Image source: www.scream-trilogy.net Scream-Trilogy.net offeres the latest in Scream 4 news as well as an exclusive message board for fans.
Today, Scream Franchise Examiner has the honor of hosting John Klyza, webmaster of Scream-Trilogy.net.
But first, a quick news recap from the hoppin’ set of Scream 4...
Filming resumed in the Kellogg Park area of Plymouth, MI yesterday, resulting in a flurry of fan-shot photos being released online. (Behind The Trailer has an impressive gallery, which can be viewed here.) One of the most notable observations was the large Ghost Face props visibly hanging from light posts in what will be Woodsboro’s downtown area. Scream-Trilogy.net astutely surmised that this fondness for Ghost Face effigies would appear to be Woodsboro’s new obsession, which R.J. Torbert of Fun World (registered owner/copyright owner/licensor and manufacturer of the Ghost Face mask) previously hinted at via Twitter.
Meanwhile, Torbert confirmed to Scream Franchise Examiner (via Twitter) that Fun World supplied the oversized Ghost Face props to Craven & Co. (but only after viewing a picture of one online): yes, I didnt admit to it, to keep a surprise, however now a published photo, it is FUN WORLD that supplied it.
Also, David Arquette revealed that Entertainment Weekly was in town yesterday to do a photo shoot for an upcoming issue of the magazine. He also posted a behind-the-scenes picture from that shoot featuring himself alongside wife Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell. (See below.) This is notable in that it is one of the very few shots of Campbell to have surfaced since Scream 4 began shooting in late June.
In other Twitter news, director Wes Craven posted a picture of himself mingling with fans on-set and offered the following commentary: Had a great day in Plymouth, MI, today. It was wonderful to meet some fans.
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Today’s guest: John Klyza of Scream-Trilogy.net.
Klyza, who currently lives in Australia, has spent several years on the fringes of the film industry doing work in web, print, and illustration. He recently co-produced a sequel in the long-running cult classic Sleepaway Camp slasher franchise, now in post-production. His web-site has quickly become the go to source for both the latest news concerning Scream 4 and information pertaining to the original trilogy. In addition to offering a wealth of well-informed information, the site also boasts The Ultimate Scream Message Board—a forum for discussion among a diverse population of fans from around the world.
Now, Klyza offers his own unique perspective on the film franchise that changed the face of fear forever—and on being at the forefront of the online Scream community…
1) What is the origin of Scream-Trilogy.net? How has the site evolved over time and what is your vision for the future?
I’ve been running film-based websites since 1998 as a way to deeply explore my favorite flicks instead of writing bad fan fiction or whatever. About say, 2003 I registered Scre4m.com as a placeholder until the inevitable sequel was made. When Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven reteamed to make Cursed, they assembled so many elements from the Scream franchise that it seemed almost like a proxy part 4 to me. So I put the domain to use and ran a news site that covered the film from green light all the way till DVD release in 2005. By that time it was too costly to keep online and its purpose was completed, so I happily allowed it to blip from existence.
In the ensuing years I never stopped wanting to create a Scream website, but I knew the audience had grown up and moved on, and a new audience wouldn’t be there without a new sequel happening. When Scream 4 got a definitive green light, that all changed and that’s when I decided to get the ball rolling. Ironically, the onslaught of news and photographs from Scream 4 have been such that I’ve not yet been able to follow through with my original plan to dissect the original trilogy, but I think I can make good on that during the “quiet months” between end of production and the promotional gear-up to release. But covering Scream 4 has been super-fun – examining the production of a film live, on a micro-level.
I owe a huge debt to a fellow named Greg Sawyer who ran the not coincidently, similarly named scream-trilogy.com in the late 90’s. The numbingly long 2-year wait between Scream 2 and Scream 3 went down so much smoother due to his excellent daily-updated website, and also helped keep fan interest flowing once the trilogy was over and out of the pop-culture spotlight.
2) You are a "spoiler free" site. Have you received a scoop that you will not run? If so, how difficult is it to contain such information--and do you think that being in possession of such knowledge will damper the excitement of the movie-going experience for you?
Script pages were quietly leaking over the 2 month casting period. I chose not to post or utilize them in any way. It wasn’t a difficult decision – major script leaks went down with Scream 2, and the butterfly effect was enormous in terms of how rewriting changed the content of the film. Not to mention it's confidential material that the creators have every right to protect and restrict the flow of.
During production, with so much detail being captured on camera phones and the like, it’s amazing
how much you can gleam from those photos. Fans want to see everything but don’t want the story ruined – so if something can be interpreted several ways, they see it as safe. When something comes along and locks down prevalent plot points in stone, I add a spoiler tag so the more cautious fans can enter at their own discretion.
There’s plenty of places I won’t go – like who lives, who dies and who’s behind the mask. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that if and when someone finds out, they’re going to report it straight to me. Which will be a shame, because unless I read it on the page or see it on the screen, I really, truly don’t want to know. Perhaps leading up to release day I’ll go into hiding and leave some courageous soul to operate the site and take those bullets.
3) Are you aware of anybody involved with the films monitoring your site and/or have you received official feedback? If so, are you at liberty to share details?
You know that’s a good question I haven’t really thought about. It would definitely be a kick to get a thumbs up or thanks from somebody directly connected. I have heard behind the scenes that PR and Legal monitor sites like mine daily. What I would say there is that I hope my intentions to report responsibly come through clearly.
4) SCREAM 4 is currently in production, which means that you are working overtime. Take us through a typical day--where does your information come from, how do you keep up with it, and what is required of you to get it out there to the world before it becomes old news?
There’s a lot happening out there daily if you know how to keep your eyes and ears open, but a lot of it is irrelevant or inaccurate. It’s a case of narrowing down the essential items - I have zero interest in posting every single blurry set photo and baseless rumor out there. The goal is to have the site act as a sort of filtration process, giving visitors the best material possible without leaving them feeling they’re missing out.
New pieces can take anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours to go public. I might take the time to include personal commentary or frame things in larger context for my readers. There are times I want to independently verify “iffy” news, or dig through the Chinese whispers and find the original source so they can be correctly credited, which is important. Or maybe an angle isn’t working, so I’ll hold it back and rewrite till I’m happy. In the scheme of things, future readers won’t care how quickly an article was posted – they’ll care whether it entertains and informs them. But generally I think a 24 hour turnover, max, feels right - repeat visitors deserve consistency.
5) Speaking strictly as a fan, what is your greatest hope for SCREAM 4? Your biggest worry?
My sincere hope is that the movie does extremely well and secures the production of part 5 and 6 – ideally back-to-back. My only worry would be the flipside – since audiences vote with their wallet, if they don’t show enough interest in part 4, the buck could stop there, resulting in an orphan entry that hampers the numerical accuracy of the original trilogy. Or worse yet, two words: DTV sequels. But these are normal worries for fans to have – it means we’re invested in the movies - which in an age of quickly disposable interests, isn’t a bad thing at all.
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With thanks to John Klyza for generously sharing his time and thoughts…
Be sure to visit Scream-Trilogy.net often for the latest news and insightful commentary.
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