Exclusive Interview: Saw VI Writers Spill Gory Details on the Franchise’s 3-D Future and a Major Recurring Character (Part 1)

Share on Facebook posted 10-14-09 by Angelo D'Argenio

If it’s Halloween, it must be Saw! Saw VI is in theaters next week, and people everywhere are waiting to see what devious traps Jigsaw has planned for us this time. Being big fans of the Saw movies ourselves, we decided to catch up with Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, who have written the scripts for every movie since Saw IV, and who plan to be writing the screenplays through Saw VIII and beyond! Much like Jigsaw, the pair have every move planned out so far in advance that we can barely fathom what is to come. In our exclusive multi-part interview, the brilliantly sick minds behind Jigsaw’s carnage spill details about 3-D murders to come, previously unrevealed plot turns, and the ongoing importance of Peter Outerbridge’s character.

Where Will It End?

30 Ninjas: In Saw IV a big plot revelation was that Hoffman would also be tested, but most fans say this didn’t happen in Saw V. Will this big test come in Saw VI?

Marcus Dunstan: Without touching that question with a 10 ten-foot pole, I will say that I cannot wait for you to see this film.

30 Ninjas: What difficulties in general did you encounter in writing the plot for Saw VI specifically? How were you hoping to keep fans interested in a franchise that has had so many iterations in such a short time?

Marcus Dunstan: I think Mr. Melton really answers this one the best, in that it was really about chasing a captivating A story.

Patrick Melton: Speaking of that, we encountered some things in IV and V that were always a learning experience, [asking ourselves] what our favorite Saw movie was. So for VI our biggest goal going in was to make a really intriguing A story, and that’s sort of where we began. That A story includes John Kramer in a huge capacity, and, of course, Hoffman and Amanda, and that brought everything to a nice bit of conclusion or resolution at the end. We’re really excited about VI because it offers a resolution that people were looking for, but it also has that emotional A story that gets you early on and pulls you throughout, so you’re really interested in how it’s going to play out and how this lead character, who’s played by Peter Outerbridge, works into the Jigsaw mythology and how it’s going to lie at the end of the day. Our goal always with all of these films is to hit all the hallmarks of the past films but also bring something new, and we did that really well with this one. It’s got a nice balance between engaging story and these grotesque crazy traps and a twist at the end that makes you go, “Ooh, I didn’t [fore]see that, and I love that.” You’re very fulfilled at the end of the day.

30 Ninjas: You say that Saw VI has a resolution, that it brings the Saw franchise full circle. What does that mean for Saw VII? Will it be a reboot? All new characters?

Patrick Melton: Nope. Nope. Well, you’ll see, it’s hard to talk about because you haven’t seen VI, but once you see it, you’ll completely understand what John Kramer’s plan was and where VII needs to go, because it’s part of the final moments of the movie and the plot twists and how things play out. You’ll see, it’s very organic, there’s no jumping of the shark or rebooting or reimagining. You’ll see where VI ends, and you’ll see exactly where VII needs to go, while still having that feeling of resolution that you haven’t really felt since the third film.

30 Ninjas: So do you guys have an ending for this franchise planned or are you looking to keep it going for as long as possible?

Patrick Melton: Well, Mark [Burg] and Oren [Koules], the two producers who financed the movie and all of that stuff, they always have these nuggets like, “OK, this is going to happen, then that,” and they have, in their minds, something that needs to play out through VIII. That’s what they said. VII is already in preproduction; I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves but once you see where VI plays out and then VII plays out, you’ll understand what needs to be wrapped up in VIII. So in their minds they have it through VIII. Beyond that, we don’t know if we’re fortunate enough to get that far; we’ll see. We don’t usually play it too far in advance, but we do have something planned through VIII.

Right now we’re thrilled with where VI ends up, and we’re in preproduction with VII. Sometimes you get into it and you never know what is or isn’t going to work. For example, V ended differently in the script than it ended in the movie, and that’s because certain things worked better than others and we wanted to end on a different high note, and that’s how that change, which was a last-minute change in editorial, totally changed what VI was going to be. So you never quite know, but there are some larger beats that will come a bit clearer at the end of VI where you understand where VII and VIII might lead.

Saw in 3-D: Blood and Guts, Comin’ Atcha!

30 Ninjas: So what about this talk about a Saw movie in 3-D?

MD & PM: That’s happening, man. It’s Saw VII. Yep, it’s going into production, it’s going to be 3-D, and it’s going to be crazy.

30 Ninjas: Did it affect the way your wrote the plot at all?

Patrick Melton: Nope, not at all. It’s tricky, 3-D technology is very different now than when we were kids and saw, ,em>Jaws 3-D. Now it’s not so much, “Oh my god, it’s coming right at my face!,” which is more gimmicky. It’s more about seeing the depth of field and feeling a little more immersed in the world. Which at first blush you’d think wouldn’t be a good thing for a Saw movie because, well, we’ll see with [James Cameron's] Avatar these sweeping vistas and this gorgeous vast landscape, but in the Saw movies they’re in a room, which will make it all much more interesting. Because we have, definitely for VII, [adapted it for 3-D].

So, the real answer to your question is, yeah, [we do write for 3-D] to a certain extent, because once you get into the house of horrors, that’s when the movie really kicks in. For VII, knowing that the movie was going to be in 3-D, we were much more conscious of designing what that house of horrors was going to be. So when you get in it, by adding 3-D, the experience of being inside this house of horrors is taken to a whole other level, because it is totally catered to the depth of field in this room and immersed in this experience with these characters. You’re not just seeing it, you’re feeling it, because these traps and games are coming right at you! So there definitely was, as much as we want to say, “No, we are just writing a story and 3-D will work within that,” there definitely were these things in the back of our mind going, “OK, this trap has to be extra special and have more movement than usual because it would just make it a much cooler experience [in 3-D].”

30 Ninjas: So do you guys want to see 3-D stick with the franchise, then? Do you think VIII will be in 3-D, since you said you kind of have it planned through that iteration?

Marcus Dunstan: Well, we might just pass up 3-D and go 4-D with VIII.

30 Ninjas: 4-D? Would that be experiencing the movie outside of time?

Patrick Melton: (laughs) No, an usher will be behind each chair in the theater helping you feel the experience. Seriously, though, that’s a good question. Mark was asked that question, and he seemed to suggest that if VII is going to be in 3-D, then VIII ought to be in 3-D too, because how do you go back to 2-D after 3-D? We don’t know yet, but that is definitely a question that we will have to answer soon.