Raimi Loves Working Blu

So, Sam, have you had a chance to breathe yet? It seems like you've been going, well, forever on all the Spider-man projects, especially Spider-Man 3. This is the longest movie cycle I've ever worked on. But yes, now I have a chance to breathe and spent time with my family, do some writing, and read some great books. I'm really enjoying myself. I am looking for a small project to do, but that may get delayed because of the writers' strike. Do you know how many minutes of footage or miles of film you shot for Spider-Man 3? No. I never thought that was important! I never checked the production reports, so I just don't know. Though I don't think it's an outrageous ratio; it's just like any other project. Well, maybe more because we shot a lot of second-unit stunt photography. And we had plate photography. We usually shoot three or four takes. But if Tobey [Maguire] and I have to figure out what a scene is about, sometimes we'll shoot it eight or nine times, maybe even twelve takes. For us audio/videophiles, Spider-Man 3 was a great experience in the theater, and now we have both the DVD and Blu-ray releases to devour. Had you ever dealt with Blu-ray before this? This is my first experience with it, and it looks incredible. What specific things on the Blu-ray Disc of Spider-Man 3 stood out for you - things that made you say, "Wow, I never thought I'd be able to see that particular detail"? I was able to see definition in images that previously I could not. In scenes shot in Aunt May's house in Queens, I can now read the little notes on the refrigerator - notes I couldn't even make out before. There's a level of crispness and clarity in the imagery with Blu-ray that's incredible. I'm very excited for people to see the movie this way, because a lot of detail was put into the visual effects, like the birth of the Sandman, that they probably didn't see in the theater. Right - you can definitely see more things in the swirling grains of sand and the chases throughout the city. I'm marveling at the chase scene where Cleveland stands in for New York: You can spot details like the names on store signs on the street they go down. Yes. You can also see the actors' eyes so much more clearly, which to me is very important. You can really feel what they're feeling more.

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