Shakespeare and Home Movies With Joss Whedon

September 12, 2012, 4:05 pm

By MEKADO MURPHY

TORONTO - Introducing his new film at a screening here on Saturday afternoon, the director Joss Whedon had this to say about the source material: “I'm really fond of this writer. I think he's gonna be big.”

Good call, since he was talking about Shakespeare. The film in question is Mr. Whedon's  take on the Bard comedy “Much Ado About Nothing.”

Shot over 12 days in Mr. Whedon's home, the film takes an intimate, modern tone in relaying the comic tale of Beatrice and Benedick and their circuitous journey toward love. The  cast will look familiar to fans of the director's television series because the stars had roles in “Buffy,” “Angel,” “Dollhouse” and “Firefly.”

The film was acquired for distribution Tuesday by Lionsgate, which will release it  with Roadside Attractions.

In an interview here this week, Mr. Whedon spoke about the film and other projects in the works like a “S.H.I.E.L.D.” television pilot and a sequel to “Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.” Here are edited excerpts from that conversation.

What kind of mood did you want to strike with your version of “Much Ado?”

I wanted to give a little bit of that house party feel. The movie is kind of a party to which you're invited. And at some points, you're like, we should all go to bed and stop drinking! This party is going very badly! But the feeling we had when we made it was a happy one. We were so into it, so focused and yet giddy. And you want that energy to show up on film.

How did this idea to make a Shakespeare film in your house come together?

We used to do Shakespeare readings a lot at the hou se. It's something my mom used to do sometimes when I was a kid. And I decided, since I have a bunch of friends who are writers and actors, what if we all got together and just tried to read a play? And we had such a blast that we just kept doing it. Eventually we did “Much Ado” with Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof reading Beatrice and Benedick. And there was a thought of, if I was ever going to shoot one of these, that's the one.

“The movie is kind of a party to which you're invited. And at some points, you're like, we should all go to bed and stop drinking!”

- Joss Whedon

There are some  sight gags to complement Shakespeare's text. How did you determine how to balance those with the words of the play?

When you're making a film, you have an obligation to fill the frame with life. But we asked, how much can we put in the frame before it becomes us trying to ou tsmart Shakespeare, which you never want to do? But in the staging of the play, they're going to be doing the same thing. So I didn't feel like we were subverting his intent, even if we were bending it a little.

How did you make the adjustment from directing something as large-scaled as “The Avengers” to shooting this small movie quickly in your house and the limitations that presents?

They're more similar than you think. Having come from TV, I'm very run and gun and aware of the clock. That was the case on “The Avengers.” It's not like you ever have enough time. The difference really is that filming in your house is better. It's really relaxing. It was like a homecoming party for me. Because I had been gone  for the better part of a year. It was cake every day and I unwound so magnificently during that.

Why did you decide to make it black and white?

I  thought of it very much as a noir comedy. And I talked about it in those terms. And then we thought, we also don't have to worry about painting any of the walls, the colors of the costumes or when the sun goes down and we have to fake it. That was the clincher.

 

What's involved in making a movie that quickly?

The three words I was almost afraid to type in the memo to the people who were doing me such a favor by being in the movie were: know your words. I told them not only do you need to be spot on in the first take, there is the chance every now and then that we will shoot a different scene. So think of this as a production. Be ready.

So how is the “S.H.I.E.L.D.” pilot going?

That's trucking right along. I'm writing it with Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, my brother and sister-in-law who worked on “Dollhouse” with me. And we're planning to shoot it just as soon as we can get it up and running. It's an ensemble show, so we've gotta find the right cast. We found a way to structure it so that what we're dealing with are agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. who are the humans in a superhero world and how they deal with that and how it makes them vulnerable.

And what's the word on the sequel to “Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog?”

We're still working on the script and we all keep getting jobs, very thoughtlessly. But we're hoping that within the year, we will have finally shot it. [Neil Patrick Harris is] on board and we're just trying to figure out everybody's schedule. But we have a bunch of songs written and a bunch of stuff in place.

How do you manage to juggle so many projects at once?

You know, the first year of “Firefly” was the last year of “Buffy” was the fourth year of “Dollhouse” was the year my son was born. After that year, nothing can kill me.