THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON - Visual Hollywood

The Twilight Saga: New MoonProduction Notesworld. We go different places this time, but we still retain respect for the fans.”The director consulted the author regularly, even on minor issues, according to Meyer. “He wasinterested in the smallest things, like can this person wear shoes?” she says. “He checked on all thedetails. He wanted to make it like the book, and he was very, very cool about that.”Having the author available was invaluable to Weitz. “With Lord of the Rings, no one could ask Tolkienwhat he originally had in mind,” says the director. “I could email Stephenie and ask practical questionslike, ‘Do Jasper’s powers actually work on Bella?’ as well as larger metaphysical questions. It allowed meto make sure that at all points that we were keeping consistent with the books.”Meyer appreciates Weitz’s diligence, saying, “He really listens. He’s very quiet and at the same time it’svery clear what he’s looking for. I felt my material was in good hands with him.”For Meyer, writing New Moon was a completely different experience from writing the earlier book. “Itwas probably the most difficult book I’ve ever written because for the first time, I knew for sure peoplewere going to be reading what I wrote. When I wrote Twilight, it was just for me. All of a sudden, I feltlike people were looking over my shoulders. I had a lot of stage fright.“New Moon was such a different book and it wasn’t what the fans were expecting necessarily,” she goeson. “The first book was about true love. The natural consequence of that, especially when you’re thatyoung, is that you’re going to have your heart broken, and the more you love someone, the harderthat’s going to be.“Edward thinks he’s protecting Bella by ending the relationship,” explains Meyer. “He doesn’t expect thetorment and the angst of being broken apart, which is a universal experience common to any male orfemale member of the audience. By the end, both of them have learned a lot about exactly howimportant they are to each other. Bella grows up quite a bit, and Edward has to realize that he doesn’tknow everything.”Also central to the story is the friendship that develops between Bella and Jacob Black, a werewolf andnatural enemy of the vampires. “The stakes are higher,” says Weitz. “Now it’s not just Bella’s existencethat’s in danger, but Edward’s existence as well. In terms of the story’s world, we get a look at new areasand corners of the mythology, and as the mythology expands, so does the movie.“Sure, we’re telling a story about vampires and werewolves and the supernatural,” the directorcontinues. “But beyond that it deals with these very basic human feelings of love, longing, need, loss,attachment and friendship. It deals with the danger that you put your heart into when you fall in love.As Bella says in Twilight, she’s not afraid of Edward because he’s a vampire, she’s afraid because she’s soin love with him. And there’s a kind of love triangle that develops in this movie, which is really veryrelatable and appealing.”Meyer says she is even more excited about this next step in the saga than she was for the first. “Twilightset up this great place for us, almost like a diving board,” she says. “Now we’re jumping off and going toa whole new level. The cast members know each other, they know their characters and they’re excitedto be back. The book was more emotional in some ways, and it’s a lot deeper. And then we have all thenew characters. It’s going to be so much fun. I’m really looking forward to watching the wolf packinteract, and of course the Volturi’s going to be really cool.”4