9 On DVD Today

Earlier this year, Alliance Films released the feature film 9. Based on Shane Acker’s Oscar nominated short film from 2004 by the same name, this full-length version builds on the storyline in a visually inventive way.

The film was appropriately released on 9.9.09, where it was met with somewhat mixed reviews, with many preferring the short film. I, on the other hand, enjoyed both. We posted reviews of the film then, which you can read here.

You can also read an interview with Deborah Lurie, who composed the music for the film here, as well as coverage from the Animation festival in Ottawa from October, here and here.

This film is dark, but visually beautiful in it’s execution. It is definitely worth getting on DVD - especially with the nice raised O-sleeve (slipcover). The disc includes several special features, including the original short film, a couple of making-of featurettes, as well as feature commentary with writer/director Shane Acker, animation director Joe Ksander, head of story Ryan O'Loughlin, and editor Nick Kenway.

To finish, our consensus for the film was:

"9 is a visually stunning, darkly beautiful animated film, that's incredibly interesting and unique in terms of storytelling and style. Though not for young kids, for everyone else this is an animated gem. ***3/4 (Out of 4)"

-Erin V.

Interview with Kevin Adams, Art Director for 9

By E. Corrado

So, first off, when did start working at Starz Animation? 4 1/2 years ago I think. I was called in to fix problems on Everyone's Hero, which was a project that was done there. I was just about finished, just about to leave, and another project came along, and I helped them fix that one, and another project came along, so I kept thinking I was going to leave, because the studio didn't work the way that I wanted it to. I ended up thinking I'd stay around until we fixed things and it was finally the way I wanted it. But now it's fine, now I like it there.

What exactly do you do on the films? It depends on the film. I was the art director on some of the films, and on others I was the art director and director of cinematography. So I run the art department for the studio so I oversee the art for one whole picture, and then with cinematography, I oversee layout and the camera work as well.

Do you do any animation? I don't really touch animation except in how it affects all the other departments, but I do oversee design, the painting, the colour keys, planning, final lighting, the set dressing, any artistic elements that are put into the show. There'll be a department head for each individual department but I'll oversee all of them.

So, when did you know that you wanted to go into film and animation? When I was in the 9th grade. It was when I saw the Abyss, and I thought 'I want to do computer animation'. So I started then, when I was in grade 9, and I decided I was going to do that, so I looked around and found out that people who did classical animation where the best at the time, so I went through Sheridan's classical animation program and somewhere along the way, I got sucked into Disney. I never actually got to do 3D films, so I was at Disney for about 11 years and then eventually I got back into it through video games.

...and you're originally from Canada? Yes.

About the movie 9. How early did you come onto the project? As soon as it came to Starz? A little bit before it came to Starz, because you know, they were having trouble getting the film done and there were people that were going around with them saying 'oh we want to go find out where you are going to do it next, to make sure that you can do it so that you don't waste our money'. So they're coming in, even before it came to the studio, and decided the place they wanted to go, and I had to tell them how I thought they could do the film and prove to them they could actually do it.

So did you meet with Shane Acker at that point? Yeah, he came in, as did some focus executives, and Jinko Gotoh, who is one of the producers, she came as well. They came very early on.

Was there anything that really stood out, as one big challenge on 9? Just the time. Trying to get it done in the amount of time, and not have the quality suffer. That was the constant thing that kept happening over and over.

How long exactly was the film at Starz? I think 12 months? I may be wrong if you're going to quote this, but it was around 12 months, and then we did that pass, where we asked 'these are the things we would like do', and then we came around a little bit later and did '9 plus', which is the extra material to put into the show. So they give a little bit of extra money and we added to it. So I think it came out around 14 months all together.

Is there anything else you'd like to add today? I think that covers it... Thanks for coming.

One Movie, Five Views thanks Kevin Adams for taking the time to for an interview this past weekend.

UP NEXT: The Story of Pixar's Up - coverage of the masterfully put together presentation with Ronnie del Carmen...

The Making of 9 Presentation at OIAF

By E. Corrado

The event, titled The Making of 9, happened at 3:00 pm Saturday, October 17th, at the OIAF. The event itself was held in the Ottawa Arts Court Theatre, although I must say the Arts Court is not my favourite place for events. I found it too crowded...

Now, about the presentation: Before talking about the film in-depth, presenter Kevin Adams, art director from Starz Animation, tried to show a short clip from the original short film, (which unfortunatly wouldn’t stream properly), and then showed parts of the theatrical trailer from the film. For fans of the movie 9, there were some interesting bits of information here about the hidden aspects of the world they created. Showing concept art, it really made you realize that this film needs to be examined more closely the second time around...

One interesting thing that he talked about was the fact that many of the set pieces for 9, as complicated as they were, had to be built in copied sections, much the way you would a real set. In the scene at the scientists house for example, the set painters were told exactly were the camera would be, and how close-up the shot would be. In this way, they were able to only put real detail into the actual shot, (e.g. not the ‘fourth wall’), and use only minimal detail unless there was going to be a close up shot. Also, in the scenes with piles of junk, or piles of books, they just made a small pile that could be copied several times over and modified with paint to save time. These kinds of things helped them meet their tight time constraints, as well as cut down on rendering times.

He also talked a bit about how the movie didn’t start out at Starz, and how by the time it came to them, they had to get it done in just over a year. While it may not seem that hard, considering that the film was already in development elsewhere, they had to start practically from scratch in order to make the models work with them, as well as the sets.

Overall, it was an informative presentation. The whole thing was about an hour long.

UP NEXT: A short interview with Kevin Adams...

“The Music of 9” - An Interview With Composer Deborah Lurie

By E. Corrado

I had the opportunity to speak with composer Deborah Lurie about the music for the new animated feature 9 earlier this week. 9 opened in theatres last Wednesday, 9.9.09. Enjoy!

When did you find out that you would be doing the score for 9? I can’t remember quite how long ago, but there was a nice amount of time. It was worked on off and on, over a year ago.

What kind of timeline do you usually have for a movie like this? I’m not sure what the average would be but sometimes it’s as little as 3 weeks, and sometimes it’s as long as 2 1/2 months.

Had you done any animated projects before - do you think there's more time when it’s animated? Not movies, but I had done an animated tv show for Disney. I don’t know about more time, but like with 9, I imagine there’s more back and forth with animated as it goes through various stages.

Had you seen Shane Acker’s award winning short film, before you agreed to do the score for the feature of 9? Yes, I had, and I had to promise myself not to watch it 20 times, or something like that, because the film was going to be different, so I didn’t want to influence myself too much like that.

Have you seen the finished feature film? Yes, I just saw it actually at a screening with my friends. I seem to be getting most of my feedback from the Bay area though. You never know how a film like this is going to be received, and I try not to worry too much about it, but it is nice when it is received well. I’m quite proud of this score, and I’m very excited to see that it is getting good reviews on iTunes.

Now, the credits list Danny Elfman as doing the themes for 9, and you doing the score, can you elaborate a little bit on how that came to be? Well, I worked on 8 or so other films with him, doing additional music. So, I developed a great working relationship with him. Also, for this one, he does a lot of music for Tim Burton, who is one of the producers on this, and one of the other producers Timur Bekmambetov, is the director of Wanted, which was a film I did additional music for Danny Elfman’s score on. So, somewhere along the way, it was decided that Danny would do the themes for the film, and then I would get to take them, elaborate and score the film around them.

I loved the scene where the song “Over the Rainbow” was used. Who’s decision was it to use “Over the Rainbow” in the film? Well, I was there when they decided to do that, but I wasn't part of the decision. It was in London, and the director and producers and everyone started talking, and it seemed like they were discussing something really important. Finally, they told us that they had decided what they wanted to do for that scene, which was to use ‘Over the Rainbow’. It turned out to be a great idea.

How did you make it work with the rest of the score? Well, I just scored the parts before and after, e.g. when the machine emerges again. I think a lot of that artistry is owed to the people who mixed the film. It was their decision where the music would start up again from the song, etc. They actually decided that it was more effective to use the song for longer when the machine was starting to chase, before coming back to the score.

What were the challenges, if any, that felt you faced while working on 9? Well, I think the biggest challenge would be the fact that this was kind of uncharted territory for us all. Now that the film is out, it’s considered a certain genre film, but no one knew what it would become when we started. Also, the music is very different in the feature then from the short, so we had to kind of figure out where we were going with it.

Where exactly was the score for 9 recorded? Well, it was recorded at the Air Studios in London, England. It used to be an old church, and it was an amazing place to do the music. It was always my dream to do something in London. 9 didn’t have endless funding, but recording there was one of the things that the filmmakers really wanted to do. It was an absolute thrill for me to record there, but it was kind of bittersweet at the same time, since I missed the musicians that I regularly record with in LA.

So, when did you know that you wanted to compose music? For me, it was a little bit later than some people. It was kind of a series of events. I was a junior at highschool, and we had a music theory class, which was pretty amazing for a public school. Anyway, the final project was to write a piece of music. I was worrying over the project for a while, but afterward, I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

Where did you study music after highschool? Well, I basically asked my highschool piano teacher where I should go. I started telling him what was exciting me about writing music, and he said that I had to go to USC. So, that’s where I ended up going.

When composing music, do you have favourite instruments to write for? I like to write for so many different ones, but I really like writing a lot for guitars, mandolins, electric guitars, piano, and all kinds of strings. The last score I finished was mostly strings. I also like to do things for brass and winds.

What instruments did you want to focus on for 9, or is that the director’s decision? I feel everyone was kind of on the same page in regards to the music of 9. It has a lot of brass and winds and we ended up getting a really big sound like we had a 100+ piece orchestra, when in reality there were a lot less people in it than that. There was also a lot of discussion about Danny’s themes, and whether or not we were going to have the budget for a choir. It finally ended up that in the very last scene of the film, we have a choir singing. It was a great choir in London, and it was amazing to record with them.

Did you play any of the instruments? I played a lot of the synthesizer parts, which is more of an experimental thing than just keyboarding skills. There are a lot of electronic sounds on this film, since it is about machines and technology, and the power it has over people. I also sometimes sing on some of my scores, but not on this one.

Do you use a computer to test out different sounds? Yes, since it is pretty standard in the industry nowadays. You usually end up making pretty elaborate instrument accurate mockups for the director.

Which programs do you use? I’ve been composing for orchestra with ProTools. A lot of composers start off with other programs, even though it all goes to ProTools at the end especially with ProTools 8.

I’m just kind of curious about this one; when you’re writing a score like 9 for an orchestra, do you lay out what instruments will be playing what, or is that the job of an orchestrator? I make pretty much all of the overall layout decisions. The job of an orchestrator is more to take those ideas, and from them add expression, dynamics, and things like that. Also I will say, for example, that a certain part will be played by strings, but then the orchestrator will say, ok, these notes here will be played by 1st violin, this here viola, here cello, etc.

I also noticed that most movies don’t list the orchestra members in the credits, and only sometimes the actual orchestra... What are your thoughts on this? Well, the question of how attached to the film the actual orchestra members are, is highly debated. It is not so much about the actual credits, as it is about whether the individual people are entitled to royalties for the performances. It’s debated whether they should, or whether they are individual people that were hired exclusively for that day. When working in LA, under union laws, players are forever tied to the productions they work on.

What has been your favorite project to write music for, and why? 9 was definitely up there as one of the most rewarding. Another one that was really great that I just finished, is called Dear John, which is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. It is a romance, so that was a nice change from an action movie with machines.

What was your favorite part of doing the music for 9? I just loved being part of something so unique and new. It was very stressful at times, for those reasons, since it was uncharted territory, but it was fun.

Can you tell us about any other upcoming projects that you are working on? I’m not sure in regards to film projects right now, but I also work as an arranger for bands. So, I have some of those projects. I actually find it rather relaxing and fun. It’s really a different experience from film.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today about the music of 9. Thank you.

One Movie, Five Views thanks Deborah Lurie for taking the time to talk with us. Our reviews of the film can be found here.

9 Review

9 - An Alliance Films’ Release

http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/9/

Release Date: September 9th, 2009

Rated PG for action, peril and some disturbing images.

Running time: 79 minutes

Shane Acker (dir.)

Pamela Pettler (screenplay)

Shane Acker (story)

Deborah Lurie, Danny Elfman (music)

Elijah Wood as 9

John C. Reilly as 5

Jennifer Connelly as 7

Christopher Plummer as 1

Crispin Glover as 6

Martin Landau as 2

Fred Tatasciore as 8 / Radio Announcer

Alan Oppenheimer as The Scientist

Tom Kane as Dictator

Helen Wilson as Newscaster

#9 (voiced by Elijah Wood), #7 (voiced by Jennifer Connelly), and #5 (voiced by John C. Reilly) face peril in Shane Acker's epic adventure fantasy 9, which Alliance Films' releases nationwide on 9/9/09.

Our reviews below:

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9 Review By John C.

**** (out of 4)

9 is the kind of film that after it ends, you want to watch it again. When the first World War was ending, machines were created to better humanity. When the machines turned against the humans, a scientist gave his life to create 9 little creatures that hold the key to the future.

The animation, most of which was done at the Toronto based Starz Animation Studio, is amazing. The images are strikingly original, and it’s battles between various mechanical creatures are spectacularly elaborate.

The action scenes are totally awesome. Each creature they battle is created out of sharp pieces of metal and animal bones or, like The Seamstress, a severed doll’s head.

This definitely isn’t for young kids, people really should take into consideration the American rating of PG-13. The fight scenes are genuinely suspenseful, and some of the images are quite frightening.

The story line is brilliant. Not everything is explained in the film, but if you pay attention and think about it, it’s very elaborate and well thought through.

The voice acting by the stellar cast is magnificent. Elijah Wood as 9 brings a genuine innocence and likability to the role. Christopher Plummer is amazing as 1, as is Martin Landou as 2. The antics of the non-verbal twins, 3 & 4, are what give those characters their unique personality. John C. Reily is 5, Crispin Glover appropriately plays 6, Jennifer Connely is the warrior-like 7, and Fred Tatasciore plays the muscle of the group, 8.

In terms of animated films, it could be compared to Coraline. Pamela Pettler who helped pen the script for this, also co-wrote Monster House, which is another film that this could be compared to. The way that the character’s eyes express emotion reminded me of WALL•E.

Shane Acker’s original short film is also brilliant. This film does nothing but add to and enhance his original vision. I thought the ending for both films was surprisingly emotionally resonant and very touching.

I thought the film was just hauntingly beautiful. It’s story line and dark visuals are completely captivating from beginning to end. At only 79 minutes, it doesn’t feel too long or too short. It’s simply perfect. This is an amazing film that really should be seen at a theatre. It’s right up there with Coraline and Up as one of the best animated films of the year.

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9 Review By Erin V.

**** (out of 4)

9 follows the story of the title character 9, who, when he meets others like him, helps them to band together to destroy the machines that have wiped out life on Earth.

While the film of 9 has been met with some mixed reviews, I absolutely loved it. It follows a similar story to the short film, with only minor changes to what was in the original short. Unlike in the short, where we only saw 9, and 5, here we are shown all of the characters 1 through 9.

One of the complaints about the film I have heard is that it is too light on story - I beg to differ... Yes, a lot is not explained, but with a good imagination, the rest can be filled in. Essentially, we start out with only what the characters know, and find out more along with them as the story progresses. In some ways, it is almost like an extended short itself. The movie follows more of the format that most shorts have, in which we are mostly just following along in real time, at a life-changing moment in the characters' lives. The film itself is only 79 minutes long, so this format really works here.

Another complaint is that it is too dark on story - especially for children. Let me just address this and warn you now. Don't bring kids under maybe 11 or 12 to this one. (PG-13 in the USA and PG in CA.) They will find it scary, and you will be able to concentrate more if you see it yourself. The thing is, is that just because it's animated, people assume that it should be for children. But if this was a film in any other medium, with this kind of post-apocalyptic storyline, there would be no question or argument that it should have been toned down for kids. You see, this movie is dark, but it is effective because of the way the story is told, as a matter of fact, having seen the original short, I didn't expect anything different. It won't be for everyone, but it is brilliant in it's execution.

The voice cast was all great. Christopher Plummer is the cautious leader of the group 1, Martin Landau is the inventor 2, John C. Reilly is 9's one-eyed friend 5, Crispin Glover is artist 6, Jennifer Connelly is warrior 7, Fred Tatasciore is 8 - the muscle who backs up 1, and finally Elijah Wood is the 'curious to find answers leader' 9. Interestingly enough, 9 reminded me, in personality, of Elijah Wood's character in Happy Feet. (Just a note, I didn't miss anyone, as 3 and 4 are the mute twins, so obviously don't have voice actors behind them. Although their nonverbal communication, both between each other and with the other characters, is so fun to watch on screen, thanks to the animators.)

And speaking of the animators, they all did a great job - at Starz animation in Toronto, ON, CA in fact. This would definitely be deserving of some Annie awards come the end of the year. The world was so intricate, and the characters - especially in battle sequences - move so fluidly and well. The lighting and textures are quite realistic at times and the sound artists helped to bring the scenes to life in a great way. The music in the film, by Deborah Lurie, and Danny Elfman, fits/sets the mood perfectly.

In conclusion, I found the film 9 to be paced well, acted well, visually astounding, and suspenseful to watch. Not once did this film drag for me. It follows an interesting storyline, with elements of mystery to it, and all 9 of the characters manage to have their own unique personalities. Anyone interested in film, or animation, will definitely want to check this one out. A unique and brilliant film. Meant to be seen on the big screen, it's more than worth the price of admission.

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9 Review By Nicole

**** (out of 4)

9 is a unique and visually stunning animated film. The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic 1940's, where the only surviving creatures are nine small rag dolls known as "stitchpunks". Man made machines have destroyed every living thing on the planet, but before humans went extinct, one scientist created the tiny stitchpunks to withstand the now violent and polluted planet. One of the stitchpunks, 9, is left hanging in the lab. When he discovers another stitchpunk, 2, he follows him. What 9 discovers, is that he is not alone. As well as other stitchpunks, there are dangerous, stitchpunk eating machines around. Things get really out of hand when 9 accidentally unleashes a giant, metal monster. Now it is up to 9 and the other stitchpunks to stop the machine from destroying them.

Based on Shane Acker's 2004 silent animated short film, 9 is an entirely original film. The story is excellent, and the all star cast is really good. The score by Danny Elfman and Deborah Lurie. is both exciting and suspenseful. The underlying messages in the film are really powerful as well.

One of the things I really liked was the look of the stitchpunks. they are cute and appealing, but still have a very mature feel. It should be noted that while the stitchpunks may be cute, 9 is in no way a children's film. There are far too many frightening and sad moments in this movie for anyone under at at least 10 to be able to handle. However, 9 is an excellent film for older children, teens, and adults.

An added bonus is that much of the animation was done at Starz Animation in Toronto. It was cool to see some of the animation crew sitting in front of me at the theatre.

9 is an excellent film that an older audience should definitely see.

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9 Review By Maureen

***1/2 (out of 4)

9 is a superbly crafted animated film. The meticulous attention to detail, the tactile quality of the 9 characters and the darker colour tones and lighting make 9 a real visual treat.

Don't be fooled however by the rag-doll appearance of 9 and the other "stitchpunk" creatures. 9 is not a children's animated film. The storyline about out of control machines destroying humanity between World War I and II, is dark and frightening at times. What keeps this film from being totally dark re the 9 unique characters of each of the rag-doll like creatures. Characters 1 through 9 form a bond with one another with 9 at the lead. Together they try to fight the monstrous super machine that is trying to destroy them.

As dark and post-apocalyptic as 9 is, it is an amazing film to watch. The visuals are stunning, the voice acting excellent and the music score fits perfectly. With a running time of about 79 minutes, 9 is just the right length. Director Shane Acker has done an excellent job in transforming his original award winning short film 9 to a feature length film.

If you are an animation fan 9 is a must-see on the big screen. Watch for this one come awards time.

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9 Review By Tony

***1/2 (out of 4)

9 is an animated fantasy epic based on the 2004 short film by director Shane Acker, with a screenplay by Pamela Pettler and produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov. The human population has been wiped out in a war taken over by machines. One of the chief scientists whose work had been stolen by warlords managed before dying to create 9 small (about 20 cm) humanoids out of burlap with camera lens eyes whose combined talents he hoped would preserve civilization against the war machines. Though dismissed at first as naive, the newcomer 9 (Elijah Wood) insists he can lead the others in fighting back. Despite resistance from 1 (Christopher Plummer), the entrenched leader and 8 (Fred Tatasciore), his dumb oversized enforcer with a face like Bonhomme Michelin, 9 finds support from 2 (Martin Landau), an aged inventor, 5 (John C. Reilly), an eyepatched engineer and guide through the rubble, 7 (Jennifer Connelly), a white ninja with a raptor-beaked helmet, 3 & 4, the nonverbal twin librarians conserving what’s left of collective memory, and 6 (Crispin Glover), a striped artist with pens for fingers obsessively drawing symbols that will prove useful.

With animation produced at Starz Animation, Toronto, 9 is technically brilliant. The post apocalyptic world created is in the style known as “steampunk”, (also seen recently in City of Ember) with early 20th century technology that is heavily mechanical and electrical compared to today’s hidden electronics. The war machines are as complex and terrifying as the monsters in Aliens, and the battle sequences, though elaborately constructed, avoid the numbing excesses of Transformers. The back story provided by a library newsreel is evocative of World War 1 and the subsequent mobilization of the Third Reich, with a chilling image of poison gas leaving the population dead in their tracks. The strong musical score by Deborah Lurie has themes by Danny Elfman. Highly recommended, but far too dark for small kids.

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Consensus: 9 is a visually stunning, darkly beautiful animated film, that's incredibly interesting and unique in terms of storytelling and style. Though not for young kids, for everyone else this is an animated gem. ***3/4 (Out of 4)

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9, voiced by Elijah Wood, is confronted by the Replication Machine in Shane Acker’s 9, which Alliance Films releases nationwide on 9.09.09.

9 Opens Today

In 2004, Shane Acker, then 28 years old, finished a short film called 9. With only a small group helping him, it took about 4 1/2 years to finish. The film was met with critical acclaim, and ended up being nominated for an Academy Award - any first time filmmaker's dream. Completely wordless, the short showed us a post-apocalyptic world, in which machines had destroyed life on Earth, and only these little burlap/cloth characters, that where eventually given the name 'stitchpunks', were left to try to conquer the machines. At only 11 minutes long, a fuller version of the story was just begging to be told, and attracted the attention of Tim Burton, producer of the feature length version which opens today - 9.9.09. Watch the trailer for the feature here. Reviews will be coming soon.

-Erin V.