InDepth InterView: Paul Becker Talks TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN, Ben Vereen Documentary, Upcoming Films & More

Today we are talking to a terrifically talented triple-threat who has graced the silver screen in CHICAGO, as well as in the TV productions of THE MUSIC MAN, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS and in many stunt and dance double roles in his career thus far who has since become the protégée of dance extraordinaire Kenny Ortega and broken out on his own with a string of striking and memorable sequences in entities as diverse as TV's HELLCATS and the recent feature films THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, SUCKER PUNCH, MIRROR, MIRROR and TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN PART 1 - gifted dancer/choreographer/director Paul Becker. Talking about many of his most memorable past projects and filling us in on his many current and future ones - TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN PART 2, a Ben Vereen documentary, an original movie musical titled STAGE FRIGHT, a James Gray film featuring Jeremy Renner and Marion Cotillard, a Lifetime movie musical with Karen Olivo, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 3, HOTEL NOIR and even more - Becker brings us into his unique and idiosyncratic world and gives us a glimpse into how he achieves consistent excellence in all of his many endeavors as he attempts to define his anomalous career for us. Additionally, Becker takes a look back at acting onscreen in the Oscar-winning Best Picture CHICAGO, choreographing the ultimate vampire wedding, judging SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? Canada, producing CANADA'S GOT TALENT, giving two hundred dancers movement for a Michael Buble music video and he also shares some hopes and wishes for what he would like to take on in his blindingly bright future in show business - directing a feature film, perhaps? What about a Broadway show when time permits? The possibilities are multitude and seemingly endless and Becker is one of the most brightly shining behind-the-scenes talents on the rise, as is clear to qualify by all of the exquisitely exciting entities he is involved with on the horizon, both near and far. Plus, Becker shares his experiences choreographing various THE MUPPETS movies, working with Ortega on the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus concert tours, directing the first YouTube feature film, dancing with death in MASTERS OF HORROR, giving moves to monsters in THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, staging the spectacular finale of MIRROR, MIRROR showcasing Julia Roberts, choreographing the fairy tale characters of ONCE UPON A TIME, and, he also offers opinions on GLEE and SMASH, reveals his early influences, favorite stars, formative films - and much, much more!

More information on Paul Becker is available at his official site here. Also, you can follow Paul on Twitter here and visit him on Facebook here.

Break Dancing To Breaking In To BREAKING DAWN

PC: Ben Vereen just did this column and I would love to know more about your upcoming documentary on him.

PB: Yes, we are editing that right now. It's a documentary about his life and it's going to be what I call a docu-musical. We are in the editing room still putting the finishing touches on it as we speak - there's still a little to shoot, but I am really excited about how it will all turn out.

PC: A docu-musical? Sounds exciting.

PB: You know, it's been a real passion project of mine - because, I mean, Ben and Gene Kelly are the real reasons I began to dance.

PC: Speaking of Gene Kelly - SINGIN' IN THE RAIN will be coming back to movie theaters next week, if you weren't aware.

PB: Oh, no way! I wasn't, but that is so, so cool.

PC: What do you think of the current trend of in-theater presentations of live events and re-releases of films? PHANTOM 25, LES MIZ 25, COMPANY and LOVE NEVER DIES have been very successful.

PB: Oh, I think it's just great! You know, I am a huge dance fan and a huge musical buff, so anything that promotes that I am all for - and, it's great for people who can't afford Broadway.

PC: And there are a lot of those people these days, for sure.

PB: Yeah, but, hopefully they can afford to go to these broadcasts in movie theaters. You know, there are a lot of people who have never had the chance to go to Broadway - they can't afford the tickets or the plane ride and all of that - and so this could be their only opportunity. I think it's so great that these kinds of things are becoming available. I love it.

PC: Is there a release date for the Ben Vereen documentary yet?

PB: Not quite yet - we are still finishing it up, but we are aiming for this time next year, I think.

PC: Speaking of movie musicals, Adam Shankman just did this column and I was curious if you two have ever crossed paths?

PB: Adam Shankman - he is somebody who I have always wanted to work with but I have never had the opportunity to do so yet. Hopefully, one day, I will.

PC: What do you think of the current movie musical renaissance? Have you seen Adam's ROCK OF AGES film yet?

PB: Actually, I am going to see ROCK OF AGES tonight! I am really excited about it. I love his work.

PC: You were in one of the first movie musicals to restart the trend, of course...

PB: Yes, I was in movie musicals for Rob Marshall and Kathleen Marshall. One of my first big dance jobs was as a dancer on the film of CHICAGO, actually.

PC: Sergio Trujillo just this column, too, so I have to ask: were you in any scenes together in the final finished film?

PB: Oh, yeah - Sergio and I were in "We Both Reached For The Gun" together! He became one of my very close friends on that film and Sergio has become like a brother to me - every time I see that he has done something or won something I am so happy for him. He deserves it so much - he is just so talented, you know?

PC: He really is.

PB: He was just starting to choreograph back then - when we did CHICAGO - and his career is just blowing up. We became really good friends on that film and the whole thing was a really cool experience.

PC: What was your personal experience of the shoot like?

PB: Well, I was only 20 or 21.

PC: So incredibly young.

PB: Yeah - I had no clue what I was getting into, but it was just such a huge experience for me that I would never take back.

PC: What was your audition like? Did you audition for Rob Marshall and John DeLuca directly?

PB: Well, there were two types of casts on the movie of CHICAGO: there were the Americans and there were the Canadians. I was a Canadian - I grew up in Canada. And, you know, they could only hire seven Canadians and the rest of the them were going to be from New York. So, there were over five hundred guys at that open call audition - and they chose the seven of us from them.

PC: What did they have you do?

PB: Oh, the audition was intense! We were all split up into groups of fifty who were then narrowed down eventually for the callbacks. It was so, so intense - I remember we were dancing and we were tumbling.

PC: What songs did you do?

PB: I remember we did "Cell Block Tango" and it was really, really intense - there is no other word for it; that was the word of that day - but I am glad I got through it because that led to dancing for Kathleen Marshall in THE MUSIC MAN and then I did another one with her after that, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS.

PC: Of course.

PB: But, while I was doing THE MUSIC MAN and ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, I had already started my choreography career. I actually got my first big choreographing job when I was 21, 22 and I had started doing commercials prior to that, so I had already had the drive and the passion for choreography and I knew that that was the world where I wanted to be, but I was just sort of making that transition from dancer to choreographer - I was just doing it at a very young age; you know, most choreographers are usually older.

PC: REEFER MADNESS is one of the best movie musicals of the new millennium, as well. What was your involvement on that project?

PB: [Laughs.] I was actually not in the film, but I was hired by the choreographer to be a skeleton crew - so, I was working with them in developing the movements; just working with the body, really. While I was doing that film, I believe I was choreographing a Muppet movie, too, at the same time - while I was being a body for those choreographers on that. So, I was really just a sponge and really humbled and I just loved to be involved and to dance - I love to dance; I still love to dance - so, sometimes, when I am working on something, I try to sneak myself into it just so I can get the chance again.

PC: You appear at the memorable wedding in TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN PART 1, do you not?

PB: [Laughs.] Yes. Actually, it was really funny - as you know, Bill Condon, the director, wrote CHICAGO and so he brought me in to choreograph TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN PART 1 and PART 2. And, so, I showed up on set and we were all having a good time, and, then, when I showed up on set for the last day of filming, where we were doing the big wedding scene, and I go into my trailer and I find there is a suit there. So, I say to the AD, "Why is there a suit in there?" and, she says, "Bill Condon wants you to get into wardrobe." And, I say, "What?! What do you mean 'wardrobe'?!" And, so I put on the suit and I go onset and Bill is there and he puts his arm around me and says, "I got you in CHICAGO and now I'm gonna put you in this one." And, so, he put me in the scene.

PC: What a great story.

PB: Yeah, it was really fun. It was nice of him to do that.

PC: How did you get involved with Bill on TWILIGHT in the first place? Was it just the CHICAGO connection?

PB: I'm not sure - we never actually met on CHICAGO, but my girlfriend Sharon Leal was in DREAMGIRLS that he directed so she had known him. I had never met him before TWILIGHT, though. One of the producers called me - I just got a random phone call one day and someone said, "Bill Condon saw your material and he would like to meet with you." And, so, I was actually filming the TV series HELLCATS at the time, in Vancouver, so I just went over to the TWILIGHT set and I could not believe how hi-security it was - I mean, you could not get on the set!

PC: Even if you were welcome - or invited, as you were?

PB: There were seriously security guards everywhere, but, luckily, my name had been left at the door so I got in.

PC: What was the atmosphere on set like?

PB: Well, I got there and went to the theater that they were shooting in and we all clicked - we just jammed and it all came together right away. I mean, the next day I was working on the film!

PC: That fast.

PB: Yeah - it was a really great experience and they really set up a nice environment for everybody on that. Bill, because of his musical background, really respects the choreography and the choreographer. There is a new surge of dance going through film and TV right now - within the last seven years, really - and there is a new respect for choreographers. Prior to that, I felt a lot of the time like I was being hired as crew, whereas now you are being hired as an artist.

PC: You get more respect.

PB: Yeah - especially on a set that Bill Condon is in charge of; he really has that respect and the reverence for theatre and theatre practices like that.

PC: Is that not always the case on a movie set?

PB: Definitely not! You know, sometimes you go on to a movie set or a TV set - like I have in the past - and you are recognized as a crew member and not as an artist. Now, I think that as a result of these shows about dancing being more in the forefront and more up on the screen in front of people, it's actually been a really good thing for up-and-coming choreographers; they get more respect.

PC: What do you think of GLEE and SMASH and the awareness they bring to the arts?

PB: I absolutely think that because of GLEE and because of SMASH and because of these shows people are exposed to the musical, maybe for the first time - you know, there are a lot of people that have never seen a Broadway show; like we were talking about earlier. For me, personally, I DVR those shows and watch them when I can, and, when I do, it's always inspiring to watch - anything that keeps our dancers employed and our singers employed I am all for. I love the feeling of hiring dancers and hiring singers and being able to employ other artists because I know what it is like to be unemployed and it is such a good feeling to give a job to someone.

PC: How wonderful to hear. What is your earliest memory of being inspired to dance or perform in some way?

PB: Oh, it was SINGIN' IN THE RAIN - that was really it. Then, it was the break dancing films that I saw that I really liked - you know, I started as a break dancer. Within a year of that, I started ballet and tap and jazz and I got exposed to other musicals like the stuff with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly and those really inspired me to train my butt off; I knew I would have to work hard if I wanted to be a real dancer.

PC: Developing a work ethic.

PB: Exactly. Then, I remember seeing Ben in PIPPIN and ALL THAT JAZZ and that was like, to me, "Wow, you can really be a triple-threat and not do everything all the time," you know, Ben would just snap his finger and he got you!

PC: Indeed.

PB: There is just something inherent that people like that have and it is really inspiring to me - people like that come along so rarely. You know, some people really can't make the same stuff work.

PC: Do you think it's a lot to do with the intention behind the movement?

PB: Yes. The intention behind the movement is absolutely the most important thing - absolutely. You know, it's like, "Why is that box step the best box step I have ever seen?" Because of the intention behind it! Choreographically speaking, for film and television, you can turn a box step into an Emmy Award-winning piece depending on how it is shot, how it is staged and how it is edited.

PC: It's all in the presentation.

PB: Exactly. To me, choreography is not all about the vocabulary. There are young dancers who think that choreography is just about steps - to me, choreography is twenty-five percent steps and the staging, the attention and the way it is presented or shot is the rest of it; there are so many parts that choreography has in it. Whatever you are doing, you are designing that moment - it's the lighting; it's the staging; it's the transition; it's the movement; it's endless. The steps are only some of it.

PC: Your mentor Kenny Ortega just directed an episode of the dance-centric series BUNHEADS and it featured full-body, uncut dance sequences - how refreshing to see. Did you happen to catch it? What do you think of that show?

PB: Oh, I am just so happy that Kenny is doing that. You know, as a choreographer you are afraid because sometimes you work with directors - sometimes, not all the time - who are trying to please a network or are trying to please a studio and they have to get their coverage of the shot. And, they want to do these MTV tight shots and stuff like that and sometimes that is because of the talent they are working with - you know, not everyone is a dancer; some actors aren't hired because of their dancing as part of the equation - and so they are trying to edit so they can cover up any problems. But, with BUNHEADS and someone like Sutton [Foster], oh my gosh - they can do full edits!

PC: And they do!

PB: I am so happy they do that - head-to-toe, full-body and no cuts until you necessarily have to; I love that, I love that. I am so happy to hear Kenny is doing that on BUNHEADS and since you bring it up I will tell you that I was actually Kenny's date to Gene Kelly's 100th birthday party.

PC: No way!

PB: Way. Gene Kelly's widow was there and she was talking about how he designed the choreography for the camera and how important that was - and, I believe, still is. He said you have to see head-to-toe - you have to see the full body - and I feel like the only reason we have gone into those tight, tight shots and that MTV style is because they are trying to cover up lack of talent or other stuff.

PC: Have you been in that situation?

PB: It's hard to say, but it does happen - I have been in situations where I needed to bring in a dance double or I would just do the part myself if I was shooting it; you just have to so that the end product will look good and your star will actually look like a star.

PC: Was the dancing in TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN all Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, specifically in the wedding scene? That 360 camera shot is so sweeping and beautifully rendered.

PB: Oh, yeah. That was all them one hundred percent. We had rehearsal with them for that scene specifically. Also, there was a Steadicam pass that we did that was actually with Jackson Rathbone and Ashley Greene dancing and they were actually doing swing dancing and flipping around and all of that stuff, believe it or not! [Laughs.] They all had fun - we all had a lot of fun on that scene. I loved working on TWILIGHT.

PC: How would you compare it to another recent release, MIRROR, MIRROR?

PB: MIRROR, MIRROR was such a fun experience, too - such a great experience, especially the giant production number at the end of the film with Julia Roberts and about five hundred dancers.

PC: What an undertaking - but a dazzling final product, undoubtedly.

PB: Thank you. [Pause.] Working with that number of people was actually a really great experience - usually you don't get the opportunity to work with that many people at the same time; it's not normal. [Laughs.]

PC: Alan Menken's score for the film is superb.

PB: Yeah, he's so talented - it's so great he was a part of it, too.

PC: Did you not also chroeograph a couple hundred dancers - 200 or so, I believe - for a Michael Buble video, as well?

PB: Yeah, I did. Before I deleted a lot of my friends off Facebook I had thousands of friends, and, a lot of them were dance students and stuff, so I just sent a blast out on Facebook and Twitter saying, you know, "Who wants to be in a Michael Buble video?" And I had all of these responses!

PC: How cool is that?! I bet you had a lot of interest.

PB: I did. Originally, they were just going to cast extras, but, I said, "Wait, wait, wait a minute - give me twenty-four hours!" And, so, the next day my assistant and I found pretty much all of those dancers. Every single one of them, actually, I think. [Laughs.]

PC: What is the process like choreographing a group that big?

PB: Well, in that case, they all showed up and then we taught them the choreography and then we just did it. [Laughs.] That was a big undertaking, though - that video. You know, going back through some of these projects and stuff, I really have had a lot of great experiences in film - I am really, really blessed. There are a lot of horror stories out there, but all of these projects we have been talking about were so much fun - that video was really a blast, in particular.

PC: You choreographed the Jonas Brothers tour, as well, did you not?

PB: Yes. Kenny and I worked on the Jonas Brothers movie tour and 3D film tour together. That was a great experience, too, because that was my first time working with Kenny - that and the Miley Cyrus tour. Those shows were more about musical staging than dancing - more about organically staging them so that it looks unchoreographed. You know, my big thing is that sometimes you really want something to look unchoreographed.

PC: Unrehearsed.

PB: Yeah - it helps it get more grounded.

PC: Was that a particular challenge in SUCKER PUNCH - did you want the musical numbers to be down and dirty? I have heard Zack Snyder originally envisioned it as a full-out musical. Did he?

PB: It was - we had seven production numbers; full-on production numbers. One of the dance numbers was six minutes long! We worked on that for like eight months straight... and then it all got cut out of the film! [Laughs.]

PC: What a shame.

PB: I am begging them for the footage, though. There is a montage on YouTube of some of the production numbers and it's fun and everything, but seeing it filmed live - we built a whole theater for it - was something I'll never forget.

PC: What was Zack like onset?

PB: I really respected Zack because he trusted who he hired, you know?

PC: He let you do your thing.

PB: Yeah - he brought each and every one of us into the project for a reason and then he trusted us while micro-managing the crew. He really let me have the freedom to just create these pieces for him and we would just jam creatively. So, SUCKER PUNCH was another great learning experience for me - learning how to design things for the camera. You know, growing up, I would always ask questions because I always knew I wanted to direct films and I wanted to perform - of course, I want to do Broadway, too, but my career seems to be moving in the film direction and I just have to roll with that. Eventually, my dream would be to do a Broadway show, but, right now, this is the path I am going on - that's just kind of where I am at. So, I always asked questions and he let me ask questions; you know, "What's the reason you are doing that?" And I would ask the camera guys and the sound guys questions, too.

PC: Better than film school - especially on one of his hi-tech sets.

PB: It really was. You know, I was interviewing Liza Minnelli for this Ben Vereen documentary...

PC: Isn't she amazing? She just did this column again recently.

PB: The greatest! The greatest. She was telling me about her father - when her father signed on for his first film he said, "I will take it, but I will only do it under the condition that I get to spend a year working with each department and learning how to do everything myself. Everything." So, he spent a year with make-up, with hair, with the grips, with the electrical department - with every single department, learning it all. And, I feel like that is what I have been doing the past ten or fifteen years - I have been learning to do it all.

PC: All - plus stunt double and dance double, too.

PB: And camera operator! [Laughs.] I want to learn to do it all so that I can understand the dynamics involved when it is my chance to direct. It gave me that reassurance when I heard Liza say that about her father.

PC: Vincente Minnelli was a true master of the movie musical.

PB: Oh, yeah - totally. He was.

PC: What directors do you look up to most, career-wise?

PB: Oh, I love Rob Marshall's career and Kenny Ortega's - Vincente Minnelli, of course; Gene Kelly, too, of course. Working on MIRROR, MIRROR was big for me because THE FALL was a big inspiration to me and it was by the same director, Tarsem Singh.

PC: From what source do you draw the most inspiration now?

PB: Oh, I am constantly drawing inspiration from everywhere! I look at photographs and art and I love being creative and being inspired so I do it as much as I can.

PC: What is on your iPod?

PB: Well, I have a lot of classical music on my iPod. I have found that if I listen to it after a long day that it sort of cleanses my brain - especially if I am working on multiple projects and going from one set to another. It really cleanses my brain. But, besides classical music for relaxation, I listen to everything from hip-hop to everything else. I like classical because I can just put it on in the car no matter what mood I am in - but, when you are in a good mood, there is nothing like a good hip-hop song!

PC: What can you tell me about the new film you directed for Lifetime starring Tony Award-winner Karen Olivo - HOLIDAY SPIN?

PB: Karen Olivo and Ralph Macchio are the leads - it's a musical, and it has lots of ballroom dancing. It's going to be really fun - people should start to look out for it in a few months. It's a holiday movie - the title is HOLIDAY SPIN, yeah.

PC: What about the new James Gray film you are working on - have you gotten to collaborate with Jeremy Renner or Marion Cotillard?

PB: The new James Gray movie we shot in New York a little while ago and it is a 1910 period piece.

PC: How fascinating.

PB: It takes place in the vaudeville era. It's going to be really, really cool, I think.

PC: What can we expect from your choreography in it?

PB: Oh, I got to work in a real, gritty vaudeville style - this ain't BURLESQUE; these are girls who can barely dance but they are kicking their dirty feet up anyway and having a ball!

PC: That sounds amazing - how Fosse/CABARET.

PB: Yeah! Very Fosse. I actually dance-doubled Jeremy Renner in it, as well.

PC: What was that like?

PB: Oh, it was great - we were doing this real cool hat dance and it was really fun to do. Joaquin [Pheonix] is amazing, as well.

PC: Did you and Jeremy discuss his purported Broadway plans next year at all?

PB: No, we didn't, actually - he had just come back from the Phillipines where he was filming THE BOURNE IDENTITY and he came to work with me the next day, so it was a kind of whirlwind for him.

PC: HOTEL NOIR is another period piece you are currently involved with, correct?

PB: Yes! I am doing another period piece - HOTEL NOIR. Sebastian Gutierrez is the director of that - Carla Gugino's man. I did another film with him called GIRL WALKS INTO A BAR.

PC: Which was first full-length movie for YouTube, correct?

PB: Yes - GIRL WALKS INTO A BAR was the very first YouTube movie; yeah. I loved working with him on that. It was a great shoot.

PC: How did you get involved with HOTEL NOIR?

PB: Well, since the director and I just clicked on GIRL WALKS INTO A BAR... actually, I remember Carla said later that she told him, you know, "You have to use Paul for this!" [Laughs.]

PC: What other projects do you have coming up?

PB: STAGE FRIGHT is another film I have coming up that I am really excited about. We are casting it right now - in New York and all over.

PC: What is it about?

PB: Well, the tone of it comes from a short film the director did called THE LEGEND OF BEAVER DAM. The script is amazing - it's an original story; an original musical; original everything.

PC: How exciting.

PB: The director is the composer - which is really, really cool. If you watch the short film it is based on, THE LEGEND OF BEAVER DAM, you see how he will be able to make this full-length horror movie/musical/comedy; it's a crazy combination, but he has found a way to make it all work somehow. It's really one of my passion projects and I am really excited to do it.

PC: REEFER MADNESS managed to be really funny, really scary and also really good as a musical, so let's hope this follows suit.

PB: Definitely. Definitely. I also have DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 3 coming out - which I think is a really fun franchise to be a part of. It's a really fun group and I love working on those films because the kids keep growing up with every one. Every time I come in and see them on set they are a little more adult.

PC: Do you have a favorite moment you have choreographed on TV or in film so far? There are so many standouts.

PB: Well, I have to say that I really loved a few of the numbers on HELLCATS - one or two in particular stand out; like the Fosse number with Sharon. But, also, that Michael Buble video had a really, really fun environment and I loved worked on that, too. [Pause. Sighs.] It's hard to narrow it down to one or two gigs because they all have their moments, you know?

PC: Of course. What was your involvement with THE CABIN IN THE WOODS?

PB: I was a creature consultant - more specifically, a creature movement creator - on CABIN IN THE WOODS.

PC: So you gave movement to the mermaids and the scores of creatures in the pivotal elevator opening scene?

PB: Yeah - I created the zombies and stuff, too. So, I worked on the film for a couple of months and then there were only two weeks left of shooting so I had to go and do another film and leave that. I did the creature movement, though - all of the zombie movement - which was really, really fun. I've gotten to do a couple projects like that, actually - working with some of the great horror directors.

PC: MASTERS OF HORROR.

PB: Yeah, I did DANCE OF THE DEAD for that, with Tobe Hooper.

PC: How would you describe him? I've heard he is a bit eccentric.

PB: He's like a mad scientist - a crazy genius; even the way he talks - but, he's so much fun to work with, too.

PC: You also participated in MY SOUL TO TAKE with Wes Craven. Raul Esparza and I spoke about that quite a bit when he did this column. What part of that process were you involved in?

PB: Well, one of the producers of the Muppets films was also involved on that so he called me up and asked me to come up to Connecticut and shoot that. I only worked a few days on that, actually, on a mirroring sequence where we had to do very exact movements.

PC: What was Wes Craven like?

PB: Oh, he is so cool - just everything you'd expect; really, really, really cool. [Laughs.]

PC: Did you enjoy your time on Canada's SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?

PB: Oh, yeah - I loved working on that. And, up until just this week, I was producing CANADA'S GOT TALENT, but I just got word that next season has been postponed until 2013. That was my first time producing, so it was so cool to work on that and I hope we bring it back next year.

PC: What has it been like to work on ONCE UPON A TIME? It's a big hit and such a fun show.

PB: Well, it was good timing because I was actually working on MIRROR, MIRROR at the same time and they basically wanted the same type of ballroom thing for that. The coolest thing about ONCE UPON A TIME is that it is all shot in that green screen - the technology they have is pretty insane.

PC: How does it work?

PB: Well, they are tracking movements and panning with the cameras and then you can see it fully rendered, exactly as it will be onscreen, in the video village - it's pretty insane. Choreographing with that technology, we were able to multiply bodies and add people to the scene who weren't even in it. It was a scene with dancing and dialogue and those are usually much harder to shoot, but it was just a breeze.

PC: Will you be returning for Season Two?

PB: I hope so! I hope so. If I am available, I would love to do another episode or two for the new season.

PC: Lastly: have you seen the final cut of TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN PART 2?

PB: No, I haven't, actually! [Laughs.]

PC: What scene should we look out for that shows off your work best? Can you even say?

PB: Oh, I can't say anything about it! Honestly, there are confidentiality clauses for this movie like nothing I've ever seen! [Laughs.] I'm expecting a guy in a black suit and tie to show up at my door if I say anything! [Laughs.]

PC: When Matthew Modine did this column and we were talking about THE DARK KNIGHT RISES he said essentially the same thing.

PB: I bet he did! It's so crazy - a while back I actually Tweeted about TWILIGHT while I was up in Vancouver shooting it and I mentioned where we were about to shoot something, on a location, and within five minutes I got a call from the PR people, who were totally freaking out. [Laughs.]

PC: It's a huge franchise! This has been amazing - we have so much to look forward to from you, Paul! All the best in all your endeavors.

PB: Thank you so, so much, Pat - this was so cool. Have a great night. Bye bye.