Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg Interview THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON

Collider has a video interview with the Twilight Saga Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg
answering these questions about New Moon and the remaining sequels of Twilight movies
1. What was her reaction to seeing the film for the first time
2. How hard has it been to find the voice of the movie versus the fans expectations
3. Who came up with the way to keep Rob Pattison in the movie as a ghost type image
4. Has she seen any of Eclipse
5. How similar are the movies to the books and did she add anything
6. 7:00 Breaking Dawn talk - hypothetically speaking, does she think more would have to be changed from the book in the 4th movie
7. Does she have an opinion on the 4th movie possibly being two movies

Twilight actress Kristen Stewart on New Moon

At only 19, Kristen Stewart has already starred alongside Jodie Foster, Sean Penn and Robert De Niro and is the lead in the scarily successful Twilight series

I think she has a much bigger rack than I have.” Kristen Stewart is pondering her Twilight action figure — the little plastic doll that represents Bella, her character in the film franchise — while checking the proportions of the bust. “I also think she looks much older than me,” she adds, before setting the figure aside. I pick it up and, on closer inspection, the doll does look a little older than its real-life progenitor (as to the “rack”, closer inspection would be inappropriate). “It’s strange,” continues the 19-year-old actress, “but people often think I’m a little bit older than I really am. A French journalist asked me earlier on how my teenage years had affected my later life. I’m still in my teens.” She smiles. “Really, even if I was older, how could my teenage years not have shaped my life? I don’t know how to answer that.”

The French journalist should have done his research, although, to the uneducated observer, Stewart might well seem beyond her years. Her conversation, for example, most certainly belies her age. Not many teenagers are quite as articulate or as self-aware — although not many teenagers are carrying the world’s biggest burgeoning film franchise, the teen vampire series Twilight. With JK Rowling’s much-loved characters pottering into their final big-screen chapter, Twilight will soon stand as the top teen-movie franchise, and with their leading lady, the film-makers have snared a supremely talented and highly intelligent young star.

Stewart’s most recent movie, the understated indie comedy Adventureland, is a case in point. In this semi-autobiographical tale, the writer-director Greg Mottola (The Daytrippers, Superbad) draws upon his experience of working in a theme park during his teens in the 1980s. Stewart plays the troubled Em Lewin, the main character’s love interest. The film took only $16m at the US box office, but is better than those figures suggest, working as an ensemble piece (the Saturday Night Live favourites Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig provide hilarious support, while The Squid and the Whale’s Jesse Eisenberg shines in the leading-man role) — although Stewart’s character is, quite deliberately, granted plenty of screen time.

“Kristen was one of the few people I cast without even auditioning, even though she’s younger than the character she plays in the film,” Mottola tells me. “But I think she’s the best actress in her age range. She can make thinking look dramatic.” Mottola’s favourite scene sees Stewart deliver a story about her father having an affair while her mother was dying of cancer. “She tells it in this very matter-of-fact manner and instinctively knew that someone who hasn’t processed those feelings yet wouldn’t know how to talk about them,” he says. Other people he auditioned for the role transformed the speech into what he describes as “some of the most melodramatic monologues I’ve ever heard”.

Stewart looks bashful when I relay the compliment. “I am not a terribly introverted, damaged girl at a theme park in the 1980s,” she smiles, “but I can imagine what it would be like to not like yourself very much, and to be kicking it alone. Also to feel like you're sort of smarter than everybody, but nobody gets it. I get all that, and then the masochistic aspects girls are good at. Also, I guess I have always felt older than I am. I felt I should have been an adult at the age of five. And I thought I was an adult when I was 12. I wasn’t like a warrior, but I have never been that kid who doesn’t care a fig about anything. It’s just the way I’ve been brought up.”

Stewart’s full-time education in her home state of California tailed off when she hit 14. Both of her parents are familiar with the film business (her father, John Stewart, worked as a stage manager and television producer; her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, as a script supervisor) and trusted her to continue her education via correspondence while she concentrated on her fledgling acting career. The move has paid off, and, as Stewart has already noted, these early years have informed the rest of her life. At only 16, she had already worked with arguably the best actress and actor in Hollywood today, appearing first with Jodie Foster in 2002’s Panic Room (as Foster’s sullen daughter) and then, in 2007, as Tracy, a waif-like trailer-park teen who falls for Emile Hirsch in Sean Penn’s directorial hit Into the Wild. Foster and Penn have proved invaluable mentors.

“Those two have had a massive influence on me, of course,” she offers, “and in Sean I have seen something that I have never seen in someone else — this huge sense of conviction. It kind of kicks you out of the room.” It sounds intimidating. “Yes, definitely, and it is also gently persuasive. Sean takes things so seriously. If he is doing a part, he never stops until it’s done, whereas Jodie takes it a little less seriously. She is able to do the same thing without killing herself so much. But that’s what he needs. So from both of them, I get the same thing: they only do what they feel strongly about, and there is never anything to be ashamed of.”

In between her films with Foster and Penn, Stewart earned strong notices for 2004’s Speak, in which, at only 13, she starred as a young teen who is raped and stops speaking. She also worked with Mike Figgis and Sharon Stone (Cold Creek Manor, 2003), Jon Favreau (Zathura, 2005), Griffin Dunne (Fierce People, 2005), the Pang brothers (The Messengers, 2007) and Robert De Niro (What Just Happened, 2008). “I’m glad I could do those films, and I was glad to leave school,” she recalls. “I couldn’t relate to kids my own age. They are mean and don’t give you any chance.” Does she feel as though she missed out on anything? “No, I think the social aspects I haven’t missed out on. I am around people constantly. I meet hundreds of people at work. Once you have done with school, you realise it is just a smaller version of life. When I was there, I was never the type of girl to be walking around talking about acting, so I didn’t get a whole lot of hassle for that, until someone found out, until someone saw some old movie and realised. I was trying to play it down, but I definitely got, ‘Oh, she’s such a bitch.’ They’d never spoken to me, but instantly they were, like, ‘You are so rude.’ I am not rude.”

She’s right. In fact, Stewart is thoroughly engaging. Admittedly, some journalists find her a struggle, but I’d suggest that, like the Frenchman, they have underestimated their subject. In person, she is bright and quite charming, an eager smoker who regularly curls her knees up under her chin while talking. She is uncomfortable with the interview process — “I’m not very good at self-analysis” — and any poorly thought-through or ill-informed questions are given short shrift.

In securing the role of Bella in the Twilight series, she stands as one of the most sought-after teen stars in the world. The first film in the franchise, released last November, snaffled more than $380m at the box office (recouping 10 times its original budget); the second instalment, New Moon, will most likely fare even better. In the second chapter, the hunky vampire of the series, Edward Cullen (played by a big-eyebrowed Robert Pattinson) leaves Bella Swann (the two are hopelessly in love), allowing another male, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), to enter the scene and form a sticky love triangle. Cue plenty of soul-searching and teen-tinged heartache. “There’s also a bit more action in this movie,” she offers. “The werewolves are introduced, and you have the character of Jacob. The way it all pans out, it’s quite tragic, really.”

Given the first film’s popularity, has the Twilight saga transformed her life? “Well, I never worked to some grand plan,” she says, “but I’d be lying if I said Twilight hadn’t afforded me other opportunities. Most of the films I like to make are tiny and barely see the light of day, but after Twilight, people are more likely to go, ‘Oh, let’s go see Bella in that stripper movie.’” The stripper movie is Welcome to the Rileys, a low-key emotional drama she shot with James Gandolfini after making the first Twilight film. She has also recently finished The Runaways, which charts the early years of the eponymous 1970s all-girl rock band, fronted by Joan Jett (Stewart’s role) and Cherie Currie (played by her New Moon co-star Dakota Fanning). “Joan is the ultimate role model,” she beams. That Stewart bonded with the spiky rocker herself on set should come as no surprise. “While Cherie struggled a bit with the fame, Joan knew how to handle the pressure and knew what it could do for her career.”

Like Jett, Stewart must now live her life in the glare of the media spotlight, and there are persistent rumours of on-set shenanigans between Stewart and Pattinson, although the actress has always brushed away the tittle-tattle. When the first film hit cinemas, she was already dating her Speak co-star Michael Angarano. “He’s cool with the whole thing,” she had told me at a previous interview, earlier this year. “I think he likes the first movie. I don’t really know, but he is not a jealous guy. He is fine. He can handle that.” And what were her thoughts on true love at first sight, a keynote of the movie? “I guess, for Bella, her feelings for Edward Cullen almost change the chemical structure of her body, like heroin. And now that has happened, she’d rather die than be without him. Maybe that happens for people — I don’t know. As for me, I haven’t left my boyfriend for Robert Pattinson.”

Bar the gossip, has fame fostered any other troubles? Twilight fans, for example, are notoriously zealous (indeed, the “Twihards” are positively fanatic). “Really, people don’t recognise me often. I think I just look different in person or something. I'm also not very approachable, and maybe they’re just thinking, ‘Ooohhh, she’s scary.’ It is weird seeing all the marketing, though, and the billboards. I like burgers, but do I want to see my face all over the burger cartons? Not really.” And what if the marketeers bring out further additions to her line of Bella action figures? “The doll?” She smiles. “Well, I guess I can live with that. In fact, I’m getting used to the bigger rack.”

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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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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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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.

'New Moon' Director Discusses Film Details

Few interesting details of the highly-anticipated "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" have been disclosed by director Chris Weitz. Talking to Rotten Tomatoes while in editing process for the sequel to "Twilight", the 40-year-old filmmaker opened up about the proposal scene, the differences between the book and film, and the possibility of him coming back for "The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn".

[SPOILER ALERT!] Though remaining secretive about how the proposal scene at the end of the book will be portrayed in the film, Weitz insisted that so far, it will be included. "It hasn't been cut out, I can tell you that much," he carefully chose his words. "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."

The man behind "The Golden Compass" also shared that he needed to do some adjustment for the movie, especially for the scene of Bella's three-way date with Mike Newton and Jacob Black, to avoid potential lawsuits. As the result, the film will include "Face Punch", a movie-within-a-movie for the date. Still, the director stated that the mini-movie won't be filmed at all.

"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," he shared. "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."

"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," he added. "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. ... And this is example of the stupidest kind of action movie imaginable."

On the occasion, he also addressed the likelihood of him making a return to direct the fourth movie, "Breaking Dawn". "I haven't really spoken with Summit about that; all I knew was that I was going to be too tired to do [The Twilight Saga's] Eclipse, and that it was better that somebody else take it over as well so that they could put their own imprint on it," he responded. "Also, the way the films are being shot [in rapid succession] would have precluded it anyway."

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Kellan Lutz dishes on New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn!

Kellan Lutz opened up about the upcoming Twilight movies! He talks about his favorite scene in New Moon, one of his first memories getting recognized by fans and more!

On filming New Moon:
"I'm done with New Moon. It was really easy to work on with [Director] Chris Weitz. It all starts with the director, and he really moves the tempo with shooting. And he's just so mellow and relaxed that it trickled down to the crew. And they were really prepared and it trickled down to the actors, who were really comfortable. And since Twilight was really accepted by the fans, it really allowed us to feel comfortable in our shoes."

On what to look forward to in NM:
"Something to really look forward to is Jackson Rathbone's scene when he's playing Jasper, and Bella cuts her finger at her birthday party. He really loses himself there. He really transformed himself and got there, so it was really cool to see. And I think the fans will really like to see that and be surprised with how fierce he looked and got."

On continuing to play Emmett:
"Emmett has quite a larger role with Eclipse and then Breaking Dawn, so I'm really excited to shoot Eclipse coming up soon and then hopefully Breaking Dawn!

On encountering fans:
"As far as the fans, I guess nothing too bizarre [has happened]. The conventions are always on lockdown, and at the publicity events, we have security. But when I'm in LA and I'm walking around -- I was driving one day, leaving my neighborhood and this car pulled up right next to me and they started screaming out their window! They told me to roll the window down, and I'm like 'What the heck is going on?' And I roll my window down and it's "Emmett!" Just screaming! And I'm like, 'Oh, that's why!' I forgot and this was right after we were done shooting [Twilight], so I really didn't know the hype for the movie. Or that fans had so much love for it! So when that happened, I was just realy taken back."

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New Moon Book Review | Ashley Greene Dishes New Moon Romances

Beck Starr/Getty Images

Twilight cutie Ashley Greene hosted an event at Kitson last night benefiting the Donate My Dress Charity in WeHo.

We heart Ash, so natch we had to snatch her first and get some of those nasty little hookup questions off our chest, before going back and celebrating a great cause.

Ash dished the possibility of Robsten and...Jackley?

Filming New Moon seems different from Twilight. Is it too overwhelming now?
It's seriously so much fun still. Not too overwhelming yet, because I'm really enjoying and lucky to be doing what I'm doing. Everyone on the set is friends—we all go out together and have dinners. But yeah, it's crazy because all of a sudden everyone cares what you're wearing, what you're drinking, who you're kissing.

Who you're kissing, huh? Does that mean things are getting frisky up in Vancouver? We hear things about Rob and Kristen.
This is the thing, I look at magazines. I don't know why, but other people's lives intrigue us for some reason. Especially with this movie in particular, all of our chemistry is so great onscreen that people want it to be real offscreen, and even if it isn't, they are still going to say that it is.

Well, we also hear you might be dating your onscreen love, Jackson Rathbone, too. True?
[Grins] Um...Jackson is a sweetheart. But we're...um. No.

Well!

Ashley's publicist then came up and said that J & A "seriously" weren't dating, but we think everything was in that sexy little smirk. Dating was probably the wrong word. Maybe (and hopefully) they are just enjoying their time filming together, like so many others up there are.

Ms. Greene is quite refreshing. It's rare in this town to find a gal who is actually having fun and who is grateful for a job tons would kill for.

Can't wait to hear what happens when Rob, Kristen and Ashley go to Italy in a bit to start filming over there.

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