Hoyt Yeatman, Bill Nighy, Bill Aikin, Jerry Bruckheimer, Nicolas Cage, and Zach Galifianakis G-Force Press Conference

Jerry, what’s your criteria to choosing a project?
Jerry Bruckheimer: "I just do, 'Do I like it? Do I want to see it? I don’t know whether anybody else likes it, but I like it.' That’s the key for me. Is that something I want to sit and watch and have fun with? And this is one of those projects.

The characters are so cute. I thought it was a clever idea, and, you know, kids will love it, and adults will get a kick out of it."

This is for Mr. Cage and Mr. Bruckheimer. This is your sixth collaboration, but your first in an animated project. How different was that? Can you talk a little bit about the process?

Nicolas Cage: "Well, the process is a bit different because you really have to rely entirely on your imagination. There is no camera. There’s no pressure of the camera, and you’re not really interacting with other actors. So, I would go into like a little cubicle, really, like an aquarium with a microphone, and then Hoyt would sometimes be there, or depending upon where each of us were in the world, we could be on a radio. And I would just start riffing, you know. And I would say, 'Let’s try it five or six different ways,' and we would just go and try to find some electricity, some spark. And he would select [what worked] and Jerry said what he thought worked. And then we would fine tune it, and we’d go again."

Jerry Bruckheimer: "Well I think that’s the nature of animation. I just fell in love with the characters that Hoyt created inside of him, and that’s what excited me."

Jerry, why did you decide to make a 3D now? Why did you wait this long to make 3D?

Jerry Bruckheimer: "Well I think it’s because of the technology. It’s in the theaters. I mean what’s really holding you back is the number of theaters that can project digital production projection. And I think we’re...you know, the studios are working with theaters around the world to try to advance more and more theaters to having digital projection. It’s much better for all of us because the film disintegrates, as we know, and you see all those marks after it’s been run 50 times. And digitally you don’t have any so it’s pristine every time you see it."

Hoyt, do you have any other interesting ideas you’d like to do?

Hoyt Yeatman: "Yes, I think it’s amazing to hear the imagination of a child, you know, because it’s pure. And in fact, you can get right to it. And as a little boy, obviously he was going through all the phases from liking robots and dinosaurs and, you know, guinea pigs. And so yes, he has lots of ideas. And I have ideas too. So, it’s really melding those together in a commercial form that you can do it. I think what worked well for me from his idea is taking something, like I say, that was very cute as a guinea pig, and I didn’t see that many characters as guinea pigs at that time, and knowing that if I added the proper amount of technology to him, I could make him cool. And those two factors - cool and cute - I think are the strength of the character. And so that is where I thought it was a perfect medium to take into a movie."

Bill, have you seen yourself in 3D in the movie? How did you like it?

Bill Nighy: "I haven’t yet. I’m going to go on Sunday to the premiere, and I think, you know, like the total experience. I’ve had people England have been texting me saying they have seen me in 3D, and I think I look marginally better in 3D. That’s what early reports suggest."

How about you, Zach?

Zach Galifianakis: "I have not seen it yet, but I look forward to seeing my beard."

Hoyt, you actually made two movies, didn’t you?

Hoyt Yeatman: "Yes. [...]You have to produce a 2D theatrical release on film, and then you also have to produce a 3D. So, when you’re evaluating the shots, you have to figure out how to so you can plan both. And in 3D it’s actually pretty difficult because of the number of cuts. We have like just shy of 2,000 cuts in the film, in an 85-minute movie, compared to a Pixar movie that is only maybe 1,100 or 1,200. So the speed at which things are moving to support a 2D film, makes it difficult in 3D to make it a pleasurable viewing experience."

"And so by putting the technology as we did into the post-production process, it’s like anything else. Whether you’re doing color, editing, sound, it’s always at the end, as opposed to traditional stereo photography which is at the head end, and you’re embedding that decision-making into the photography. This allows for a lot of creative freedom in many aspects. So, there’s a lot of choices that you have to make when you’re making two movies."

Bill, did you change your voice in the film? You sound a bit like Alan Sugar...

Bill Nighy: "Alan Sugar, my God. No, I didn’t base him on Alan Sugar. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you because I’m scared of Alan Sugar. Alan Sugar is a big industrialist back home, and he scares everybody. No, it wasn’t really based on anyone. I just went to that department in my head where, you know, I’m not the only one. But there is a part of me that wants to control the world and have everybody behave as they should and as I would wish them to. So, I accessed the inner fascist. But no, nobody specific. And again, I wouldn’t tell you because I’m scared."

Nicolas, being the movie buff you are, are you a big fan of the new 3D technology?

Nicolas Cage: "The 3D that I grew up with was, it always resulted in a headache. I could see the edge, the line, and you had to wear these uncomfortable glasses that were red and blue. But today, the 3D feels effortless, and I know the work that went into it to make it that way. Where you’re not thinking so much about the 3D coming out at you, but more that you’re falling into the movie. I felt like I was surrounded by the movie, and I didn’t have a headache. So, I think it’s progressed quite a bit."

Continued on Page 3