Home Theater Forum http://www.hometheaterforum.com Subject: Live Chat with Bob Gale Date: January 21, 2003 We are proud to announce a man that has contributed to writing such films as 1941, I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Used Cars. But even more noteworthy, he is the man that conceived and wrote the greatest trilogy of all-time, BACK TO THE FUTURE. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Bob Gale. Welcome aboard Bob and thanks for coming this evening. Thanks, Ron. This is the first time I've done one of these. I hope I don't embarrass myself! Actually, you won't -- you are surrounded by friends here We have a gentleman from Germany named Andreas who is up at 3am this morning waiting to talk to you. I thought we would start out by letting him begin the questioning process. Andreas, the floor is yours.... I hope you won't regret staying up, Andreas! Hi Bob! I just wanted to ask, if you´ve ever read some Back-To-The-Future-Fan-Fiction around the internet, and what do you think of them? No, I haven't ready any of the fiction. Should I? Is any of it any good? I think so... some of them ;-) Where can Bob read a lot these stories, Andreas? We use to get submissions from people who wanted to write sequels, but our lawyers told us never to read any. there are quite a lot fan-sites, e.g. BTTF.com Yes, I don't really want a sequel, too ;-) Yes, I'm well acquainted with BTTF.com. I just never go into the chats! please, never make one ;-) We love it the way it is... No, as we said on the DVD, no more sequels. Hello, Mr. Gale. First off, I just want to say that the DVD set is absolutely fantastic. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Well, you could have asked, and actually we wished we could have given you more, but we had to keep it to 3 disks. I do have a question about BTTF 3 that has always puzzled me since I first saw the movie back in 1990 (I was 9). You don't have to give your age -- make me feel old! So what's been on your mind all these years, James? If Marty went back to 1985 instead of going back to 1885 to save Doc Brown, would Doc still exist, or would he have been erased? I hope that made sense, Mr. Gale. Actually, I never gave that one much thought. But according to the rules we set up... Doc would have disappeared after October 27, 1985. Hi Bob! Let me start off by saying that Back to the Future is my all time favorite movie!! I am most likely the biggest fan of BTTF that I know of in my area. I am very excited to talk to you. The DVD release is my favorite DVD in my collection. now for my question. . . Thank you. Glad you're a fan, and glad the DVDs didn't disappoint! What do you think makes Back to the Future such a great and original film, even in this day and age? BTTF is really a very human story. The idea that our parents were once children is an idea that transcends all cultures and all times. I think that's why the movie has such staying power. The sci-fi elements are just window dressing for the very human story. Hi Bob!! I love BTTF and the DVD set!! Thanks, Benjamin. Your question? There has been talk in forums like this about mis-franming in parts 1 and 2, did you help universal along to correct it? The framing issue was first brought to my attention by someone in Australlia where the DVDs were released in September. For whatever reason, Universal never sent me check disks after the mastering, so this was my first inkling of it. I got an email about it around Thanksgiving. I went ballistic and came down on everyone at Universal to explain it. Near as I can understand it, some idiot in the transfer house lined up the 1:85 mattes with the hard matted ILM 1:66 mattes. My fault, for not insisting to look at the 1.85 transfers, but this is one of those things you assume is idiot proof. I've done this many times, and every other technician knows you lay the 1.85 matte from the center. It never occurred to me this would get screwed up. Well, it did, we caught it, thanks to people like you all on this forum, and the new versions are supposed to be finished at the end of this week. You can be sure I will check them! My question is will you and Robert Zemeckis ever write another film together? I thought the films you wrote together were some of your best work? Thanks, Nicholas. Bob Z hates writing. I've written or rewritten other projects he owns or is considering, and I hope one of them will go forward. We are still friends, and I'd love to work with Bob again -- in my opinion, there is no better director. Hi, Mr. Gale. I've been a huge fan of these films for more than ten years, now, and find them to be some of the best examples of tight storytelling, with awesome characters. I've even used them in the classroom when I teach high school English as ideal examples of good storytelling. I'm also a writer (books, not screenplays) and I find the evolutionary process that stories go through to be really fascinating; I own just about all the screenplay drafts of the trilogy. My question, then, is this: Will the first draft screenplay of BTTF2, where Marty and Doc go to 1967, be available online as mentioned to BTTF.COM months earlier? I sure hope so, Kristen. Now that you've reminded me that it's not, I'll touch base with the Total axess people and see if we can make that happen. Hi Bob! thanks for bringing us a movie that helped kick start my imagination and the imagination of many kids. My question was already asked. So this is just a thank you. You're welcome. And Kristen, if I don't get anywhere with Universal, maybe I can get that script posted on BTTF.com. Mr. Gale, thanks you SO much for the great work on the BTTF dvds. After the *long* wait for them, they were outstanding! My question is one I'm sure many others have wondered: Why was there no video from Eric Stoltz as Marty included on the DVD? If it was due to disc space, why were you restricted from adding a 4th disc? Thanks again!!! John, we considered putting a scene with Eric on the DVD, but we decided it would only be bad for Eric -- there was no way it would do him any good. We decided that this was therefore not a good idea, as he's had enough aggravation about that. Maybe in another 15 years when we're really old and gray, we'll consider it. We did not destroy the footage because we felt that it was of historical significance and that some distant day it might be worth presenting. A lot of people think they remembered being the lines "When I have kids, I'm going to let them do anything they want. Anything at all." in BTTF I, too. I didn´t watch BTTF I at the movies (because I was too young... LOL). Did this scene ever appear in Part One? Is it a deleted scene, or has it ever been filmed? Anything good on TV at 3:30 a.m. Andreas? Ha! Not really, Bob ;-) But I enjoy this chat! Check the DVD and find out! Andreas, BTTF 1 is on the DVD exactly as it was in the theater. The theatrical versions WERE the director's cuts. First of all, since my questions have all been answered, I just want to thank you for the night in July of 85 when you made a 5 year old boy a lifelong film buff at the Fox in Ft Scott, KS Thank you, Nick! We all were affected in our childhood by some very special movie (for me it was Disney's Peter Pan) and I'm flattered that BTTF did it for you. Hi Bob. Thanks for being here. I'm a huge fan of Used Cars and 1941 as well as BTTF. Why do you think Used Cars and 1941 weren't well recieved at the time of their release but have since become cult classics. Used Cars always played very well in audiences. However, Columbia never had a solid ad campaign for the movie because they advanced the release date based on our great test preview. One week earlier, "Airplane" opened, so everyone who wanted to see a comedy went to that. As for "1941," I don't think the movie that was released was as good as it should have been. The critics trashed it, but audiences went and enjoyed it. The movie was actually a solid performer and earned back its cost. But everyone compared its boxoffice to JAWS and CE3K, so it was considered a flop. Good evening, Mr. Gale. Thanks for being here! I'm a huge fan of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," and I'm wondering if there's any possibility of it coming to DVD, and if so, do you have anything in the archives for potential extras? Derek, I'm not even sure who currently has the video rights to "Hand." As you may know, the VHS and laser disks were released by Warner Bros because Universal didn't think they'd make any money. Well, the laser was Warners -- I have that. I don't have a VHS. Anyway, I'll bring this up with Bob Zemeckis -- he has more pull with this sort of thing than I do. As far as extras, sadly, no, there was never any behind the scenes stuff shot at the time. And there wasn't much in the way of deleted material, which is probably good becuase I have no idea where it would be! By the way, I just checked on "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." I believe Warner Brothers has the rights to it. I am also a big BTTF fan. I purchased the widescreen DVD set, even though I knew about the framing issues. What kind of feedback did you receive on the movies you and Robert Zemeckis wrote before BTTF (like I Wanna Hold Your Hand) when they were released? For the most part, our movies have always played well with audiences. With critics, it's hot and cold. But that's what makes the world go round. I found "The Hours" to be incredibly dull, but apparently a lot of people find it worthwhile. And that, as they say, is showbiz! Mr. Gale I want to thank you for the Back to the future DVD set, It's everything i wished for. Thanks, William. Glad we could make your wish come true! And my questions is: If you had the DeLorean time machine where in History would you go and would you change anything? Well, no, I wouldn't change anything. That Ray Bradbury story, "A Sound of Thunder" I think it was called, would scare me from trying anything! I'd probably check out my parents as kids. That's the history I think I'd be most interested in. Hello Bob, I'm a french cinema student in Paris and I consider BTTF as the best films ever. I also admire your talent for writing, that inspires me. I have to tell you that I want to become a script writer, in part because I profoundly loved exceptionally inventive stories/movies like BTTF since my childhood. I completely agree with the Bob Zemeckis adage "A good story makes a good movie." And I wanted to know, in your opinion, what is the key element for a good story, and particularly for a good screenplay ? My new movie, Interstate 60 will be playing at the Paris Film Festival at the end of March. PLease come see it. The key to any screenplay is CHARACTER. People are interested in people. That's why actors get so much money, because that's who we want to see. I believe that well drawn characters can make an ordinary plot into something special. So my advice to aspiring writers is to develop an ear for dialog and an understanding of human character and motivation. First I want to thank you for creating the greatest three films ever, they inspired me to go into the film business. I wanted to ask when Interstate 60 will be released in the US and if there are any plans to put more extra features on the website or on an extra disc and I wanted to mention that one of docs lines was changed for the dvd Interstate 60 is currently scheduled for U.S. release on April 25. But that could change, as the world of independent distribution can be somewhat flaky. I don't know if we'll be putting more stuff on the Total Axess website or not, but if everyone would email Universal and ask them to, maybe so. Hey i have a pic of my bttf collection that i was wondering what you thought of it. Also are there any plans for an animated series release in the US? Winston, I'm afraid I'm not going to web surf while doing the chat. As far as the animated series, I understand they're releasing it on VHS in Europe. If it does reasonably well, maybe we can convince Universal to release it on DVD here. Is it true, that Christopher Lloyd doesn´t like giving interviews? I´ve heard, that he is a shy person... Is this the reason, why we don´t see him in any of the "making ofs" on the DVDs? (At least on the R2-Version - I haven´t seen the R1 yet) Because I haven´t said it yet: I love the DVDs! Great job! It's true. Chris is VERY shy. In fact, I never really had a serious conversation with him until we were doing the sequels. We actually arranged an interview for him with the Sunday NY Times in conjuction with BTTF3 -- the Times considered it a major coup to get him to sit down for an interview. But he only gave one word answers! In the end, the reporter interviewed everyone else and sort of created the interview. I'm told he appears on the new "Cuckoo's Nest" DVD documentary, but I haven't picked it up yet. Hi Bob, I love the BTTF Movies, and the dvd's are excellent (already watched them twice since December). I have 2 very short questions. 1) What's YOUR favourite movie and a quick why? 2) Was the name "Marty" choosen for BTTF for any reason, or was it a shot in the dark? Thanks! My favorite movie, or my favorite of the trilogy? Favorite movie of all time if you have one, sorry for the confusion. Marty just sounded like a good all American name. How can you not like a kid named Marty? Jeez, favorite of all time. There's more than one! I guess I'd have to say The Godfather -- I never get tired of watching it. Hi, I can't wait to see "Interstate 60". My question also regards Christopher Lloyd. I've noticed that you and Bob Z. have used Lloyd in projects besides BTTF (Roger Rabbit, I-60, etc.). What's it like to work with him? Thanks for all your efforts with the dvds (and I agree with you on "The Hours")!! Chris Lloyd is a director's dream. He's a theatrically trained actor, which means he knows ALL his lines on the first day. He has tremendous range, and he's a total pro. Once he's committed to a role, he'll do whatever it takes. He's always on time, he'll always rehearse, and never pulls any crap with the production. And finally, he has an uncanny ability to create spontenaity (I didn't spell that right) in every take. Do you know if Unversal is aware of the distorted audio problems that occur during a few scenes in the BBTF Part 2 DVD? I'm certainly not aware of any such problems. If you will enlighten me, I'll see what I can find out, and if we can fix it on the repressings. In back to the future part 3, marty goes back to 1885 to save doc from being shot due to his seeing a tombstone. If he goes back, he prevents the tombstone from existing. Right. So what's your question? If he doesn't see the tombstone he doesn't go back to save him, and creats a paradox. Is there any way around one? In our movies, we say that you CAN change the past, present and future. This is explained in Part 2, when Doc gives Marty the blackboard lecture on alternate timelines. If you accept that alternate timelines can be set up, and events can ripple through them, there is no paradox. Of course, the easier answer is, it's only a movie! Hello, I'm sorry if this has already been asked, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Will the fixed BTTF dvd's be released to stores?If so, when can we expect them and how can we make sure that we don't get the originals? Thanks for your time! When the initial run of the DVDs has been sold, the new versions will be the only versions available. I don't know what they'll put on the box to indicate this. But if you have the original pressings, Universal will replace them with the new ones when they're available. The official website should have the number to call, and BTTF.com will have the correct info. The new pressings will not be availble until next month -- probably late in the month. The remastering is supposed to be finished this week. The new pressings will also have letterbox versions of the trailers. Why they put the fullscreen trailers on the widescreen editions is beyond me. My question was just answered. I hope there is a way to identify the new version. Hopefully a different sticker. By the way the enhannced conversation with MJF only lasts the first 7 chapters on disc one. You must understand that Michael is not in the best physical condition. Also, the Q and A with Bob Z and me on the disks doesn't last the whole disk. This was simply a function of how much time Bob Z was willing to spend doing this. Despite the great commentary we did on Used Cars with Kurt Russell, Bob doesn't like doing scene specific commentary. Hi Bob! I remember when I first saw the trilogy on TV...in reverse order. You can imagine my confusion! For some bizarre reason, the Universal TV packagers do not have all 3 BTTF movies in the same package! That's why you never see them all run back to back on the same network. Anyway, as a hopeful film major myself, I was wondering if you can tell us anything about your time at USC? Do you want to know about the legal or illegal activities? :) Whatever you're in the mood for. No pressure! I was focusing on the film part myself. Our time at USC was intense but fun. I'd been in engineering school my freshman year, so the idea of suddenly being able to run around with a camera instead of doing calculus was great! We made 6 8mm films in our first production class, then 3 16mm silent films in the next class; I took every writing class I could, and on weekends they would have marathons dedicated to directors. This was before there were VCRs, so this was my first exposure to many classic movies. Plus, we got to see 35mm prints of all the great Billy Wilder, Frank Capra, Hitchcock and Ford movies. Finally,we were surrounded by other film fanatics, so we had a happy universe of film geeks! hello bob !i'm a huge fan of the trilogy since i'm 7 years old. I was wondering if you have any plan of an event for the 20th anniversary of bttf, like a convention! No plans as yet. Universal threw a pretty big bash to kick off the DVD, so I doubt they'll do anything. But there's always our friends at BTTF.com Hi Bob, first I want to echo everyone else here and thank you for making these movies. They most definately were my biggest influences in deciding to become a director myself but my question is, which writers and directors influence your work most? You're welcome. I'm a huge fan of Capra, Billy Wilder, John Ford and Howard Hawks. But there are so many great movies, and so many great directors that it's hard to answer. Certainly, I have to mention Ray Bradbury, Mark Twain and The Twilight Zone as major influences, plus all of the sci-fi fantasy movies I saw as a kid in the 60's. And let's not forget the wonderful mind warping effects of comic books! Hi Mr. Gale. I want to know if you were involved in choosing the actors that did the voiceovers in translated versions of the BTTF trilogy (in particular the French version)? I assume that the dubbed versions are the same ones that played theatrically in France. And if so, yes, I made the final selection out of 3 or four candidates for the major roles. done Hi Bob! My 2 boys and I are thrilled to chat with you. We love the DVD's and have watched the BTTF Laserdiscs for years. Our question pertaining to Christopher Lloyd was already answered. We wanted to thank you for giving us our 3 favorite movies of all time! You're welcome, Larry. I'm glad you've made BTTF a family tradition! Hello from France Mr Gale ! I'm a big fan of Back to the future. First, sorry I don't speak english very well :) Just one question : What do you think of a possible Back to the future part 4? would you like to produce it? No. I don't want to see another BTTF movie without Michael J Fox. Without Michael, it can't be BTTF, so if Universal decides to pimp the franchise, I will not be involved in the crime. Is that the voice of the late, great Phil Hartman as the Goldie Wilson campaign announcer (Re-elect Mayor Goldie Wilson! Progress is his middle name!) in the first BTTF film? It sounds exactly like him, and it coincides with a period in which Hartman did a lot of VO work, but I've been unable to find any confirmation of his involvement on the internet or elsewhere. Bill, I have no idea, but probably not. We had a group of repretory actors come in and do wild lines for all of the voice over and crowd stuff. I suppose it's possible, becuase sometimes a well known actor will show up to do this -- we had Harry Shearer show up at one of these sessions. But my memory just isnt that good! I just wanted to say how much I appreciate and admire your efforts to correct the mis-framing issues surrounding the DVD release. I'm sincerely thankful for it. Hopefully, Universal will use a different product code for the new pressings. This way they wouldn't have to openly admit that a mistake was made (A sticker would clearly indicate their boo-boo). Anyways, thanks for coming here tonight and I wish you much luck in all your future endeavors. That's all I had to say. Thanks. I'm a consumer as well as a filmmaker, so I want to see the product be as perfect as possible, and as good a value as well. Again, I apologize for this framing fiasco. I could tell you more stories about video headaches, but we'd be here all night! Hi Bob! I'm a huge fan of the BTTF trilogy. My question is this: what sort of inspirations/influences do you use when coming up with plots? Did any other time-travel movies (ex. Time Machine, Bill&Ted, etc) influence the Back to the Future series? Well, Bill and Ted came out AFTER BTTF so that was definitely NOT an influence! The George Pal version of The Time Machine had a huge effect on me as a kid. I also read lots of sci-fi in high school, so I knew many of the great and not so great time travel stories. I'd never come across a time travel story in which history was changed for the better -- except "A Christmas Carol" -- so this was an idea that was very challenging: how could we pull that off. I think we succeeded! :) Do you have any comment of any of the out of the ordinary FX shots in the BTTF trilogy, in the hoverboard sequence, etc. Fred, I don't understand the question. I think he wants your opinion on some of the extraordinary effects shots like the Hoverboard sequence in BTTF2 Bob Z and I wish we could redo the hoverboard chase with digital technology! Doc Brown has to be one of my favorite characters in storytelling history. Many people online think that he's considered the town nutcase. But the only thing in the movie that suggests this is Strickland at the beginning. According to your character sketches, is Doc considered the town nutcase? Also, another question, if you have time: Sometimes I find fanfiction of BTTF online... some of it is just remarkable. Have you ever seen it? If so what do you think of it Anyone who is slightly eccentric or a non-conformist would be considered a "nut-case" by the most uptight members of a community. Doc Brown is clearly not a literal nut case (except in Biff's 1985-a); we always believed he had worked on the Manhattan project as a young man. He's one of those types that doesn't work well in a structured environment, so he does what he does on his own. And he had a family fortune to squander doing it! As far as the fan fiction goes, scroll back to the start of the chat for the answer to that one. Hey Bob I wanna say that the BTTF movies are the best i've ever seen thanks for making them and my guestion maybe you wont have an answer for this but where is the screen used Delorean from BTTF 1?? i keep seeing crappy replicas that are supposed to be it but they look nothing like it. Where is that Delorean now?? There were 2 full Deloreans for Part 1, and a 3rd which we cut apart to use as a process car. These were used again in the sequels, plus we had 3 more as well as a fiberglass one that we could hang on wires for flying shots. Obviously we destroyed one at the end of Part 3; another got so beat up that we cannibalized it while filming the sequels to supply parts for the other picture cars. The best ones ended up on the Universal tour attractions in Hollywood and in Florida. I don't know if they're still presented on the tours. Someone rebuilt one of them for the BTTF kickoff party for the DVD release, and that's all I know. I was wondering about recasting Jennifer for 2 and 3. I believe we explained this in the supplements on the DVDs. Claudia Wells had a substance abuse problem (she's fine now), and was in no condition to do the sequels. So we recast. Did the name "Biff" come to you from the "BIFF" in the action panels from comics that influenced you as a kid? No, Biff is just a good name for a bully. There was a studio exec at Universal named Ned Tanen who had a rather overbearing personality, so he was the inspiration for the last name. Hi Mr. Gale. Any chance of getting the score from Part I released on CD? I doubt it. (I'd be the first one to buy it!) But there's no money in those soundtracks, part of the reason being that the union contracts for repaying the musicians are very cost prohbitive. Bob, I am the wannabe director from earlier but I was wondering, what would you say is the easiest, smartest, and best way to get a film made today, I have already made a few films on VHS and 8mm that I think, aside from the crappy quality and my questionable acting skills, have some real merit. Would I get an agent and show them around and go from there? Never show anyone work that you have to apologize for, so if you're work is of questionable merit, you won't get anywhere with it. I'm still trying to figure out to get movies made -- I've got a drawer full of scripts that I'd love to see produced. So, as they said in "Shakespeare In Love," it's a mystery. I´ve seen pictures from the Reunion of the BTTF-Stars for the release of the BTTF-DVDs. How was it to have the team together after so many years? Or do you often meet some of them anywhere else? I see Christopher Lloyd fairly often; also, Marc McClure and Wendie Jo Sperber. It was great having everyone together again. But it was such a big party, with so many people, it was not unlike my wedding -- I wanted to spend more time with everyone but it just wasn't possible! Mr. Gale, thanks again for indulging us this evening. My question is about the singing voice of Marty McFly. In my mind, that voice never really fit Michael J. Fox. While watching the DVDs, it occurred to me it would have better fit Eric Stoltz. Is this how the voice was cast? (BTW, the Sid Sheinberg stories on the DVD have renewed my fears about Hollywood executives!) :) Yes, be afraid, be very afraid! Mark Campbell sang Johnny B Goode. You're the first person to ever say that you didn't think he was a good match for Fox! So, no, he was not selected because he sounded like Eric Stoltz. I don't think he sounds at all like Eric. Parker and I want to take this opportunity to thank Bob Gale for being so generous with his time this evening, spending it with our membership. Thank You, Bob, for being here tonight and especially for keeping us entertained all these years. You're very welcome. And thank you guys for a great website. I always consult the site whenever I buy new equipment! I am going to open the floor so everyone can thank you Yes thanks Bob Applause!!! Thanks, please come back soon Make your future a good one! Thanks! Thank You Bob!!! Thanks Thank you so much! Thank you! Thank you thanks! Thank you very much. ^-^ my friends make fun of my love of bttf thanks alot! :) Thank you very much Great chat, thanks very much! thank you !! THANKS A TON< YOU ROCK! It's been a thrill Thanks Thanks Bob! Thanks everyone, and get some sleep! Session Close: Tue Jan 21 23:13:58 2003 Copyright 2000-2003 Home Theater Forum. Reader may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale or in any way exploit any of the content of transcript, in whole or in part, without the express prior written permission of the copyright holder.