THE HULK PRESS CONFERENCE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH ANG LEE Previous: The Hulk Press Conference Q. You recently said in USA Today, that you were trying to hit The Hulk movie on three levels: a scientific level, a technical level and a cultural level.   I think you've only been filming a little bit, but do you think you're on the road to achieving those three levels? I try, I try really hard.   I'm just trying to make the days and yeah, I feel I'm quite indulged to have that kind of high goal and I have great studios supporting my dream.  As any movie I'm making so far, you never know.  Unless you are willing to make a fool out of yourself, really to flop on the face, you go ahead for a chance to do something great.  I think the aim is really high, I think so far so good, I have a lot of unknowns particular this one, this one is different from any other movie I've made.  You see, half of the movie I won't even be going to start directing until the shooting's over: the animation, the special effect in terms of directing Hulk and all the other elements, so it's a long battle, there will still be a year ahead of me to say the least from this point on and we already go for maybe about ten months now, so there's a long battle, I cannot really give you the answer, I can tell you that I really try hard and so far so good, it's been very encouraging, we have the best cast and crew and studio support. Q. How are you planning on showing the actual transformation between Banner and Hulk?  What's it going to look like? We're still figuring it out.  I can't tell you about that.  It's supposed to be top secret.  I hope this is something we've never seen before, at least the refinement, the performing art and the care for special effects that mix with the art of performing emotional values and realism.  I hope that we have a breakthrough.  But then one of my biggest goals is mixing the art of drama, relationship and take that along with special effects and action.  I try a little bit of that in Crouching Tiger, in the Chinese version, and I'm here to try the Hollywood version, so to speak. Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your movie-making experience here in the Bay area, why the Bay area was picked, for instance, how does the Bay area fit into the plot of the Hulk and finally, often we see scenes of the Bay area being shot but by the time we see the finished product on the screen, we don't recognise it, it could be anywhere USA, will we really recognise the Bay area when it's done? Sure, it's beautiful as you can see, you guys are lucky who live here, it's a beautiful area, it has many layers as compact as New York City, and it is on a hill by the water, it's one of the most beautiful place for cinematic reasons.  I always felt I wanted to make a movie here, and James can back me on that.  We always wanted to make movie here, part of this is set in Berkeley and James [Schamus] went to Berkeley, I always loved Berkeley and plus San Francisco, so this is one of our dreams, to film here.  And so far the experience has been great, the weather's been very co-operative, we have a very friendly, so far a very friendly city and mayor, and I have the honour to receive the honour of honorary citizen in the last year here.  [I was] given the key, the city key by the mayor himself and I'm here to use the key.  I hope you haven't changed the lock!  I think it's beautiful not only logistically, cinematically but it's going to be romantic, everything you were expecting of San Francisco can offer. Q. Would it be fair to call The Hulk a superhero film or a monster film, to use any of those two comparisons? I believe the Hulk is the first Marvel creature from the comic book world that is a mixture of monster and superhero and we want to remain that way.  And I think it's possible to do a mixture, in a very emotional way as well.  I think we all have the Hulk inside of us, our alter ego, not only Hulk/Banner character goes through that, but everyone who deals with him, they're dealing with their own Hulk-ness inside of them.  I hope eventually that that effect prevails to the audience: we all have the Hulk in us.   Q. How does technology change the role of the director?  Or your role specifically? We have to get ahead of them and use it as a tool, not to be overwhelmed, so to me it's all good news.  I can do this, I can do that, but as soon as you do that you're not satisfied until you get use of best tool, [ie.] the dramatic elements, that's always my attitude.  I think it's been great, especially if you have the money to do those things.  I know as much about technology making this kind of movie as I know about kung fu in Crouching Tiger.  I think it's a good thing - I have fantasy and I don't know enough.  If I know I'll be doing the same what I'm doing, so I guess for me the artistry of my film-making, my films, my ideas, I think that's exciting.  I think I know enough to know it's not totally crazy, it's do-able, but it's pretty crazy…but I think they like that.  They're bored with what they're doing, so it's good, I don't quite know what I'm doing, I'm living in a fantasy world and direct them, change them.  First I have to learn from them, and I try to make changes, you know, make it different. Q. With Sense and Sensibility I'm sure you didn't have to deal with any Internet rumours but The Hulk has its fan base and I know they have already been very vocal and you'd just started shooting, have you been paying attention at all to Internet rumours?  How do you deal with it, what do you think of all the fans who are already weighing in on the movie before you've really even started? I have been pretty locked into my own fantasy world, a film-making world.  I try not to be distracted too much  by what's going on out there and focus on the movie-making part of it…I have great respect for the fans and for the traditional comic world, although cinema is doing something different in the comic world but we've total respect for that genre. Q.  You once said that your long-term goal is to help produce films that can help young Chinese directors or actors get into America or Hollywood, do you think you are making this happen? I think that the most important thing is that I can focus on my work and give an example of what Chinese film-makers, Asian film-makers, can do here…  I'm not a producer by nature, I don't know how much I can help, I do as much as I can, but I'm pretty much focused on my own work and set the example, I hope. Q. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and The Hulk are similar in that they are both action films but they diverge significantly in their subject matter and treatment.  What were the similarities and differences between these two specific projects that attracted you to The Hulk? It's the weird mixture of pop culture on the one hand and realistic drama on the other.  They don't get along I think by nature and I try to mix them and that's always the hardest thing for me, [ie.] how much you want to go with realistic.  If it's so realistic, how can you believe in a green giant or people can fly?  So that contradicts each other, which to me presents a dilemma of my own life in film-making.  It should be that way, it is a weird mixture and I'm heading there, I have a taste of Crouching Tiger a couple of years ago, now I'm experienced in that.  Yeah, my own soul has a love/hate relationship but it's kind of the path I've chosen to do and most of the time I enjoy the suffering, so to speak.		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