Questions for Kevin Donoghue - Video Co-Ordinator for Follow That Bird.

[TheJimHensonHour]

being a teacher he is very buzy...the interview is going to be done...I promise. He has the questions and I have to work around his timetable. so, anytime that is good for him is good for me. but...he did answer one question for me...it was a giant blue bird, it was not lighting. more on that when the interview happens.

wow that's so awsome! man I would love to own the blue big bird!

 

[AAO]

So has this interview occured yet?

 

[FutureMuppeteer]

he is a teacher now...and it is the end of year, he has the questions, I am just waiting for him to answer them and send them back to me.

it will come...I promise. I am just waiting for him.

 

[FutureMuppeteer]

sorry for the long wait...but here they are.

My teacher was finally able to get me these answers back. he was not able to answer one of the questions but...here are the answers of the questions he was able to answer..

sorry, for them being so short...I hope this helps at least a little (he does not like interviews...I had to buy him a coffee in order for him to answer these)

Was there really a blue big bird? Or was it lighting?

KD: The blue big bird suit was made that way in post production by a colourist to achieve that effect.

How was the story and/or idea for this film developed?

KD: As far as I know, the film was developed to bring Sesame Street to as many people as possible, so just to increase the audience.

Were there any deleted scenes?

KD: To be honest, I don’t know the answer to that question, I had nothing to do with post-production.

What was it like working with Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty?

KD: Dave and Joe were great to work with as the Sleaze Brothers, very professional as was John Candy as the policeman. John had a great deal of trouble getting the motorcycle to run, but he had a great sense of humour about it.

Do you know of any major changes between the original script and finished film?

KD: As far as I can remember, there were no major changes to the script.

What was it like to work with Carroll Spinney?

KD: Absolutely one of the nicest men I have ever worked with in this business. Very professional, very kind to everyone and never a complaint.

How long was the film in production?

KD: The movie took 17 weeks to shoot, with both a first and second unit shooting at the same time.

What did they do with the Sesame Street set they used in the film?

KD: I think it was just taken down and put in tractor trailers and driven to the Henson Storage area in New York.

Was Jim Henson really involved with this project as much as he was with some of his other Muppet projects?

KD: Jim was there quite a bit, and of course he was also acting in it with Frank Oz when we did the Bert and Ernie scenes.

What is your favorite memory of working on the movie?

KD: My favourite memory of working on the movie was setting up a hidden camera rig in the Countmobile as well as the puppeteer monitors. After it was set, I asked the Count if everything was ok…then realized that I was talking to a puppet. Everyone had a good laugh at that, including me…you just forget because of how realistic the puppeteers make the characters.



there ya go...maybe, next time I could get him to talk about Fraggle Rock...

 

[Muppet Matt]

Thank you for that Future Muppet! That's really neat!

 

[minor muppetz]

Was there really a blue big bird? Or was it lighting?

KD: The blue big bird suit was made that way in post production by a colourist to achieve that effect.

I thought you said that he told you there really was a blue Big Bird.

What was it like working with Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty?

KD: Dave and Joe were great to work with as the Sleaze Brothers, very professional as was John Candy as the policeman. John had a great deal of trouble getting the motorcycle to run, but he had a great sense of humour about it.

I would have thought that a stunt double would have been on the motorcycle when he was driving it.

Was Jim Henson really involved with this project as much as he was with some of his other Muppet projects?

KD: Jim was there quite a bit, and of course he was also acting in it with Frank Oz when we did the Bert and Ernie scenes.[/QUOTE]

That's interesting. I wonder what he meant by being there alot. I wonder if that meant he performed Ernie in most of his non-speaking scenes.

 

[FutureMuppeteer]

The suit was blue. They just made it more blue in post production.

 

[AAO]

Very pleased with this interview. Great job...

 

[MartyMuppets]

I can't believe I'm only just reading the interview for the very first time. Excellent. I love it. Well done.

 

[minor muppetz]

Reading the interview, it makes me wonder if Kevin Donoghue even watched the completed movie. I am not sure if he was on the set/ location for every day of filming, but he says that he des not know if any scenes were cut due to not being there to edit the film, and he does not recall any major changes to the script (I wonder which draft of the script he has). If he doesn't recall any big changes, then he could just watch the movie and see if the script has any scenes not in it.