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Issue Date: December 23, 2001
 Remote control - How DVD will turn us all into virtual directors
Interview with Baz Luhrmann
Top Ten DVD List
Director Brett Ratner on how DVD has changed moviemaking
and why he remixed his action-comedy Rush Hour 2 for the DVD release.
By Craigh Barboza
USA WEEKEND: What do you love about DVDs?
Brett Ratner: When I was growing up, movies felt out of reach. I didn't really understand how they're made so I'd listen to director's talk and it kinda humanized the whole process and made it seem possible... So when I'm making movies, especially Rush Hour 2, I'd mark a tape [that was good] for a performance in the movie and a separate one for the DVD. So I'm always thinking ahead. 'Chris, that's really funny.' Let's mark that take with a smiley face. That would be my note to the editor to save a take for the DVD. The other thing we did, I had a friend of mine, a young filmmaker, just hang out 24 hours a day with a digital camcorder to document how we came up with stuff. It's not like we're all geniuses. Even Jackie Chan gets stuck.
USA WEEKEND: How involved were you in the making of the DVD?
Ratner: Oh very. I did everything. In every step of the way, I'm thinking about DVD. [It's one of the reasons] I can make such a fast-paced movie because I can look at scenes and, even though I love them, [with DVD I don't have to stress about fitting them into the theatrical release]. I know they will be seen somewhere else.
USA WEEKEND: It eases the process.
Ratner: Yeah. Sometimes, what happens is that directors fall so in love with their work, fall in love with a particular scene, they don't want to lose it and it makes the movie blah. So, nowadays, I think movies are going to be a lot tighter because directors know [these scenes] can exist in other formats, and a hell of a lot of people can see it. When the first Rush Hour came out, there were 3 million DVD owners. I think by Christmas there will be 20 million. So imagine how many people are getting to see a movie in another form.
USA WEEKEND: Let's talk about the Rush Hour 2 DVD. You've got multiple featurettes, commentaries, visual effect,
scene deconstruction, your early student film. This isn't the kind of throughaway junk one picks out of a fortune cookie. You guys really went all
out on this one.
Ratner: We really put a lot of thought into it and I think we were able to do some of that because of the people I had shooting behind-the-scenes stuff. Usually, the way they make DVD stuff, they will send someone down to the set and it will be like this whole mini-film crew. It will be like a bunch of guys; a sound guy, a guy who holds the mic. Everytime that happens everyone is kind of "on." So everyone is kind of just saying whatever they got to say for the camera. When my guys were there with a small digital camera, he was like a fly on the wall. Everyone let their guard down, so Jackie Chan and myself aren't conscious of him anymore because he has been there every day for the 50 days or 60 days [of shooting].
USA WEEKEND: What about that really cool feature that deconstructs selected scenes.
What was behind your decision to include that?
Ratner: We had the footage so we thought this was a great way to show my [directing] approach. The thing with DVD is that it's got to be entertaining but, most of all, it's got to be educational.
USA WEEKEND: It's a plaything and a tool.
Ratner: I want people to understand how we do it.
USA WEEKEND: Many people consider DVD the greatest thing that happened to movies since Technicolor. Do you agree?
Ratner: Absolutely. I mean, the latitude you have with the color and with the quality. You can keep the consistency. You can take it to a whole other level and make it look even better, if you want. And the sound. I remixed the sound just for the DVD so its banging when you play it in your living room at home with surround sound. No one used to spend the money to do that but because I had such a big hit, they let me do it. Remix the movie - it's amazing.
USA WEEKEND: Let's talk about other movies for a minute. What titles really rock on DVD?
Ratner: The Godfather is the [expletive]. Seeing the screen tests, all the actors audition for the Michael Corleone character. They had Jimmy Caan reading for Al Pacino's part. Just seeing that process, seeing why Coppola fought for Pacino. It's like when you see the deleted scenes in Rush Hour you realize why they were deleted. It's very obvious. But seeing Jimmy Caan audition for Al Pacino's part is a very cool thing to see, because you see why Coppola was brilliant. At the time you could see that it was a hard decision. But you see where Pacino had the vulnerability and he was right. He was just right. He was Michael Corelone.
USA WEEKEND: A lot of classics cannot benefit from today's technology, of course. What DVD would you like to see with all the lavish features that have become so common on DVD?
Ratner: Raging Bull. I'd just like to see the behind-the-scenes of Raging Bull, anything showing the inside of the making of that film.
USA WEEKEND: It looks like DVD is making a big push towards interactivity.
What is the goal? Is it just another way to make the viewer feel like the ultimate insider?
Ratner: Yeah, I think people are fascinated with celebrity. It's fascinating to me because each movie is a different experience. No matter what it is, it's going to be like giving birth, you know? Even for the same director. For me as a filmmaker, I learn from watching the process. I love visiting movie sets and being there. I learn so much from it.
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