I’ve got a terrific BEHIND THE LENS for you this week thanks to the incomparable RENNY HARLIN, who joins me to talk about THE BEAST, his new podcast Harlin House, his next film “Black Tides,” which is currently in post-production, and so much more. This is the third time this year that Renny and I have gotten to chat about his “latest” film, in this case, THE BEAST, and as always it is not only an absolute delight, but extremely insightful as well.
Although full reviews of THE BEAST are embargoed until this Wednesday, October 7th, with the film opening on Friday, October 9th, needless to say, you’ll be hearing a lot in this interview that will give you more than a sense of my thoughts on the film which is, to be blunt, action-packed with nail-biting intensity, and boasting stellar emotional performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman. In all honesty, THE BEAST is one of the best films that Renny has ever done.
THE BEAST stars Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman and is directed by Renny Harlin with script by Umair Aleem. A simple premise – When a militia of unidentified hostiles coordinates a coup against the U.S., the president is forced to drive the presidential limousine and unlock the full extent of The Beast’s highly classified offensive capabilities to save his injured Secret Service agent, reunite with his wife, and save the world. And yes, Samuel L. Jackson IS the President of the United States.
As you’re about to hear from Renny, the technical complexities of making THE BEAST involved using a Volume Screen which was cutting edge two years ago when they were shooting THE BEAST, but is already somewhat antiquated thanks to AI. I’m sure many of you are curious as to what exactly a Volume Screen is. To put it simply, it’s a large, 270 degree curved wall made of high-resolution LED panels that display real-time 3D environments during filming. This technology allows for dynamic backgrounds that can change based on camera movements, enhancing the visual storytelling process significantly.
With THE BEAST, the Volume Screen came into play for recording the background street scenes. Then in front of that projected background, there is a middle ground for live action. And in this case, the Presidential limo was in the center with live action happening outside the vehicle while Samuel L and Kinnaman were “hermetically sealed” inside the vehicle. It’s really a very cool process that allowed Renny and his DP Jacques Jouffret to hone in on the inside of the vehicle and the events playing out inside. And Renny doesn’t shy away from discussing the Volume Screen learning curve.
As you all know, Renny is passionate about sound design and here, he reteamed with his fabulous re-recording mixers Oriol Tarrago and Willy Vila to deliver a very layered and nuanced sound mix that is layered similarly to the 3 layers of visuals we get by using a Volume Screen. And of course, we delve into the sonic elements of the film.
But what truly sets THE BEAST apart is the emotionality of the characters and the characters themselves, which is something of which Renny is most proud.
So get comfortable and get ready as Renny Harlin talks all things THE BEAST, from the first moment he got a call about directing the film to now and the upcoming premiere on Wednesday.
THE BEAST is in theatres this Friday, October 9th. See it! See it! See it! You are gonna love it!
Next week, I’ll be speaking with director David Ferino talking about the latest installment in a franchise favorite – ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES: ORGANIC INTELLIGENCE. You don’t want to miss that!
