A really BIG article with lots of tidbits buried inside

The South Florida Sun Sentinel has a new article by By Gina McIntyre (Tribune Newspapers) who was lucky enough to spend some time in Vancouver on the set of New Moon. It's a pretty long article, but has a bunch of good stuff in it. You can see the entire article here or check out, what I consider to be, the highlights below, with my comments in bold red :-) (Note: I had a really hard time getting this post to format right sorry if it looks kinda wonky)

They put a lot of effort into making the 'fleeting Edward images' and I am very excited about that!! Since Bella didn't see him in the book, I was skeptical, but if done right I think this could be fabulous.

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is shooting, the lanky English heartthrob stands in front of a tall, wide green screen murmuring a tender admonition, "You promised me nothing reckless." Motion capture cameras hurtle toward him across a length of track affixed to the stage floor, while a team of technicians studies his stance and the tilt of his head. The plan is to digitally insert Pattinson, who plays swoony good guy vampire Edward Cullen, into a scene that was filmed much earlier—one in which he appears as an apparition to his costar, Kristen Stewart, cautioning her headstrong character Bella Swan against hanging out with some unsavory-looking biker types. For the effect to work, Pattinson's image will need to be dropped in at exactly the right position, so despite the cast and crew nearing the end of a very long early May day, perfectionism is still the standard.

Director Chris Weitz really cares about the book, the literature. He is genuinely invested and cares about the book to film aspect of this movie! He was saddened by what happened with The Golden Compass.

Between takes, Pattinson chats with the crew while director Chris Weitz stands several feet away, his arms folded behind his head. Visual effects, "that's not my thing," he concedes with a wry smile.What does interest him is literature. Due in theaters Nov. 20, "New Moon" will mark his third consecutive literary adaptation.

.....During post-production on "Compass," concerns over the story's take on organized religion and its grim ending caused studio New Line to take control of the $180 million movie.....Weitz still despairs that he was unable to faithfully execute Pullman's vision....."It's one of the great sadnesses of my life that it didn't turn out the way I intended it," he says. "New Moon," a story about surviving the ultimate heartbreak and loss, is Weitz's chance to heal his wounds and find a new creative path.

The level of fame brought on by Twilight makes it's two lead stars very uncomfortable (not that that's news, but it's still sad) as EVERY aspect of their lives has become public, in a big way.

.....a stratospheric level of stardom that seems to make both actors deeply uncomfortable. Their reticence about fame is understandable: The nature of their off-screen relationship has become the frequent subject of tabloid speculation. These days, they've taken to declining a number of interviews, politely refusing to answer questions posed even by journalists invited to visit the set.

You get a sense from Taylor of how much they appreciate the fans, but feel overwhelmed by it all.

"I don't know if you can get used to it," the baby-faced Lautner says of the unbridled ardor the series inspires. "We have seen the passion and dedication in the fans. It's fantastic. We wouldn't be here without them, but they're everywhere."You're always experiencing the fans," adds Lautner, who spent nearly a year in the gym training for the physical demands of his "New Moon" role. "Sometimes it does get a little overwhelming."

Finally something about the Volturi scenes!!!! I have been dying to know something more about them!! (Actually I am torn between wanting to see/hear about the Volturi scenes and keeping them a surprise. Imagine how cool it would be to see them on the big screen for the very first time without having been spoiled??)

....the "New Moon" cast and crew are about to spend the better part of a 12-hour day inside the elaborate fiction of an Italianate marble hall complete with columns and engravings in Latin. Today, that vampire ruling council is ruminating over the fate of Edward and Bella. Walking forward with his arms extended, Aro, played by British actor Michael Sheen, sporting blood-red contact lenses, offers a vaguely sinister greeting to his reluctant guests.

Weitz seems to be really vested in the actors and their characters, he wants to hear and consider that they think and how they feel about scenes, lines, etc. That's Great!

....with Pattinson at one point leaving the set to consult with Weitz about a particular line of dialogue. Standing by the monitors, the pair run through a number of options, while Stewart sits on the floor looking a little bored as she waits for the cameras to resume rolling. After several minutes, Pattinson, wearing a long, red robe and fake bruises painted beneath his eyes, returns to his mark, and filming resumes. "I promised the actors that no matter what, we would have time to discuss every single line," Weitz explains. "There was a line that he felt was repetitive, and Rob wasn't feeling where he was in the scene. We worked it out and came up with some alternate dialogue. I can work on the fly a bit because I'm a writer-director, which is helpful. I don't feel stuck or panicky when an actor is not down with a particular piece of dialogue."

BREAKING DAWN! As much as I love some parts and don't love other parts of this book I am hoping, (praying!) as are you, that it will be made into a movie. God, just think about the first 1/4 of the book and how amazing it could be!! (Note: Godfrey is Producer Wyck Godfrey)

A bigger question mark hangs over what is the most adult entry in Meyer's series, "Breaking Dawn." Godfrey was mum as to specifics, saying only that everyone involved fully intends to make what would be the fourth movie. (The Web site imdb.com lists "Breaking Dawn" as in development with a tentative 2011 release date.)"We're shooting 'New Moon,' prepping 'Eclipse,' doing all the marketing—it's a little overwhelming to really think in a detailed manner of how we're going to crack this, but we have every intention to," he said of "Dawn."

A hint at what scenes will be revealed at Comic-Con! Can't wait to see them - Thank Goodness for YouTube.

... in only a few days, Weitz will face 6,000-plus screaming fans as he unveils some never-before-seen footage from "New Moon" at Comic-Con International ..... The two sequences he's readying for the event—one, an action scene that will feature some of those effects, the other, a love scene sure to elicit a certain amount of hysteria from the crowd—will be ready in time.

OK so, I feel even better about Chris Weitz; sadder for Robert and the fandemonium he faces; excited about the Volturi scenes; happy to hear some official yet unofficial word on Breaking Dawn, and again really excited to see the scenes that will come out of Comic-Con! Any speculation on what scenes they will show???