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1-1 Interview: Steven Lisberger on the Legacy of Tron

Damon Houx — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:29:56 +0000

With the release of Tron Legacy on DVD and Blu-ray, 1982’s Tron has been given a new lease on life. (Some would say finally, as Disney took the film off the market in anticipation of Tron Legacy) with a new DVD and Blu-ray release for the title. Director Steven Lisberg was able to go back in and remaster the film for the first time, and the film looks better than ever. We got a chance to talk about the film, and its impact on pop culture.

Tron on Blu-ray is a vast improvement on previous home video releases, features all the old supplements, and a couple new ones. Lisberger proved a great conversationalist, and had a very interesting perspective on his cult hit.

Impact

How does it feel for Tron to achieve this second life now?

Steven Lisberger: I think it’s great – better late than never, right? And it certainly makes me feel good about the first film. This has been quite a thrill to see how much the film meant to the people who worked on the film. They took this job really seriously. That’s how the world changes. I thought when Tron came out, it would change the world, what it has changed is the heads of young people who are open minded, and they grew up with that in their heads and they’re changing the world slowly over the course of their lives. I’ve seen that play out with Tron.

Well, the technical advances of the film seem to help revolutionize the effects industry.

SL: True. We’re all users now.

How do feel about how prophetic the film has become?

SL: It surprises me at times, I called the company Encom, which was before .com, but there was no com back then. It’s like we got into this place where we got in touch with the zeitgeist. It surprises me how much lines up.

70mm

It’s a gorgeous film, how was shooting 70mm back then?

SL: It’s good and bad. When you have a negative that big, you have a negative that’s twice as big, but the amount of light you need is four times as much. So at one point we blew the circuits on the city of Burbank. There’s very little depth of field. If you have low light situations – like I did with Cindy Morgan in the arcade – the DP asked me “which eye do you want me to keep in focus?” And she would start to move and go out of focus, so we put a C-Stand up the back of her blouse, and taped her to it. She had a metal rod attached so she wouldn’t move. That’s some of the joys you get with 70mm.

Are there any other headaches you remember?

SL: Well, we couldn’t hold focus on the z-axis, so when the guys are at the energy stream, they all had to be shot separately. And any time we had Tron and Jeff speaking together in over the shoulders shots, and because of the matte work I needed sharp focus so as a result they were shot separately.

How many layers then were you shooting?

SL: The average frame of Tron in the electronic world is sometime between fifteen and eighteen exposures to the original negative, and some scenes that one frame of film was exposed thirty five times. We had to shoot it in black and white 70mm because that was only way they’d good when they were re-photographed on the animation stands.

Blu-ray as Post-Production

How much were you involved with the re-mastering?

SL: I was very much involved. It was like I died and went to movie heaven. I never thought I’d get the chance to bring it up to this level.

Did you tweak the film when you brought it to Blu-ray?

SL: I tweaked everything, the color saturation, the glow, the foreground/background work in terms of value and contrast. I got to do some repositioning. When we did the movie, we were under such a tight schedule we didn’t get a chance to do a lot of tinkering. A lot of the shots in the film are first generation compositing, we put it together, we knew it better work because it was going into the movie. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to do some finesse work.

So this is like your first real post?

SL: Yeah, that’s a strange way of thinking about it. To put it in to perspective we did 1,150 compositing shots in nine months – we had nine months but we had to make prints, so we had less than nine months. In Tron Legacy we did around 1,400 composite shots but we had eighteen months.

30 Years on…

Has the process changed that much?

SL: Yeah, it’s gotten a lot slower! By adding all these computers – and there’s more computing power in your phone than we had on Tron. It’s interesting, people would say to me “with all this computing power you could a new Tron in your garage for $200” but it went the exact opposite way. We took the computers and pushed the design envelope past what they were capable of doing easily, and it was an enormous undertaking.

Some filmmakers hate going back to their older films, others love it, how do you feel?

SL: Truthfully, I’ve seen Tron quite a few times, so I have a unique relationship with it. I’m most proud of the themes and the story, because I don’t think it have the place it has if it weren’t for the themes and character. But as one moves through life your standards are always changing and growing, so what I was content with five or ten years ago is not what I’m looking for now. People underestimate how much you change and grow during the course of your life. I was thirty then, I’m pretty much sixty now. I’m writing scripts now are the most compelling thing I’ve ever come up with, but it’s great to have done something in one’s youth, and say “this might endure.”

Have you discovered anything new in re-mastering it?

SL: The one thing that’s come out is the intersection of creativity and time. It really matters when you do something, not just doing it. Sometimes I go to a museum and see something by Jasper Johns or something from the fifties, or sixties or seventies, and think “that piece of art would be completely irrelevant if someone did it today.” Ninety-eight percent of its value has to do with a bookmark in history. I look at Tron in a lot of ways now, and I see a lot of its value in its place in the timeline. Today we take digital compositing and CG for granted. But if you were take the most banal commercial or movie from today and had the ability to time travel and show it to someone in 1970, people would fall down and be overcome because of those technical capabilities. I am aware – more than ever – of the relationship between creativity and the zeitgeist.

You could say we’re spoiled with the ability.

SL: I think that’s true, and it’s a wheel. If certain things become effortless we take them for granted, and we treat creativity like an operating system. Since creativity is a mirror that way, if we treat it as such, it reflects that message back to us. We seem to be into a wheel of the seduction of efficiency, in terms of creativity and personal relationships with each other. It’s easier to deal with all your friends if their all your friends at the tips of your keyboard, because dealing with them in the analog sense is too much. So do you want 200 digital friends or one “real” good friend?

It reminds me that the thing I use my phone least for is talking to people.

SL: Yep, isn’t that funny?

Tron is available on DVD and Blu-ray now, and is also available as a double feature with its sequel, Tron Legacy. Here’s the trailer for the original:

VOTD: Tron Trailer Upgraded

Anet Hovhanesian — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 04:08:09 +0000

The 1982 Sci-Fi action film, Tron, by Walt Disney has received a modern day make-over thanks to an amazing fan (take that studios!). Youtube user Drewboix has put together a new version of the old classic, which was directed by Steven Lisberger and starred Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan. The new and improved trailer even features a hit new music scheme to go along with the modern feel to the trailer.

It is hard to compare the original, which was made 28 years ago to something created in this new technologically advanced day and age. Using the same characters and the same main idea behind the trailer, this new version is visually much more stimulating. It captures your attention with close detail to colors, lights and special effects. I especially like how the fan made sure to keep it as true to the original as possible.

This new trailer brings excitement and a breath of fresh air to one of the first films from a major studio to use extensive computer graphics (which become out-dated faster than you can twitter). It’s not exactly a mystery why someone has decided to updated the trailer. The sequel to the film, titled Tron Legacy, will hit theaters on December 10th. It will be directed by Joseph Kosinski and will star original actors Bridges and Boxleitner along with Michael Sheen, Garrett Hedlund, and Olivia Wilde.

Watch the new and improved trailer below…

What do you think of the fan made trailer?

D23: Videos from Tron Presentaton

Mali Elfman — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:25:04 +0000

Last Friday at Disney’s D23 Expo, Steven Lisberger the original writer and director of Tron and Sean Bailey, the new producer of the film talked about Tron Legacy, it’s origin, and adapting it for modern audiences.

Check out the videos below…

It gets off to a bit of a rocky start, but give it 10 seconds and suddenly my hand regained control of itself.

And in case you were wondering, no Sean Bailey is not an angel. The light from the screen just made him glow like that.

D23: Steven Lisberger 1:1 for Tron

Mali Elfman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:25:29 +0000

Yesterday, we spoke to Tron Legacy producer Steven Lisberger about the new film and his view on the current state of technology. After talking to him for a few minutes you quickly find out that he really knows his stuff. He answered a few major questions about the upcoming sequel, including how the hell they’re going to introduce the iconic and complicated back story of Tron to a newer, younger generation.

If you enjoyed my interview with fellow producer Sean Bailey, then you’ll love the goods we got from Steven. He’s not only a producer and writer on this film, but he also directed the first Tron back in 1982.

Check out our interview with Steven Lisberger now…

What are some of the problems that Flynn will encounter in Tron Legacy almost 30 years after the first film?

I think that one of the themes in the story being expressed is where Flynn’s allegiances really lie. He created breakthrough technology in the day, so it means something very special to him. But he also has a real world family, and he’s being asked to decide who he loves more. Then it gets really tricky because there’s a tendency for people to say, ‘The best thing I could do for my kid is bless them with the best technology,’ and maybe the kid doesn’t really want your technology, he just wants you.

Do you think that concept has become an issue with how people relate to one another?

I think that’s sort of an interesting metaphor because we’re sort of in the race with the Devil. Aspects of the world are going to hell, and we think if we can get to the point where we can simulate it, then we’ll understand it and we’ll solve the problem. We’re struggling with AIDS and global warming, but if we can simulate it correctly, then we’ll understand it and we can fix it. It’s a classic sci-fi problem. Is technology gonna be your best friend or at times is it gonna be your best friend who turns out to be your worst enemy?

Technology is constantly evolving. Talking about Jeff Bridges, do you think that in 30 or 40 years you’ll be able to just scan him and use his image forever?

You can start thinking in terms of replacing the actor as a shell, the ghost in the shell if you will. You can replace the shell, but you can’t really replace the ghost. The difference for me, is that real life has a lot of infinity to it. There are so many things that you don’t understand, that we’ll never understand, and we can’t get a handle on, and cyberspace by its very nature has an element of the finite in it. You can always break it down, you can always figure it out.

You start thinking, yeah we can have a Jeff Bridges we could replace physically but the Jeff Bridges that I know, there’s a strange brew of mystery, zen master, and crazy artist and it’s all in this non definable form. I don’t think we’re even close to saying “Oh, I’ve got a piece of software that will mimic that.” But the other one is falling, we’ve brought down that god, that statue, the physical reality we’re gonna beat that. But next comes the human software? That’s a long way away.

For some people, this will be their first exposure to the world of Tron. How will you introduce the history, the concept, and the characters to a newer, younger generation?

I can’t give away too much without giving away parts of the story mechanism and some of this is almost subtext. We were imprisoned at one time by the MCP, which was the mainframe computer system that told us what we could know about our information, and when we could know it. Some very trippy people have talked to me about what they think the MCP represents, and how it represents a form of how the universe tends to make us feel like we can’t exceed certain parameters.

It’s like “Why can’t I play the piano? Why am I not gifted at sports?” There seems to be something in us that’s limiting us. There’s a since of being trapped. We deal with being trapped all the time as people. It’s like yeah, “I can’t play music, I wish I could.” So, we overthrow the MCP, but we don’t overthrow that limitation, and now technology is much more sophisticated in how it traps us. It doesn’t just brutally say, “I’m the MCP, you’re going to do what I want.”

The internet has become an important part of the average person’s daily life. Do you think it’s easy to become addicted to it?

It seduces. I lost the internet connection at my house yesterday, because we accidentally cut the internet cable and it’s just horrifying. I’m freaking out. I feel like somebody I really love just said, ‘I’m not talking to you.’ It’s like, ‘Is that service man here?’ You’re trapped now by how seductive it is, by how much you need it.

In Legacy, how will you integrate that type of obsession into the plot of the film?

In this story there’s a certain amount of seduction in terms of some of these characters, and how they seduce you with their beauty or their ungodly cyber capabilities. The first film as a subtext, the programs trying to reach their users is a metaphor for them trying to reach the best in themselves. They think of us as greater beings, they don’t know how flawed we are.

So is the conflict similar or different?

It’s always the same. Are you going to use the technology to bring about the best in yourself or the not so great part of yourself? That’s in this film, but in a different way. It’s not about whether the programs and the users are going to get together anymore, it’s about whether we’re going to still make contact with the best in ourselves. Is Flynn going to make contact with the best in himself? Is his son going to make contact with the best in himself? That never goes away. That’s not going to go away no matter what the technology does.

Heavy stuff, huh?

What do you think of our interview with Steven Lisberger?

D23: Tron Producer On Computers Replacing Actors

Krystal Clark — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:15:12 +0000

At the Disney D23 event we were lucky enough to speak to one of the producers of the upcoming sequel Tron Legacy. Steven Lisberger directed the first Tron back in 1982, and serves as a writer and producer this second time around. As we mentioned in a previous post, Jeff Bridges will appear in the new film as an older and a younger version of himself thanks to the latest advancements in digital technology.

With so many filmmakers relying so heavily on CGI, we wanted to know if he thought movies were getting to a point where actors could physically be replaced? Could they one day become obsolete? Dun,dun,dun….

We talked to Lisberger about the overwhelming presence of computer generated images in film and television, and wanted to know if he thinks we could one day replace actors as a whole.

You can start thinking in terms of replacing the actor as a shell, the ghost in the shell if you will. You can replace the shell, but you can’t really replace the ghost. The difference for me, is that real life has a lot of infinity to it. There are so many things that you don’t understand, that we’ll never understand, and we can’t get a handle on, and cyberspace by its very nature has an element of the finite in it. You can always break it down, you can always figure it out.

You start thinking, yeah we can have a Jeff Bridges we could replace physically but the Jeff Bridges that I know, there’s a strange brew of mystery, zen master, and crazy artist and it’s all in this non definable form. I don’t think we’re even close to saying “Oh, I’ve got a piece of software that will mimic that.” But the other one is falling, we’ve brought down that god, that statue, the physical reality we’re gonna beat that. But next comes the human software? That’s a long way away.

As time has progressed we’ve all noticed the advancements in special effects. There used to be a time when they were mostly used in sci-fi or fantasy films, but then it crossed over into action, and now the most basic drama uses some form of it. In the past few years, several movies have used CGI to heavily de-age actors to make them appear 30 or even 40 years younger than they actually are. I agree that the physical shell of an actor can be recreated but the talent and the passion behind it can not.

A good example of CGI humans shot to hell can be seen in X-Men 3: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. They revamped the faces of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen to the point where they were unrecognizable. They also had a fake version of Arnold Schwarzenegger make an appearance in Terminator Salvaton as a younger model of himself. All of these incarnates of the actual actors looked horrible, and did nothing but distract me from everything else that was going on in the film.

If you look at the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, those were some grade A special effects, but even with that level of quality you knew that wasn’t Brad Pitt. You know that there’s a dwarf stand in, and that his face is digitally attached to his body. It’s like a wink to the camera. We all know it’s not real but for those two hours we sit there and pretend it is. Nothing will ever be able to replace the human spirit, whether it be in front of or behind the camera.

What’s your opinion on real actors verses CGI? Do you think they stand a chance?

Tron 2 Plot Revealed

Laura Aguirre — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:04:42 +0000

After 30 years in the making, Walt Disney has finally revealed a short plot synopsis for Joseph Kosinski‘s sequel Tron, starring (yet again) Jeff Bridges. Although we’ve heard casting and budget news, we have yet to hear anything about what the film is about, until now.

Take a look at the synopsis below:

TRON is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

Words such as “unlike anything ever captured on the big screen” and “life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe,” make this film all the more exciting.

What do you think of this 30-year-old film being in the works?

Source: Slashfilm

ScreenCrave.com » Steven Lisberger

1-1 Interview: Steven Lisberger on the Legacy of Tron

Impact

70mm

Blu-ray as Post-Production

30 Years on…

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