Verbinski on pirates' future

With his films having taken in more than $2 billion worldwide, Gore Verbinski can be classified as one of Hollywood’s elite directors. His direction of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy makes up a major part of that financial success. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” alone, took in $1 billion dollars worldwide. The third film in the franchise, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” will be released on DVD on Dec. 4.

Verbinski recently took part in a junket to promote the DVD release, during which myself and other journalists previewed some bonus content from the disc and had the opportunity to ask him questions about his experience working on the “Pirates” trilogy. On one of the featurettes, Verbinski said the sets used for the film began with “a piece of paper and a napkin.” When asked how close the sets in the finished movie came to what was envisioned during those paper and napkin drawings, he responded, “The creative process is complex. I try to be specific and deliberate as I storyboard and pre-visualize the entire film. Yet I am constantly aware that this process can make a film cold and clinical. I try to remain open to gifts that a little bit of randomness can provide along the way.”

He also stressed the collaborative nature of the production process. “The contributions of others are essential in creating that particular form of ‘controlled chaos.’ The napkin drawing is a starting point from which I encourage evolution. Most of the time the concept remains intact but execution shifts dramatically.”

The “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” DVD comes packed with bonus features. Verbinski identified the Making of the Maelstrom featurette as a standout segment. “[It] gives you a small window into the complexity of creating and executing a sequence that has never been accomplished before. Months in planning and eight weeks of shooting required a synergy between stunts, camera, practical effects and visual effects.”

While computer-generated images played a major part in the final look of the Maelstrom sequence, the featurette documents how the filming of that sequence recreated the atmosphere of a real sea storm battle. “Day after day we were operating amid 100 miles per hour winds, cascading rain and debris, deafening cannon fire with 150 sword-wielding stuntmen battling across two undulating vessels on the largest gimbals ever constructed for filming. Although artificially created, practically speaking, we were filming a battle within a massive storm. I think the viewer will get a good sense of what everyone went through to bring this to the big screen.”

During the junket, the topic of a fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” inevitably arose. Although Verbinski failed to confirm that another film would be made, he provided his thoughts on the type of direction he’d like to take with a fourth installment. “I think the trilogy is now complete,” he said. “All of the stories set in motion by the first film have been resolved. If there ever were another Pirates of the Caribbean film, I would start fresh and focus on the further adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow.”

Despite the massive success of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy, Verbinski remains humble about his accomplishments. When asked if he feels powerful, he joked, “Only when I wear my eye patch.”

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