The Descendants
Established indie theatre director change by reversal TV virtuoso Jennifer Phang ( pronounced " Pong " ) speaks about her latest body of work on HBO Max’sThe Flight Attendant , and how her technical background knowledge will make for an exciting Modern vision in Disney ’s approaching 4th installment in theDescendantsuniverse , The Pocketwatch . As one of the busiest director in television , Phang has a versatile skillset that has helped motivate her life history forward . Specifically , she tackle a unique production experience inThe Flight Attendant , season 2 .
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Screen Rantalso dove into the recently announced projectThe Pocketwatch , which Phang is set to co - executive produce and direct for Disney . Phang ’s not - so - hide out love of musicals is palpable , which makes her the pure fit for the franchise . Jennifer has some exciting theme that she hop will get fans pump by taking the birdcall and dance figure to whole raw floor .
Screen Rant : How didThe Flight Attendantstand out for you creatively from some of the other major shows you ’ve worked on ?
Jennifer Phang : I came from independent movie ; I came from a very visual background . I go about filmmaking through story first … But my passion also cross into camera work and editing . And what I love about episodic most peculiarly in this space is that there ’s a lot of time to go deeply into the psychology of this escape attendee , Cassie Bowden . What we key out is she ’s a bit of a narcist who has a bit of an dipsomania job , but she ’s also navigating this spy slaying mystery . And the elan of the show in the first time of year was so enticing that I say ‘ Let me get my hands in there ! ’
And of course , they do really fun affair with split screens , and creating an inner world with the brain palace in particular , was especial for me . And I was so excited to find myself operate on a season where Kaley Cuoco was playing four versions of herself . For me what was really great as an chance was to start playing with motion control in a very sophisticated way of life …
For me that was take my optical result experience to another level and also being there to suffer Kaley through an extremely operose unconscious process where she would have to metamorphose herself into multiple characters , and get really good about hit her marks and the timing in relationship to the television camera movement . So it was just kind of a howling intriguing experience and we were so mad when we pulled it off .
As a television conductor , it must be exciting but also gainsay to derive in and mime the tone of each show . What variety of creative instinct did you tip into to check that you ’re following that delicate balance of drollery and kick inThe Flight Attendant ?
Jennifer Phang : I had these really awe-inspiring producer . This was one of my best experiences so far in television . Silver Tree was our producing manager and direct a majority of the episodes . She came in gifting me with a lot of exemption , but also receive some amazing references . We referenced Hitchcock , we cite Brian DePalma .
For me , what I started to own in my couple of episodes was the split diopter , which I am weirdly haunted with and you ’ll see it in a bunch of my work ! [ Laughs ] I know that this was the perfect chance for using a split dioptre because of the psychological state that Cassie was in when she was fighting for her sobriety . A lot of meter we would dally with foreground ; alcohol in the background , and Cassie being tempted . It was a very easy musical theme that I suppose was pretty effective .
And just for our reader out there , can you excuse the technical use of the rip dioptre ?
Jennifer Phang : I will try out . [ Laughs ] Yeah , the split dioptre is something you add in front of your lens that create an image that allows for the desktop and foreground airplane to be in equal focus . You ’ll see that a lot in De Palma film … so when you have a deep background signal aeroplane and a foreground plane , you ’ll often just be rack focus between those two planes .
In this face , you did n’t have to rack because you could see them in focus at the same clip … it very quickly shows you an mental image that offers an worked up and expressive estimation . So in our slip it was all about what Cassie was struggle with during her entire journey to and from Iceland .
In episode 3 we get to meet this Modern version of Cassie , " Future - Perfect Cassie . " How did you tap into this new version ? What was it like working with Kaley to develop that part of the report ?
Jennifer Phang : I experience like Kaley really owned that character and knew how to make her as annoying as potential . [ Laughs ] But still lovable . I really focused a lot on making indisputable that you could sense the tautness between “ even Cassie ” and " Future - Perfect Cassie . " And Kaley is an sinful actor . She should win yard of prize , given that she was able to pull off all of that while also palm the technical challenge .
When you got the script and chance out you ’re going to Iceland , what were the originative and logistic aspects of that ?
Jennifer Phang : Steve Yockey , who break away the show with Natalie Chaidez , has this love for Iceland . He knows it so well and I intend he just decided he want to add a love letter to Iceland this season . What I did add was , we knew we would n’t have a portion of daylight so our daylight hours would be cute . So I was thinking to myself , ' What ’s unique to Iceland and Reykjavik that make sense that would be neat for Cassie ’s character ? ' I learn in and I was like , ' How do you experience about us sum up a little Northern Lights minute for Cassie to have a impression or discovery ? ' …
I think there was some hesitation , but then we all realized that it was a really great opportunity to have a soundless , beautiful present moment that spoke to something spiritual , whatever that was , in Cassie ’s journeying . An chance for Cassie to look into the sky and see something bigger than her , and kind of appreciate something outside of herself . So that was one of the thing ’s I was frantic about . I ’d say Steve ’s beautiful relationship with Iceland definitely permeated the hand .
We also really get to see Annie ( Zosia Mamet ) go into an worked up place that she ’s not comfortable with . narrate me about taking Annie ’s character to the next level with Zosia .
Jennifer Phang : Zosia ( Mamet ) play another one of my favorite reference too . I sleep with how Annie comes off as someone with a caboodle of heart under a lot of steel . So Zosia is so incredible and is able to kind of bring so much bodily fluid to the contradiction inside of Annie . For me , I knew Zosia had this . Her riffs are amazing so I would demand for them … We all sleep together that she would bring so much .
Sometimes the estimable workplace you may do as a theatre director is to give actors outer space to meet , and let them do their matter because they ’ve really meditated on where they could go - and give them the freedom to just do that . I bonk with these tantrum in particular it was best to keep it as simple as potential … .Again what ’s really interesting with the caliber of the actors we were working with , they could just go on and on and on and bring more and more exciting moments for the camera . That was another draw for me for The Flight Attendant was just knowing how incredible the casting was .
Miranda ( Michelle Gomez ) returns in episode 4 . And in that episode you also have Rosie Perez and Margaret Cho , along with Kaley . There ’s so much awesome choreography within that action sequence too , inside the lagoon in Iceland , and with all of those powerhouse actress . What was it like to sprout that amazing chronological succession ?
Jennifer Phang : You totally nailed it . There was a mo where we had them all on the bus … and we ’re like , ‘ Can we just take stock that we have these 4 amazing comic women histrion who are just like the curious women in moving-picture show and video and they ’re on that busbar justly there and we ’re about to dissipate a scene with them ? Yes let ’s take blood line … let ’s go do that ! ' [ Laughs ]
Those women have so much playfulness chemistry together . Michelle Gomez is just always explode with idea , as is Kaley … I just had to kind of deal the storytelling while allow these powerhouse woman the space to have as much fun as they require . So that was splendiferous .
But also just a really fun anecdote for me is that we needed to have these North Korean hench - people , write as henchmen , but there are n’t that many Asiatic stunt people in Iceland . In fact there were none . So we had to recruit the few Asians we had and we decided that one of the henchmen would be a hench - woman . And she was PeiPei Yuan , who was going to double for Margaret Cho ’s character as require . And she was just fantastic , a fabulous machine driver , really capital athlete and she just really brought it … It was a wonderful night . We just kept shoot as much as we could . The crew were such trooper that night .
extolment on getting to turn on Disney’sDescendants 4 , The Pocketwatch . What ’s that pin creatively like for you into that ultra - colourful , new grownup subject matter likeDescendants ?
Jennifer Phang : It ’s really exciting for me to take on a feature film , not just a characteristic but a musical comedy that ’s pass to have 7 numbers in it , at least . Through my television career , I got a lot of experience under my belt working with stunt and cosmos creation , and I also worked with a wad of young adult content as well like Stargirl and Cloak & Dagger . I also did a fender for Disney called The Secret of Sulphur Springs , so I had kind of dip my toe in that as well .
I think the ground that I was asked to consider this labor had a little bit to do with that my life history had spanned a very wide range of experience through both the independent film side , my ocular effects experience , understanding how to work with children , kids and new adults , and solve with very big fixed pieces and all that .
I ’m really excited to take this chance to also express my love for Song dynasty and dance . I do have this kind of out of sight , not so obscure sometimes , but hidden love for dance . I will dance a lot without being asked to . [ Laughs ] I do have to say when I was like 11 , before I decided I was going to be a movie maker , I did say , ‘ Well could I be the somebody who put on the Super Bowl halftime show , could I be that individual ? ’ Just kind of imagine myself putting on Janet Jackson concerts . So this is kind of like luck answer the secret childhood call to get involved with song and dance .
This will require a lot of choreography . Does that interpret creatively for you as a managing director ? What do you trust to wreak as your Jennifer Phang flare to theDescendantsuniverse ?
Jennifer Phang : That ’s a fantastic interrogation . I am calculate to really lean into a dynamical camera that really features the dancing in a really exciting style , but also tell a story . Even when we ’re directing action sequence we also have to verify we ’re telling emotional stories as well . Usually our characters are confront really utmost stakes in actions chronological sequence , life or death stakes , and we have to verify we ’re really connect with them .
likewise , I ca n’t babble too much about the genuine content of these sequences , but … I use the word ‘ explosive’a circle when I ’m working with the originative squad . I really want these sequence to catch our Disney+ viewers and really elevate the prevention on this dealership more than it already has been raise . I also need to make certain that we ’re looking at a diversity of role … I have to regain these categories where I can speak ! [ Laughs ]
There are pass away to be young lineament , there ’s going to be characters we already know or remember from retiring Disney I.P. But I ’m really excited about featuring the latest and majuscule in contemporary song and dance and music . I ’m really excited about that .
TheDescendantsuniverse embraces its intergenerational appeal with grownup characters like Kristen Chenoweth as Maleficent and Kathy Najimy as The Evil Queen . So inThe Pocketwatch , what can the fans get excite about in terms of that ?
Jennifer Phang : You decidedly are endure to get close to this Modern character called Red ; she ’s the daughter of Queen of Hearts . This is really exciting for me to be able-bodied to portray this theatrical role , Queen of Hearts , which is a completely novel fibre for the Descendants universe of discourse .
And then she collide with a bite of an adversary - perhaps a mate - in this new character Chloe , who ’s the daughter of Cinderella . Chloe ’s a bit of a perfectionist and really pure of inwardness , where Red is a malcontent daughter ; kind of anti - organisation . You have these two very dissimilar personality and they have to bring through Auradon from a dreaded fate .
How do you cerebrate your natural editing and visual event attainment are pass away to specifically pay off off withThe Pocketwatch ?
Jennifer Phang : I ’m really excited to be building this young world holler Wonderland . And there are a lot of references that we ’re all aware of from Wonderland , but we ’re going to have our own take on it . My optic effect screen background , my editing background , will really serve up building this creation . We ’ll be using visual effects to raise whatever locations we find and we ’ll be contribute back some of the establish emplacement that everyone ’s aware of from the first two Descendants , while also found the kind of agricultural bon ton that Queen of Hearts has her grip on cry Wonderland . So I ’m really aroused to build up that and share it with the Earth .
Should fan expectThe Pocketwatchto be a direct sequel or more of a spin - off with a fresh take ?
Jennifer Phang : We ’re inflate on the world that sports fan have it off and love .
As someone who ’s involved in back AAPI spokesperson , can you give us any sixth sense into how that specific various recess will be reflected in this project ?
Jennifer Phang : You know , we ’re so early and mystifying into the process right now . I ca n’t really speak to that too deep . But it pop off without saying that , what I enjoy about Disney is that they ’re committed to internal representation and cellular inclusion . So it has already been a really great and wonderful collaboration because I palpate their love for reflecting the humans we know in .
Anything else you want to refer on to get fans excited ?
Jennifer Phang : I could not be more pumped to be hold on a musical . My hope is to bring to buff something colored and explosive and kind of unprecedented in this macrocosm . And something that also affect our hearts . I ’m excited that this handwriting has a really beautiful and meaningful narration about mothers and daughters . That ’s a study I ’ve explore in my own body of work as well , so it feel like I ’m in a really sound , comfortable space for that .
What ’s exciting for me and what I look for in all these scripts … is characters that are credible and also kind of exploring young motif and newfangled challenge . And I ’m look for narration that have powerful probe into our motive .
The PocketwatchSynopsis
The expansive Modern story introduces " Red , " the whip - bright and rebellious adolescent daughter of the Queen of Hearts ( " Alice in Wonderland " ) and " Chloe , " the perfectionist and athletic daughter of Cinderella and Prince Charming ( " Cinderella " ) . In guild to prevent an impending coup in Auradon – one that loom during the celebration of a raw royal baby – , Red must link up forces with Chloe to travel back in sentence , via the White Rabbit ’s air pocket watch , to cease an result that would lead to grave consequence .
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The Pocketwatchis set to set out film this fall and will premiere on Disney + .
