Creasy47's Behind The Avatar Interview Thread With Agent_99 (Page 22)

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  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Unfortunately I haven't been able to answer these questions for @Benny because I have been busily packing, finishing off an important review and visiting with some family that arrived late last night for a school reunion happening today, so I wasn't able to find the time in all the chaos to give the questions my full and undivided attention. I give my sincere apologies to everyone. I will be back from visiting family in a week from now and will have the questions done as soon as I can. I hate to make you all wait longer, but that is the state of things. Best wishes to you all in the meantime.

    Brady
  • Posts: 2,402
    Maybe we'll get a proper conclusion to this fantastic interview soon?
  • Posts: 6,396
    Yes @Benny I'm happy to be interviewed at some point also :-)
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I am so sorry for all the time this is taking. My summer job will end this Wednesday and I will have more free time to get the questions done, and finally continue this along. My apologies again, everyone.
  • Posts: 2,402
    I keep bumping this. I NEED TO SEE THE END!
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    It's a shame we're six pages in and I'm the only one who was fully interviewed, but other duties do keep people busy. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your interview, Brady!
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I submitted my answers to Benny's questions a couple of weeks back, but I guess he hasn't had the time to post them yet.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    Busy schedules and hectic work life has kept me away from this for longer than I had hoped. That is the nature of these interviews, and why when committing to them, I ask that you be patient. However, I am happy to provide more to my interview with @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 now, so sit back and enjoy...
    Benny wrote:
    What are your thoughts on Sam Mendes returning for Bond 24? The first time since John Glen a director has returned to direct back to back Bond films.
    Well, needless to say, I am very excited for the return of Sam Mendes in the director’s chair for Bond 24. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t upset when he threw down the director’s baton for Bond 24 a few months back, but was through the roof when it was announced that he would indeed be back. Like EON itself and many fans, I respect his love for the character, and he and his team, including the brilliant Roger Deakins gave us a great adventure in Skyfall that continues the Craig era trend of deep and rich characterizations with stone cold drama. Hopefully with Sam’s return we will see that same team return, especially Deakins who is one of my favorite cinematographers. I also kind of want to see @Creasy47 scream like a little girl if he is announced again, as that type of reaction appears to be an endlessly entertaining one.For me, Deakins and Sam really seemed to mesh well in regards to what they wanted to bring to the film and how they each wished to tell the story through the camera. To see them team up again for Bond 24 would be a veritable dream come true. Also, with Mendes’s return we will hopefully see more continuity that connects his two films, just to show that what happened in Skyfall has affected the characters and world of Bond 24, making it a more engaging and interesting film. I feel like there isn’t enough plot connections between the films in this franchise, where many of the films feel like unconnected one-offs (a majority of the Moore era features this problem). When events of one film affect what happens in the next you get to see the characters still reacting to those past challenges, where they feel more realistic and interesting as opposed to films that feel like they are unconnected wholly from the past. Anything as subtle as a painting of Dench’s M in Mallory’s office or as expansive as dialogue that references past events and the effects the events of Skyfall left on characters like Bond would be interesting to see. Though, this is only a minor gripe and hardly a necessity; it is just something I enjoy seeing.

    Overall, I am very excited to see Mendes back. I think he understands the character of James Bond very well, knows how to tell an interesting story in fresh and stylish ways, works great with his team to bring life into the characters and the cracking adventure, and is able to create a wonderful working environment for all involved, insuring the shooting of a Mendes Bond film will be a mutually unforgettable experience for everyone on set. I only hope that he has chosen to return based upon his love of the franchise and his want to do more with the character of James Bond instead of the sizable paycheck.
    Benny wrote:
    I don't think you're alone in being pleased to see Sam Mendes return.
    Benny wrote:
    Keeping with the Bond 24 questioning. What would you like to see story wise? And what more do you think Daniel Craig can bring to the role?
    I have said this many times before on this forum, but for Bond 24 I would love to see Quantum return in a big bad way, with a real catastrophic reintroduction. Maybe the organization could be hunting down all the agents in the 00 section and killing them off so that MI6’s greatest threats to them are diminished. Bond could be the main threat to them, and the one they wish most of all to exterminate. Though, what I would really like to see is Bond having to work with Yusef to hunt down and dismantle Quantum. As we saw at the end of QoS, Yusef was taken into MI6 custody, so he could easily be utilized by the agency to help Bond locate and find more members of the organization to get to the root of what they have been planning and stop them for good. Seeing Dan’s Bond work with such a slimy man as Yusef, who was attempting to bait yet another woman (just like he did to Vesper) when 007 finds him at the ending of QoS would be beyond compelling and exciting. To have Bond forced to work and rely with someone he despises so much could bring out some of the greatest performances in Dan’s already impressive career.

    Daniel plays the conflicted Bond so well, and this kind of scenario could show even more of that talent off. His Bond is very much about actions over words, where the most powerful parts of his performances are in the subtleties, which are some of my favorite moments of his Bond era. One of my favorite instances is in Skyfall where after Silva kills Severine Bond calls the act a “waste of good scotch”. While you may at first think that he is belittling Severine and her demise, you can see on Bond’s face that he is disgusted by what has just happened and is only trying to make it seem like Silva hasn’t cracked him. Behind the eyes of Dan as he is playing Bond you do see a hard past, like he has been formed and reformed by the events that have spanned his life, many likely unsavory and coarse. What Dan brings to the performance in terms of mannerisms and slight subtleties gives new life, depth and intellectuality to Bond. He is a 007 that is a powerful presence without even speaking, where on his face you can feel the disgust, the exhaustion, the pain, the determination, confidence and everything else Bond feels and gives off during his deadly missions. Safe to say, I think Dan still has much more to give us in the role of James Bond, and I myself can’t wait to see him do it.
    Benny wrote:
    I have to agree on the return of Quantum, after setting them up in CR and QOS, it seems pointless in not having them appear again in one of the Craig films.
    As for Craig himself, he made Bond his with CR, with each film he brings a little more to the role, SF had a little more humour than the previous films for example. Dan is certainly an actor with range and ability to get more from the role, and I too am hopeful we will see that in Bond 24
    Benny wrote:
    Of course with any highpoints in the series, we all have a low point. What are some of the low points for you in the EON series of James Bond films? And of course why do you feel that way?
    I think the biggest low point we have reached in the James Bond series is during the Moore era. While they are masterfully composed pieces of entertainment with impressive spectacles and style that I can still enjoy, they aren’t very Bondian. The rough, dark edge of Bond films of old with their more earnest plots and more grounded escapism were lost. As we got further into the series, past the 60s and into the 70s, the films hit a campy peak where DAF and the Moore era (especially around TSWLM) showed just how much the series had changed from the darker and more hardened espionage thrillers like DN, FRWL, TB and OHMSS.

    Long gone were the days of Bond as the cold and calculating spy and the sense of threat the films transmitted to us from the screen. Instead of clever dialogue and enjoyable repartee between Bond and the main villain, all we got was a saturation of one-liners and too many campy moments to count on one hand including Tarzan yells, villains literally blown to smithereens, an outlandish space based plot, and a pussified Jaws. As I have said, I can enjoy the films and I love Sir Roger with all my heart, but there is a fine line between Bond being a cinematic icon and gradually growing to become a parody of his former greatness. At the end of his run Roger was simply too old for the part, looking like the unintentional father figure to his vast assortment of young Bond girls, making their loves scenes somewhat odd and very disturbing.

    While the films of Roger’s era utilized Fleming’s stories and added new and clever spins on his work, the films didn’t realize that they couldn’t quite have their camp-filled cake and eat it too. One second Bond says a cheap line, and the next EON are attempting to add depth to his character, and the dichotomy here doesn’t work well at all. If you give me at one moment a dramatic and imposing scene between Bond and a villain where Bond ruthlessly kills him after giving him an engaging speech about the negatives of becoming evil and the next you show me a cat juggling different colored balls on a unicycle, I am going to be displeased with you. Don’t give me deep characterization if you are going to take advantage of my new found interest just moments later with a cheap one-liner or campy scene that completely ruins that built up tension or depth. One of the most laughable attempts in this era is during For Your Eyes Only where Bond gives Melina an earnest lecture about the dangers of revenge and why it isn’t worth it, yet he was just killing a man (who is obviously Blofeld) for exactly the same reason at the beginning of the film. How very hypocritical of you, Mr. Bond. Tisk tisk.

    The films also began to treat Bond as some sort of celebrity figure, to the point that every guy and his dog knew who Bond was and that he was a secret agent. Your job is hardly a “secret” now, eh Bond?! How many times does James or his allies (like JW Pepper) have to shout loud and proud that he works for MI6 before they get the hint that it is classified information?! At this point in the franchise the HMS Real James Bond had sunk, where the more clandestine and grounded Bond of the early Connery era was a thing of the past as yet another part of the films became outlandish and foolish.

    The villains also took a largely disappointing dip in this era, adding to my own displeasure with some of it. In MR the frightening and almost indestructible killing machine known as Jaws lost his haunting presence and dark edge, becoming nothing more than a poor joke, yet another casualty of EON’s change in tone for the series. While villains like Mr. Big, Scaramanga and Drax were portrayed skillfully by talented actors, their presentation overall left much to be desired in the end. Big’s death scene tarnishes some of the great edge the character had and brought the previously macabre LALD into the silly category. Scaramanga’s face off with Bond (that the whole film was leading to) feels like a bit of a let-down and a cop-out at the same time, a real missed opportunity. While Drax had many an interesting repartee with Bond and was given great dialogue to deliver, he still feels brutally underused. Stromberg of TSWLM is also heavily underused, and we barely get to see any of this so-called main baddie until the end of the film when his motivations and story are finally given to us, a little too late if you ask me. At least in Dr. No we have a continuously haunting memory of our eponymous villain is (through text, naming dropping and his off-screen voice) and get see how others react to his legend, whereas when we see Stromberg return again near the final climax you think: “Oh, finally we get to see the main villain again! I almost forgot about this bloke.” While no era is perfect, these reasons all culminate into why I find the Moore era to be a bit of a low-point in the series.

    Another low-point for me, and moment of utter repulsion is the almost complete ret-conning of the events in the beautiful OHMSS in DAF. In DAF we get no deep revenge-fueled tale with Bond avenging Tracy, or anything of the sort. No, the woman he was going to spend his entire life with wasn’t even mentioned, and instead we see the beginning of the overwhelming campiness that will rule the series in later years. DAF mercilessly features an utter joke of a Blofeld, one of the worst Bond girls of the series in Tiffany “Basket” Case (as I call her), and a criminally underwhelming send off of Blofeld as a villain and Sir Sean as Bond. The only good this film ever did was lead to the creation of The Scottish International Education Trust. But I digress, as I’d rather speak of more positive things in the franchise.

    More on this a little later, still two more questions to get through, and then it's on to the more personal side of @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 , away from Mi6.
    Stay tuned.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    edited September 2013 Posts: 8,266
    Great this thread si alive again, and nice interview again as well! Looking foreward to the last two questions..
  • A Look Inside The Owner's Mind- why, it's a scream and delicisou too ! Keep it coming !
  • MrcogginsMrcoggins Following in the footsteps of Quentin Quigley.
    Posts: 3,144
    Is there any chance that we might have any more on this ?
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Mrcoggins wrote:
    Is there any chance that we might have any more on this ?

    I would love to do more, but it all depends on @Benny's schedule.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Any chance of this being resurrected, @Benny? I'd love to finish my interview up and see it continued with other members as I find it to be a brilliant idea.
  • edited March 2014 Posts: 170
    I'd still be interested in seeing the rest of the interview, hopefully this goes on.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Benny!!!!!!
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    Hello boys and girls. Some bad news and good news.
    First the bad (though some may think it good), I have a far too busy work and personal schedule, and therefore cannot continue at present with the interviews.
    However, I am happy to have a suitable candidate who is willing to continue the interviews step forward and take over in my absence. (The good news!)
    If you're interested please let me know via PM and we'll discuss it.
    I must tell you this is something only members with a commitment to continuing on a regular basis should be interested in. It is a lot of work and requires a person with time to spare.
    I'm sure we have someone who would be suitable. Forgive my lack of continuation with this thread, but my life at present does not have the time required to fully continue this thread as required.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Small update for you ladies and gents.

    Due to Benny's work load, he has passed the torch on to me, so I will continue the questionnaire process with Brady and get it finished up here in the next week or two. Just coming up with questions and figuring out how many more I need to ask. Once that happens, a new person will be nominated and this thread will roll on from there. Keep your eyes posted here and hopefully it'll be continued once again before you know it.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    sign me up as well.... never to shy to shameless promote myself lol.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    HASEROT wrote:
    sign me up as well.... never to shy to shameless promote myself lol.

    Once this gets started up, I'm sure Benny will get back around to checking out the thread as I get it moving along. Or, you could just shoot him a PM and ask him to add you to the list once he returns. The way it's going to work is via nominations, where now I'll ask the member roughly 30 questions, open the floor for questions from other members, and then that member of the week (or however long it takes) will tell me via PM who he wants to nominate. I'll confirm with that person that they would like to be interviewed next, and we'll continue to go from there.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    HASEROT wrote:
    sign me up as well.... never to shy to shameless promote myself lol.

    Added to the list on page one.
    As you can see, @Creasy47 has very kindly offered to take over the interviews, and will continue the interview with @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7
    Look forward to see the long awaited conclusion. Thanks chaps.

    ;)
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Thanks for starting this up in the first place @Benny, and letting it continue. This has the potential to be one of the best threads up and running on the forum once we get a few more interviews in. It's always nice to learn more about our members.
  • DCisaredDCisared Liverpool
    Posts: 1,329
    Interesting that it's almost a year since this thread was created.
    007 are you ready to get back to work?
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    DCisared wrote:
    Interesting that it's almost a year since this thread was created.
    007 are you ready to get back to work?

    With pleasure, @DCisared. With pleasure.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    I've sent the next two questions to Brady to round out his first set of ten, so as soon as he answers them, we'll be on a roll once again, everyone.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    Sure, why not.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Ladies and gentlemen, let's finally get this show on the road again. Here are the next two questions from the legend that is Brady, which will round out his first set of ten:

    Q: If you could put yourself in one Bond film, which film would it be and why is that?

    A: I’d have to say Casino Royale. It’s my favorite film for a reason, after all. The chief draw for me would be, all the danger that could happen along the way in locations like Madagascar, Montenegro, Italy and Miami back here in the states. Second, and most importantly, I’d get to meet Vesper Lynd and work alongside her, inevitably falling in love with her as my callousness breaks under the pressure posed by her endearing qualities of elegance, intelligence, beauty and towering independence that causes this loner to give his heart away with open arms, only to have it crushed once her duplicity is revealed. Sure it’d hurt, but it sure as hell would be poetic…

    In all seriousness, it really would be great to meet and get to know the Vesper of the film on a mission, and of course I’d fall in love with her as Bond himself does; it’d be impossible not to. She’s obviously my favorite Bond girl, and has the qualities I am most attracted to in women. But in case you have a question regarding Bond girls in the future, I’ll save my further responses on her for later. Add to Vesper’s presence the great high stakes poker game I’d get to compete in, the chases on car and foot I’d engage in, the plane I’d try to save from explosive destruction and all the great locations I’d get to breathe in, and it’s an easy choice for me. The film is such an intense, wonderful ride and to actually be in Bond’s place during the mission would be incredibly exciting.

    I completely agree and see where you're coming from, Brady. Who wouldn't want to fall under the spell of the gorgeous and mysterious Vesper Lynd? But, we all stand back from that idea, knowing that she is your woman. ;-)

    Q: Who is your favorite director in the series and why?

    I always find these kinds of questions difficult to answer, and I’ll tell you why. It is my interpretation that filmmaking (especially on blockbusters like Bond films) is a team sport, and therefore requires all hands on deck from professionals in all realms of the cinematic world. My point being, the director can’t make their vision complete without the help of those working in various departments and areas like costume and set designers who give the characters and locations style, the editors who will help make the mess of shot scenes into a fluid final product, and the cinematographer who helps them deliver a powerful visual image to the viewer using a variety of lighting, lens and angular techniques (just to name a few helpers). With all this in mind, I find it hard to single out just the sole director of a film when so many people contribute to one Bond film, and in so many ways.
    So, when viewing the director as just one cog in a well-oiled cinematic machine, I’d say the directors I must enjoy, revere and look up to are the likes of Terence Young, Martin Campbell and Sam Mendes. Young was a pioneer who really crafted the idea of what a Bond film is right from the start with his remarkable team, and helmed Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Thunderball, three films that are the quintessential Bond films and in my opinion, Sean’s best. Each Bond film of his brought new thrills and growing scope, and looking back now they still hold up as pieces of well-crafted art. He helped bring so much to cinema when deciding to sign on to Bond, creating alongside Cubby and Harry a lasting legacy of espionage films that still inspire creators today. He’s an easy pick.

    Campbell is another great, who has helped bring in the eras of two Bond actors, and successfully so. He seems to have a knack for introducing a new 007 to the world in fine form, and picks the right films to be involved with. Goldeneye has a lot to love, its Bond girl and great action set pieces being just minor temptations, and of course you all know how swooned I am with Casino Royale. It’s easy to see that Campbell has a good eye for talent when he is picking out his team to bring a Bond adventure to life, and the franchise owes a lot to his daring efforts. He made lighting strike twice, which few can say, especially when both films were more than a decade apart.

    And finally, there’s Mendes. When listening to his Skyfall commentary it’s easy to see why his Bond debut was so astronomically successful. He’s got a brilliant mind that gets attracted to some brilliant material, in this case a script that took on a Bond down in the dumps and who finally experiences ascension after hardship. It’s a poetic film with poetic direction that takes Bond to depths that he has rarely ever gone to before, all led by Mendes who, like Young and Campbell before him, must really know how to pick his teams. Everything from the costume design (oh, those suits), to the cinematography (oh, those visuals), and set design (oh, those gorgeous spaces) are finally crafted and influenced by his vision. Furthermore, I think Mendes and Deakins are one of the best creative teams in recent memory, bringing together both elements of their job and their own individual ideas to treat us to some stunning shots. The film is like the beautiful, headstrong girl that has smarts to match who you’re always too nervous to talk to for fear of babbling in their presence like a baby learning their first words. Mendes is simply a great storyteller. The elements he sprinkled throughout the film with the help of creative powerhouses like Deakins behind the camera and Logan with the pen really made the film special regardless of its faults, the eloquent Tennyson scene being the centerpiece show-stealer of it all.

    All these men knew their craft, had great teams to support them and knew how to use their talented actors and filmmaking tools to bring together some of the greatest films the franchise has ever seen. How inspiring. I have a great love and fascination for movie-making and these are the kinds of creators I always look up to. In the future I want to learn more and more about the craft of filmmaking, especially when it comes to the lucky people who have worked on a Bond film both past and present.

    I see where you're coming from. Every film is a huge, collective effort, from the director down to the craft food services people. I like your reasoning on your choices!

    This concludes Brady's first set of questions. Give me some time and as soon as I have a moment, we shall continue!
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Well done lads! a well-deserved restart of this wonderfull thread! can't wait to read more!
  • Posts: 7,507
    Wow, what a great pleassure it is to read through this interview, and the elaborate and immensely thoughtfull, reflective answers from Brady! Brilliant stuff! :-bd
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    Lovely reading this interview. Keep up the good work lads!
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited June 2014 Posts: 40,976
    Update:

    I've sent Brady the next set of questions, and just so I have an easy-to-remember concept on how to do this for whoever is next, this is how I'll go about it:

    I'll ask ten Bond related questions, then I'll post them once I have the answers. The next ten questions I ask will be: five more Bond related questions, four personal questions (if one of these questions might contain an answer you aren't comfortable with sharing, simply let me know and I'll choose a different question), and the last question will be something miscellaneous and fun (you'll see what I mean once Brady answers and I post it) that I come up with. That's a total of 20 questions. Then, I'll open the thread to you all who can ask the person being interviewed questions you'd like to have answered. Once that's over, the one being interviewed (currently Brady) will PM me with who he would like to have interviewed next. I will inform that person, and if they're willing, we'll continue again, and it's back to the beginning.

    I do hope this makes sense and sounds good for you all. Brady's last set of answers to my questions should be here in the next few days hopefully.
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