{"id":489554,"date":"2022-09-01T15:01:21","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T12:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/24-things-we-learned-from-the-tremors-commentary\/"},"modified":"2022-09-01T15:01:21","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T12:01:21","slug":"24-things-we-learned-from-the-tremors-commentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/24-things-we-learned-from-the-tremors-commentary\/","title":{"rendered":"#24 Things We Learned from the &#8216;Tremors&#8217; Commentary"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28b7a515bca\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28b7a515bca\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/24-things-we-learned-from-the-tremors-commentary\/#%E2%80%9C24_Things_We_Learned_from_the_%E2%80%98Tremors_Commentary%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;24 Things We Learned from the &#8216;Tremors&#8217; Commentary&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/24-things-we-learned-from-the-tremors-commentary\/#Tremors_1990\" >Tremors (1990)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/24-things-we-learned-from-the-tremors-commentary\/#Best_in_Context-Free_Commentary\" >Best in Context-Free Commentary<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/24-things-we-learned-from-the-tremors-commentary\/#Final_Thoughts\" >Final Thoughts<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/24-things-we-learned-from-the-tremors-commentary\/#Recommended_Reading\" >Recommended Reading<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9C24_Things_We_Learned_from_the_%E2%80%98Tremors_Commentary%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;24 Things We Learned from the &#8216;Tremors&#8217; Commentary&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div id=\"\">\n<figure class=\"sf-entry-featured-media \">\n                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/tremors.jpg\" class=\"articlethumb wp-post-image\" alt=\"Tremors\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/tremors.jpg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/tremors-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><br \/>\n                        <span class=\"sf-entry-flag sf-entry-flag-creditline\">Universal Pictures<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>        <!-- START BYLINE --><\/p>\n<div class=\"row align-items-center justify-content-center my-4 text-center medium dark-gray\">\n            By\u00a0Rob Hunter\u00a0\u00b7 Published on September 1st, 2022\n            <\/div>\n<p>        <!-- END BYLINE --><\/p>\n<p>        <i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Welcome to\u00a0<\/i><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Commentary Commentary,<\/i><\/b><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> where we sit and listen to filmmakers talk about their work, then share the most interesting parts. In this edition, Rob Hunter revisits the creature feature classic, Tremors<\/i>.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>You can\u2019t talk the best monster <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a> without mentioning 1990\u2019s <strong><em>Tremors<\/em><\/strong>. It may not be the kind of horror that aims to scare, but its creativity, enthusiasm, and absolute sense of fun makes for a terrifically entertaining time. Big worms, toothy tentacles, and a wonderfully <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> cast fully onboard for the monster mayhem make for a movie that works for genre fans, younger viewers just getting into horror, and people who love Bacon.<\/p>\n<p><em>Tremors<\/em> recently made the move to 4K with a fantastic UHD release from Arrow films, and included alongside numerous other extras is a new commentary track with three of the filmmakers. I gave it a listen and took notes along the way, so keep reading to see what I heard on the commentary for <em>Tremors<\/em>!<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tremors_1990\"><\/span>Tremors (1990)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Commentators: <strong>Ron Underwood<\/strong> (director), <strong>Brent Maddock<\/strong> (co-writer), <strong>S.S. Wilson<\/strong> (co-writer)<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\"><strong>1.<\/strong> This commentary is the filmmakers\u2019 first for this film, and it was recorded thirty years after its theatrical release.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2.<\/strong> \u201cKevin and Fred im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely had such a great relationship, and they added so much to the characters.\u201d They all agree that as fond as they were of the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a>, the film\u2019s cast elevates things immensely with their skill and choices. \u201cThey really make you look good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>3.<\/strong> The landscape, including the Sierra Nevadas mountain range, have been featured in numerous westerns but also doubled for the Himalayas in 1939\u2019s <em>Gunga Din<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4.<\/strong> Universal originally requested they film the majority of the scenes in Los Angeles. Happily, the filmmakers convinced them otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>5. Test audiences loved the film but would repeatedly chant \u201ckiss her! kiss her!\u201d at the end. The studio paid for a quick reshoot featuring Valentine McKee (<strong>Kevin Bacon<\/strong>) and Rhonda LeBeck (<strong>Finn Carter<\/strong>) kissing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6.<\/strong> Producers \u201casked\u201d the filmmakers to audition <strong>Michael Gross<\/strong> and <strong>Reba McEntire<\/strong> as they thought both names would help the movie. \u201cWe thought \u2018the guy from <em>Family Ties<\/em>? Are you serious?&#8217;\u201d It worked out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7.<\/strong> Cinematographer <strong>Alexander Gruszynski<\/strong> was great at capturing the outdoor landscapes, but he expressed concerns to them \u201cabout doing a horror film in the daylight.\u201d He was concerned that everything would be visible. His other horror efforts include <em>Bad Dreams<\/em> (1988) and <em>The Craft<\/em> (1996).<\/p>\n<p><strong>8.<\/strong> They get asked a lot about the 1965 Jeep Gladiator that Val and Earl (<strong>Fred Ward<\/strong>) drive around. Two trucks were used in the film to help avoid the risk of one conking out. \u201cThey\u2019re not actually identical, if you want to study the movie very closely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>9.<\/strong> If you go to the movie museum in Lone Pine, CA, they can point out some of the filming locations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10.<\/strong> <strong>Alec Gillis<\/strong> and <strong>Tom Woodruff<\/strong> of Amalgamated Dynamics handled the film\u2019s practical effects, and it was their first feature. \u201cThey went on to win many Academy Awards, unlike us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>11.<\/strong> Chang\u2019s Market was originally written as belonging to a Vietnamese owner and named accordingly, but <strong>Victor Wong<\/strong> said \u201cwell I\u2019m Chinese, can we change it?\u201d They were happy to do so. Side note, apparently Wong was quite the ladies man in his early San Francisco days where he hung out with the likes of Ken Kesey.<\/p>\n<p><strong>12.<\/strong> One of their concerns with the original script was how a lower budgeted film could afford so many shots of the big worms. They resolved the issue by adding tentacles to the worms\u2019 mouths which were a lot cheaper to create and shoot. Some were articulated creations worked with cables, and others are simple hand puppets \u2014 that Gillis &amp; Woodruff were adamantly opposed to until they saw how frequently they were the ideal choice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>13.<\/strong> The first appearance of the full-size graboid at 32:57 is actually a miniature with a matte painting of the mountains behind them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14.<\/strong> The writers were very against showing underground POV shots for the graboids, but Underwood insisted saying \u201cwe needed a sense of direction, where the monster was, where it was moving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>15.<\/strong> Bacon and Ward both wanted to play their characters like the rural guys they were, and that meant lots of variations of the word \u201cfuck.\u201d The filmmakers let them \u2014 until they got an R-rating and had to go back and loop some replacement dialogue to whittle it down to two utterances.<\/p>\n<p><strong>16.<\/strong> The pole vaulting scene was written to take advantage of the landscapes numerous boulders, but on location they realized they weren\u2019t a workable distance apart. They had fake, hollow rocks built, and aside from one windy day that sent them blowing across the desert, they worked beautifully.<\/p>\n<p><strong>17.<\/strong> They\u2019re riffing on old 1950s sci-fi\/horror films, but they thought it would be funny if, unlike in those films, their scientific expert had no damn clue where the creatures came from. The studio wasn\u2019t thrilled and \u201cactually asked us to write a scene where you saw Burt find a UFO and eggs or something.\u201d They wrote it, pitched it to the crew, and everyone agreed the idea was terrible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>18.<\/strong> Universal also asked them to write a scene showing an earthquake responsible for unleashing the creatures. They wrote it and shot it, but test audiences had an odd reaction. With that scene included they felt the film was being mean to animals \u2014 the coyotes yelping in the beginning, the horse and sheep later on \u2014 whereas without the earthquake no one made that accusation. People are weird, man.<\/p>\n<p><strong>19.<\/strong> The \u201cwave\u201d effect where the creature is moving beneath the surface and rolling the dirt or porch boards was accomplished by towing a boat buoy behind a pickup truck.<\/p>\n<p><strong>20.<\/strong> Bacon\u2019s first child was born during Wong\u2019s death scene. \u201cHe was on top of the Pepsi machine when the call came in that his wife Kira had gone into labor, so he jumped off the machine and ran out of the soundstage.\u201d It was an understood arrangement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>21.<\/strong> McEntire was worried about the faceoff in the basement as all the shooting might be bad for her hearing, so they doubled down on ear protection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>22.<\/strong> The water tower was originally written to collapse during Rhonda\u2019s rescue, but Universal wouldn\u2019t give them the money to film it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>23.<\/strong> The final worm\u2019s death \u2014 a fall from a cliff to an explosive end on the rocks below \u2014 was filmed in a parking lot using miniatures.<\/p>\n<p><strong>24.<\/strong> Underwood stood in as Rhonda, wig and all, for part of the final scene as Carter\u2019s double wasn\u2019t on set, but the shot wasn\u2019t used.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_in_Context-Free_Commentary\"><\/span>Best in Context-Free Commentary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote\">\u201cThere will be no CG shots in this movie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to be real careful, because the crane costs a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re an actor on <em>Tremors<\/em> you\u2019re gonna get dirty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFilmmaking is mostly compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSinking cars in the dirt seems to be really difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd now, endless sequels.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"graf graf--h3\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\"><em>Tremors<\/em> remains one of the all-time monster movies. It\u2019s gotten numerous sequels, a short-lived television series back in 2003, and an aborted TV series in more recent years, but this original film remains a straight-up classic. It\u2019s the rare daytime creature feature that delivers big fun, cool monsters, and legit entertainment whether you\u2019re watching for the first time or the tenth. This commentary by the filmmakers reveals their love and affection for their creation three decades later, and it\u2019s a listen filled with production details and anecdotes. <em>Tremors<\/em> rules!<\/p>\n<p class=\"graf graf--p\">Read more Commentary Commentary from the archives.<\/p>\n<p>        Related Topics: Commentary Commentary<br \/>\n        <!-- AUTHOR BOX --><\/p>\n<div class=\"gray-bg p-4 border small mb-5\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center text-md-center\">\n<div class=\"col-md-2\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dca6f7118e64ea9aa6ef4f60221cfe7e?s=96&amp;d=mm&amp;r=x\" class=\"circle img-fluid\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\"\/>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md\">\n            Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he&#8217;s so damn young. He&#8217;s our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists &#8216;Broadcast <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a>&#8217; as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FakeRobHunter\">@FakeRobHunter<\/a>.        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>        <!-- START RECOMMENDED READING 1 --><\/p>\n<section class=\"recommended py-5\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recommended_Reading\"><\/span>Recommended Reading<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/section>\n<p>                <!-- END RECOMMENDED READING --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/tremors-commentary\/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=tremors-commentary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;24 Things We Learned from the &#8216;Tremors&#8217; Commentary&#8221; Universal Pictures By\u00a0Rob Hunter\u00a0\u00b7 Published on September 1st, 2022 Welcome to\u00a0Commentary Commentary, where we sit and listen to filmmakers talk about their work, then share the most interesting parts. In this edition, Rob Hunter revisits the creature feature classic, Tremors. You can\u2019t talk the best monster movies&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":489555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/tremors.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-489554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}