Anthony, what do you expect to find down here?
Downloaded from YTS.MX
Ma, I have so much on those tapes.
There's got to be a ton of stuff on Michael.
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
Okay.
Wait a minute. Are you going to show all this crap?
All of it. And...
Voilà. I spent a good part of my teenage years
-recording almost every day of my life. -Oh, yeah.
And there's a ton of family history on these tapes.
So you want to use these on your documentary then?
Exactly. Yes.
This is all 1989.
So you've captured Michael
-on a cassette... -Many times.
-...before he made it in Hollywood. -Yes.
-Okay. -No, I mean,
it's a big deal. I mean, after all those years composing,
he's finally going to be directing his own film.
Yes, and I mean a big... And a studio film,
-for Marvel. -I know.
He's wanted to do this since he was a kid.
"Tape 132, first day of last semester."
"Sounds on the radio while I study for a math test."
"1985. Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary."
What it says on this side, B.
-Will it work? -Let's see.
We wish them luck and happiness,
and hopefully we'll all be out soon
so they can enjoy themselves more.
To Anthony, the historian and recordkeeper of our family.
-Michael. -Michael.
-Mom, Dad...
Thanks for raising me to make movies.
Oh, yeah. Okay. Here we go.
Yeah. This is my brother.
-Hey, how are ya? -Hey, what's up?
He is actually doing the behind the scenes on this thing.
-Oh, shit. -Yes.
But feel free to say whatever you want.
So here's the thing, I want to know what you want to make
-because I know you have an idea. -Yes.
Listen, the thing to remember.
"This is a horror film. There needs to be suspense,
"there needs to be dread."
We can reduce it to this sort of binary thing.
It starts getting cheesy and campy.
That's too simple.
Monsters don't come from nowhere, they come from people.
And we don't want it to be void of humor,
but it's not about that.
It's about someone stepping into a place where they don't belong.
So you're about to direct your first film, and it's for Marvel.
Are you nervous?
I get to work with the best people in the world.
So I'm not nervous. It's more just...
I feel the same as that when I'm writing scores for films.
It's really just about
constantly thinking about it to get it right.
When did movies become your life?
I remember when I was around nine,
I started falling in love with movies.
I would sneak tape recorders into theaters,
recording every movie I saw.
I had a little speaker I'd put under my pillow,
and I would listen to those things
over and over and over again.
And then Dad gave me his old Regular 8mm Movie Camera.
We're saying three things we got for Christmas.
A sound movie camera and a projector
and lots of stuff that I can use in my movies.
Right now, do your homework.
Yeah, this house was like your first film set.
I definitely treated the house as, like, my studio and back lot.
That's the last time I ever get divorced.
We filmed in the kitchen.
We would film in the patio.
We'd film in the basement.
Filmed in the backyard.
Filmed on the roof.
There was no better thing to do than just make stuff with groups of people.
Forget everything else
and just be immersed in this crazy story,
making movies.
Hopefully, it all goes as smoothly
as those old Super 8 movies did.
I know Michael and I are leaving for Atlanta soon.
But before we go, can I sit down with you guys really quickly?
Yes, of course.
Uh-huh.
How's that coffee?
Yeah, I can stand more in here because it's a little light,
but I can stand more if you have it.
Here, you want mine?
No, no, I just... Make it a little...
Here. I have more.
Okay, we're good. We just...
-Yeah? -Yeah.
Okay. So I was trying to sum up Michael's career,
I put something together and I'm wondering,
you know, maybe would you read it?
Sure.
Mm-hmm.
-No, no, no. Read it out loud. -Okay.
Michael Giacchino grew up in Edgewater Park, New Jersey.
He majored in film production at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
And studied music at Juilliard in his free time.
An early job in video game production
led him to composing the score for several of Steven Spielberg's video games.
I don't... You know... To me...
Okay, this is a regular bio.
But he works very hard, he's generous.
I think he's creative, not just in music but in many things.
In fact, I was going to say, were you going to mention
that cartoon he drew for his first communion?
His work caught the attention of J.J. Abrams,
who asked him to compose for his TV shows, Alias and Lost.
Since that time,
Giacchino has gone on to score
some of the most popular and acclaimed films in recent history.
"His credits include The Batman,
"the MCU Spider-Man trilogy..."
MCU?
I know what the Spider-Man trilogy is.
MCU is "Marvel Cinematic Universe."
Ah, okay.
So Batman doesn't belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
No.
Batman is in DC. DC Comics.
Oh.
-Yeah. -Okay.
"...The Incredibles,
"Jojo Rabbit, Ratatouille,
"Up,
"Star Trek,
"and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
"His list of awards includes three GRAMMYs,
an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Academy Award."
Yeah. I mean, if that's... You know, that's a short bio
of his accomplishments.
Yeah, I would say.
A lot of times, you see
your family, it was something like that. They mentioned that.
Dad, don't worry.
I think that there's going to be plenty of family.
Yes, there'll be plenty of...
-This is...
Did you ever think you'd get a chance to direct a film like this?
If I could go back and tell my 15-year-old self
that I'd be directing a werewolf film for Marvel,
my head would probably explode.
But right now I have a job to do, which is to tell this story.
And I got to figure it all out.
Over the years, I've been so lucky
to work with some of the best directors in the business.
They have been instrumental in helping me understand
what it takes to mount a giant production like this.
When I'm scoring a film, it's basically just me,
by myself,
in a room.
When I'm directing,
I'm going to be interfacing with many different disciplines.
Writers, special effects people, actors...
I'm very excited, and hopefully everyone gets on board,
but you just don't know if it's all going to work.
How are we going to get out?
-Action!
We used to do this, on our own, back home as kids.
All through high school, I worked as a janitor.
It was great because I made money
to buy film and to make movies.
I'll make an example out of all those who would fight.
Yes, sir.
There's something I have to tell you.
It's about the snake.
But you said it was just a legend, a myth.
All my friends were a huge part of pushing me forward.
They were there to help,
do the things I wanted to do,
make the things I wanted to make.
And we did it in a very collaborative, fun way.
The hair goes up into...
The arms are there.
Yo, vampire creatures have ear hair.
-It happens to everyone. -Looks great.
It's really cool.
What is it with you and monsters?
I was always into the fantastical...
That's craziness.
...science fiction and horror films.
And I love monsters.
-I love this guy.
Monsters are struggling with something.
There's something going on in their lives that they can't control,
and they're trying to figure it out and make it work.
So that's basically... You'll get, you know, from the finger to there.
So on me, that would be the insert arm.
Are you terrified yet?
Wow. That's pretty scary.
In a good way. I love that.
All of these monsters and creatures are allegories
for the human hardships that we all go through.
-Look at that. -All good.
I don't see it as just a thrill thing
where it's like, "There's a crazy monster."
To me, it's the exploration of
how they cope with the demons in their life.
Wow. Okay, that's freaking amazing.
I used to be so afraid of Bigfoot as a kid growing up.
Growing up in New Jersey, like, yeah, I was terrified.
That's what terrified you?
Every night I'd have this ritual
where I'd imagine that on the outside of the windows in my bedroom,
-a blast shield would come down. -Yes.
I'd have to go through this in my head every night.
Okay, the blast shield's coming down,
Bigfoot cannot reach his hand in,
-I'm safe and then I can go to bed.
What was scarier? Bigfoot,
or when I asked if I could document you filming your first movie?
It's not at all scary that you're going to be
walking around following me.
You always had your camera with you.
What do you think of food in Little Italy?
-Excellent. -Excellent?
-What's the best place to go? -Angelo's.
Recording everything...
She was like, "Cool, Michael."
I'm talking to my prom date, my girlfriend.
It was the kind of thing where you would bring it to the diner.
Okay, what are you guys doin'?
I'm becoming 20 at 12:00 tonight
and I'm filming my last hours of my teenage years.
This is my early German speaking days.
You've created this crazy, extensive archive of your life...
The most compelling speaker.
We have mushrooms, olives, sausage, pepperoni.
...and our family.
Hey, Anthony, is that our camera?
That's my camera.
Happy birthday, dear Michael
So, you're almost 21.
Yeah, I'm getting old now.
Hey, do you have a video camera stuck to your face?
Wait, let me try and get it off.
The camera was ever-present.
Hello.
You were just always there.
I'm filming the last part of it.
You're filming? Great.
-Here comes the pain. -I'm just curious.
If you have a little light above you, can you put it on?
What do you mean, "Here comes the pain"?
-What does that mean?
Oh, brother.
-The nudge. -The nudge.
Oh, really.
So you don't feel any different today than yesterday?
I feel tired.
Getting up so early.
So that's it? Just tired?
What do you want? Some big philosophical...
I'm just curious. I mean... Okay.
I'm saying there's nothing for me to do until there's something to do.
"Turn the camera this way. Say something this way."
Right now, I'm in a car.
If we're lucky, we'll see a Sasquatch run across the road.
I've been thinking about this thing for, like, two years.
So, there's the cage.
-That's where you're going to be put. -Into the cage?
-Yes. -Good morning.
-Hey, good morning. -Hi!
-Leo. How are you? -Hi, Leo.
-Leo. You're playing... -Simon.
Simon.
Looks pretty amazing.
-Yeah, right? -Yeah.
Yeah. It's... Oh, my God.
-Isn't that amazing? -Yeah.
How are you doing?
-Good morning. -How is everything?
-First day. -Yeah, yeah. It's gonna be fun.
This is our DP, Zoë White.
-Oh, hey. -This is my brother, Anthony.
-Hey, Anthony. So nice to meet you. -Good to meet you too.
I'll try to stay out of your way.
All right. Welcome to day one, guys, of Buzzcut.
Just in case you don't know, 'cause a few of you guys have...
There's Michael, our director.
I look good?
-You look fantastic. -I look fantastic.
You look wonderful.
-Just like that. -Are you okay today?
ANTHONY: This is the first take of the film.
Michael's first.
Family history, this is momentous.
Here we go.
-Let's go on the bell.
All right. Action.
Yeah. That's great.
-Cut. -Nice.
-Cool. -Cutting.
The music turns, we have a crescendo,
so the peaks and valleys get bigger and bigger.
Thank you.
-This is my brother, Anthony. -How's it going?
-Anthony, Gael. -Nice to meet you.
-Great to meet you. -Nice to meet you as well.
-All good? -Yeah.
-Let me know if I'm in your way. -Yeah.
Note to self. Stay out of cast and crew's way.
-Oh.
Where is that bell?
Cutting.
What was that about?
-What was what? -You were...
Oh, that's just a cut.
So you ring it twice for cut cut.
You think I can flip that switch?
Uh, I have to wait for her to say, "On the bell," then I ring it.
Next time she says, "On the bell," can I do it?
Yes.
-Hey, is that it? -No, not yet.
Do I have to go just like... Like you did?
No, that's only for cuts.
For roll, when she says, "On the bell,"
you just flip it once and then it just goes off.
Right, so I flip it and then just leave it there.
-Yeah, exactly. -Okay.
-So when is that going to happen? -I'll let you know.
Quiet, please.
All right, everybody ready?
-I think everybody, yeah. -Whole shot.
We're about to.
All right. Thank you. Let's go on the bell, please.
On the bell, please.
Go on the bell. Go on the bell.
-That's it? -You just want to do it quicker.
-Put it down? -No, no, no.
-Rolling! -And action!
Ulysses Bloodstone.
Just like...
No, just like, one, two.
Just one, two?
Yeah, and then it's in off position at the end.
Okay.
More like... Deet-deet.
He orchestrated his presence in other ways.
Cut!
-Cut, cut. -Cutting.
Is that right?
A little long, but close.
Let's shoot a clean plate.
So let's lock up the hallway as fast as we can.
Please, guys, I need to do a new plate.
Okay. So that's what we're gonna do, guys.
Dude, your job is crucial.
-Oh, yeah? -I mean, it is.
You ring the thing, and then everybody knows they're filming.
Exactly, and it also turns the lights on outside.
People know not to come in.
So what's the reaction been around here?
Are people surprised that you've made the jump from composing to directing?
Everyone on the crew,
they know that I'm a film composer.
But they know that I'm interested in more than just writing music.
We talk about movies all the time, not just the movies we're working on.
We geek out about Star Trek and Star Wars.
And we talk about Harryhausen films, King Kong,
all of the old Universal monster movies.
...for the hunt.
They were these incredibly moody, black and white,
beautifully photographed films...
To rid this land...
...that are really helping shape what this is.
There is no peace without blood.
We're going to turn the tables on old Anthony here.
Uh-oh.
What's better, filming films set documentaries
or real life documentaries?
Well, this is a real life documentary.
Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, it is.
Camera.
And cut.
-And that is it. -Cutting.
Thank you, everyone.
Can you just get that out of the shot
-so I can get a clean cut? -Yeah.
We'll get him in there,
take a look at him, make sure he's all good
-and we can put that hand wherever. -Wherever.
And then I'll just come over with that hand
so I can get all the way out.
-Ian's camera for the hand. Sure. -Right. Yeah.
-Are you wearing the costume? -He's Man-Thing.
-You are? -He's gonna play Man-Thing.
...while being in the middle, or having one foot on the other side.
What I'd do as a kid,
I would make costumes with makeup and film myself
acting like these creatures.
-Carey, are you ready? -Yup.
-All right. -And action!
-To do it as an adult... -It's so fun.
-It's a childhood dream.
You'll signal him.
And you'll signal the tuba player.
The camera's gonna be looking straight down into here,
and imagine you're gonna hear Man-Thing yelling.
So how did you get to direct Werewolf by Night?
How did I get to direct?
Yeah, what's the story? How did that happen?
I have worked on a bunch of Marvel projects.
-That's the ceiling? -Yeah.
That's amazing.
I feel like I've become part of that family there.
I love working with them.
Lots of... Just different versions.
That's... This one, right? That's great.
So this really feels like he got hit.
I'd look at so many of them as,
you guys would have been part of our filmmaking team as kids
if we had all grown up together.
-This is good? -Yup.
Like, these are grown versions of us.
And then straight across.
And then I was just talking with Kevin one day,
and he was like, "There's a lot happening.
"If there was anything you'd want to direct, what would you want to do?"
I remember saying, "I like the fringe characters.
"I like the ones that are off the beaten path."
You can do more interesting things with them.
So, Werewolf by Night...
It was a comic book I had as a kid.
Marvel comic. I loved it.
He looked at me like, "Werewolf by Night?
"Wow. Okay."
Hello?
Hey, Mom.
Hi, Dad.
You shouldn't be talking if you're driving.
Well, Mom...
You're distracted. You're talking. I know.
-I'm not distracted. -Okay.
Anyway, I'm like eyes on the ground here.
Michael directing a movie.
Do you have any questions for me about what it's like?
I can tell you whatever you want.
I mean, how do you think he's doing?
-And so it shall be.
I think he is doing great.
And so, how is your film going?
My film...
I'm wondering why you find the wall so interesting.
I like these little security signs.
I think they're funny.
Uh-huh.
You know, Michael made this one.
Yeah, that's cool.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
I think it's good, so far.
All right. So far, so good.
Yeah, it's fun.
I mean, you know, I get to see Michael on set.
Does he say, "Camera, action, click?"
"Click"?
-I mean... -You know, the board that...
You ever see those boards they snap, "Okay."
-Oh, yes. Right, right. Okay. -Yeah.
He doesn't say click, but the board goes click.
Yes, they have one of those.
You know he does very well with music,
but this is a new gig, so this would be different.
-Yes. -You know.
And as a kid, he enjoyed filming and directing.
This is what we're going to do.
Just... We're going to start from here.
Take one.
But, that's as a kid.
I can remember,
we took a trip to California.
No, Anthony. Give it to me, please.
We'll be there in an hour.
Mike, are you filming this?
Here we are in California,
Hollywood Boulevard.
You're seeing it here first, folks.
We went to Universal Studios.
We're going to take a spin
through our front lot where we have our sound stages.
Michael, he was like, ecstatic.
Movies were his passion.
At Universal Studios,
Michael was picked.
-MR. GIACCHINO: Oh, yeah. Twice. -Twice.
To demonstrate how you make movies.
They asked for volunteers
and he raised his hand and they picked him.
We've got Michael from New Jersey...
And he loved it.
He thought it was the greatest thing.
Thank you. That's what you got to do. Perfect.
MR. GIACCHINO: That was great. It was an important milestone in his life.
It seemed like somehow he knew his path
and he would grab the chances that he had.
Today's important because...
Well, every day is important.
Every day is important.
But today is cool.
Today's Thursday.
Today's... Yes, today is Thursday.
And cut.
-That was pretty good. -That was awesome.
Definitely. You got to come back. 'Cause...
He is going to be great.
Look, there's Carey putting in the hand right now.
That's cool.
That's the kind of thing that we all wish we had as a kid
to use in our movies that we made when we were little.
Yeah, that would've been difficult.
-Just... -Oh, yeah.
When we were kids, I had a Super 8 camera.
Most people use their Super 8 cameras to film their kids swimming in the pool,
or going to the beach or whatever, and that's fine.
But what we were doing was...
making movies.
As a kid, you have to solve every single problem.
From coming up with the story
to shooting it, lighting it,
animating it.
You are doing everything.
None of us were experienced.
We were just making it up as we went along,
based on things we saw.
Did you know Michael used to make movies when he was a kid?
I did not know that.
This is awesome.
We got the special effects in there.
Now we're just doing it on a bigger scale. That's amazing.
As a kid, there were books you could find at the library
about filmmaking,
there were magazines.
They were very hard to find.
You had to hunt those down and find them.
We got a good group of friends running around,
there's lots of action going on.
A lot of wides, you can see everything.
And it wasn't easy. You were a kid.
-Michael. -Hi.
We weren't gonna drive anywhere,
you had to be taken there.
And you would be begging your parents to drive you somewhere
to go and get whatever it is you needed.
And those shots, on top of the...
We were holding onto the car and he's just driving
with Michael holding the camera.
I wanna say that, like, you know...
Now that I'm a parent.
I mean, like some of this stuff
is a little, maybe a little questionable.
When you're growing up, you know, especially this time without cell phones,
you're kind of doing what you're doing, your parents don't even know.
I'd like to dedicate this explosion to every movie from MGG Studios.
I'm glad I lived.
If I wanted to make a character shooting a laser gun,
you'd have to physically scratch the film.
You'd have to be very careful, and I had an X-ACTO knife.
And there's no undo button.
Once you scratch that film, that's it, that's scratched,
and you had to sit there for hours and hours and hours and hours.
What are you gonna be grilling?
Hamburgers, hot dogs,
turkey burgers, beef burgers.
Is it hard to feed so many people?
-No. No. -No?
Four hundred, five hundred, six hundred. It doesn't matter.
How does that not stress you out?
I love to see people eat.
I can tell you, we do not eat like this on documentary shoots.
Right?
So what have you learned about...
the documentary filmmaking process?
What have I learned about the documentary?
Yes, I'm curious!
Not this doc but just...
I'm just curious.
Making a documentary is very different
from making a feature film or a fictional film.
-So... Can I borrow this for a sec? -Yeah.
In fiction movies,
you know what you need to get every day.
We're chopping off arms today.
You know what you're doing.
We're going to go...
-Every step is going to be very careful. -Okay.
You can get it. You can put it together as you go.
Great. Yeah.
Excellent. Cut.
-Nice. -Cool.
Cutting. Cut.
It feels like on a documentary...
This poor soul, this guy.
He's been here for the last three days.
...you have no idea what you need.
You don't know how to always get it...
Gotta step up with him also.
...and you're constantly in the dark looking for the light switch.
I just want to say, I'm a little worried about this guy.
Yeah, this guy was supposed to be in Guardians of the Galaxy 3,
but we pulled him beforehand. So...
That's what it feels like.
You're always looking for the way out.
That's right. And in your case,
you actually have a script.
And you can write your characters out of any kind of situation they're in.
Yes.
You don't know who he's looking for.
-Yeah. -He's looking for somebody,
-and he's worried about them. -Yup.
And then the whole thing is, it unpeels,
"Oh, shit. It's a monster hunt."
-Yeah. That's great. -But like,
do we hear the roar or trees falling down, and he's like,
"Oh, man. They're on the way."
And then he has the beat where it won't stick, or it won't do it...
I was wondering if we hear another groan from Man-Thing,
and then off that look, she's like,
"Go for it. That's where the wall is."
Yeah. It just feel like this scene could be a lot shorter.
She's sort of setting up things that are about to happen,
that she's going to set up again in the cell.
But I'm just trying to figure out...
If I'm Jack and I get to the wall, let's say everything's going right,
I'm like, "When do I start it? What do I do?" Do I like...
I honestly think he goes,
"Do you know how to use this?" She goes, "No.
"I think whatever you throw it at, it'll just stick on."
-Yeah. Yeah. -You know what I mean?
Okay, and then that's when you get the throwing and it bounces off,
because we're so used to that in movies.
Please.
I don't remember such detailed discussions
before exploding something in one of your old movies.
You know, I used to put a piece of wood with firecrackers
and then a bunch of ketchup packets...
-Oh, my God. -...on his chest.
Not your own?
No, no. He was the test subject.
You know, we had access to fireworks,
when we were kids.
One of the things I loved in Raiders of the Lost Ark
was learning about how they used those squibs.
A small little explosive packet.
Maybe a blood packet would go off.
Maybe it's just a flash or something.
A marker.
Okay, so you're going to come out this way,
come to a skidding stop.
There's the wall. There's the crack.
The squibs,
I was like, "How do we make those?"
I would watch those making of things on PBS,
over and over, and I'd record them.
She tells you throw it at the wall.
Whatever you throw it at, it's going to stick.
And you throw it at it.
But it doesn't.
I thought I could get a bottle cap.
I thought if we emptied those fireworks into the bottle cap and light the fuse
and then it would go off, that worked.
I mean, that's what we did on your shoulder
when you woke up in Time Sleeper.
I didn't remember that's how that was done.
Yeah, got one take of it. Not the greatest, but it works.
And action.
At that point, it will just bounce off.
The thing is still ticking, and you're like, "What the hell?"
I remember just pushing the limits of everything we had
to see what we could do.
Try it again.
Try it a couple times, and then eventually you're just gonna
shove it into one of the cracks.
And that was the fun of it.
Quiet on stage, guys.
The point of making movies, put something up on screen...
Three, two, one, action.
...and seeing people's reactions.
Go.
What are you guys doing?
I'm too young for this stuff!
That's incredible.
-You like that amount of dust? -I love it.
When I was making movies as a kid,
that would have been like... We could have used you.
-Hello. -Hey, Mom.
-Yes? -You know, I was thinking.
-Yeah? -There's a lot of stuff
that we did in those Super 8 films that I would not let my kids do.
Okay, this is not the first time we've heard about that.
This doesn't mean that we were neglectful as parents or anything like that.
We were extremely busy.
You know, there were times when things happened
that shouldn't have happened.
The supervision wasn't there.
I have...
I have to say you've had very exciting childhoods.
I wasn't criticizing you.
Of course, we didn't ask you whether we could put firecrackers
-on our backs or throw... -Yes.
...M-80s into the swimming pool to see if there would be a wave.
I actually put a quarter stick of dynamite
in my parent's pool and almost cracked the cement.
Why did you have a stick of dynamite?
-How did you get... -Let's not worry about that.
-New Jersey. -Yeah, it's New Jersey.
I know a guy.
Anyway, so, you know, I was on the set today.
I saw the werewolf.
Okay.
Rolling camera.
I can tell you about the movie
as long as you don't call like TMZ or...
I definitely would not call anybody.
Nice.
I especially loved the werewolf.
I used to have a jacket.
It had fur on the inside.
I would turn it inside out,
as if I were turning into a werewolf.
Great. Fantastic.
I don't know how you can square that fact
that you really were enamored with these werewolf characters
because you were also really stuck on the Smurfs.
So that has nothing to do
-with Beverly, New Jersey? -No.
And so, are you getting everything that you wanted?
This is a great set.
You know, it's hard.
It's actually harder than I thought,
because it's just such long days and he's just so tired.
And cut.
-And that's a cut. -Cut!
It's kind of a struggle.
I can see that.
Another one? Okay, one more time. Let's go. Okay.
This is my life right now.
I wonder, what would you do with him?
How would you get to his filmmaking roots?
Try managing a little bit more.
Okay, that is not an easy question,
but how would you go about capturing that?
You know, in other words...
Well, honestly, I think...
Maybe it's just getting him back in New Jersey.
-You know? -Well, that sounds good.
We'll just get together with
the old high school friends that he made these movies with?
Yes. I guess so.
To sort of gather them up
and maybe go to some of the old locations of where they filmed
or go back to Holy Cross where, really, where they all met.
Well, Michael was in a lot of the theater productions there.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Merry Christmas, Mark.
And these guys that he was in the theater with also became his movie friends.
We're live at MGG Studios, interview with Tom White.
You know that was an integral part of his life.
Hello, Harry.
Hello.
For him, you know, to go back and see
"My goodness, this is where I was then..."
I am on TV.
This is Mike Giacchino, eh?
"...and now look where I am."
All right. Bloodstone's in the air, you're running in,
Bloodstone hits the ground.
Yeah. Yeah.
We have to keep looking at each other's balls
to make sure that they're roughly the same size.
Size. Yeah.
You don't want them too big, right?
Right. So...
Like that.
That's too big.
Yeah, but, I mean, mine was a little bigger too.
What do you like about having your kids home?
MR. GIACCHINO: Well, it's too easy to say,
-"That they'll be leaving soon," you know.
Are you guys gonna watch Michael's Werewolf movie?
A horror movie is not my favorite.
Um...
Now that Michael's directed a Hollywood film,
you think he is too big for this house?
What still surprises your dad and I
is how well he's known all over the place.
Yeah.
But if he walks in the door,
that's not Michael the composer...
Shouldn't you all be sleepin'?
...that's not Michael who worked on this movie,
that's Michael, our son.
When was the last time you were at our high school?
The last time I was at Holy Cross...
-I suppose your graduation. -That was in 1988.
I think once I left, they shut the door behind me.
That's where we filmed Time Sleeper. Right there.
-Time Sleeper was what, 1983? -Yeah.
I think Holy Cross is important.
I think the friends you found...
The friends I found there were great,
sort of additive creatives to what I wanted to do.
They were all like, had their own crazy creative ideas.
They were all very funny.
They should be a part of this.
They helped me make all this stuff.
Yeah.
I don't think I could have made it without 'em.
Have you seen these guys lately?
We talk, we text.
We had a Zoom during the pandemic,
where we sort of hung out for a few hours.
-Yeah. -So once in a while.
But we haven't been together...
in a long time.
I'm sorry. You can't park here.
It's student parking only.
-I must give him a hug. -It's student parking only.
-How are you? -I am good, brother.
-It's good to see you. -It's good to see you.
-How are you doing? -How are you?
-What's happening? -Not much, not much.
-This is insane. -It is. Very surreal.
Come on out.
How are you?
-It's so good to see you. -Good to see you.
-It's great. -What's happening?
You're that guy. Oh, my God!
-That's a good one. Good to see you. -It's so good to see you.
-What's going on? -What's going on?
Oh, my God.
Good to see you.
I thought you would have already been here in your ninja costume.
He was...
-I still have that suit. -I'm sure you do.
I still have all that stuff.
My brother waking me up saying, "There's a ninja at the door."
-That would be me. -It's Tom. It's Tom.
My youngest daughter likes to dress up in it and do all kinds of crazy things.
-You tell her what you used to do? -I do.
I don't hide anything from the kids.
-They know their old man is nuts.
Well, we are getting old.
I don't think we are. Don't say that.
I mean, you guys look it. I just don't know about...
It seemed so much bigger before.
Yeah, it did feel a lot bigger.
I don't know if pay phones are still there.
Yeah.
-Here we go. -Well, I'll break the ice here.
I'm the biggest. If anything bad happens, it'll happen to me.
-Open up. -Anthony?
Yes.
Frank, what do you think of the play so far?
Come on. Okay.
The wood's the same. The chairs are the same.
Everything's the same, the floor's the same.
I feel like I just stepped back in time, to the '80s.
Yeah.
Kevin, come here.
And there he is, the stage manager, Kevin Zebrowski.
-Kevin, tell us about the progress. -It sucks.
Play the "ads, ads, ads, ads."
-Remember the sales pitch? -Oh, God.
-Something like that... -That was it.
Since I write, I never practice,
so my piano playing is terrible anymore.
Please buy those ads, ads, ads
I wonder if I still have that recording. I probably do, somewhere.
This is a huge theater.
The amount of hours that was put in back here.
-We did every play and musical, all of us. -Absolutely.
-We grew up here. -Yeah.
This is where a lot of growing happened.
Hey, look.
Hi, there.
You're on camera. Smile.
I think a lot of what we did over the years,
during the in-between moments of those musicals and plays,
was planned out and thought of.
We'd go, "Okay, so what movie are we going to make next?"
Honestly, I think that the films that we showed
that Michael would bring the movies in and show it to people,
and I think they thought, this was cool.
-It was fun. -Yeah.
And they started to join in.
Remember we showed Taking Care of Business?
That was awesome.
Big debut was here.
-For first year of college. -Yeah?
Look at this fine mess you've gotten yourself into now.
You should've shot me while you had the chance.
Remember when we were in Mill Creek Park filming,
and we had Craig McCullough... Is that his name?
-Yeah. -...tumbling down that hill.
Got to do it again.
There's one scene where he hits a bounce and his whole body...
It's amazing. It worked out great.
-Yeah. -The shot is great.
Those things that we did back then, I don't have any recollection
of anyone saying, "You're a son of a" whatever, you know what I mean?
Or "This is a stupid idea. Go away."
There was the collaboration.
Well, and I think our movies had the level of action in it,
because in large part due to you, you would help us.
Oh, great.
I was the arms master. So when we needed weapons,
I was like, "Well, I've got stuff at home, you want me to bring it?"
And I remember, when you watch Time Sleeper, my sword,
Harry taps me on the shoulder,
and I turn and I swing full force with the sword.
So, if Harry had not ducked like we had talked about,
I'd have cut his head off.
It was great to have a trained stunt man on the crew.
I appreciate that. Thank you.
I have no idea where he got his training.
I can remember the first time you said,
"Why don't you come over this weekend, we're making a movie.
"I could use an extra."
I remember coming to the house for the first time,
Mike said, here, hold this makeshift light saber he had,
and he took a camera and I swung it around.
And then later he scratched the film
to make it look like it's glowing and it has a laser.
So that's my first memory.
-Right. I remember that. -Yeah?
I feel like I
became instantly known after you started to show Time Sleeper.
Anything for my lord and master.
Well, you were the hero.
-I was the hero. -You were the cool hero, man.
Han Solo of that.
-Hold on a sec. Wasn't I the hero? -Anthony was the hero.
Because you punched him in the face?
I met Michael Giacchino,
him coming to me one day, sophomore year, early on,
he was like, "Hey, my name is Michael."
I was like... I knew who you were.
We knew who each other... We weren't friends yet.
He said, "Hey, I hear that you have done some writing
"and you're into science fiction. Star Wars, Star Trek."
I'm like, "Yeah, absolutely."
He was like, "Well, I have some ideas for a movie.
"You want to talk about this?" I'm like, "A movie?"
Hello, buddy.
Literally, that's how I met him.
It's my memory and then we wrote Time Sleeper.
I still have some of those script pages too.
Oh, man.
I was telling Anthony earlier, I was just lucky to find people
that were as enthusiastic about it as I was.
Who are also not afraid to just be as crazy
and stupid as I was to try and do things.
Well, guys, what do you think?
Like there was never any...
"How are we gonna do this? Can we do this?"
It's always, "We're gonna do this."
Indy, you'll get me into more trouble.
Well, who gets you out of it?
But I have an idea.
If only we had your whip,
we can whip out of here.
-Whip out of that thing. -No!
The unfinished movie.
Yeah, Indiana Jones and the Golden Snake.
I still have the golden snake.
-We can finish it. -Let's do it.
We'll call all the guys.
I remember there was supposed to be a car chase.
That was a little too ambitious.
-Yeah. That one was... -Yeah.
-Here, here. -No, no. Wait, wait...
Was that the whip I gave you?
This is what I bought out at Columbus Mart.
Okay.
Just stand over there, okay?
You may know Michael as an amazing composer,
but he is here because he also is a very talented director.
This is something I've been wanting to make for you since I was 10 years old.
I used to make movies when I was a kid.
I used to make Regular 8 movies and Super 8 movies.
I even went to film school. I did all of that.
And honestly, it's been incredible to be able to come back
and do what I loved since I was a kid, which was to make a movie.
So now that it's over...
How would you describe your experience directing your first film?
Directing a movie...
it's really just an extension of
what I've always done.
It just sort of never stopped.
It just kept going.
When I was on set,
it was really fun to go around
learning about everyone's positions
and then asking, "Hey, maybe I could do the dolly,
"or maybe I could try operating this giant crane."
And I think that idea of a group art form,
you know, the films that I made as a kid
would never have been as good if it were just me making it.
Just like in the Werewolf movie,
working with Laura,
Gael,
Harriet...
We spill all blood for the hunt.
...and the rest of the cast...
...and everyone on the crew.
-Best crew ever!
Yeah!
What they added, made it immeasurably better.
That communal experience and communal joy...
Ha!
...that was my entire life growing up.
It was a lot of fun and a lot of work.
It took a long time, but it was worth it, and it came out really great.
This is where we filmed the big climax to Time Sleeper.
-We filmed mostly on the loading bay. -Yeah, on the loading dock there. Yup.
It looked like an apocalyptic nuclear wasteland.
-It matched perfect with what we did. -Yeah.
Mike Bryson, do you wanna recreate our sword fight?
The sword fight? Sure.
It would be like...
-I think... -And then I went.
And I jump though.
And now, young man.
Now, young man...
You will die.
And then Harry throws the knife.
That's right, Harry goes... Flips it over and...
Those peasants have talked about revolt many times in the past few years.
Peasants have talked about revolt many times in this...
I'll feed it to you.
-Are you ready? -Yes.
Those peasants have talked about revolt many times in the past few years.
But whenever they realize they need...
my superior intellect to survive on this radiation cursed world,
they always reconsider.
They always reconsider.
-Yeah. You did it! -Yeah!
-Yeah, man.
Bravo!
Michael Giacchino is on the line!
Hey. How are you doing?
Hold on one sec.
Are you taking the call?
No. I'm on with my mom right now.
Ah!
Hi, Mrs. Giacchino.
They're saying hello to you.
So, Ma, just go to wmmr.com and go to the live stream.
Okay? Go to the live stream.
-All right. -How sweet.