While there are many filmmakers who love to let audiences see all the scenes that didn't quite make it into a feature film, there are also some who aren't big fans of it. It turns out that it's the latter camp in which Ghost In The Shell director Rupert Sanders can be categorized, and during a recent interview I learned why you shouldn't expect any deleted scenes on the movie's soon-to-be-released Blu-ray. Said the director,
To me, the belief is that there's no point in 'Deleted Scenes' if they don't work, on a Blu-ray. The film is the best version of the film. What the Blu-ray does magnificently is going behind the scenes.
The point of view that Rupert Sanders takes on this issue is certainly an arguable one. While deleted scenes can allow audiences to get a sense of the movie that could have been, there is a degree to which any film is created from a director's specific choices. That vision is presumably featured in the final print/theatrical cut, and anything that didn't make it in wound up on the cutting room floor for a reason. Given how some deleted scenes can wind up being very memorable, change perceptions of a finished movie, or not come across in proper context, there's good reason not to reveal them.
Continuing, Rupert Sanders emphasized that while the Ghost In The Shell Blu-ray won't feature any extra sequences, everyone should be sure to check out the behind the scenes material that the project. The documentaries cover the extensive work not only done by the people of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital down in New Zealand, but scores of people in multiple departments who worked hard to make the live-action film a reality. Said Sanders,
We had a team of "Weta-ns" as we called them who were everywhere from inception to construction, to principal photography, and then for visual effects. Sometimes they're just a hose in the water, but these guys really went deep, and we created in concert, how we did this. A lot of very talented people put a lot of work into that -- and it's really testament to the quality of those gifted filmmakers. And it's through so many departments of the incredible vehicles and wardrobes and graphic designers and application departments across the world.
The filmmaker made it very clear that he is very proud of the work done by the hundreds of people who worked on Ghost In The Shell, but even went a step further by acknowledging his love of the kind of featurettes you can find on home video releases. In fact, he acknowledged two notable behind-the-scenes looks that have served as inspiration for him as a filmmaker:
If you're into cinema it's so great. I love 'Making Of' films. The ones for Blade Runner and Star Wars have really inspired me as a filmmaker. I hope these will inspire people in a similar way.
Fans will be able to feast their eyes on these special features, as Ghost In The Shell will be available in 4K, 3D, standard Blu-ray and DVD on July 25th - and for those who just want to catch the movie, you can catch it on DigitalHD now!
