Backstage - Lauren
Montgomery Interview
DIRECTOR LAUREN MONTGOMERY DISCUSSES
“WONDER WOMAN,”
THE NEXT DC UNIVERSE FILM COMING TO DVD MARCH 3,
2009
After her successful co-directorial debut on
“Superman Doomsday,” Lauren Montgomery takes full
command of the helm for “Wonder Woman,” the next entry
in the popular series of DC Universe animated original
PG-13 films. Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros.
Animation are set to release the all-new film on March
3, 2009, distributed by Warner Home Video. The animated
original movie will also be available OnDemand and
Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and
date, March 3, 2009.
Montgomery has directed an origin story for “Wonder
Woman” that remains true to the title character’s
various incarnations while setting the tale in more
modern times to allow greater accessibility for a wider
audience. Working alongside producer Bruce Timm,
Montgomery has brought to life Michael Jelenic’s
entertaining script with an impressive balance of
explosive action and well-timed humor. A talented artist
with a lifetime of experience devoted to drawing and
animation, Montgomery is proud to give Wonder Woman her
first feature film treatment.
Montgomery, who is already involved in other super hero
films, took a few minutes to discuss the upcoming
“Wonder Woman” movie, her love of drawing, artistic
influences on her style, lessons from Bruce Timm, and
Cheetara’s lonely place among female heroes.
Without further do, the Q&A with “Wonder Woman” director
Lauren Montgomery …
Question:
You’ve gone from directing one-third of “Superman
Doomsday” to helming the entirety of “Wonder Woman.”
What’s that progression been like for you?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
It’s mostly in scale of responsibility. On Doomsday, it
was all about my one section of the film. Now, it’s
everything from background design and color to character
design and camera angles, helping select the voices for
the cast and approving every storyboard for the entire
film. So (she laughs) it was all a lot harder. It’s been
an incredible learning experience, it's probably the
most hands-on I've ever been on anything, and it’s
really prepared me for more of those responsibilities in
the future.
Question:
What were the driving factors behind the final design of
Wonder Woman?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
We kept the designs simple enough for animation, but we
wanted to give them a slightly more detailed, less
cartoony look for the PG-13 content. Wonder Woman went
through a lot of different versions. Gradually, and for
the betterment of the film, we determined that she
should look strong and athletic without being manly.
She’s an Amazon, so I wanted her to be able to be taken
seriously. We wanted her to look like she worked out,
and not just make her a curvy, busty pinup. So I tried
to give her slightly slimmer hips versus the hourglass
figure, and I think it makes her more believable and
engaging in a lot of action.
Question:
Did you utilize a different color palette from previous
DC Universe films?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
We wanted the film to be vibrant, but we also needed our
characters to fit into their settings. Our color
stylist, Craig Cuqro, used colored filters to set the
characters into their backgrounds, and our overseas
studio Moi added a lot of diffusion, which gives the
characters a really nice kind of glowing look –
especially during the scenes in Themyscira. The soft
diffusion throughout the scenes in Themyscira makes
everything seem much nicer, like a paradise. The style
adds a lot of quality to the overall look of the film.
Question:
Are you a mythology aficionado?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
I always liked epic stories, and Greek mythology was a
subject that kept my attention in school. The characters
were larger than life – they were gods and each had
their own nuances and specialties. Being an artist, I
could really visualize those characters and that made
their stories that much more interesting. “Wonder Woman”
is based in mythology, but it doesn't follow it to a ‘T’
by any means. I really just had to bone up on my Wonder
Woman version of mythology, so I could make sure that we
pleased the fans. We wanted to stay true to the legend
but we did eliminate or underplay some of the sillier
aspects of that mythology.
Question:
Like the fact that the Amazons have an invisible jet,
but they with fight swords and don’t appear to have
indoor plumbing?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
There are a few things in the movie that we opted
against really explaining because, honestly, the
explanations were more convoluted than not explaining it
at all. You don’t need to break down the minor details.
If we tell you exactly where the invisible jet came
from, then that’s time and energy that would’ve taken
away from our core story.
Question:
How did Michael Jelenic’s script complement your
approach to direction?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
Michael Jelenic has really strong, entertaining ideas in
his scripts. Seeing his first drafts really inspired me
because there was a lot of action that showed her true
strength. He told a story that captivated me the entire
way. Beyond the action, Michael is good at interjecting
a lot of humor – Steve Trevor’s sense of humor echoes
Michael’s in many ways. He also likes to write a lot of
director-embellished action scenes, which didn’t always
make it easier on me. That's the one thing I’d like to
punch him for. But otherwise, he did a great job.
Question:
What’s your depth of love for comics and/or super
heroes?
I was always more a fan of animation than comics. I just
didn’t realize until I was a little older that you could
actually make a living making cartoons. And once I
discovered that career path, I knew exactly what I was
going to do when I grew up.
My love of super heroes didn't really start until
“Batman: The Animated Series” – that series just took
everything to a higher level. It didn't speak down to
people, it made you think more, it had really serious
stories, and it went about telling those stories in a
way that didn't put the violence right out there for you
to see. It kind of undertoned it. It was more
sophisticated storytelling and that drew me to the
Superman and Justice League series, and then I ended up
working on “Justice League.” So most of my experience
with super heroes are through animation, not actually
through the comic books themselves.
Question:
You said Batman: The Animated Series was your awakening
to super heroes and a career in action animation, and
now you’re directing the next generation of that genre
of entertainment. What’s it like to live your dreams?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
It was surreal at first, but now it's just another day
of work. I've kind of adapted to it. But every once in a
while when I sit back and think about it, it's like,
‘Here I am doing what I've been waiting my whole life to
do.’ And that’s cool. Even on the days where it's hectic
and there's intense schedules and the deadlines are
looming, and I might be pulling my hair out, I know
there’s no other job that I would be happier doing.
Question:
Along those same lines, you now work side-by-side with
Bruce Timm on DC Universe films. What’s it like to go
from fan to colleague?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
Working with Bruce is extremely interesting, and not in
a bad way (she laughs). This is going to greatly
understate it, but he knows what he's doing. It’s always
a really good learning experience just to sit back and
watch him, to see how he works, because Bruce definitely
has his own way of doing things. Pretty much all the
calls he makes are the right calls – it’s obvious in the
body of work that he's produced. When he makes a call,
even if I don't 100 percent agree with it, I usually
just let it go because I know the film is going to be
better for it.
A lot of filmmaking is finessing, and I've learned a lot
of that art from Bruce. He knows the little tricks to
make things a lot better. Certain things to avoid,
simple camera moves, and ways to not draw attention to
the camera. And he’s an amazing editor – he has a way of
looking at a film and being able to identify the
important parts and really hammer them home. I'm still
kind of focused on the storyboards, planning everything
out so it plays the way I want it. I don't really think
about cutting around or rearranging scenes because I
already did that in the storyboards. But Bruce can look
at that footage and know immediately how to rearrange
the scenes to make things that much better and that much
smoother. That’s what I’m trying to learn from him now.
Question:
Has drawing always been a passion?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
In my younger years I drew a lot and I wasn't quite as
social. When I came home after school, I would finish my
homework, and then sit in my room and draw. And that's
all I did, because I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I
would save my money and buy books like “The Art Of
Pocahontas” and “The Art Of Hunchback” – whatever Disney
art book was out that year. I would take it home and
look at it, and I would think, ‘okay, now my drawings
aren't anywhere near as good as these drawings, so I’d
better get to work to make them as good.’ I figured the
more I practiced, the sooner I would get that good, so I
drew as much as I possibly could.
Question:
Who are your influences artistically today?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
I don't have specific artists exactly, but I was
definitely influenced by the Disney films. Those were
the drawings I was tracing and sketching during my early
years. I would study each and every one of the
princesses and draw them until I had them all down by
heart. My facial features are still influenced somewhat
by Disney characters. As I got older, I was definitely
influenced by Bruce's style in Batman, and I started
getting into anime, and some of the more subtle styles
in anime drawing. The clothing is a little more detailed
than the typical American animation – it’s more
believable, yet still simplified. It’s the way they draw
bodies and cloth that I kind of incorporate into my
drawings, as well as certain aspects of how they would
draw hair. So I’d say I have a few different influences
in my art style.
Question:
You’re one of the very few women directing action
animation today. Does that factor have any resonance
within your career?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
I never focus on the ‘one of the only women’ aspect of
my job – I just always liked action and wanted to work
in this genre. I never realized how few women there were
in super hero animation. I just thought, ‘I like to
draw, surely all the other girls like to draw, too.’ I
guess I just didn't realize how different I was. So I
don’t think I’ve got any special trick that makes me a
successful woman in action animation. I worked hard and
it has paid off.
Question:
Do you have a preference between male and female super
heroes?
Lauren Montgomery answers:
I definitely prefer female leads because I feel they're
just easier to direct their acting. They’re allowed to
show a much wider range of emotions. A woman can be
feminine and tomboyish, and she can hit all the same
poses that a man can hit. But if you start putting a man
in a feminine pose, especially a super hero man, it
doesn't fly. So when you're dealing with the male super
heroes, you have a much, much more restricted range of
acting. It’s not just a challenge, it’s more of a
limitation in general. You can do more with a woman
character and it’s still acceptable. So it's a lot more
enjoyable for me. Plus, on a personal level, I think
it’s good to give girl fans more options. When I was a
girl, I would watch Thundercats and all I really had to
choose from was Cheetara (she laughs). I always wanted
more female heroes to choose from and I never really got
them. Hopefully we’ll be able to explore more of them in
these DVDs.
Please visit the film’s official website at www.wonderwomanmovie.com.
"Wonder Woman" (c) Warner Bros. Ent Inc. "Wonder Woman"
and all related characters and elements are trademarks
of and (c) DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.
The direct-to-video Wonder Woman animated
features hits DVD and Blu-ray on March 3rd, 2009.
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