EXCLUSIVE TIMOTHY HINES INTERVIEW
Timothy Hines the Director of the Pendragon Pictures version of 'The War of the Worlds' took time out from his busy schedule to talk to War of the Worlds Online about his version of the classic story.

Q. When did your passion for The War of the Worlds start?

A. At eight years old when my father gave me a copy of the book. Though I didn't understand all the Victorian prose at that age, the parts I did understand captured my imagination. I obsessively re-read it again and again. Over time the full glory of the novel revealed itself.

Q. Apart from the original novel, do you have a favourite incarnation of the story?

A. Yes, the 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast. Though it was updated, Orson Welles left enough of the original material intact to capture the spirit of Wells' frightening tale. It's easy to sit in the dark listening to his broadcast, and visualize the scenes from the book. Jeff Wayne's musical adaptation is heartfelt and interesting.

Q. What motivated you to make a new War of the Worlds movie?

A. I first attempted to make a version at age ten, when I caught my bedroom on fire filming a burning miniature set. I've always deeply related to the protagonist in THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. In a lot of ways it is the ultimate survivalist story. Anyone who has had to face challenges or difficulties can relate to the writer's experiences, and understand the choices he makes. But the most amazing thing is how Wells wove these experiences of his protagonist seamlessly into the sociological themes he wished to progress. I've drawn plans in some form or another to make WAR OF THE WORLDS continuously over the last several decades. You might say it's been my life's work to make this movie.

Q. After 9/11 you changed the movie from a modernised version to a direct retelling of the original novel. Did you feel that the decision to do this wise? or would you still have liked to made a modernised version?

A. I never really wanted to make a modern version. At the time I pulled my financing together to create a movie adaptation of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS there were a lot of voices around, powerful voices, attempting to convince me that there would be little interest in the period original version. Though this was heartbreaking information, information I have since happily learned to be incorrect, I was determined to bring the truth and spirit of Wells' novel to the screen.

The secret to my script for the updated version was that the Martians neutralized electromagnetic power all over the Earth as a first wave of their attack, rendering watches, TVs, cars, planes, computers useless, and thus, throwing the world back in time, in a sense, to the 19th Century. From there, my script was able to follow the book point-by-point. After September 11th, for a short time I couldn't imagine doing any version of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. There was a lot of speculation about why we stopped. Some of it was financial. Some of it was associates actually being at ground zero. But more than anything else, I couldn't imagine spending the next year re-creating those horrifying experiences. My resolve and the resolve of those around me, rebounded quickly, however, and with the influence of lifetime fans of the work, such as Charles Keller, I jumped at the opportunity to do the book dead-on accurate.

I convinced associates that to set the story in its original time frame would create a distance for the audience that would essentially help them feel safe in the theatre. I now know this is not the case. The movie will be terrifying. It needs to be, because at its heart that's what it's about. It's virtually a blue-print for survival of the body and spirit in the face of daunting, overwhelmingly unimaginable odds. This is where those who have said the writer is a passive character are mistaken. He is nothing if not active, aggressively seeking to fulfill his mission. I am now and forever unshakable in my view that this was the correct course, and, in the interim, from those original, and well-intentioned but wrong advisors, I have reflected on many examples of period horror-sci-fi stories brought to the screen. Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN is a good example. Robert Louis Stevenson's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE comes to mind. And one of Disney's all-time successful box office draws 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA was brought to the screen in its original setting.

Q. When did filming commence? and what sort of budget did you have?

A. First plate photography and initial live-action was begun in early June. Our budget is in a range similar to THE ENGLISH PATIENT, but it's increased many fold as nobody took the standard massive up-front fees. The budget was also aided by an enormous amount of logistical planning. You'll see all the money on the screen.

Q. What was the most difficult scene to shoot?

A. The writer and curate trapped in the collapsed house. The scene, or series of scenes, had to play on so many levels. These scenes required total focus on performance, understanding of the text and its underlying subtext, an understanding of psychology, particularly in the areas of post traumatic stress and its effects on the human spirit, as well as the context of religion and its effects on society, both positive and negative. It was essential that we not lose the momentary human truth of the emotions of the two characters in their dark imprisonment. On top of all of this, the scenes required staging brutal, violent, physical struggles on the most primal level, all done in a setting where everything was a sharp object.

Q. What was the most rewarding scene to shoot?

A. This is a very hard question, as there was no aspect of the production that wasn't rewarding. Out of the two hundred and twenty-three scenes it is easier to point to rewarding moments -- when we staged the very first battle scene, the first time we had the writer and the curate together, when the writer holds his wife tightly to quiet her fears, Ogilvy's first discovery that the cylinder is hollow at the bottom of the pit. These are a few of the many rewarding moments that come to mind.

Q. Have you had to deviate in anyway from the original book or is a close retelling?

A. No. We have had to deviate in no way whatsoever. Everyone involved worked tirelessly on every level to bring Wells' novel to the screen with every detail intact. Nor were any of Wells' meanings or subtext lost. The screenplay adaptation was carefully constructed, breaking down and translating the original text point-by-point, thought-by-thought, line-by-line.

Q. Who stars in your movie? After reading the novel did you find casting some characters hard, as you already had mental images of what they looked and sounded like?

A. Of course, on the most basic level, I paid particular attention to Wells' physical description of the characters, when available. Beyond this, I cast based on an actor's ability to capture the essence of the particular character for the role which they were being considered. I looked for character traits and attributes that were either similar or complimentary to what Wells had expressed. Though, in some ways it seemed an endless grueling ordeal, when the right person appeared for the right role, there was no question. The writer is portrayed by Anthony Piana. I cast him not only for his incredibly deep commitment to his craft, but he possesses a subtle understanding of the human spirit and has deep literate sensibilities. Anthony, upon being cast, immediately traveled to Woking, where, incognito, he spent two months walking in the footsteps of the writer. Shortly after Anthony began his personal vision quest, he was joined by James Lathrop, who was cast as the Artilleryman. James brought his Gulf War experience to the role, and actually, step-by-step, walked the character's journey on the original grounds that Wells described. As we were nearing principal photography, I would get reports from Anthony or James, how they were sleeping in ditches or hedgerows. They had many colorful encounters. The whole time they were doing this, we were all concerned that they would inadvertently reveal the productions presence in advance of shooting, and draw the world's attention to us.

Q. Do we get to see the martians in any detail? Have you stuck to the original novels description?

A. Yes, and yes. The fans won't be disappointed in any way, but there will be serious surprises that we found through careful examination of the text. In a heartbeat, the fans will say that these wonderful discoveries are correct.

Q. About the fighting machines.Are the original artwork images shown on the Pendragon website close to the final designs?

A. Not at all. We're doing the book. And though there are many brilliant and wonderful interpretations of the fighting machines out there, nobody has got it quite right yet. We're confident that we have done so.

Q. One question fans always argue about.. what does the heat ray look like?

A. This and the previous couple of questions kind of fall into the category of revealing the magician's tricks. When one goes to a magic show, one doesn't want to know how the elephant was made to disappear or the illusion is ruined. As much as everyone wants to see the designs, I'm sure everyone will agree, it'll be much more rewarding for all to see the martians slither out of their cylinder for the first time on the big screen, to see the heat-ray in its full horrifying force as it is first unleashed on the hapless victims of Horsell Common. I will only say that the heat-ray is not a laser beam, nor is it the creatively interesting heated welding rods spewed out in the 50's film version.

Q. All in all do you feel that you have made a successful retelling?

A. Yes, this is the closest adaptation to the book ever done. As close an adaptation as any novel has ever been done.

Q. How do you feel about the Steven Spielberg movie, do you believe that both films can exist together?

A. Spielberg is a brilliant director. His body of work is wide-ranging and phenomenal. I'm sure his version will be exciting and entertaining. Of course there's room for both to exist together. I, and those I have worked with, have lovingly and with herculean efforts worked to bring THE WAR OF THE WORLDS intact to the big screen. Wells' original vision of alien invasion in its Victorian setting is still, by far, the most terrifying novel ever written. Spielberg's interpretation has been to update the story, set it in New Jersey, add characters and pit the invaders against a modern military force. These changes alone make the two versions so deeply different that I'm sure they will stand side-by-side as two completely unique movies. I wish Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Cruise the best of luck with their production and I'm sure they're working just as hard on their movie as I and my production team are working on ours.

Q. What is the current status of your movie?

A. At present, we are deep in post-production and miniature photography. We are on schedule and will meet our Spring theatrical release date.

Q. Will we get a teaser trailer at any time?

A. A teaser is being assembled at present.

Q. Do you have any messages for the fan community?

A. I am a fan. Everyone who came on board this production is a fan. This is the only production I've ever been on where everyone, and I mean everyone, including craft services, read the book. Right now I am waking up each day knowing that in a few months a novel which I have spent my entire life preparing to make into a film, a novel from which the characters for me and millions the world over, are as real as their own families, is about to come to life on the screen, true to its text, for the first time.

Q. Whats next for Pendragon Pictures?

A. H.G. WELLS' THE WAR OF THE WORLDS will occupy our attention for some distant time to come. Following this, CHROME, our sci-fi epic about robot slaves is slated for release in late 2005.

Thank you to Mr Hines for taking time out to talk to War of the Worlds Online. Pendragons version of the story should be on screen on 30th March 2005.

This interview is exclusive to War of the Worlds online, please ask permission from info@waroftheworldsonline.com before reproducing any part of it.