Jon: Much like the traps, the Saw series is noted for its editing. How’s the second go-round for you on this series going?

Andrew Coutts: It has been going quite well, and it has been exciting being involved with the rapidly developing 3D technology.  Filling Kevin’s shoes as Editor is a daunting task, but I’m very happy where we are with this film.

Jon: Has there been any difficulties editing in the 3D format? Did you have any conversations with other editors who worked with 3D movies?

Coutts: With any newer technology or process I think there will always be little hiccups and issues to work out.  We’ve had our share of challenges along the road, but we have a great team of people and we were always able to figure out what we needed to do to make it work.  It has been a far more complex process than last year.   We did some camera tests this year before we started shooting the film which really helped in working out technical specifics and work-flow.  I had conversations with our Stereographer, who has a long history of working in 3D, about the concepts and challenges of editing in 3D.  I think the best bit of preparation for me was being able to view the 3D test footage, and have the time to experiment with it.  That really helped me wrap my head around how we could take this new format and marry it to the style Saw has become known for.

Jon: Greutert’s own Saw III featured an editing style that he changed for Saw IV. Has he been allowing you to explore what works best for this Saw, compared to what you’ve done for Saw VI?

Coutts: With Kevin having come from editing and obviously having such a huge impact on the editing style of the Saw films since the beginning, it’s been great working with him on these past films.  He’s always open to letting me try new things and explore ways to put the film together.  The style of Saw VII is a little different than VI, but I don’t think the change is as drastic as from Saw III to IV.  It’s more a change to match the pacing and feel of this story.

Jon: Greutert famously thought you were over-worked and stressed while editing the climax of Saw VI. Any difficulties, outside of the obvious, this time around?

Coutts: Editorially, once the first pass of the film is put together, it becomes a challenge to then break down the story structure, pacing, and character arcs of the film – to find the most effective version of how to have the film play out. Last year’s complex ending (parallel story lines and multiple flashbacks coming together) took a lot of work to find the right balance in inter-cutting the two.  Combine this with the very tight schedule we are working with on these films and it gets pretty intense.   I was totally immersed in just the last 8 minutes of the film for two weeks straight.

Tweaking it, finding the right clips from previous films, and pacing the many flashback elements to really maximize the impact of each story had me totally absorbed.  After a long stretch of 16 hour days and non-stop screaming (from the film not from me), I think Kevin realized I needed to get out of my dark room and see the sun for a bit. The intense nature of it is somewhat part of my process, but it’s still nice to have someone there who will tell me to step outside and see what daylight looks like every so often.

Jon: Does editing a 3D film change your direction of your style and/or the series’ style due to the technology and the need to maximize the 3D elements?

Coutts: On the technology side, we’ve been working on the latest version of Avid that supports 3D editing and it has been a great help.  We’re able to very easily switch between viewing in 3D and 2D right in the cutting room at the push of a button.  Having worked on Avid systems for many years, it’s like second nature to me.  So being able to cut the film with Avid allowed me to avoid slowing down or changing the process at a software/technical level. From a stylistic point of view, there are times where we may hold on a shot for a bit longer just because it looks so great in 3D, but overall I didn’t want the style of the film to be dictated by just one element of the many that go into the overall look and feel of a movie.  There are definitely some stylistic choices that were made due to 3D, but I think they all enhanced the style the series has become known for, rather than changing it.

Jon: Due to the quick turnaround of each Saw film for the October date, does the MPAA notes (when they give them after looking at the film) hinder or put pressure on re-editing to appease them and meet the October date for release?

Coutts: We are always in a time crunch trying to get the film completed in time, and we did have to go back and forth with the MPAA much more this year than the last few years.  But they are always very quick in getting their concerns to us and they are great at working with us to find a way to mitigate their issues while at the same time keeping the scene in question as effective as possible.

Jon: Having (and continuing to) work on the final Saw film, how does this film work with the prior six, and what can fans expect?

Coutts: Well, I can’t get into specifics without getting into trouble, but I think we’ve got a great story, some strong new characters (as well as some returning familiar ones), and some amazing and intense traps that the fans will love.  I was a bit concerned about the 3D concept at first.   I didn’t want this film to feel stylistically like a movie apart from the rest of the other films.  I can say now that I think the 3D aspect of the film really works well in enhancing the overall style and will immerse the viewers into the world of Jigsaw.  The depth and detail it adds to the traps is really stunning to see.  It really takes it to a whole new level of  intensity without losing the heart of what Saw is.

We thank Andrew Coutts for taking time away from his busy schedule readying the film for October 29th, to chat with us.

“The movie is a sledgehammer of SAWishness, with more traps, more craziness, and more die-mensions than we’ve ever tried before, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”

That should slightly whet our whistles until they release some sort of trailer for the “final” film, which will be in 3D. He also promises real pics from the film too. Can’t wait!

Although newcomer Oren Peli directed the surprise hit low budget film Paranormal Activity, he’s already moving onto bigger and better things like other directing gigs. Paramount Pictures is salivating still over the thought of making a sequel to the supernatural horror/thriller film, and if they want to keep on schedule that means they have to go digging around for a new director if Peli is not up for it.

Originally Kevin Greutert was poised to helm the sequel to the eerie film, but since he got scooped up to direct Saw VII, the search continues. There are a couple of directors that are being eyeballed to take on the sequel, and among those are Brian De Palma, Brad Anderson and Greg McLean, says the LA Times.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with who these people are, let me refresh your memory. Brian De Palma directed several popular films which include the 1983 Scarface as well as Carlito’s Way and Carrie. Brad Anderson took the reigns on The Machinist and a few episodes of the Fox television series Fringe. When it comes to Greg McLean, he’s directed Wolf Creek and Rogue.

Who do you think would make the best choice as director for this sequel? Share your thoughts.

The Film:

Do you want to play a game?

And we have, each and every Halloween these last handful of years, and there’s one thing we all can agree on when it comes to the Saw sequels: Jigsaw is the King of Halloween. Regardless of how you personally feel about the quality of each sequel, they make money, and in this business that’s the bottom line. Coming off Saw V, a sequel that left many either confused or left an odd taste in their mouths (even though I personally enjoyed it), Saw VI quickly picks up from that film’s cliffhanger ending, and now Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is the lone apprentice to Jigsaw, with seemingly no one knowing his identity and involvement. Hoffman now sets the final game into motion.

I really don’t want to talk about the plot, because if you’ve seen a few of these films, then the point of how to have fun with them is the twists and turns of the stories. Saw VI is a very satisfying sequel for a handful of reasons. One of the complaints of the last few sequels, were people felt each entry was incomplete because the film’s would leave plot points left unanswered. Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton make Saw VI into a caper for the previous films, finally answering some long wondered questions, while juggling an interesting solo story. We get questions answered, which should please the long time fans, and tells a sick little moralistic tale that goes back to the origin of Jigsaw. Saw VI won’t win over any newbies, but it doesn’t have too. If you’re late in this game, go back to the beginning. Maybe that’s good advice for all of us Saw fans, because you’ll appreciate this film a lot more, with all of the subplots fresh in your mind.

Another issue this film should rectify for most fans, is the traps. Many felt Saw V’s were weak, or not that inventive, and while I see their complaint, I felt those traps worked for the nature of that story. But here, we get plenty of fun, gory, interesting traps, disproving my own theory that maybe Melton and Dunstan were tapped out of ideas, after the trap-heavy The Collector. Each of the traps are satisfying. From the opening prologue, where two characters must shed more flesh than the other in 60 seconds in order to live, or the spinning carousel that stops for a shotgun blast, they’re constantly fun and sick. That’s exactly how this series came to become famous, was the wicked traps, and fans, they’re back.

On a technical side, long time Saw editor Kevin Greutert turned director for this film, and he uses that editor eye to great success. Saw VI is a well crafted film, probably the best paced and edited film since Saw II. Greutert makes everything clear; from visuals, to the easy-to-follow story structure, Saw VI is one of the more accessible of the Saw sequels. Again, that clears away a gripe many have had with the series, is that it’s a bit hard to follow. I don’t know how he done it, but Greutert gets away with a lot of gore in this film, more so than Bousman or Hackl did in their respective sequels.

Finally, we cannot discuss a Saw film without talking about Tobin Bell. It seems like each sequel, he gets less and less screen time, and even here it feels like he is barely in the film for 12 minutes, but he completely owns the film. True, it’s Tobin’s sixth go-round with the character, and that certainly helps, but if you haven’t considered it yet, do so: Tobin Bell as John/Jigsaw is a modern horror icon that will be in the same discussions as Robert Englund’s Freddy and Kane Hodder’s Jason Voorhees. Jigsaw is a face of horror for this new generation’s nightmares. I know most fans will always have their favorite or least favorite in this series, and that’s fine, but Saw VI perfectly caps the series off in a satisfying manner. Game over! Well, at least the current arc is complete, and while they’ll be more sequels, Saw VI is a thrilling entry. It’s no Saw II, but like that film, it’s a solid torture-infused entry.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: LGF’s Saw films on high def are getting better and better, and this is near the best, if not the best. Blacks permeate the film and the high def transfer holds up great. The little amount of colors in the film are bright and strong, and clarity is top notch. It’s a superb looking disc, and the DTS audio is equally amazing. Aggressive, bass heavy, and a decent array of surround activity, make this another winner from LGF.

Commentaries: The first track features the producers, Mark Burg and others, as they discuss the production of the film, the history, and how this ties into the rest of the franchise. It’s light and fun, but most will enjoy the second track with director Kevin Greutert and writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. That tracks offers up juicy info, focuses squarely on the film, as it breezy and an easy listen.

Traps of Saw VI: We’ve seen this piece on other discs, as they love to tout the inventive work on the famous traps. So fans of props and makeup will dig this. In HD.

Jigsaw Revealed: Tobin Bell talks about his work in the franchise, as well as off-screen related Saw events. In HD.

A Killer Maze: This piece focuses on the new Universal Studios maze, as it’s a mix between a promo and making-of. Eh, but I’m sure going there to this work rock.

Music Videos: We have videos from Mushroomhead, Suicide Silence, Memphis May Fire, and Hatebreed. I really like Suicide Silence, and am glad they’re getting more attention, but I understand many are not into the whole deathcore scene.

Saw: A bonus disc, featuring the original Saw on Blu-ray is here. As far as I can quickly tell, it is just the original Blu-ray release repackaged for Saw VI.

The Trailer, BD-Live features, iTouch and Metaremote material round out the extras.

Conclusion: A great Saw sequel that ties up a lot of loose ends. LGF Blu-ray is a great set for fans.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

You want to keep on going on about how fast track this puppy is going, it’s practically following in the footsteps of how quickly the Saw movies come out from Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate. Paranormal Activity 2 is already set up to have an October 22nd release date of this year, already set to go into fierce battle against Saw VII that’s supposed to be shown in blood-gushing 3D. No word yet on what the movie is going to be about, or even more so what the official title is, but once we do we’ll keep you updated.

Do you want to play a game?

And we have, each and every Halloween these last handful of years, and there’s one thing we all can agree on when it comes to the Saw sequels: Jigsaw is the King of Halloween. Regardless of how you personally feel about the quality of each sequel, they make money, and in this business that’s the bottom line. Coming off Saw V, a sequel that left many either confused or left an odd taste in their mouths (even though I personally enjoyed it), Saw VI quickly picks up from that film’s cliffhanger ending, and now Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) is the lone apprentice to Jigsaw, with seemingly no one knowing his identity and involvement. Hoffman now sets the final game into motion.

I really don’t want to talk about the plot, because if you’ve seen a few of these films, then the point of how to have fun with them is the twists and turns of the stories. Saw VI is a very satisfying sequel for a handful of reasons. One of the complaints of the last few sequels, were people felt each entry was incomplete because the film’s would leave plot points left unanswered. Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton make Saw VI into a caper for the previous films, finally answering some long wondered questions, while juggling an interesting solo story. We get questions answered, which should please the long time fans, and tells a sick little moralistic tale that goes back to the origin of Jigsaw. Saw VI won’t win over any newbies, but it doesn’t have too. If you’re late in this game, go back to the beginning. Maybe that’s good advice for all of us Saw fans, because you’ll appreciate this film a lot more, with all of the subplots fresh in your mind.

Another issue this film should rectify for most fans, is the traps. Many felt Saw V‘s were weak, or not that inventive, and while I see their complaint, I felt those traps worked for the nature of that story. But here, we get plenty of fun, gory, interesting traps, disproving my own theory that maybe Melton and Dunstan were tapped out of ideas, after the trap-heavy The Collector. Each of the traps are satisfying. From the opening prologue, where two characters must shed more flesh than the other in 60 seconds in order to live, or the spinning carousel that stops for a shotgun blast, they’re constantly fun and sick. That’s exactly how this series came to become famous, was the wicked traps, and fans, they’re back.

On a technical side, long time Saw editor Kevin Greutert turned director for this film, and he uses that editor eye to great success. Saw VI is a well crafted film, probably the best paced and edited film since Saw II. Greutert makes everything clear; from visuals, to the easy-to-follow story structure, Saw VI is one of the more accessible of the Saw sequels. Again, that clears away a gripe many have had with the series, is that it’s a bit hard to follow. I don’t know how he done it, but Greutert gets away with a lot of gore in this film, more so than Bousman or Hackl did in their respective sequels.

Finally, we cannot discuss a Saw film without talking about Tobin Bell. It seems like each sequel, he gets less and less screen time, and even here it feels like he is barely in the film for 12 minutes, but he completely owns the film. True, it’s Tobin’s sixth go-round with the character, and that certainly helps, but if you haven’t considered it yet, do so: Tobin Bell as John/Jigsaw is a modern horror icon that will be in the same discussions as Robert Englund’s Freddy and Kane Hodder’s Jason Voorhees. Jigsaw is a face of horror for this new generation’s nightmares. I know most fans will always have their favorite or least favorite in this series, and that’s fine, but Saw VI perfectly caps the series off in a satisfying manner. Game over! Well, at least the current arc is complete, and while they’ll be more sequels, Saw VI is a thrilling entry. It’s no Saw II, but like that film, it’s a solid torture-infused entry.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Welcome to part 2 of our Saw VI interviews (part one with the actors can be read here)! It should go without saying, that as another Halloween approaches, so does another Saw film. Recently, Lionsgate had a Saw VI media day at the Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Maze, that Killer Film attended. So we hope you enjoy our round table discussion interviews, with the crew behind the film; Kevin Greutert (the director), Marcus Dunstan (screenwriter on the film, as well as the previous two and The Collector), and Mark Burg (producer on all of the Saw films).

By Senior Writer Jon Peters and Melissa Molina.

Killer Film: Was there anything you learned from any of the previous directors (James Wan, Darren Bousman, or David Hackl) that helped you in making your directorial debut?

Kevin Greutert: Yes, absolutely. You know because I spent so much time in the cutting room with the previous directors. We’ve talked about all this stuff up and down and the history of movies and horror. So yeah, I had a huge advantage in this film that Darren (Bousman) and James (Wan) and to some extent David (Hackl) didn’t have so absolutely, I’ve learned a ton.

Killer Film: Why do you feel that the MPAA has been a little more lenient with the Saw films as opposed to other horror flicks?

Mark Burg: Who says they’re lenient? (laughs) Where are you coming from? You don’t know how many times we go to them and it’s like “cut this, trim that, cut this, change this”. It’s not like we give it to them, and they go “stamped, great, your off!”

Killer Film: I didn’t mean that, but I know there’s uncut versions. What I’ve seen is that the Saw films get away with a little bit more than I’d see in like the new Friday the 13th.

Marcus Dunstan: They might be a little scared of us. (chuckles)

Mark Burg: I don’t know, we have a hard time with them. It’s not easy, there’s a lot of stuff that we look at and then I complain to them, and say “Well, wait a second, did you see the last Rambo movie? What about this, there was a guy who got his head chopped off, and blah blah blah. There’s another guy running around with one arm, I can’t do it but he could? “It’s a battle. It’s a give-and-take, but I think maybe now we just numb their senses a little bit to the point of “great, just do them.”

They don’t really give you notes, they’ll just say “we object to these scenes.” But they won’t say “cut this, cut that, cut this” because it’s that give-and-take. Then you’ll go back, you’ll cut a couple of frames out, give it to them. First, they watch the entire movie, then they watch the individual scenes they have problems with.

Killer Film: Is there anything you wish you could’ve done with Jigsaw or Saw in general that due to something unforeseen, you couldn’t?

Marcus Dunstan: Well, actually the benefit of the Saw world is the fractured time line. We can do anything in that sense. If we really would like to do it, if everyone agrees and is on board with it, there is the liberty. The only boundary is the imagination of the people behind it.

Is there anything we should expect out of Saw VII as well?

Kevin Greutert: It answers the question definitively “why make a Saw film in 3-D?”. It answers it right away, it answers loud.

Mark Burg: It’s like once you start a 3-D movie you have to continue. You know, once we do Saw VII it’s kind of hard for them to go back to 2D.

Marcus Dunstan: Saw VIII in black and white. (laughs) It’s a talkie.

Mark Burg: Saw VIII in 4D! (chuckles) We have Saw VII; were working on a script, so let’s hope that Saw VII turns out well so there can be a Saw VIII.

Saw VI opens Friday! Come back for our review, only on Killer Film! Got something to add? Feel free to leave comments or contact the writers via their emails!

Theater Name	Street City	StreetState
Carmike 10-Asheville	Asheville	NC
Carmike Market Fair	Fayetteville	NC
Carmike 18-Greensboro	Greensboro	NC
Carmike 14  Hickory	Hickory	NC
Carmike 16	Jacksonville	NC
Carmike 15 – Raleigh	Raleigh	NC
Carmike Cinema 14	Columbia	SC
Carmike 14	Dover	DE
Carmike 16	Allentown	PA
Carmike Ohio Valley Mall 11 Cinemas	St. Clairsville	OH
Carmike Park Hills 7	Altoona	PA
Carmike 15	Greensburg	PA
Carmike 6-Charlottesville	Charlottesville	VA
Carmike Midlothian 10	Midlothian	VA
Carmike 10	Roanoke	VA
Carmike Wynnsong 16	Auburn	AL
Carmike 12	Athens	GA
Carmike 15 – Columbus	Columbus	GA
Carmike Wynnsong 11	Savannah	GA
Carmike Governor’s Square 10	Clarksville	TN
Carmike Thoroughbred 20	Franklin	TN
Carmike Johnson City 14	Johnson City	TN
Carmike Wynnsong 16	Murfreesboro	TN
Carmike 20  Edinburg	Edinburg	TX
Carmike 16	El Paso	TX
Carmike 14 – Tyler	Tyler	TX
Carmike Sikes 10	Wichita Falls	TX
Carmike 10	Stillwater	OK
Carmike 12	Kennewick	WA
Carmike Shiloh 14	Billings	MT
Carmike 10	Great Falls	MT
Carmike 10	Missoula	MT
Cinemark Tinseltown 10	Melrose Park	IL
Cinemark 16 at Seven Bridges	Woodridge	IL
Cinemark Tinseltown 19-Louisville	Louisville	KY
Cinemark Tinseltown Movies 15	Canton	OH
Cinemark 24	Valley View ( Cleveland )	OH
Century 20  Jordan  Creek	West Des Moines	IA
Cinemark Tinseltown 16-Rochester	Rochester	NY
Cinemark Movies 16-Somerdale	Somerdale	NJ
Cinemark 20	Moosic	PA
Robinson Township 16	RobinsonTownship	PA
Cinemark 14	Chico	CA
Century  16 Greenback Lane	Citrus Heights	CA
Century 20  Daly City	Daly City	CA
Century 20 Oakridge	San Jose	CA
Century 25 @ Union Landing	Union City	CA
Century Park Lane 16	Reno	NV
Cinemark 24	West Jordan	UT
Theatres at the Mall of America	Bloomington	MN
Goodrich  Portage 16 IMAX Theater	Portage	IN

Saw VI tortures filmgoers on October 23.

Synopsis: “Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw’s legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw’s grand scheme is finally understood.”

Source: Yahoo Movies

Jon: Hi, thanks for speaking with us at Killer Film today.

David Hackl: Hi, how are you?

Jon: Good! Outlander opened recently; can you talk briefly about that film, since you did the production design for it?

Hackl: Sure, yeah. Well, what do you want to know about Outlander? Let me tell you, it was an epic experience, that’s for sure. I loved working on it; it was like being a kid again. I got to build this amazing Viking village, it was pretty outrageous! We used more lumber than I have ever had to on a single set that I built in my entire career. It was probably as much lumber as all of my movies together and on top of that, getting to build a 50 foot Viking ship from scratch was just incredible. It was a dream, I always wanted to build a ship for myself and what was crazy was that ship actually sailed! Beautifully, I might add, and in fact, the sea captain from Nova Scotia, who was our main marine wrangler, said it was one of the nicest things he ever sailed! (laughs)

Jon: Prior to Saw V’s opening, I asked Darren Bousman what we could expect from you and he went on about how this film is your vision and not a carbon copy of his films. Was there anything purposely you wanted to do that was different or did the different approach come from what the script gave you?

Hackl: Mainly the thing I wanted to do was to play on the relationships, certainly with Hoffman and Jigsaw, you can see more of that in there. I also had to, uh; personally I get drawn into a film more by the dramatic moments. I don’t think any of us are that drawn into a movie, sucked into the suspension of disbelief more because of just a car chase. It’s the relationships. We get drawn into more of that car chase because of the people and the relationships. That’s why we’re drawn into a movie because of the human relationships. I wanted to do more of that and I also wanted to give the fans more back story of how this all happened. So even with myself, working on all of these movies for all of these years, I had questions myself. How does one develop and perpetrate these traps? You know, I wanted to answer that for myself just as much as anybody. I am probably one of the biggest fans of the franchise, I don’t know if that will help… (laughs)

Jon: How much input did you have in the development of the script with Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan?

Hackl: Absolutely! I had done production design on Repo! The Genetic Opera and I had left the production about a week before they finished shooting to fly to Los Angeles to meet Patrick and Marcus and really hash out the story. Matter of fact, the day Saw IV came out in the theaters; we talked with the producers at Lions Gate and Twisted Pictures and presented the idea to them. It was great. They really responded well to it and that’s how the whole process began. We spent about a week coming up with the preliminary ideas and then it was non-stop until we finished shooting and editing. The Saw movies are kind of unique in that way, you don’t leave anything alone before sending it in the can and sending it off.

Jon: With the quick turnaround that this series has to get the next one out, was it hard to balance elements that set-up the next film and yet still tell a self-contained and satisfying story that was Saw V?

Hackl: One of the things I always hoped for was that V could be a self-contained film that wasn’t just there to fill in back story on all of the others or to just set-up for the next one. Truthfully, that isn’t what we had in mind; we really wanted to make the film a solid film on its own. I know for a lot of the die-hard fans it’s a film that does support the prior films and future ones, hopefully, future ones, it was a story that was watchable on its own and I think that does come through.

Jon: Getting to the DVD, fans get excited when they hear horror films are uncut. Saw V has uncut footage reinserted. Does this allow you to shoot freely knowing no matter what the MPAA requests for an R rating; the film will be seen as you envisioned it?

Hackl: A lot of that is the producers doing. You know, really, I think people find it’s a difficult negative process with the MPAA, but I didn’t find that at all. I found them to be very supportive. Their relationship with the Saw franchise is kind of unique in that it’s an on going story and I think they understand it’s important to tell the story. I remember getting comments from them a long the lines of “we’re not asking you to destroy the story in any way, we just want certain shots in context because that really makes a difference for how people feel about them” and so they were really great to work with. I found that it wasn’t something like they were trying to destroy the picture at all. They were pretty cool about it, so I found it to be a great process with them.

As far as the unrated director’s cut goes, I think the producers were so pleased with what they saw in the theatrical cut that they essentially let me do what I want for the director’s cut. They left me alone! After we got the initial story together, they saw the theatrical cut and walked away from it. I was really pleased that they were really happy with my work to allow me that type of freedom.

Jon: With Blu Ray creeping into the mainstream, is it exciting from a production designer’s as well as from a director’s standpoint to see your work in high def or is it more stressful to make sure everything is pitch perfect because the little details can be picked up?

Hackl: No, I think we had such a great production team on the Saw franchise, all together the carpenters, set decorators, scenic artists are pretty amazing and if you stand there on set to the naked eye it’s pretty impressive. I was just talking to Dan Heffner the executive producer yesterday who related a story to me on how Julie Benz was walking to the set for the final trap and then she became quite physically upset just before the time we starting filming the final scene. Because it was so real to her, that she became so emotional about it. To me, that’s an excellent compliment! (laughs)

Jon: Like you said, you also worked on Repo! for which you served as a production designer, again with Darren (Bousman). He’s excited Lions Gate Films put it out on Blu Ray mostly because of your work. Can you talk about designing that film and working with that Genesis camera?

Hackl: Yeah, well, it’s funny because of the debate about film versus HD. As far as that goes it’s more important to tell a good story. As the medium it lays down on is important and I think as any artist, you pick your palette and you pick your tools and that does have a relationship to what the final product will be. Given the choice of telling a story or not telling a story because of budget, I would always go for telling more of a story because you were allowed more time to dabble in more material in using HD versus film, rather than to tell not much of your story for simple budget reasons. Now, I don’t think we chose the Genesis camera for budget reasons, rather for the amount of visual effects we needed to do, for the entire process of making that film and what we needed. To establish that early on was great because were could adjust the lighting; adjust the colors of the set, to make it fantastical as possible.

Jon: It’s a really beautiful looking movie; I just picked it up on Blu Ray as well as Saw V…

Hackl: Well, thanks! Thank you. You know when Darren first came to me about that idea years ago, I was excited as it was something I felt I had to do. I really had to do that movie and it always stuck in my head from the first time he told me about it. So when the opportunity came up, I was thrilled to have it. I really felt like it was one of the most fun projects I had ever worked on.

Jon: I asked Darren this prior to Saw V, now I’ll ask you: What can we expect from Kevin Greutert’s take on Saw franchise as he helms Saw VI?

Hackl: I have nothing but respect for Kevin. I think he really has brought a unique quality to the editing of all of the Saw movies, mine included. I was so thrilled to have him as an editor on my movie, because he really just understands the story, he understands the energy of this kind of story, and I think his movie is going to be as strong as all of them, maybe even better in the final editing stage, as he might have something up his sleeve he’s been holding back from all of us. I wouldn’t blame him! It’s going to be great. Kevin’s a really creative guy too, he’s got a very dark side to his personality that I appreciate, and he’s a brilliant, brilliant man.

Jon: Thanks a lot David Hackl, for spending time talking to me and the fans at Killer Film, I appreciated it!

Hackl: Great! Thanks a lot!