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This week delivered much excitement for Mortal Instruments fans with the release of new character graphics and reports from Collider.com’s Toronto set visit. Next week is promised to bring more excitement for fans regarding another series in Clare Shadowhunter Chronicles. March 19 marks the release of the epic conclusion to Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices. Clare told fans earlier that the book trailer for the highly anticipated ‘Clockwork Princess’ will debut next week. Dirty Robber, the production company responsible for the “Clockwork Princess” and “City of Lost Souls” book trailers is back to give fans a taste of the story to come.
I spoke with director Charles Haine of Dirty Robber about the “Clockwork Princess” book trailer. Catch the exclusive interview below.
Dirty Robber is not new to directing Cassandra Clare book trailers. How is ‘Clockwork Princess’ different from the others?
With some of our other trailers we've been focused on creating a really cinematic experience for the audience. Now that her books are getting the Hollywood treatment, we decided to give ourselves a new challenge with this trailer, and that is to create a full motion version of the book cover, bringing the magic of the distinct design the books have to life.
Of course working in the Victorian Era is different from the modern world of ‘Mortal Instruments.’ What costume/setting challenges did this present?
Many of the book projects we work on are set in this world, and we're slowly becoming more and more expert in the wardrobe, make up and hair styles of it's different periods. I never knew I would find out so much about the history of bonnet wearing! With this project in particular it was complicated to find an outfit that would allow Jem to have a dynamic range of movement while passionately playing the vioin while still looking period appropriate; their outfits fit so perfectly that you couldn't move as flexibly as our clothes allow us to today.
How is the ‘Clockwork Princess’ book trailer different from ‘Clockwork Prince?’
Since we're going in a new direction with this trailer, more like a moving book trailer, we hope that this trailer is more emotional, more moody and more intriguing, with a dramatic finish, than trailers we've done before.
What new challenges did this trailer present?
Since we were going for a more graphically oriented project, a host of new complications appeared. We had to work closely with Cassandra and the publisher to find actions for the characters that were true to who they are but look cool in a graphical world. We had to work extensively with our wonderful VFX supervisor, Andrew Schwartz, to build a treatment that would work graphically.
What was the most challenging scene?
The climactic moment, in which one of the characters is covered in blood, was the hardest to shoot. making blood look convincing and dramatic is something we strive to, and working with our great art department I think we found something pretty cool.
What scene do you feel fans will love the most?
My guess is the smoldering look Jem gives while playing the violin with cause hearts to skip a beat.
What was your favorite part of production?
The most fun part of an production is the shoot day; getting to see all of your pre-visualized images come to life, and getting to play with performers bringing these characters to life, time just seems to melt away.
Did the fact that ‘Clockwork Princess’ is the conclusion to this series affect the trailer?
It definitely upped the stakes for us and made us feel the pressure to do something really unique.
In your opinion, how have these trailers evolved?
With ‘Clockwork Prince’ we weren’t as familiar with the series or its universe. Knowing that we would create the ‘Clockwork Princess’ book trailer gave us time to let our ideas marinate. Also, working on The Mortal Instruments trailers helped us to learn more about the Shadowhunter Chronicles world. This all gave us a fresh perspective. The ‘City of Lost Souls’ trailer really set a bar for us to hurtle with this one.
Did you get to read any of the heavily embargoed book? If so can describe ‘Clockwork Princess’ in one word?
We did get 1 very secret copy of the book, and in a single word, I would say "epic."
How long did production take?
We shot on a green screen stage for a single day
Of the actors, who is most like their character? Most different?
It's so hard to say, since through the auditioning and shooting process the wonderful actors work so hard to bring the essence of the character to life that they end up blurring together in my mind.
What themes can we expect to see in the ‘Clockwork Princess’ book trailer?
Embracing the darkness.
What goal did you have in mind when working on ‘Clockwork Princess?’
We tried to make it as close as possible to the book cover. This was our inspiration behind using the same model, who posed as Tessa on the book’s cover.
Over recent years, book trailer have evolved from glorified power points with text and images to full-scale production. Dirty Robber has stayed ahead of the game in pushing the limits when it comes to creating fresh and exciting book trailers. “Book trailers are gaining a more cinematic and visual feel,” says Haine. “We see the opportunity and understand this market.” This is why Dirty Robber is launching DR Stories, a new division of Dirty Robber dedicated only to book trailers. DR Stories is set the launch later this year.
In other exciting Dirty Robber news, they are nominated for an Academy Award with their short narrative, “Buzkashi Boys.” I don’t know about you, but I’m thrilled to know that the creators of the sure to be epic ‘Clockwork Princess’ book trailer are now Oscar nominees.
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