High School Musical: The Movie!

Actor Zac Efron still remembers the moment he realized that a modestly budgeted cable movie by the name of “High School Musical” was about to change his life. “One of my friends called me and told me to look on iTunes,” he says, “so I turned on my computer and there was ‘High School Musical’ in the top 5 most downloaded albums. This was a week before the film even came on television.”

One week later, when “High School Musical” did make its debut, it was seen by 7.7 million viewers, which made it the Disney Channel’s most successful film to date. Meanwhile, the soundtrack album quickly rose to the top of the charts, going on to sell 4.1 million copies in the United States alone and becoming the bestselling release of 2006. Which was, of course, just the start…

“High School Musical” may be as American as apple pie and twice as wholesome, but the all-singing, all-dancing exploits of clean-cut basketball captain Troy Bolton (played by Efron) and his fellow students struck a chord with young teens around the world. “High School Musical” and last year’s sequel, “High School Musical 2,” have been translated into 24 different languages and seen by over two hundred and fifty million fans in 100 countries.

Now, production is complete on what is promised to be a bigger HSM experience: “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” will open on the silver screen in cinemas worldwide on October 24. The hysteria seems certain to continue.

All of which begs the question, How did a low-budget television musical that was shot in 24 days and featured a cast of unknowns, give birth to perhaps the biggest entertainment phenomenon of the new millennium?

“High School Musical’s” producer and creator Bill Borden says that the initial idea behind “HSM” was simply to make something he could watch at home with his three young sons. “We’d want to watch something as a family and we kept coming back to things like ‘The Sound of Music’ because musicals were the only option, apart from animated films. So, I decided to do a musical that would appeal to the age group of my kids, and they like rock and roll and pop, rather than Hollywood or Broadway show tunes.”

The second stroke of inspiration – obvious in retrospect perhaps – was situating the story in an average American three-year high school, filled with the pressures of fitting in and learning to make your own decisions. Teens in America saw their own feelings and experiences portrayed in the songs and dances through the hallways, classrooms, gym, and cafeteria of East High. Teens around the world got a glimpse into the American teen finding his own voice through American rituals like ‘the big show’ or ‘the big game.’

The cast takes the stories they are telling seriously. “I think we’re showing what it really feels like to be in high school and how things seem big and serious and dramatic. How the girl who’s like Sharpay really is a bit frightening,” says Monique Coleman, who plays the brainy Taylor McKessie. “Most movies about high school tend to make fun of themselves and poke fun at the situation.”

“I don’t agree when people say ‘High School Musical’ is old-fashioned,” concludes Kenny Ortega, the director of all three films. “It’s just that no one had made a film like it for a while, which is very different from it being old-fashioned. What’s happened is that we’ve reawakened this yearning for a certain innocence, a certain fantasy and hopefulness and joy. People were ready to see that again and I think they will embrace it on the big screen too. I’m not sure there’s any mystery to that at all.”

Mirror, Mirrors

“The Hills Have Eyes” director Alexandre Aja will deliver the scares anew in the upcoming horror movie “Mirrors” which is based on the Korean hit film “Into the Mirror.”

“Mirrors” stars television’s hit series “24” actor Kiefer Sutherland as an ex-NYPD cop whose life has gone downhill. In an attempt to sort his life out, he accepts the job of night watchman in a department store that has suffered a severe fire years earlier, and where only a few huge mirrors survived the flames. During his night rounds, the ‘mirror world’ contacts him and asks him to do impossible things which put those closest to him in imminent danger.

Director Aja, in the following q&a cites and shares his experiences during the film’s production.

Q: Where did the ideas for the film come from?

A: After “The Hills Have Eyes,” I wanted to deal with a different subject. I’ve always been attracted to the supernatural. It concerns a whole area of genre films that combine fantasy with horror. The idea of the mirror, an everyday object that everyone takes for granted and hardly notices, stuck with us. How many times a day do we look at ourselves, look at this image which we totally depend upon, in a mirror.... It is a little like checking to see if we are still there! Everyone has a different and particular relationship with the mirror. Some of us are quite narcissistic; others can’t stand the sight of their own reflection. We managed to convince Fox to let us take the basic theme, an ex-cop confronted with a mirror, and to turn it into a different story that has nothing to do with the original remake idea.

Q: Did working on this film make you think differently about mirrors?

A: I was terrified. I couldn’t even handle the mirror in my bedroom! Each time I was writing a mirror scene, I managed to frighten myself first before finalising a scene.

Q: When did you decide to choose Kiefer Sutherland?

A: As far as I’m concerned the most important part of a film will always be the story. His portrayal in “Flatliners,” which marked me on a personal level as it did my entire generation. It was one of the numerous reasons that made me choose him. Although his role as Jack Bauer in “24” has increased his fame, Jack is a more contained character who controls emotions well. Those who have only ever seen him in “24” will be very surprised. When we first met, I found out that he himself had a particular relationship with mirrors. He does not like looking at himself in the mirror, which is pretty rare for an actor. There are no mirrors in his house. He never looks at the monitor.

Q: What is the atmosphere like in the film?

A: The story takes place in New York, the city of reflections like no other, due to its incredible skyline of buildings. However, the attention is not focused on New York as a city; it is just a background for this ghost ship of an old abandoned department store. The intensity grows as Kiefer gradually gets caught up in a whirlpool of mystery that he must solve.

Q: Where does this film figure in your career?

A: Up until now I’ve been really lucky. Since the success of “The Hills Have Eyes,” I’ve found myself in increasingly favourable situations. I’ve often taken the risk of imposing my vision to those in America who decide, and run the risk of losing everything. “Mirrors” was a long process and I had to defend my point of view but in the end, the film is exactly as I imagined it, totally without compromise.

“Mirrors” also stars Paula Patton (“Déjà Vu”) and Amy Smart (“Crank,” “Butterfly Effect”) to be shown in local (Phils.) cinemas soon from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.