it's sort of David Slade's show to run on 'Eclipse' and by the time that comes out they will probably want him to do 'Breaking Dawn,' not me. I would certainly consider it, but it's funny. I find all my time avoiding the internet, because I end up getting into arguments with 15-year-olds in Germany and I have to concentrate on making the movie, so I don't even know the positive rumors out there. I don't know the negative rumors, I don't know the positive rumors. I"m just trying to do the best job I can, but it's really sweet that people would like me to do that. I think that's very cool.

Q: Do you think 'Breaking Dawn' would be very doable?

No, it a tough one. I mean, yes it's doable. Anything is doable, but it's a hard one, because the series gets more and more ambitious as it goes along. Yes, it's doable. Anything is doable.

Q: Chris, real quick, what's your drop dead due date that you have to turn the film in to make the release date?

Ironically, I think it's the day before Halloween. I believe Oct. 30 is our drop dead date. It's our time to start striking the prints or we're in big trouble.