Open Road Films brings an action film and a video game-based horror film to Comic-Con this year. There will be an early look at the upcoming action film End of Watch. Also, based on the video game franchise from Konami, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (the sequel to Silent Hill) will be presented with 3D footage.
The End of Watch panel includes Jake Gyllenhaal [JG] and Michael Peña [MP], who play police officers patrolling the meanest streets of south central Los Angeles, and writer/director David Ayer [DA] (Training Day). The Silent Hill sequel panel includes: Adelaide Clemens [AC] (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Kit Harington [KH] (HBO’s Game of Thrones), director Michael J. Bassett [MJB], and producer Samuel Hadida [SH].
The panel begins at 12:45 PM Pacific Time (3:45 PM Eastern) in Hall H. If you happen to be at Comic-Con this year, and managed to get into Hall H, congratulations! If not, sit back and relax, as we bring you the latest on these films.
12:50PM:
The Open Road panel is about to get underway.
12:54PM:
We started off with the End of Watch trailer, followed by Michael Pena and director/screenwriter David Ayer taking the stage.
1:02PM:
Following a recorded introduction by Jake Gyllenhaal (not present at the panel), we were treated to a couple of clips from the film. That material featured a lot of faux-documentary style, with first person POV from the driver’s seat during a police car chase, and extreme shaky handheld cinematography during a sequence where Gyllenhaal and Pena’s characters rescue a baby from a burning house.
1:04PM:
Pena: There were a lot of unconventional camera angles in the film, as dictated in Ayer’s script. I had to wear a strange camera contraption, for the first person POV shots. Ayer called the technique “informed by POV,” where the actors are literally filming with cameras attached to their bodies. The style is inspired partially by real-life police officers, who have small HD cameras on their person during raids.
1:05PM:
Ayer: I got final cut on this film, since it’s more of an indie production. I wanted to show “good guys, good characters… go back to bread-and-butter filmmaking,” rather than let the technology overwhelm the “heart” and story, as happens in a lot of big-budget productions.
1:09PM:
Ayer had Gyllenhaal and Pena go through lots of training (martial arts, weapon use, etc.). That helped the two to bond closer, and fits with their characters’ relationship in the film. The idea was primarily to show “cops living real lives.”
1:12PM:
Ayer: The final film was exactly like what I envisioned when writing the script – but also completely different, thanks to the visual format, ad-libbing, and other “happy accidents” on set.
1:15PM:
End of Watch was completed in about 21-22 days of shoots, pickups, etc.
1:19PM:
Ayer: End of Watch is a totally different animal from Training Day.
1:29PM:
Moving onto the Silent Hill: Revelation portion of the panel now. We began with two clips from the film, featuring a monster with multiple limbs and mannequin heads; the second involves faceless nurses wielding knives. 3D effect doesn’t add much, while the sound effects and editing feel lifted right out of a Silent Hill video game (not especially scary, sadly).
1:31PM:
Bassett described Revelation as a standalone Silent Hill movie, but also a sequel to the original He says it’s a very hard R-rated, disturbing/psychological horror flick.
1:33PM:
Clemens: I screamed before every take during production, in order to get into character and the right mood (*demonstrates for the Comic-Con crowd*).
1:34PM:
Revelation is described as a Silent Hill for loyal fans, full of little details and Easter Eggs that they should appreciate most.
1:36PM:
They included an announcement trailer for a Silent Hill attraction during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios (Hollywood and Florida locations).
1:39PM:
The Silent Hill attraction will feature movie-quality sets (according to Universal heads).
1:42PM:
First fan question is abut whether or not the psychological symbolism present in the first film (and throughout the SH video game series) will be present in Revelation. Bassett says that’s very much the case.
1:44PM:
Bassett praised the first film for being a fantastic representation of the SH universe, from a pure artistic perspective. He says Revelation should surpass it, thanks to the 3D elements (the sequel was shot in the format) and other sophisticated bits of visual/sound design.
1:45PM:
One fan asked whether or not Sean Bean dies in the film (to much laughter). Bassett says yes… and no.
1:47PM:
Bassett says that he drew inspiration primarily from the Silent Hill 1 & 3 video games while crafting the script, though there are characters and monsters from some of the other games present in the film.
1:49PM:
Clemens said there were a lot of practical creature effects used for Revelation.
1:49PM:
That’s it for the Open Road panel. Stay tuned for continued coverage of Comic-Con 2012 here at Screen Rant.
Keep an eye on the Screen Rant Comic-Con page for all the convention news.