gilly_cious: Hi Michael and Jerry! Did the movie turn out the way you envisioned it or were you forced to limit it in any way? Thanks, Denis
pearl_harbor_chat: The movie turned out much bigger than I ever expected.
pearl_harbor_chat: We had to make some financial compromises, but in the end, it was bigger than I had ever expected it to be.

wizard_writer: Who or what influenced you (Jerry Bruckheimer) in order to produce this war project?
pearl_harbor_chat: You know, you hear a concept and think it's interesting and want to get involved.
pearl_harbor_chat: Once we got Randall involved, he started pitching us his vision of the story ... so he was probably the biggest influence in getting this movie made.
pearl_harbor_chat: Because without his script, there would be no movie.

redknight3: What was it like to work with Randall Wallace as the writer of the film?
pearl_harbor_chat: He's enormously collaborative.
pearl_harbor_chat: He's a real patriot.
pearl_harbor_chat: Grew up in Tennessee and has strong American roots.
pearl_harbor_chat: Believes in our military and has a passion in writing about them and their heroics in horrendous situations.
pearl_harbor_chat: He's very romantic, too.
pearl_harbor_chat: Has a real soft touch when it comes to the love story.

frost000: Is there any future projects that involve Randall Wallace?
pearl_harbor_chat: Not yet, but we've talked about working together again.
pearl_harbor_chat: He's right now in the process of directing a movie with Mel Gibson that he also wrote.
pearl_harbor_chat: (He wrote Braveheart)

frost000: What made you decide on Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett?
pearl_harbor_chat: You know, Ben we worked with before on Armageddon and had a great experience.
pearl_harbor_chat: He has classical American looks.
pearl_harbor_chat: Josh is the new kid on the block.
pearl_harbor_chat: Screen tested for us and wowed us.
pearl_harbor_chat: Has the dignity of a Gary Cooper and the heart of Montgomery Clift.
pearl_harbor_chat: Has the strength and the sensitivity.

filmkid22: How did you convince Ben Affleck to cut his pay down to 250,000 dollars?
pearl_harbor_chat: You know, I don't think it was us.
pearl_harbor_chat: it was the script itself.
pearl_harbor_chat: He saw the opportunity to reach a worldwide audience with this movie.
pearl_harbor_chat: Michael is a brilliant visualist.
pearl_harbor_chat: Every actor likes that.

deceptikronic: Jerry, was this your first time shooting in Hawaii?
pearl_harbor_chat: Yes, it is and it was a wonderful experience.
pearl_harbor_chat: If you want to shoot a movie, this is the place you want to go.

wtf_jin: Hello, we are well aware there have been a number of movies based on WW2, I was wondering what makes this movie stand out from the rest? Thanx, J
pearl_harbor_chat: You know, it was a surprise attack on this one .... it's the first time we've ever been attacked on American soil.
pearl_harbor_chat: It was a devastating loss for us.
pearl_harbor_chat: There's been other movies done on Pearl Harbor, but none attempted to show a love story and the attack.
pearl_harbor_chat: They were more of a docu-drama.
pearl_harbor_chat: They didn't have the kind of characterizations that we do in ours.
pearl_harbor_chat: There's always comparisons when you take on a subject that has been done before.
pearl_harbor_chat: They didn't have the technology in those days.
pearl_harbor_chat: It was done in 1971 and won an Academy for special effects, and you can imagine how much we have advanced since that picture came out.

patmcgue: Why did you choose Hans Zimmer to do the score for the Film
pearl_harbor_chat: I've worked with Hans a number of times.
pearl_harbor_chat: He's brilliant.
pearl_harbor_chat: He has enormous heart.
pearl_harbor_chat: He gets the romance.
pearl_harbor_chat: The key to this story was to make sure that the love story works, and it does.
pearl_harbor_chat: It has themes that involve us and breaks our hearts.

gilly_cious: I am planning on taking my japanese girl-friend to see Pearl Harbor the first day it opens....Am I safe? Is our relationship going to change after the viewing?
pearl_harbor_chat: Not at all. We're very respectful of the Japanese.
pearl_harbor_chat: They planned a brilliant attack and we bow our heads to what they pull off.
pearl_harbor_chat: We don't like it, but we treat them with enormous dignity.

gtobey1: Any feeling about the film may be viewed by Japanese audiences?
pearl_harbor_chat: We did it early on.
pearl_harbor_chat: We sent it to Disney's Japanese office and had them read the script.
pearl_harbor_chat: They gave us some minor comments that we addressed.
pearl_harbor_chat: Later we screened it for Japanese journalists and they liked what they saw and were comfortable with it.
pearl_harbor_chat: Plus it's one of the most highly anticipated movies in Japan right now.

frost000: How accurate is the portrayal of the battle in Pearl harbor?
pearl_harbor_chat: Enormous amount of accuracy.
pearl_harbor_chat: We had historians on the set with us.
pearl_harbor_chat: To make sure we got it right.
pearl_harbor_chat: That's not to say it's 100% accurate because it would take 9 hours to tell the story and the only people who would want to sit through that would be us and our parents.
pearl_harbor_chat: I'm so glad I could spend time with you all today. I look forward to doing it again and would love to hear your comments about the movie when you see it!
Yahoomc: Thanks to jerry for joining us....
Yahoomc: and now, we're going to be joined by Michael Bay!
pearl_harbor_chat: Hey everyone.
pearl_harbor_chat: Calling you from Pearl Harbor.
pearl_harbor_chat: Thanks for joining us here.

zmataic: Would you describe your movie as a love drama or a serious WW2 movie?
pearl_harbor_chat: Well, I think it is a love drama ... at the core of it ....
pearl_harbor_chat: ... but like so many people who were here at Pearl Harbor,
pearl_harbor_chat: you see how everyone gets entangled into this one awful morning.
pearl_harbor_chat: It deals with a very serious subject and deals with it in a very dignified way.

nargueta: Hi Michael. Nelson from michaelbay.com. Why did you chose to go with Technicolor on this film?
pearl_harbor_chat: Actually, we're making some dye transferred prints.
pearl_harbor_chat: It's a 3 strike process.
pearl_harbor_chat: Red, yellow, and blue.
pearl_harbor_chat: When it's in Technicolor, you have true whites and blues and reds.
pearl_harbor_chat: It's different from the newer film stock.
pearl_harbor_chat: So we're going to release that in about 150 theatres.
pearl_harbor_chat: Apocalypse Now is just being released in some dye-transfer prints.
pearl_harbor_chat: It shows greater depth and does unique things with the highlight.

hugo84_2000: Michael, was Pearl Harbor tougher to shoot than Armageddon?
pearl_harbor_chat: Pearl Harbor was easier.
pearl_harbor_chat: Tougher to put together because it was logistically one of the largest movies.
pearl_harbor_chat: But it was the most fun to shoot and the production went extremely smoothly.

russman91355: Other than trimming the budget, how did Disney affect the final cut of the film?
pearl_harbor_chat: Well, I have final cut.
pearl_harbor_chat: So I guess that kind-of says it.
pearl_harbor_chat: I didn't really listen to Disney on .... well, they didn't have many comments when they saw the test.
pearl_harbor_chat: As a director, I listen to the audience.
pearl_harbor_chat: I have small test screenings at my house where I bring virtual strangers to see the rough cut.
pearl_harbor_chat: That's how I start my process.

cinemenium_ovi: based on the reaction you've gotten from people that have gotten a chance to see the film, what would be one word that basically sums up what they think of it?
pearl_harbor_chat: Ooh, that puts me on the spot.
pearl_harbor_chat: What do you say to that?
pearl_harbor_chat: One word to describe two years of work?
pearl_harbor_chat: I can't do it.
pearl_harbor_chat: That would be ...... I don't want to make a judgement about my own film.
pearl_harbor_chat: All I know is that I'm proud of this movie.

worny_2000: After making such typical popcorn films such as The Rock and Armageddon....are you worried about the audience taking this movie seriously despite its serious subject matter?
pearl_harbor_chat: Well, I don't see how you can see this movie and say that it's not serious.
pearl_harbor_chat: Last night, watching it with 700 people from the US Navy ... many having tears in their eyes.
pearl_harbor_chat: They took it very seriously.

frost000: How did you first approach Kate Beckinsale?
pearl_harbor_chat: We looked from Australia to Denmark.
pearl_harbor_chat: We found her in England and literally, looking at over a thousand women for the role ... I just think she's an amazing actress.
pearl_harbor_chat: Women love her in her role.
pearl_harbor_chat: She's got something very special.
pearl_harbor_chat: She has a very classic, wholesome, sexy look.
pearl_harbor_chat: She does have strong sex appeal, but she has this wholesome look to her.
pearl_harbor_chat: She also has a great strength that comes out in her acting.
pearl_harbor_chat: She's a very strong lead.

pineapple_lingenfelter: I work at pearl Harbor and would like to thank you for remembering what happened here. This will help the world live it, not just those who were there 60 years ago. Thank you.
pearl_harbor_chat: Well, thanks, Pineapple!
pearl_harbor_chat: It's a pleasure being here, and thanks for having us as the Navy's guest.

seanstiny: what made you choose jon voight to play F.D.R.?
pearl_harbor_chat: Jon Voight cornered me at an Oscar party a couple of years ago.
pearl_harbor_chat: Said that he understood we were doing the movie and claimed that he knew FDR better than anybody.
pearl_harbor_chat: Though he didn't really look like him .... there's the make-up job.
pearl_harbor_chat: It's literally the only scene I've ever seen where some of the other actors applauded him five times after doing some of his scenes.

oppiz97: What was it like working with Cuba Gooding Jr.?
pearl_harbor_chat: Cuba is an amazingly well liked actor.
pearl_harbor_chat: He's so talented ... not only that, but one of the nicest guys to work with.
pearl_harbor_chat: He almost did kill me though, when he was shooting a 50-caliber gun and I was underneath it, shooting literally in the deck below him.
pearl_harbor_chat: The concussion was so strong on my brain that I thought it would shut my organs off.
pearl_harbor_chat: The footage of it is going to be in the DVD ... it's quite hysterical.

footandmouthdisease2000: will the dvd version be a rated R version meaning an uncut version? If yes, that will be great.
pearl_harbor_chat: I think we will do some things ... add some things ... but I'm pretty proud of the movie where it stands and I don't feel the ratings board really interfered.
pearl_harbor_chat: I was obligated, doing a movie this size, to give it a PG-13.
pearl_harbor_chat: The movie is violent, but we do things to hide the violence a little bit.
pearl_harbor_chat: You definitely feel violence, but we mask a little bit of it.

gilly_cious: Have you tried any new techniques...something that hasn't been tried before?
pearl_harbor_chat: We invented a special lens for some of these hospital scenes. A special anamorphic lens where it would blur out the sides to make it more of a subjective point of view.
pearl_harbor_chat: We invented some aerial techniques because I wanted this to be the most technologically advanced aerial movie ever done.
pearl_harbor_chat: We invented several camera rigs on certain types of war birds ... where these cameras could flip and roll from the other planes just like the planes they were shooting.
pearl_harbor_chat: There is a lot of live flying in the movie where there are real planes that people will think are just effect shots.
pearl_harbor_chat: And George Lucas had asked to see our effects reel ... he's not one for many compliments, but he said this was the best effects work he'd ever seen.
pearl_harbor_chat: Since I worked for George Lucas when I was 15 ... I take that as a huge compliment.

dsja_2000: was it difficult finding vintage plans, military vehicles, etc.?
pearl_harbor_chat: There's certain groups that restore these planes. There's only a certain amount in America.
pearl_harbor_chat: It was hard finding some ships.
pearl_harbor_chat: We had to get some battleships like the USS Arizona ... we had to shoot some down in Houston.
pearl_harbor_chat: We shot on the UsS Lexington in Corpus Christi.
pearl_harbor_chat: We worked on a lot of old ships here in Pearl Harbor.
pearl_harbor_chat: The trick was shipping everything over here.

nargueta: Hi Michael. Nelson from michaelbay.com., is the falling shot of the bomb all CGI or composites?
pearl_harbor_chat: Let me just say ... we have about 30 of those shots.
pearl_harbor_chat: There is stuff that no one has seen on any trailer or any commercial.
pearl_harbor_chat: That shot ... it's great, but we have ones that are much better.
pearl_harbor_chat: And, yes, it was shot from a helicopter at different altitudes.
pearl_harbor_chat: We melded the film together and those were digital battleships.

worny_2000: How important is the advertising campaign to movies like this one?
pearl_harbor_chat: I think the marketing effort has been great.
pearl_harbor_chat: i personally don't think they need to market as heavily as they are right now because the awareness of the trailer has hit unprecedented levels.
pearl_harbor_chat: The awareness on this movie is HUGE.

simiansidewalk: Is there any story/remake that you want to do
pearl_harbor_chat: I think I'm going to take a little vacation.
pearl_harbor_chat: It's been 2 years.
pearl_harbor_chat: A lot of hard work.
pearl_harbor_chat: I definitely want to go smaller.
pearl_harbor_chat: :)

shaun_h_99: If I ever go into acting, the top of my list of someone to work with would be Bruce Willis. . .what was your relationship with him as a director like?
pearl_harbor_chat: Bruce is a great guy to work with. He's very funny. He keeps you laughing. Sometimes I have to scold him to stop making jokes on the set so we can get some work done.
pearl_harbor_chat: On Armageddon I felt like a camp counselor because everyone was trying to one-up each other on jokes. Ben Affleck. Steve Buschemi.

planethollywoodgurl: will you ever use a digital camera like George Lucas is for E2
pearl_harbor_chat: Um .... I really am more old-fashioned. I like the quality of film.
pearl_harbor_chat: I personally don't think we're there with the digital yet.
pearl_harbor_chat: I like the light qualities you get from the flicker and the glow from the screen.
pearl_harbor_chat: I think in a few more years it's going to be tremendous, though.

abvnblw1: does the movie glorify war?
pearl_harbor_chat: Absolutely NOT does it glorify war.
pearl_harbor_chat: It's silly to think that in the Navy's darkest hour, that this would in any way glorify war.
pearl_harbor_chat: We're just showing a bit of history and how it happened.
pearl_harbor_chat: We get the essence of what happened in Pearl Harbor. That's what we're trying to do in this movie.
Yahoomc: Thanks for joining us today, Michael...

planethollywoodgurl: congrats on all your hard work

planethollywoodgurl: I really like your work

brian_warner19: may 25 is the big day is gonna take me an hour to get in the movie theaters to go see pearl harbor
pearl_harbor_chat: Thanks everyone for joining us. I hope you like the movie.

yahoomusic: thanks all! remember to check out all the great behind the scenes footage and documentary extras at Yahoo! Movies: movies.yahoo.com/pearlharbor/
yahoomusic: Yahoo! Movies also has some great photos and clips from the film. check em out here: http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&id=1800444945&cf=mm2#photos