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A Conversation with Horton Hears a Who director Steve Martino
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Steve Martino is one of those guys that has been on the cutting edge of CGI effects. He’s been behind the scenes in the development of technologies such as motion capture and the integration of live action with animation that movie goers take for granted today. Most recently he helped bring Dr. Seuss’s beloved story, Horton Hears a Who to the big screen. Entertainment Examiner, Mike Parker, recently had a chance to chat with Martino on the telephone.
Mike Parker – Recent adaptations of Dr. Seuss classics have come under fire from some critics for abandoning the wit and whimsy in favor of the crude. I could mention the abysmal “The Cat in the Hat” but I won’t. When you were approached for this project, what were your thoughts regarding trying to remain true to the original Suessian source material?
Steve Martino – I grew up with Sr. Seuss. Being a visual arts person I loved the worlds he created. He was one of the most creative visual artists our country has produced in the past 100 years. We took his vision seriously. We made a promise to be true to the book and that meant putting aside any need we might have to veer to the right or the left. And we really didn’t need to. “Horton” was perfect for adapting to the screen. It has a beginning, middle, and end. There was plenty of material for us to have fun without having insert other stuff. We read Dr. Seuss’s original manuscript pages. We were able to watch as he worked out the verses and rhymes when he crafted the book. We read the conversations he had regarding the making of the original Grinch. We used those things as our foundation. We studied his artwork. Just to stand in the room where he created that body of work and to see the series of sculptures of his work – for me, that was how he interpreted those drawings in three dimension. That’s how we built our vocabulary. I really felt that Dr. Seuss was our production designer.
Parker – I would think directing a CGI animated film is significantly different from directing a live action film. What kind of challenges did you encounter?
Martino – The process happens in reverse. In live action you do a lot of pre-production then you shoot like crazy and edit at the end. In CGI you do all rough drafting and storyboarding, then you bring in the vocal talent. They all bring new input and we have to build on that. With animation you don’t have the luxury of shooting tons of footage and then cutting. You create as you go. The director’s job is to have a vision for how you want to tell the story. We had more than 300 people working on this film and it is so much better when you can allow them to bring their creativity to the table. We try to set the course for the ship and try to head toward a destination, but still allow all those people to provide input which makes the ride even better. Live action directors do the same thing, just with a different crew.
Parker – You really started on the ground floor back in the early 1980’s when CGI was just getting started. How do you keep up with the advances in the technology?
Martino – I think one of the things I love is the mix of people I work with. They have such a broad focus and diverse interests. We have R&D people who are constantly using the computer to create a certain effect, but their focus is balanced by people who spend their weekends painting in oil. It is the combination that keeps us from running into a wall.
Story comes first. The we ask, ‘How do we use this bag of tricks to serve the story?’ In the early days technology dictated the look, because we had a very limited pallet. I never thought we would get to the range of possibilities that we have today.
A great example would be in the animation styling. When I looked at the images in Dr. Seuss’s book, I always thought they would react in ways that humans can’t. It forced us to push technology in ways that weren’t comfortable. We wanted to be on model but there were times we needed to squash a head or extend an arm beyond what the model may be able to do. It was challenging and we wondered if we could pull it off, but thanks to the efforts and passion of the crew it worked.
Parker – Your work with CGI has certainly not been limited to animated feature films. Your team won a Visual Effects Oscar for your work on the Sci Fi adventure film, “Total Recall.” Are there any significant differences working in a live action environment as opposed to working strictly with animated characters?
Martino – It was my company that won the Oscar, not me personally, just to be clear on that. Yeah, I’ve a lot of different things in my career from commercials to the Super Bowl. Overall, today, I think as an industry we have become much more specialized.
Parker – Okay, I gotta ask – you did some work with Monty Python on “The Holy Grail” and “The Meaning of Life.” You’ve got to have some fun stories.
Martino – One of the greatest experiences in my life was sitting with Terry Gilliam in his studio as he pulled books off his shelf that he had used for inspiration for “The Holy Grail” - all these illuminated manuscripts as we storyboarded “The Holy Grail.” I love his artwork. To hear him talk about the movie making process and how smart and crafty he was – some of the most brilliant moments came because of the limitations they had in time and money. For instance, they didn’t have the funds or the permits to rent horses, so that’s where they came up with the coconuts. Brilliant!
Parker – Without trying to get too controversial, one of the primary themes of Horton Hears a Who is the admonition that ‘A person’s a person, no matter how small.’ Any thoughts?
Martino – The theme of ‘A person’s a person’ emerged as we have talked with Audrey Geisel. It came from Dr. Seuss and his beliefs regarding in prejudice and judging. He drew political and editorial cartoons during WWII and he did caricatures of the Japanese. Later he realized that rather than looking at individuals, he had painted an entire society with a broad brush.
That’s really what this story is about – seeing people as individuals, whether or not they look like us. Horton heard a voice crying for help. He didn’t ask whether the voice looked like him. We used that theme throughout the story. The mayor had to learn to listen to his son, who was the littlest of the Whos. The kangaroo also had a son in her pouch that needed to come out. Whenever we came to a problem with the script, we always looked at it through that lens to make sure it served that theme.
Parker – Last words?
Martino – Looking back on the experience of making “Horton Hears a Who,” it is a long journey. It took a substantial chunk of my creative life. What I found so enjoyable now that I am at the end of that journey, is that I was able to put something on the screen that I was proud for my children to see, and to share with my family, young and old. “Horton” is for everyone, and not just a small segment of the population. There wasn’t a moment in the film when I felt the need to hide my face.
The Seven Questions
1. What’s your favorite sound?
Martino – The guitar. I love the sound of an acoustic guitar.
2. What makes you happy?
Martino – Time with my kids when they are happy; being with my family when we are engaged in activity.
3. What makes you angry?
Martino – When I’ve been in a situation that doesn’t go the way I wished and I didn’t do my best to bring it to a fruitful outcome.
4. What is the secret of success?
Martino – Hard work, sticking to it. It’s not always about talent and skill, but dogged determination.
5. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, living or dead, who would it be?
Martino – Jesus Christ.
6. What is the epitaph that is written on your tombstone?
Martino – “He made our lives better.”
7. When you get to heaven, what is the first thing you want to hear God say to you?
Martino – “I love you.”
Horton Hears a Who release on DVD and Blu-Ray on December 9th from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Other Conversations we've had:
Secret Life of Bees Director, Gina Prince-Bythewood
When the Day of Evil Comes Author, Melanie Wells
New York Times Best-Selling Author, Charles Martin
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