Interview with Jeff Okabayashi – Adventures of an AD
DGA [Director’s Guild of America] Quarterly has posted an interview with Jeff Okabayashi where he mentions a tiny bit of his work on Dawn Treader.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader marks the first time Okabayashi has worked as a 1st AD [assistant director] from prep to wrap. “I think the biggest change from 2nd AD to 1st is that as the 2nd I was the executor of the plan; as the 1st I create the plan.
“Last Friday was the big storm sequence on the ship,” Okabayashi explains with a boyish glee. “We’re talking rain, mist, violent winds, and dump tanks and water cannons for waves, which all have to be created at an exterior location without real storms or weather taking us out. The actors, kids, stunts and background are all on the ship, which is 20 feet above ground on a gimbal that rocks the boat so hard the performers have to be harnessed so they don’t fall off. You just have to sit back and think, ‘Wow! That was really cool.’”
Okabayashi has worked on all three Narnia films
as the first assistant director on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and the second assistant director for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian.
The full interview is available on DGA Quarterly’s website here.
Thanks to icarus for the heads-up!
Wow that sounds awesome! They have to be harnessed on because it rocks to hard?! 😀 But last Friday? Didn't they finish filming ages ago? I'm sooo looking forward to December now 🙂
The interview itself was done months ago. Its only just been published. "Last friday" was in relation to when he was speaking, not at present.
Interesting that he mentions the storm sequence was done at an "exterior location". I thought they shot the storm sequence in the studio. If it was done at Cleveland point then how come we didn't see any pictures of all the stuff he mentions going on? You would of thought with all the hundreds of photos we saw, at least one would of.
Oh well, still sounds absolutely amazing. The storm sequence was one of those things you thought they might cut from the movie to smooth things out, but i'm very glad they haven't. 🙂
More boat rocking! Ohhh my head!
Jeff O!
Wow, sounds cool to watch, not so cool for those on the boat o.O
I assumed it was an outdoor water tank at Movie World.
Yeah, that sounds like what it's like on a real boat. 🙂
Sounds like they're making it good! (The kids being 24 feet underwater in the bedroom scene, and now this.) But I agree with Puddeglum, "Oh my head!" Wonder what it was like for the actors to do that.
I'm pleased to hear so many familiar elements to the book (of course).
sounds awesome! I can't wait to see the storm in the movie! yay! further up and further in! we are getting closer and closer to seeing the movie! 😀
Oh boy! I thought they might cut out the storm, and I'm so glad they won't! It will be cool to see a big storm scene. I've never seen a sea storm in a modern movie. (Maybe there was one in one of the PotC movies, but I only saw the first movie.)
Anyway it'll be great! Go Dawn Treader!
(By the way, I wonder if they're putting in the storm scene just to be faithful to the book, or because it'll be cool, or if it will tie into some other part of the movie? It'll be interesting to see.)
Go Jeff. Congrats on moving up to 1st AD. Let's hope that this will be a memorable debut because VDT will be a great movie. 🙂
Glad the storm sequence will be there. :-S Sail on VDT!
Pretty cool! I wish I could see what it feels like to be rocked on that ship! 😀
At least Skandar isn't afraid of heights anymore. 😛
That sounds kinda cool.. I believe we saw this scene earlier on in production. The boat was tipping back and forth…and the crew was running around. 😀
WHOO!!! Sounds cool!
*wishes that today was Dec. 10*
Ok so VDT will come out on Dec. 10.
Also I like your name Starlily.
I want it really.
I wish Susan & Peter was in it 🙂 :0 🙂 !
P.S. I am only seeing what kind of smillys I can make 🙂
Could someone tell or show me how to make different smillys?
Well they could have very well shot in a studio and an exterior location just to have different shot to choose from. They may like the real stuff better and put it in instead of the studio look.
Very cool. The Stunts and Visual Effects must have been awesome!
Exactly what i said when I first saw it!
Yes! And we are almost worried they wouldn't d this scene. Hurrah!
While I don't want special effects to overwhelm the movie (i.e., prolonged CGI battle sequences), I do want there to be enough effects to capture the spine-tingling magic and awe that you get when you read the descriptions of the places in Dawn Treader. I'm really hoping that the sucess Fox has had with "Avatar" will convince them to spend the money to do the effects right.
I'm glad the storm scene is in, too. Hopefully there'll be little interludes with the Eustace Journals…;D lol
I didn't know Jeff O. was coming back for Dawn Treader, after so much of the crew had got changed.
Awesome report on the hurricane scene; I can't wait to see it in the theater! Dec. 10th, you couldn't come soon enough!
Very cool! Sounds like a lot of fun!
augh!! only 269 more days to go!!! I need a trailer 🙂 So far this sounds like this is gonna be one terrific movie
so thats AD Jeff, finally have a face to match that voice on the megaphone from those you tube videos all those months ago lol!
talk about working his way up the ranks. real proud of ya jeffo!
Oh i see, thanks Daredevil 🙂 Yeah i like the storm too, and Eustace's commentry on it in the book. I wonder if they'll do that in the film?
Huh? Am I missing something here?
Wow! I wish I was acting in this movie more than ever! I dream so much about being in one of these movies, but it just sounds like SOO much fun to be harnessed to a ship that rocking really hard, and getting dumped with water, and all that fun stuff. 😀
I clicked on your name, and up popped a church website. So I am assuming that you are a Christian, just like me! Super! btw, where is that church located?
I agree! We're all proud of ya.
that sounds like fun! i wish i was there, hooked to a harness and being thrown around on a ship! haha 😀 it all sounds really cool. i think this part's gonna be good in the movie
I never thought he'd be on a boat…
Thank you, Lucy. 🙂 My middle name is actually Star so I like to use it in other things.
Oh, and you can make several different faces. You can do :), or :D, or :(, or ;), or :o. Ask if you want more info.
Yeah, that would be fun! There should be an amusement park ride like that! 😉
Nice link! How did you do that? I'd love to be able to do that with my name. NarniaElf, looks like the church is in Pennsalvania.
Fun stuff?
Leave it to an elf to find such exitable things enjoyable.
Give me a nice foggy morn'n in the swamp. The buzzin' of the flies overhead. With the faint glow of the dawn rising to greet you.
Ah well. Each there own I suppose.
I must say, you do a splendid job of keeping in character. It's quite amusing to behold, really.
Wouldn't it be such fun if we all picked a character from Narnia and acted accordingly? 😀
REALLY????? I live in Pennsylvania!!
Haha, well leave it to a marshwiggle to "look on the bright side of things." I most certainly am an Elf – the name is Saraleen, from Lothlorien.
BTW to get a website to come up when you click on the name, do this: when you leave a comment, off to the side is a box and says your name, under that is your email, and under that is one that is your website. Put a in that box, and there you go!
Your middle name is star? If your being serious, I think that's very cool!
Well, i would, but the only one I know is the 😀 one, which is a : and then a D
Well its very interesting Haha I'm looking forward to december now rock on Narnia and William Moseley
Yes, I'm serious. 🙂 It's a rather fun middle name to have. My mom would sometimes sing to me, "(Myrealname) Star, what a wonder you are…"
Greeting to you scribe, and thanks. Might I ask, are you a recorder of events, or are you a teller of tales as well?
To you as well Saraleen. I must admit I will most likely forget the name in time, so I hope you take no offence.
I noticed above that you follow Jesus. I do as well. The continuation, and success of the series will remain in my prayers.
Puddleglum- I am indeed a teller of tales. A recorder of events, not so much. Unfortunately, there is very little work needed of a scribe these days.
How can you say that? There are wars, and disasters, politics, and rebellion. There are just as many, if not more heros and villans in this age as ever before.
I would say that all a good scribe needs is a discerning eye as to who is who. As in tales past too many a good story teller let themselves fall under the sway of a silver tounged sort who convinced them all all kinds of nonsense. Just keep a desire for the truth, and the right kind of lamp for your feet, if you know who I mean.
You are very right, of course. And you've just given me an excellent idea for an upcoming school project, I might add. 🙂
What I meant, though, is the kind of scribe who sits at court and writes down the events of the day on a scroll of parchment, and so on. Since I live in the U.S. (regretfully, not Narnia) you can imagine there are very few scribal opportunities -of that sort- here.
And of course you're perfectly right. Point really well made, my dear marsh-wiggle 🙂
Haha, that's awesome! My middle name is Angelina.
At your service.
got it; thanks.
@ Lucy:
I think that Peter is gonna be in it….remember that there was a stand-in for Peter that was shown before Christmas…either way, I am super excited about the film! 😀 🙂 😮 😉
@Starlily and NarnianElf :
You guys crack me up…I "lol"ed when I read your conversation. haha! 🙂
Yeah, I'll put spaces in between the symbols to show you how, and then make it how it will look in screen. 🙂
🙂 is : )
😀 is : D
😛 is : – P
😮 is : – o
😉 is ; )
🙁 is : (
;( is ; (
whoops guess the last one isn't a real icon….haha…oh well! Hope this helps!
@ NarnianElf, TheScribblingScribe, and Puddleglum:
LOL! Your conversation makes me laugh! It makes me want to change my name and act out the character…haha. 😉
Again I am the cause of laughter? Next thing I know the other marsh-wiggles will say that I'm a jester.
Might as well put bells on my hat.
hm, do research on narnian centuars, i must 😛
lol…..you keep your character very well, Puddleglum! lol! you make us laugh b/c of your dry sense of humor… 😉