Director Gary Ross Comments on THE HUNGER GAMES Teaser; Lionsgate Launches Viral Site

You can count me among the fans of the book who were underwhelmed by the nondescript Hunger Games teaser that was released earlier today.  And, if my intuition is in tune, you can include director Gary Ross in that group, too.  Ross explains that the content of the clip was very limited by the amount of film in the can:

“Look, we’re still shooting. So unfortunately, it’s just a teaser. We could only give you a little bit because we’re still down here making the movie… There’s a lot of things to come that I think are going to be hugely epic and very emotional and incredibly powerful.”

Ross also gushes over star Jennifer Lawrence, discusses the limited presence of Gale (Liam Hemsworth) in the first book/movie, and talks about “bringing the Capitol to life.”  Hit the jump for the video commentary, plus more on the viral website that Lionsgate launched.

Clip via MTV:

Quotes!

“I think, as everyone knows, Gale is an enormous part of Katniss’ life.  He’s not as big a part of the first book.  But he’s very present, and very important… he’s in her head, he’s in her life, he’s something that echoes with her throughout the Games.”

When he says “he’s in her head,” I wonder if how literally they’ll depict that on film.  It seems like the filmmakers want to play up the love triangle, and it will be easier to do so in a visual medium if Gale appears to Katniss in visions (or something similar) while they’re apart.

Quote 2:

“I think that we’ve done wonderful things with the mutts.  I think that we’ve done a tremendous job in bringing the Capitol to life.  I think that’s going to be really, really exciting for people to see.”

The flamboyant style of the Capitol should look great on film.  I was hoping the first footage would show that off, go from 0 to 60 with the promotional material.  Instead, Lionsgate is still slowplaying it.  I don’t totally understand the logic, but I appreciate the reassurance the exciting stuff is coming.  Soon.  Eventually.

Speaking of which: you may have noticed the hashtag #WhatsMyDistrict at the end of the teaser.  Turns out it’s part of the viral site thecapitol.pn.  The more people tweet the hashtag, the clearer the image on the front page becomes.  It looks like a seal for the Capitol… which teases whom? I do like the the touch of the Panemized domain, but again, everything exciting is still in the vault.  What do I need to tweet to get me some of that?

Here’s the official synopsis for the March 23, 2012 release:

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games.  Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy.  If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.