Re: TurboMan, Booster, Dementor Toys?
Putting the profits aside, I wonder what aspect of making it would have been so unpleasant...
Making a movie is a lot like going into battle. You have an almost overwhelming task to do (make the movie), lousy odds (short schedule), and often times, clueless generals with no capacity to lead (the studio). Sometimes, you find camaraderie amongst your fellow troops, and if there is a good leader (the producers and the directors), you can rally behind them to get the job done.
"Jingle All the Way (to Hell)" had none of that.
It was a decent script (I thought it would do better), but the production was rushed and complicated. We staged the parade over at Universal, and that was an impressive site - kinda a throwback to the days of a thousand extras.
We had a great relationship with KNB. They really came through for us. But both they and us felt like we had to do everything ourselves. There was no support. Communication was sparse and often times contradictory. That makes for cost overruns and arguments over money. On top of that, we had studio people changing stuff on us and not being open to the fact that some of those changes were well above and beyond what we had bid on.
All those things take a (further) toll on morale. Then, when all is said and done, the movie comes out and.........well, it really wasn't that good. Damn. Well, at least we had a good time working on it. Oh wait, we didn't. Crap. So you go on to the next one.
Time helps, so it is kinda fun when, 13 years later, someone brings
that one up. :confused
Gene
PS - it sure beats digging ditches!
Not really, but I definitely would have bought them.
